Does your PTO operate with an annual budget approved by your members at the first meeting of the year? If so, then there should be a budget for your Halloween party and, as long as your chairperson stays within the budget, she could spend the money as her committee decides.
From what you've described, it sounds like there is no pre-approved budget in this case. I am a HUGE advocate of PTO budgets. A budget nearly always eliminates personal emotions from spending decisions. It takes the burden of approving spending decisions off the backs of the officers and moves it to your committee chairs and overall membership who approved the budget in the first place. It's not too late to set up a budget for the year. See the August and October issues of the magazine for help.
In the mean time, remind the treasurer of her reponsibility as CUSTODIAN of the money. A treasurer should not have the final say in the spending -- that's more responsibility than the office gives her.
Our local pumpkin patch is run by a church, St. John's Methodist. The pumpkins for purchase are kind of steep in price, but now I know why. Every child in a PreK-6 grade class was invited to take a field trip to the patch. While at the patch, they received a pumpkin snack, a pumpkin story AND a free pumpkin (very small ones, but when you figure our school alone has 750 kids and there are 6 other elementary schools in the city, that's a lot of pumpkins!). They were also given stickers (various faces) to decorate with. Then each child was given a coupon for $1 off when they visit with their family. Do you have a local pumpkin patch that you could work with? Maybe they would be willing to do the same for you, or donate a small pumpkin for each child?
As for your treasurer, remind her that (okay, here goes...) the president and/or chairperson has the power (in this case), not her. Remind her that the parents hold the final approval/veto power (if necessary), not her. Remind her that hers is an elected position and then check your bylaws to see if there is something in there about voting someone out of office. She wants to play hardball? Throw a hard ball her way. Our bylaws state that the treasurer keeps track of the money, writes checks per presidential and/or monthly meeting approvals. The president of our PTO has a $150 spending limit that he/she needs no approval for inbetween meetings. It is an awesome responsibility, one that he/she must answer for if they approve something they shouldn't have. In the case of providing children with a little something extra, who, besides your treasurer is going to complain? Remind her who is who. Remind her what her job description entails. Then go get those pumpkins...lol...
Of course, you could go another route. Get your executive board together. Ask her why she feels so strongly about not getting the pumpkins. Take a vote. Then, go get those pumpkins...lol...
O.k. - if I got this right, the younger children are already receiving lollipops, the older children chips. The treasurer is saying that she will "authorize" 25 cents per child for lollipops which means the younger kids will get two lollipops, and the older kids will get a lollipop and a bag of chips. Sounds like instead of happy halloween she is saying plain old BOO!
Regardless - do your bylaws state that the treasurer makes all spending decisions? If so - I think that needs to be revisited, no one person should have that much authority to make all decisions about how money is spent. If this was already approved by you, as president, it is not up to the treasurer to later challenge your authority.
Second point - treasurer telling people they can't chair an event because they never have before . . . . does she realize how hard it is to get volunteers? Does she understand that new blood and fresh ideas are necessary to keep the organization going?
Please - turn her on to this site and tell her to ask us anything she wants, but not to look a gift horse (a/k/a/ volunteer chairperson) in the mouth and tell them no. (If she still tells them no please feel free to send them my way, I can use all the help I can get.)
Were the donations given specifically for lollipops and chips or general donations for Halloween treats? If the donor was specific, then you should go with the lollipops. If they were general donations, then go with the pumpkins.
As for her comments to the new chairpeople...who has given her that authority?
The chairman of our halloween committee wants to buy small pumpkins for all of our students at our school. THe cost of each pumpkin is $.18. We have 440 students in school this year.
She asked me as the president of PTO if we could do this. I told her that it was a great idea to go for it. It was not voted on by the PTO.
She went to the treasurer and said that NO they could not purchase pumpkins for the children but she would give money for lollipops @ $.25 each.
THey had already been given donations for lollipops and chips. Lollipops for the younger children and chips for the older classes.
I have put a call out to our Vice-President and Secretary for their opinions. I know that the pumpkins being for the children they will be for getting them.
My question is, Can I (we) veto her and go ahead and buy the pumpkins? We have hit an all time high with our fall fundraiser this year but she has been giving us a hard time (and has in the past) about spending money.
Please what is your position on this matter? HELP!!
thanks so much,
Renee
ps. this woman already told new persons at a meeting that they could not chair any positions because they have never done so before.
