Are you an officer also, or a regular member? The best way to handle this varies greatly with the attitude of your members & the officers. Here are some ideas that you can try if they fit for your situation.
Would it be appropriate to speak with the president & give him/her some feedback about the meetings?
When all else fails, if you get involved with different events (especially if you chair one!), you can start taking on a leadership role. You could then have a more direct role in the direction your PTO takes. For the most part, if officers aren't keen on new ideas, or respond with "we've tried that, it didn't work", often they really mean that they've had trouble getting volunteers to make that idea work. If you're willing to chair a project, most PTO's would be willing to try it. In order not to offend anyone, it would be best to speak with the president first to find out the best way to introduce it.
This is a tuff one. Been there done that and still am there! You just have to keep in mind why are you doing what you are doing? It is for the children and teachers! To be honest I don't know if people will ever let the past go. We are having the same problem. Try to voice you opinion and concerns in a tactful way. Try to reach out to people that are not coming to the PTO meetings. New people will help with a fresh new start. I wish we could get new people, but it seems parents just don't want to bother with coming to meetings. I am trying to keep them informed with a newsletter. Hopefully in time some new parents will join our PTO. Sorry I am not much help Good LUCK!
I have been part of our PTO for a number of years and I would have to say this year really is a disappointment. We have 2 new officers that have no clue what their doing. They usually have no agenda and only have one opinion (theirs). We just can't seem to move forward and forget the past. I am ready to throw in the towel. We have such bad attitudes and most of us seem to be their for the wrong reasons. I would like some suggetions on how to keep a postitive attitude among the whole body. We recently had our fundraiser chair quite and she seem to be taking alot of people with her. We, as the PTO, are getting a very bad rep. because of her negativity. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
