Your kidding me right? You actually have 4 dads who volunteered for 4 hours setting something up and you can't buy them a pizza? People are always asking how do I get volunteers? I would love to be in your shoes and actually have the volunteers. For the record, at any of our PTO events where a group of parents has given up large chunks of time at once we always order pizza and pop for everyone. I think if you ask the people who never volunteer, they would have no complaints about somebody else doing the work and spending a couple bucks on pizza. [img]redface.gif[/img]

We don't have a rule that addresses this specifically, but my gut reaction is "no" if it was not agreed upon in advance. On the other hand, it's not typical that we get one, much less 4, dads involved in a PTO event - maybe food is the hook! Do you have a line item in your budget (like "hospitality") that could absorb the expense? What if you put it to a vote of your members? Would saying "no" or even voting on it make the board look petty and unappreciative or diligent and careful? You know your members better than anyone here. But I think our dads would think it ridiculous that our PTO (mostly moms)is troubled over a few bucks for the pizza.

I'm sorry I wasn't specific regarding where the fundraiser was....it was not on school grounds. These men were setting up for a fundraiser no where near the school. Thank you for your replies, it was very helpful. Our Executive Board is pretty new and this had never come up before. Thanks again!

I've got to agree with Metzymom. A precedent could be set here - like opening a giant can of worms maybe........

I had to think about this one for a day or two. At first, I thought it would be okay to reimburse the pizza money, but something was bothering me and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

The beer thing bothers me a lot. Not that I have anything against beer or alcohol, I can slug one down with the best of them. What bothers me is that it was on school grounds. Our school staff cannot even bring a pack of cigarettes into the parking lot, much less alcohol. The beer is definately not a reimbursable item, and the folks who imbibed should be reminded there is a place and a time, and school grounds provides neither.

As for the pizza, yes, you could reimburse it. Thing is that in almost every situation, meals are not reimbursable for volunteers. Check with your school, the district office, the IRS. It would be a nice thing to do, but not necessary. The thing that makes me not want to reimburse however, is the fact that the pizza could have been, would have been donated if someone had just asked. Or parents would have been happy to make sandwiches for the guys, if they had just been asked. They could have gone home for lunch, which they should have. It seems to me that choosing pizza and beer was their choice, not the choice (or majority vote) of your group. You can still take it to a vote, because you really shouldn't reimburse them until you get approval from your PTO, but I think they actually crossed a line here. If you reimburse their lunch, don't you think you should make some sort of back pay available to the other hundreds of volunteers who either missed a meal or had fast food brought in while they were volunteering? Or offer free pizza and drinks at all volunteer functions? I know that I'd jump for that deal! Okay, I'd do it for what I get now (nada, nothing, zilch, zip), but still...lol... And it would save me an argument with my tax guy at the end of the year!

It's up to your group, who is probably going to give them the pizza reimbursement. Make sure that there is some sort of guideline and that everyone is on the same page about this in the future. I, myself, would not reimburse them for any part of the meal. My group, on the other hand, would probably not have a problem with it. I think, in the end, you just need to have a policy so that this doesn't get out of hand. I mean let's face it, pizza for 4 men is more expensive than Taco Bell for 4 women, but less expensive than 4 steaks for the next group who figure it will be okay... Well, you know what I mean...lol...

Good Luck!

[ 11-10-2002: Message edited by: TheMetzyMom ]</p>

Our exec board voted that at times when a group of people are working "through" a mealtime, that the meal will be paid for by the PTO. Pizza at the fundraiser pick-up day that took hours, the workers who are at our fun fair for extended periods of time, things like that. We decided this after registration night when we were all at the school and ordered in. We did NOT turn in those receipts as it was something we had not yet voted on.

In your situation, I think I would agree to pay for the pizza but definitely not the beer, and in the future make it clear to everyone what your stand is on this matter and if you do allow it - make sure that everyone has a copy of your tax-exempt letter so that you can benefit from it. (Tax on a pizza or two can be a buck or two, right?)