Joining the PTA, PTO or other Elementary School Parent Group

I just had a thought that I wanted to share. If you're enjoying the summer with your child and you're heading into an elementary school in a few weeks, perhaps you want to consider volunteering for your elementary school PTO, PTO, PTSA or PTSO.

Being a volunteer for your school in general is a great way to stay connected with your child and his or her progress throughout the year. You can volunteer inside your student's class as well which is really a hoot! It's amazing to see how your child performs inside a live classroom.

But the PTA, PTO or other volunteer group at your school is really valuable. The groups speak on behalf of students and organize events and activities as well as running school fundraisers in many cases which are critical to a school today. PTA, PTO or other parent groups are also responsible for things like arranging scholarships, purchasing technology, hosting teacher appreciation events and much more!

We believe volunteerism is an important aspect of parenting and think you'll find it to be rewarding as well. Here is the pta.org article on Why join the PTA?

Understanding PTA and PTO Groups

It's hard to understand the decision-making of parent groups.

I think there are a few factors at play:

First off, as a volunteer organization, there are various degrees of commitment and availability. When a school leans on a PTA or PTO group for help, the demand on them can quickly become overwhelming. Anyone asking for help from a PTA or PTO group should first be asking what they have on their plate.

Secondly, there are a lot of different personality types. It's not easy to figure out who should do what on a PTA or PTO group so there are challenges. Balancing a number of volunteer types can be difficult even for big organizations with resources. It's an uber-challenge for smaller PTA or PTO groups.

Lastly, motive plays a big factor in understanding PTA or PTO groups. There are folks that want to re-establish a leadership role, some that want to help creatively, many that just want to help their child and without question, most PTA or PTO members want to be a part of something greater than themselves!

In understanding PTA and PTO groups, these three areas should be considered. Just like most areas of life, individuals have agendas as well as motives. It's best to take these on head-first and ask tough questions. Get an idea where people are at, what they stand for and what their goals are.

Yep, it's a tall order! Because people are so individual, perhaps the best way to understand a PTA or PTO group is simply to ask the tough questions up-front!

Easy Fundraising Ideas for your Elementary School

When it comes to the easiest of fundraisers, a fall gift catalog may just be your best option.

You need to know that I represent a nationwide fundraising company so I am certainly biased. There's no question about it. I believe that an exceptional fundraising gift & wrap catalog is the easiest heavy-hitter on the market!

Yes, I am aware of a few fundraisers that can possibly raise more than a gift catalog but perhaps not consistently and certainly none with no volunteer hours. Raising more than is possible with a gift catalog is rare.

I recently discovered a private school that raises $800,000 using a combination of donations, auctions, gambling nights and more all in a single weekend. This is spectacular! Unfortunately, what this private catholic school accomplished is not easy to orchestrate. There were countless hours of planning and complicated volunteer staffing issues. This sort of fundraising does not happen without a full-time team which is not what we are talking about here.

Within the scope of this article, an easy fundraising idea would be one that a public elementary school can run without significant volunteer involvement. In the case of a fall catalog, the only help needed is perhaps on distribution day but it's not like a huge team has to be recruited.

What's more is that the sales process is made easy because fundraising companies that offer a fall catalog, also package that with collated materials, complimentary catalogs, prize programs and a number of incentives.

For example, Believe Kids offers a charm necklace promotion.



This promotion encourages children to report their sales for a prize. They receive a free designer necklace when they sell 5, 10 and 20 items. We have seen a significant jump in participation when schools take part in this complimentary program. Check with your fundraising company to see what they offer. Perhaps they have a way to increase sales as well. This promotion is just one example of how a gift & wrap school fundraising company offers more than just a simple catalog.

Here are some things you can expect from a catalog sale:

• Fundraising packets for students are generally customized and include everything they need to inform parents about the sale and how to participate.
• Student prize programs also double as money collection envelopes.
• Packets are collated and shipped to you in most cases free.
• Order forms are easy to complete and return.
• Online sales duplicate efforts and allow for sales from out-of-town friends and family.
• Little or no volunteer help is needed.
• All product is guaranteed!
• Schools offer quality products at a great price.
• Student prize programs, daily incentives and drawing prizes, etc. are all included at no cost.
• Each student order is separately packed and clearly labeled!

I run a fall gift catalog company so call me crazy. It's easy! No, really. It's an easy fundraising idea in that the entire school can participate with no money upfront and no risk. Schools can offer true value and get a complete package from sales materials, promotions, online sales and a great delivery all in one simple and quick fundraiser!

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This isn't really supposed to be a self-serving post but rather a testament to quality gift & wrap catalogs. They really do raise a lot of money for schools so if we can talk to you about it, regardless of who you choose to fundraise with, we would appreciate the opportunity.