I've received several private emails (I call it the 'backchannel') as a result of this thread. I also know that this thread and others like it are read by a lot more folks than those of us who've posted.
I thought I'd cut and paste a couple of my responses to emails this weekend, and I hope they shed some more light on what we're doing here at PTO Today.
And then -- yes -- I'm going to close the topic, as I think it's best for the forum to do so.
(Rules note: debates or complaints about how the forum is run should be directed to me via email, not in the forum. We try to keep the forum focused on topics about groups, when we can.)
Some excerpts from my emails (also note that when I refer to "PTA" or "PTAers" I'm almost always referring to higher-ups in state or national PTA offices):
On the PTO - PTA "rivalry"
Honestly, there are a lot of PTAers who now think of PTO Today as the enemy. I've come to accept that as inevitable and it doesn't keep me up at night. It's important to note, though, that the PTA lost so much of its membership and its units
well before PTO Today came along . We started PTO Today
because 75% of K-8 groups were independent and not being served (though they needed service), not in order to make the numbers go that way. The numbers already
were that way.
Since we've come along, it's convenient for PTAers to point to us as the cause of the steep drop-off in PTA membership, but it's just not true. In our NPN offering, fewer than 2% of our total group count has come from PTAs going PTO. Another 2% or so are active PTAs who belong to both (which is fine). The remaining 95% are PTOs who've been independent for years and now are happy to receive a higher level of service. Pushing PTAs to go PTO is not a priority, when there's something like 60,000 K-8s out there who are already independent. It makes for a nice story about us in state PTA offices around the country, but it's just not true.
Our entire business is focused on helping parent groups. If we do that, everything else (advertisers, web traffic -- the stuff you pointed out) happens naturally. If our serving parent groups well somehow causes PTAs to "go PTO", then I'd say that there's something amiss in the PTA offering. No one's suggesting, I don't think, that we should serve parent groups less well, are they?
On Taking Things Personally
Personal? Guilty. It is my career and our company. And it's my name that gets trashed around the country. I can take it (sometimes even enjoy it). But it
is personal.
On Being Proud of Our Work
If we ever meet, I bet you'll be surprised at how similar we are in our passion for schools. Attend one of our conferences; you'll be impressed by the learning and sharing and utter lack of PTO v PTA talk (can't say the last part about a state or national PTA convention). We hosted 250 TX parent group leaders last week (and 550 in Chicago next week). Those leaders leave our conference renewed and full of ideas that will help them help kids. If not for our conference, they would have no help of that sort. It makes me and all of our staff very proud to do such good work. I bet you feel similar pride when you do great work at your school.
On my being a Member of PTA
I've joined because I've attended the National PTA convention every year and paying the $5 for a local membership saves me hundreds on my convention fee.
On why I attend the National PTA Convention
I attend the National convention to learn about parent group work (there are some good speakers -- some have written for our magazine); to stay abreast of PTA goings-on (which we cover in our magazine); and -- primarily -- because it's the only national convention each year where all of the vendors also happen to be clients of ours. It's a great place for us to do business with a whole bunch of our clients all in the same city, with excessive free time, for several days.
On Us "Borrowing" Ideas from PTA convention
I don't understand exactly why the hardcore PTAers take issue with -- for example -- my meeting Mark Levin (a great involvement speaker) at a PTA convention. After I met him, we asked him to write a feature story for our magazine and speak at our conferences. We were able to share his really effective messages with hundreds of thousands of parent group leaders, who -- in turn -- used his messages to build involvement at their schools. And we know that increased involvement helps kids. If there's something wrong with our spreading any helpful information for kids -- no matter where we get it -- I'm not seeing it.
The analogy would be me attending a medical conference and hearing a speaker talk about a new solution for preventing heart attacks. Isn't it good that all the attendees at his session then share his important news with as many people as possible? Does sharing his news somehow
hurt the group that invited him to speak? Isn't that
why he was invited to speak?
Mark's probably the only example I can think of of our getting content inspiration directly from the PTA. I've heard other discussions about our taking things like "treasurer's tips" or something. The folks making those accusations must not realize how many nonprofit management experts are out there in the world. The ASAE (american society of association executives) has thousands of members, for example. Same for parliamentarians and nonprofit lawyers and IRS experts, etc. PTA folks are grasping at straws -- and have an inflated view of the uniqueness of their content -- when we hear that.
Final Analysis
Since the PTA's nonprofit mission is to help kids (paraphrasing), you'd think there would be joy anytime involvement messages are spread or parent groups are helped. For too many higher-ups, the fundamental mission has morphed into "serve the PTA/save the PTA" instead of "serve kids". The question is never this clear, but I often wonder how the higher-ups at PTA would answer if given the choice of: "Kids being served really well but PTA is gone" vs. "Kids being served medium-well but PTA prospering as only parent group option". Those true to PTA mission would have to choose the former, wouldn't they?. But in my experience, there are a significant number of PTA higher-ups who would choose the latter. I think that's too bad, especially for a nonprofit.
This discussion thread and these emails don't show it, but the whole PTO v PTA thing is such an unimportant issue where it really counts -- at the schools for local units. I'm obviously enmeshed with it and you've (those involved in this forum thread) gotten a closer look at it in the past month than 99% of parent group leaders ever do. But it matters little. I work to remember that and keep our focus where it counts -- helping groups no matter the acronym. This discussion thread and all of these emails haven't helped with that this week.
I'm sure you do a great job at your school for the kids. That's the most important thing. Keep it up.
Tim
[ 04-12-2004, 12:02 PM: Message edited by: Rockne ]