C Brooks You wanted to know how your general membership can get around the committees decision, I guess what does your bylaws say? Is it general pratice that they make all the decisions or do they have to get the vote/approval from your general membership? If you don't have bylaws I would still bring it to your general membership, see what they say and how they feel about it.looking at your original plan I just don't understand why so much got shot down...it looks similiar to what we do

C Brooks,

There is a new year-round health-centered fundraiser that may be a good match for a playground.

At the PTA National Convention this year, CalorieKing presented a new year-round healthy fundraiser that can be driven by parents and teachers, with or without student involvement.

To do this fundraiser, the school or PTO/PTA registers with CalorieKing at www.ckwellness.com/schools/fundraising/signup/. Then the school is listed at www.calorieking.com/fundraiser/. Next the school encourages people to visit the page to download CalorieKing’s Nutrition & Exercise Manager software for a free trial. If the user elects to purchase the software, he or she pays $29.95 and the school or PTO gets half. CalorieKing sends out checks quarterly.

The school or PTO can ask the local paper to donate an ad. They can promote it in their newsletter, and they can conduct a mail or email campaign. There are lots of ways to do it.

$15.00 per order could add up quickly, especially with the healthy-kids objective of so many parents and schools. Also, selling Nutrition & Exercise Management software to promote a playground seems quite reasonable.

Cbrooks

A few years ago when we was doing our playground we did not want to have another fundraiser so say. We set up a bank account for donations at a (local middle of town easy access) and they also donated) but here is the main way we brought ALOT of money in. We sent out donation request letters and let every business (all of the yellow pages) know what we were needing the money for. Needless to say after 2 months we had raised $100,000 and only needed $50,000. What ever we got went into the school playground somehow. If you truly want this then try the letter request. It worked for our town of 17,000 people. I hope it works for you too or gives you an idea.

Kelley
SGS PTO President

pals, the teacher did this at a meeting, her argument was that the two elementary schools and the pre-k would have a fall festival so she thought we needed to do something else another time after that the meeting was hijacked by a mother and her daughter (a student) about a contraversial subject and I liked to have never got the meeting back on track. That was fine except it was like pulling teeth to secure the date we had! This time the teachers out numbered parents. I was told that last year only two or three teachers ever showed up. The teachers are really wanting this playground. It just felt like a slap in the face right off the bat when they didn't want a fall festival. The teachers are alloted a small amount of money for supplies and such but they have wanted to forgo that money so it would go toward the playground. So I can't really complain about the staff. The principal is just great, he is very enthusiastic about everything.

One thing that was mentioned was having an account set up just for the playground at one of two of our local banks. That way we can also concentrate on other things we need. I think the community will really get behind us on this playground because it will be for the community more or less and it will be named after an old school building that was tore down while petitions where being made to keep it. That was not a happy time for us that loved that building. So I say let the money making begin.

The committee chair gave me her report. I think she wants me to type it up and probably present it. How could the general members get around the committee decisions to not do some of those money making events?

I agree!! Sounds like bologna to me!!!! Maybe you can rally enough parents to attend your meetings that outnumber staff and vote on it. If you tell parents and the community you need $50,000 for a playground so your kids can do something besides stand around in the snack line for 10 minutes, I'm pretty sure they'd start buying whatever you're selling. I would!!! Maybe it's like the others said, they are afraid it's more work for them.

I feel for you so much, my first born is moving onto Junior High this year and everyone who knows me wants me to help get the parent group on the right track. Last year they made an effort to get it up and going and i guess the president has moved on. I am still in charge of a elementary pto and really hesitant to step up. Although I hear middle school is a challenge...
It has to be hard to go from a well supported organization to one struggling. If they don't want to raise any money then how did they truly think you would get the playground funds? a money tree? You said a teacher shot down your fall festival , do they have that power? I mean do they have anything to do with it. we run ours all with parent volunteers so the staff is only there if they want. Seems like that was overstepping their part, afraid that it might be work for them? if that is the case can you make it work without them? sometimes if you can show them that it isnt any work them they are okay with it, i am just surprised that one teacher can do this?
I think that you may have to be upfront and basically ask them if they want these projects done then they need to let your group do somethings . How does your principal stand on this?