tedrab,
Congratulations on going to your PTO meeting!! It is hard to get new kindergarten parents to jump in since many are very overwhelmed. Be patient. I was in your position a few years ago and now I am the PTO President. I have learned that my ideas need to be activated by me. No one else is on the sidelines waiting to activate your idea. Unfortunately, fundraising and children programs go hand in hand. Without the money, the programs don't happen. As a president, my priorities are fundraising and making sure we have the money and the people to make existing programs run THEN the new ideas come in to help our PTO grow. Mattiesmom was right!! I see you in a bigger position in the future. Be strong...your school needs you.
Tendra, Hi. I am the new PTO President at our small Arkansas school, & we too are regrouping our PTO. Please bear with your new President & the other members. If this is their first time,like you, they may be "winging it". We have totally re-done our PTO this year,and even though I have been a member of the PTO the past 2 years, it is very different organizing and coordinating all the activities for the school.It seems we often talk about fundraising at our PTO meeting because that is the way we help our children get what they need at the school. Our school only has one fundraiser a year, which we just had this past weekend. We have the Harvest Hoe-Down, a fall carnival, and spaghetti supper. We always do this at the begginning of October, It is a wonderful money maker, and then we have the rest of the year to focus on all the other aspects of the school. Try not to get frustrated,I'm sure your President is really trying to do a good job. Be thankful you have someone willing to take on this huge responsibility. It is very rewarding, but a very big task! I also am a little unorganized at times, but I'm learning as I go,as I'm sure is the same case with your President. Please do give any advice you have it is so helpful! You can't help by standing on the sidelines. Many of our parents catch me in the hall with advice, but it really helps more if you put it in writing or present it at the meeting where the secretary can keep note of it. Often there is so much on my mind, I'll forget what is just told to me. Hang in there, it sounds like you just might be a perfect candidate for President in the future! Then, you'll see it's not real easy to get everyone on the same wavelenghth!
Your story nails it. Do good work. Continue to good work. And good things happen. Maybe not overnight, but over time.
It's funny. I bet you're group may even raise more $$ in the long run with the de-emphasis on fundraising. You'll engage more families and more volunteers, and those folks will be more supportive when you do have fundraisers.
Thanks Eve - FYI - I went to this month's meeting with information and caused a bit of stir (in a positive way). It was a glimpse of hope. I think they responded better this time and I think I made them think.
I remember being in almost the exact situation. After the first meeting I wrote a letter to the PTA president venting that I and probably all the new parents there felt alienated and that I was disappointed to see so much emphasis on fundraising and not enough discussion on addressing the needs of the school and the students. I don't think she liked me much after that, but she did notice me more. I decided to just keep going to meetings and to get involved in any efforts that the PTA did that I was really interested in or passionate about. I also helped my son's kindergarten teacher as much as I could and I quickly got a pretty good reputation. Well, things improved and there were changes in command, and as that happened I got more and more involved in the PTO. Now I'm president and I promised myself I would try to keep the business of fundraising to a bare minimum at meetings and concentrate on listening to parents at meetings, looking for common concerns or ideas that the PTO can help with or work on. My advise is be patient and keep your focus. Your on the right track. Help with the things you support, and by your service, you'll work your way in towards running things better. Less and less people will probably come to PTO meetings as the year goes on, so your voice will become more and more important.
