Regarding Tim's article in the latest PTO Today on being Just a PTO.
We are a sucessful small business that just happens to be a not for profit PTO. I feel like we run things like a business, but I've always been told to have the image of a humble group. How do we weigh these things?
I'm preparing for my first open meeting and the school cirriculum night with the entire membership. Do I project a "we're a dedicated group of simple volunteers" or "we're a organized group of sucessful go-getters"? Or a little of both? Any suggestions?
I know the common goal, the ultimate goal that everyone in that room will be to better the kids experience and education during their school years. I don't want to come off as: we are better than you because we help the school and we are so good at it. I want: we are doing a great job here and we could use some more energetic people, like yourselves out there, to join us.
I want to thank and appreciate those already on the boat and make it look like a great cruise; without saying sorry you already missed the boat.
Is the tide changing (boy am I getting nautical here) where today's volunteers and expectations are really waiting for PTOs to go beyond cookie moms and reading buddies? Or will we scare the cookie moms and reading buddies away? We still need them too.
We created a Vision Statement last year, but we've been giving it out in small doses. A few of us felt it was very powerful, but some thought we would have spent better time doing something else.