We did need the start-up one, and we also want the insurance. I haven't studied the other benefits. I know we did get some freebies once, and the District said we couldn't pass them out since that was an implicit endorsement of a product. (We did find a middle ground, the items had to go directly to parents at a PTO event.)
Are any of your groups members of Plus? We've been discussing it, but we're curious what we'd really be getting for our money.
What I mean is that we already have really good and reasonably priced insurance through our state PTA, have no problem sharing our one magazine, and have a good set up for credit card processing. For about the same price as a membership we could purchase the expert guides we need since we don't need the start up one, and even with the discount on PTO Manager we'd still be spending $100 per year more than we already do.
I know that the information pages mention freebies from sponsor companies but they make no promise that you will receive anything at all, so I'm wondering, are there benefits that we're missing? Or is it most beneficial for groups who need it to purchase insurance and accept credit cards?