Out bylaws require a minimum of 4 general meetings per year. We held them monthly last year - it was quite honestly a waste of time as only 5-10 people (if we were lucky) would come and those people are on the board this year now.
This year, we are back to 4 meetings with the executive board meeting monthly.
We are monthly. I hoping this year our Board will also meet a week or so before our meeting. Last year's Prez would just sent an hour onthe phone with me to make sure I had the agenda etc ready! I felt as if the Secretary (me) and the Prez ran the PTO! Anyway, new Prez this year so a change will do this girl some good!!
We only do two general meetings a year, and it works very well for us. We have a meeting at the beginning of school to approve the budget and one in May to elect officers. Board meetings are held monthly and are open to anyone who wants to attend. The bylaws state that that general meetings will be called as necessary in addition to specifying these two.
Note - because our PTO is essentially run by the Board and they make all decisions, our Board is deliberately large (officers, school reps, committee chairs, grade reps) and has 25-30 members. As a member, I would be less comfortable putting all the power in a small board, especially if it were only 4 or 5 people.
We survey our parents periodically. This system has been one thing that a high vote to stay "as is".
WE have always done monthly meetings and get very few people showing up. This year we will have monthly executive board meetings and only 4 general meetings.
We do monthly meetings. We typically have so much going on that I cannot imagine not meeting monthly. We have probably on average 25-30 people who come to the meetings. It seems to me that we always have so much to discuss I would feel hindered by not meeting monthly.
We do quarterly meetings, as we are such a small group and don't mind planing far in advance. As for financial reqests, it is easy enough to round up the 5 or 6 of us at school so that we can get a general consensus. Although that may change this year as the new principal is already making many parents feel unwelcome at the school.