Oh yeah, and regarding dues.... My PTO doesn't charge. Parents and guardians of enrolled students are automatically members.
I'm not a fan of them in the first place. And I can see a negative reaction to raising them. You may bring in less money and have less members as a backlash to the $10 fee.
My son once was enrolled at a school that charged dues to be a member. I remember getting a letter from the PTSO, paying my $5 and then NEVER hearing another word. No newsletter, no invitation to become invovled, nothing. I strongly believe that anyone who pays dues should get something in return, even if it's just a thank you and a list of items the 'fundraiser' pays for.
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same."
"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the true perfection of one's character."
rlsmom - the little red face means "embarrased". When you choose to post a reply, there are things called Instant Graemlins at the bottom left of the post window you're typing in. Perhaps you inadvertently clicked on one when you were typing...... [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same."
"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the true perfection of one's character."
Our PTO does not charge dues either. The officers are usually the only ones who show up at meetings or do anything. We're working on getting a bigger involvement. Frankly, we can't get anybody to come to the meetings or consider themselves active in the PTO without having to pay dues. I'd hate to see if we charged dues... probably wouldn't even have officers then! [img]redface.gif[/img] )
We started this about 4 years ago, and it's been working great! Most people get the $10 membership, and this year, we received about the same silver and gold members.
We also offer "gifts" to our members: i.e., coffee mugs, pens, key chains, etc. Silver members get a free school t-shirt, gold members get a sweatshirt and one copy of the Memory Book.
We charge $10 dues every year and that pays for library books, nurses supplies, and many other things. The fundraiser money goes directly to each school for them to use as they need. But there are NO parents told that they are not a member of the PTO!! I am concidering making a GOLD MEMBERSHIP for $20 and those members will, of course, get something for it.
