tcrgemini - I just re-read your message and must have been skimming earlier, as I missed a paragraph.
The PTO provides beer and wine (and sodas) at PTO meetings?? Now that's innovative! We would never in a million years be able to serve alcohol on campus. (Although it would probably make some of the longer meetings easier to bear!)
What part of the country are you in? Do you run into any policy conflicts on this? Isn't this pretty expensive? I really want to hear more.
I have to agree with JHB....I have been leader for two years and I spent so much energy trying to increase meeting numbers(our old pta meetings averaged4/5) It seemed to be so important to ahve people there. It took me about a year to realize the real important thing is pulling off events and the volunteers who are there for them...our volunteer list has gon efrom about ten(pta) to over 45. It is a huge obstacle that ha sbeen overcomed yet we still strive to increase our numbers. I have to admit that this year has been great ..our meetings average about 19/20 which is really a nice number when planning events. So like jhb looka t what your group is doing and does it really matter that all chairs are filled? I learned it isnt....
"When you stop learning you stop growing."
<tcrgemini> - your group sounds wonderful! And, believe me, I support all efforts to increase parental involvement.
We just need to be careful not to fall in the trap of measuring our success by how many people show up at meetings each month. Filled seats is an easy thing to count and report, but it's only one piece of the puzzle.
I used to worry about attendance at our meetings, but have decided that if the programs are being run successfully and we have people willing to be there (but can't come to the meetings) then we are set. What more can I ask. When I did newsletters, I would offer my email address and phone number if they needed to talk to me. The board members felt that we were lacking in attendance and hated the "clique" feeling. I have suggested that at school events and PTC programs to be sure not to "hang" together, but to make the rounds. Talk to new parents while catching up with the current parents. It's a nice feeling to get the feedback and be able to use it at the next meeting. You have to weigh the factors. Are you getting your goals accomplished? Are you getting the volunteers needed? If not, then you would need to step back and reevaluate what your group's goals are. Good Luck!!
We have excellent turnout at PTO meetings. We are a school of only 187 students and every MONTHLY meeting averages at least 35 people members (not including the board).
The meeting last week was the yearly "Old Timer's" meeting. All old member that no longer have kids in school (like my mom) are invited. The whole school is open for them to tour and take a little walk down memory lane. Everyone brings an appetizer and beer, wine and pop is provided. We also have different vendors come in (Tupperware, Discovery Toys, Avon, Pampered Chef) and they each set up a table for people to shop at after the meeting.
Next month is our goodbye dinner to the 8th grade parents that don't have returning children. That's is also always highly attended.
We do a $150 tuition drawing every month. You get a free chance for showing up and then you can buy as many addition chances as you want for $1.00 each. The chances stay in the bucket all year. However, you have to be present to win. We also do Split the Pot at every meeting and door prizes. Every meeting we have beer, wine and soda that PTO provides and we take turns bringing in appetizers.
I'm one of those people that believe the better the turnout the stronger your PTO. Our parents are aware of everything that goes on in the school and understand the importance of volunteering and fundraising.
Justme - I agree with you. I've used the following quote before, but it may bear repeating. This reference was to people in training classes, but the same argument can be made for those in meetings.
I was at a education conference where the well-known keynote kept harping on the fact that organizations tend to report the "number of attendees" as a success factor, when it fact it has nothing to do with success. What organizations need to pay attention to are the RESULTS. Are the people learning/doing what they need to?
His closing point was that "how many attended" was a meaningless statistic when considered alone, that he thought orgs should start estimating the average weight of attendees, multiplying it out, and instead reporting tonnage attended. It would still be a meaningless statistic, but at least it would sound interesting!
Justme is right. Focus on the results. Are you getting a supply of volunteers? When you ask for donations, do the parents help? Is communication between the parent group and parents good? Those are the things that matter.
