Regarding the specific question of how you budget in a new PTO: if you send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. I'll send back a document describing how you can set up a reasonable budget, even for a new PTO.

As far as making an impact without fundraising, that's definately possible. For example, you can plan a low cost family night like Movie Night and sell tickets that will just cover your costs (or get sponsors to donate snacks, maybe door prizes). Or organize a family BYOpicnic. I've heard of groups getting the police, firefighters, and road departments to bring their trucks to the school so the kids can see/climb on. Could be a family safety night picnic that wouldn't cost anything.

You probably can't underwrite a field trip without funds (ex: buses and admission fees), but there are lots of low-cost ideas in this forum. With a solid start enhancing the parent/school connection, maybe fundraising will be more welcome in the future and your group can expand its impact further.

Thank you SOOOOO Much NMmom & Critter for your support I am excited but a little scared as well. At open house the administration let me do a spill and I signed up a few parents. From the open house I got a Vice President and a Secretary. Yesterday was the 1st day of school here and I stood in front of the school with the VP and we manage to get 21 parents to sign up [img]smile.gif[/img] Since we are a small private school how do we agree on Budget to start? I encountered parents yesterday whom did not want to participate in fundraisers or sell anything. But they (parents)suggested that we should organize field trips since the school has never gone on any. I do not see how that is possible if the parent does not want to fundraise????? :confused: Any suggestions or topics that you ladies can come up with before September 13 (first meeting) will be greatly appreciated. [img]smile.gif[/img] THANKS A BUNCH

Our first meeting of the year includes these items:

Welcome and introduction of officers
Statement of our primary goals for the year
Report from the principal
Detailed review and approval of our annual budget
Report of the annual audit
Sign up for committees
Report of any business conducted over the summer
Any new business or decisions that must be made to get going on the year's activities

We serve snacks such as coffee, pop, cookies, veggies. Sometimes (depending on the ambition of our Hospitality chair), we have more substantial food at the first meeting since it's our best attended.

To me, a former treasurer, the budget is the most important element of the first meeting, but I'm narrow-minded!

If your PTO is brand new, you'll want to define a mission, a proposed budget, and a proposed set of bylaws with your Exec Board BEFORE the first meeting. You can get your mission, budget and bylaws (first draft) approved by the members, and then ask for volunteers to form a bylaws committee who will refine the preliminary set for your specific PTO over the course of the next several months. If you start with a very bare-bones set of rules, at least you have some boundaries by which to get started.

The treasurer should monitor the budget each month, report activity, and propose refinements if necessary. After a year of history, budgeting will be much easier. But for now, the budget is a best guess based on your mission and your group's income/expense projections.

Oh I have so been there before!! :eek: In my opinion (and I am no pro by any means!), I would first come up with a mission for the group, what you want to be. Do you want to fundraise for the school, provide a volunteer arm, if you fundraise where do the parents want the money to go?? Have you talked with administration to see what they want from you as a group?

Another thing to decide on is how the group will be led. Pres, VP, etc...

Keep looking here for info, I found sample bylaws (and would be willing to share what I came up with), PTO phamplet ideas, family events and fundraisers here, and a whole lot more!!

It's alot of work getting started, but you can do it!

Hello, I am the new president of the pto at a private school of 280 kindergarden thru 12th graders. We are holding our 1st PTO meeting on 9/13/04 @6:30. What are you suppose to talk about at this first meeting and I am suppose to serve snacks? I am very new to all this as you can read and have not got a clue. Any suggestions & advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you :confused: