Especially if you eventually try for Non-Profit status, it is much easier if your PTO is made up of unpaid volunteers.
Reimbursing volunteers for reasonable purchased materials (with appropriate documentation and receipts) is fine, but volunteers are not paid for their time.
Also did you know that if you "pay" anyone for work done you must give them a 1099 at the end of the year for taxes. You will need to report this to the IRS. You can be fined by the IRS if you are not doing so. Just another thought to keep in mind.
Wow...a parent who shares a special project gets paid? If a parent needs money for their time to share a project I would say "sorry". think about it these people have children in your school and they can't give time...that makes me mad! Sorry....soapbox issue here. I would propose a policy that states no parents are to be paid for their time, only supplies that the children use.we have parents all the time share a project but they don't get paid for it. I would also require a receipt for the supplies that you pay for, just tell them you need it for your financial paper trail. You may lose some but in the long run it might also get parents thinking that they can do this without getting paid. I mean if you pay them do they declare it as income? that is what it is. Are you legally in the position to have employees and file all of the reports that the government requires? Do they give you a receipt for your records? There are alot of questions I would be asking if this was happening here. Let us know!
"When you stop learning you stop growing."
Our policy is no "volunteer" is paid for their time or service but can be paid for a product. For example, someone wanted to volunteer his time to rework our sound system but wants to be paid for the materials required to do the job is within reason. A person that is paid is not a volunteer, they are an employee. If we are paying an employee for a service, we have a contract that states what that service is, how much they are getting paid, how much time is being spent, and any other specifcs that might be important. Example, we employee our custodian during our carnival from 9am until cleanup is done around 4pm, for $125, and list the main duties he will perform. I think the fact that some are getting paid and some aren't that want to, says that there isn't a clear line in your group where a volunteer ends and an employee begins and you need to bring this up as soon as possible, but don't be surprised to find that very few people will walk away from this discussion happy. Honestly, if someone would pay me for my 90+ hours/month volunteering and driving around town, I would love it, but that's not what I signed up for and you group needs to make sure it's members are all knowledgable and being treated the same.
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morris
