Our PTO has a fundraiser at the beginning of the school year. We determine our activities by the amount we raise. We also use the $ to buy extras for our relatively small school (K-4 has 475 students). We have bought choral risers and gym mats, die cuts and paid for our needy students to go on field trips. We also buy each student two books per year.

Our parents see us as very active and know that the $ is being spent on the entire school and that we are definite bargain hunters so we keep costs to a minimum. If a parent asks, the records should be made available.

I agree with Bertha, the more open you are about the dealings of the organization, the less it seems like a clique. The bonus is people are more apt to participate!

After every assembly or event our school has the Principal writes a very nice thank you to the PTA and the parents which goes right into the newsletter. He ALWAYS thanks the parent for "participating in the fundraisers which pay for all wonderful programs that both you and your children enjoy"

After each fundraisers has ended(which we only do three per year) we do put in our newsletter what programs we will be bringing in with the profits.

I feel that since we started telling the parents what we're doing with their money, they seem more willing to participate in the fundraisers.

I am the new PTO Pres for the upcoming school year. I have always thought that people are more likely to participant in something if they know what the out come is. I am going to put together a brief report about what each fund raiser took in and the major expenditures that were made. We fund all the assemblies and other events during the year. I think that you need to let parents know what they are helping to work for, especially new parents.

When I started attending PTO meetings a few years back, that board seem offended if a parent questioned some of the spending, like it was a big secrect.

I thought all nonprofit orgs had to make their finances available for everyone to see. Am I wrong?

Most definately!!!!!! It is their PTO as well, just b/c they are not on the board doesn't mean they are not a PTO member. If they pay the money to be a "card carrying" member they then have a voting right when brought to the general membership and they should also have the right to know what the board is doing w/the organizations money. In my opinion anything other than giving budget reports & an income statement to the general meeting is not being completely honest & it looks like you are trying to hide something. IMHO.