Your board has grown in size and responsibilities. You may need to spend some time reviewing your by-laws and potentially adopting new policies which explicitly state that board members/chair people cannot profit from PTO expenditures. Our small, private school is run by a board and we recently reviewed our bylaws, wrote and adopted "handbooks" which clearly state policy, etc. One resource I can recommend is www. boardsource.org. This organization can give you a lot of advice/recommendations regarding how a non-profit board can effectively function.

You have 26 committees? Can any of these be combined? If you do that, then each committee can have it's own "handbook" which reflects the policies of your PTO. This is a long-term project. Have your board approve the plan, so those who come after you can continue the work. Then work committee by committee to come up with the rules under which all the chairpeople must operate.

Congratulations to your group for getting that kind of involvement. It sounds like your families support your school with time, talent, and treasure. What a wonderful place to be!!

No, common sense cannot be counted upon.
We just did our by-laws and (at least in NJ), there are specific sections of the incorporation by laws that address remuneration of board members and volunteers. All members are expressly prohibited from profiting, directly or indirectly.
That said, your much bigger issue is the over- enthusiasm of your parents. Sounds like you really have explored all your options. Can an administrator be counted on to control parents? I probably don't have any suggestions that you have not explored.
You have my envy and my sympathies.

Thanks, maybe I can use that info when I talk to her about it. I just wish I could have prevented her from doing it. You can't always rely on people's common sense.

I'm pretty sure that the 501(c)3 IRS nonprofit code does say something about benefiting the businesses of your officers. Wouldn't that include Chairpersons in the wider scope of things?

Thanks for advice Helen, But we have bylaws, pretty standard I say. No where does it say, you can't solicite your own business or not go outside your committee. Most of us find it common sense. Or how to handle hundreds of volunteers. Should the bylaws say that? The incorporation papers tell a little more but the committee chairs don't read them. We have a mission statement and we spent a year getting parent feedback to make it real and useful. It's featured in every newsletter. And yeah, the taxes are alot of fun. Beautification used their line item money that was budgeted for them, and the trees do look beautiful. But the money wasn't supposed to be for specific teachers. PTO Today's "Saying Thanks has its limits", really said that clearly. But the exec board reads it and we bring forward interesting articles that fit the committee or theme. But the beaut. chair doesn't read law and order in PTO Today sorry Sandra. Has anyone considered middle managers where you have an experienced chair give guidance to a segment of chairs with similiar issues? Or added training or hands on information at meetings. We have folders we pass out at the beginning of the year but some forget that when they go to book a room at the school. We started mentoring last year, we'll know better this year if that's working.

First of all, look to your by-laws. They should give you guidance. If you don't have them, then that is where you should start. Under 5013C statutes of non-profit incorporation, you need to have them. Adding a mission statement might be good as well, just so all committee chairs understand what all the fundraising is for; not for trees for teachers, that's for sure.
You have $100,000 in your coffers? That puts you in a whole different ball game regarding tax filing. Hope you have secured a good accountant.
Then look to your budget line items to keep the committees in check. Let each committee chairperson know right up front how much $ is budgeted to their committee, and there ain't no more. Even if you are flush with cash, you need to spend it or appropriate it each year but mostly you can't be wasteful.
Wish you luck.