If you have to pay dues to join the PTA,do you only require those members to help fundraise? How do you get the others to sell stuff? We have a hard enough time getting parents involved when they don't have to pay dues.
I still think if dues are dropped people would help out more. That they don't feel that it is only paid members that are allowed to help or paid members that run everything "clique" group there is no "clique" group it's the people that always are interested in doing what's best for the students. I think that it is in the best interest of our school to go that way. We spend money on copying, class rewards. If parents could only see what PTO offers them and bypass all of the other rubish.
This has been an issue for five years in my PTO. I would like to see a membership fee to help offset expenses (copy paper etc) but as former officers have told me, they didn't want members to feel obligated or have to rely on this money to operate. Funny thing is THE only time members show is for free food or elections if they don't like a parent that is running.
My other thought is is there were dues, members would take the PTO a little more seriouly, we are not a click or a group over people that have nothing better to do (sorry, I actually heard a parent say that in front of our table at registration for school).
Right now though it would take an act of Congress to change the by-laws to include membership dues, even $5 per family so I will just offer my toughts here....
Our PTO has always charged $5.00 for dues for each school year and we do consider it a fundraiser. We only have two fundraiser each year membership drive and fall. We don't make very much money on dues...a couple hundred dollars, but according to our by-laws paid members are the only ones who can vote on anything concerning the PTO. We do feel that all of our families are a part of our organization, because even non PTO members participate in our fall fundraiser.
The only real benefit from paying dues is taking part in a fundraiser.
In my opinion it is a tool to give people who have opinions to voice their concerns. The people who pay dues are usually the only ones who are interested in what the PTO is doing anyway, I don't think if we dropped the dues that we would have a mad rush of newcomers at the meetings.
That's is exactly how I see it. We loose money our PTO charges a fee right now and what I see is that we use more money on membership drives than what we make off of members. Another problem I see is when there is voting ballots and voting in general only the paid PTO members are allowed to vote which that's fine but look at the time and problem we have to do for those special items. I look at it as if we go to a zero membership you don't have to worry about it special voting procedures. Only 10% is need for a quorum approval. I am going for the zero, your children attend the school and you if work at the school then your automatically a member but I don't even know if we can change the by-laws this year or do we have to wait for next years board to decide if we want to do it for next years school.
