We offered to our community a gently used clothing/toy sale this year. It was sponsored by our PTO and what a turn out! This year our board is focused on changing the image of a battered PTO and we are offering events that others can benefit from. The gently used toy/clothing sale was a big hit and we are having another one this Spring. We also did a spirit wear sale and have offered no selling of chocolates and wrapping paper. In the spring, our big fundraiser is geared around fitness and will be a healthy way of sharing ideas/techniques with the community.
Your situation sounds very similar to mine! The parent club I am president of used to be amazing and then was run into the ground over the past 4 years. I am just so glad I found this site!
I would say that the movie nights or outdoor concerts (depending where you live) are great ideas. Carnivals are always nice but they are hard work. You could also try organizing a community dinner/picnic/etc and invite the families to attend.
One thing that may help is to hold a informal parent club social and just start getting your ideas out there. I know that in my December meeting I went in with a plan that basically stated what areas of the school we would be available to support (unfortunately over the last few years school personnel would just spend money on pizza parties and awards and give us the bill after the face. Nothing was going towards clubs or athletics, the groups who need the money most) and what the procedures would be. I think that helped some people who attended but the idea is to get the word out.
The most important thing to remember is that you are your own biggest fan. Talk up your PTO like there is no tomorrow.
Another idea may be an outdoor concert. We tried this last year and sold pizza and snacks. The weather was unseasonably cold but we had a great turn out and everyone loved it. We used a local band . It would be a good event for you seeing you are K-12 something the whole school could do together! Congrats and good luck!
Breaking activities down by grade level can alleviate your crowding issue and would be especially appropriate for movie nights. The Family Fun Nights packs provided by PTOtoday are great too. We did the Family Game Night at our elementary as a regular mid-winter event.
As for getting volunteers to help: what about those football players? Seriously, utilizing high school students can be a great way to get your volunteer needs covered and they can earn community service hours if that's a requirement at your school(ours have to have a minimum to graduate).
Are your group's meetings for all K-12 parents? Maybe this month you could do one week where you have several meetings kind of broken down by grades: K-5, 6-8, 9-12. That would give parents with children of similar age a better opportunity to voice what they need or would like to see for that group of kids.
Have you ever thought about doing a week of movie nights? Or perhaps spreading them out more? We have movie night at our elementary school once a month, most of the time with a brand new release, right in our gym. The first one turned out 200+ people! It will cost to get a movie license and the right equipment, but it's worth every penny! The kids come dressed in jammies and bring a pillow and blanket, along with their parents and siblings. The only thing we ask that they bring is a drink, we provide pretzels. It's always stressful, considering there are only three active PTO parents, including myself. But it's always fun for the kids and THAT'S WHAT MATTERS!
Maybe do a few different nights for one month and see how it goes? Good luck!
You've come to the right place for ideas and support, mom. Your best bet might be to brew a pot of coffee, turn off the phone and spend a couple hours cruising this site. There's tons of info you can find on your own. If you have specific questions, come back to the message boards and we'll help you out. Regarding your treasurer, YES, insist on getting the "books" back. The former treasuer is just that, former. You should be getting the checkbook, all back bank statements, all receipts and invoices, and hopefully some form of ledger, either in a paper journal or in a computer system.
You have a special challenge involving K-12 in the same activies. Maybe you need to break things up lower El, upper El, middle, and high, even though your school isn't split that way.
You have your work cut out for you, but you're doing a good thing for those 500 kids. Don't let anyone dampen your enthusiam. Hang in there and come back here often for support.
