Our elementary PTO was quite a formal group and had many members(all volunteers). Running things formally allowed us to have shorter, more efficient meetings. It eliminated long and sometimes heated discussions over issues because the President had the power to limit the discussions and keep things moving. It allowed for the Exec Board to have power to make decisions in some areas, which streamlined many processes. We also had a formal budget that was presented at the start of the year. It allowed us to have one big general meeting where each item was reviewed and then the budget was approved and we moved on with our year. The rest of the general meetings dealt with things that came up after budget and with major focus on executing our events and programs. Committees knew up front how much they could spend and parents could plan ahead for the events/programs where they wanted to volunteer. It was an organized, efficient, successful and happy group.
Our middle school PTO is much smaller and much less formal. We have been fortunate in that we all get along and tend to agree on the vast majority of issues. On the items where we have different views, none of us have a problem voicing that. I do think, however, that many parents are turned off by that lack of formality. If they are not bold enough to speak up, they would probably feel left out. That could be why we have such small numbers at meetings. I know that when I came into the group, it was a bit of a culture shock. I've adapted, but many parents can't/won't. We do alright, but some of us can't help but wonder if we would be more successful if things were a bit more formal.
Our PTO is all volunteers, too (aren't most?), yet there does need to be structure for the long-term success of the group. It doesn't need to be a "British Parliament" or "House of Representatives" type of structure, and you can keep the meetings somewhat informal and certainly friendly.
As I said, the "no rules" approach works well, until it doesn't and then it can go really bad in a heartbeat. By-laws minimize the damage that can be done to a group in those situations.
I think that all this formalness with a volunteer setting is just going to turn people away. We are there as volunteers and it's not a paid position. Know what I mean. :confused: A talking stick?????
Informal organization of a group with informal meetings works great.......until it doesn't.
Eventually, even the most amiable group can develop severe differences in opinion, differences in interpretation of the group's mission, upsets due to perceived versus actual authority, and so on. When the group goes off-track in this way, it won't have a system/recognized authority to rely on to resolve the issues and get the group back to business with as little fall out as possible.
That's why having officers with documented responsibilities and by-laws outlining parliamentary procedures and meeting process is invaluable, even in volunteer organizations.
