As a president, I do expect that I can be involved in any part of anything to do with the organization - including all contracts, monies paid out, details, etc. It is my responsibility to run the organization for the year and if I need details on something then I should get to see them. But, that does not mean I get all that info, I just can if I choose to.

Over the past two yearsif think I've reviewed 2 contracts. BUT, many of our vendors we've used for many years so it's always been that way with them and we know what we are getting into. I have asked for clarification from our committees about details, costs, etc (e.g. our first secret santa) as we make changes and implement new things.

As I said in my other post, I prefer to empower those in my group to do things on their own. I do ask a lot questions, ask for clarifications, ask the reason for their decisions and even what other vendors they looked at before the recommendation. I do give my opinion on things and most times ask them to make their own decisions but to take the opinions into account. Sometimes they adjust to what I say, sometimes they don't. And, it still works out the same either way.

WELL--I FINALLY saw the contract.

We had our meeting and our fundraiser chair showed. No drama, but she is adamant we use the vendor. We listened, sympathized with her point of view--her main concern is that should, God Forbid, something go wrong at the event the vendor would take the brunt of the blow--and in the end voted to do it ourselves.

Am I ever glad I saw that contract! I don't know how this vendor gets business--they hit you with all sorts of fees, and in the end you could end up giving over 70% of your gross!!!!

A bullet dodged--for now. Now we have to deal with the principal --I can hardly wait!!!

All of our checks and contracts require two signatures as well. Also, as president, you are automatically a member of EVERY committee, and as president, you NEED to be at that meeting. I have served as fundraising chair in past years (before I was president) and the president ALWAYS attended the meetings. I should add, we had meetings with at least three fundraising companies, with a committee of three people there for each meeting. (the fundraising chairman, president, and treasurer were there) It should be a joint decision as to which company you go with for your fundraiser.

To be honest when we wrote our bylaws this is something we never even considered! We were so inexperienced, and never realized that any of our fundraisers would require contracts! We never officially gave her permission to do anything other than coordinate the various chairs and fundraising events. We also never wrote anything specific in our bylaws about people voting on the fundraisers we do. We left it rather general and said that the executive board's duties were to "conduct business" involving the group and to approve vendors. While we want people to have input, we didn't want to make every decision available to everyone--before you know it you're in the voting pit never to resurface! We figured people could approach us with ideas, we'd decide which ones worked, and then put those to everyone to vote on.

I really hate to pull rank, not only because I don't want to be mean, but also because while this woman is for the most part very nice and helpful, she's also a bad-mouther. In this rather passive-aggressive way, and she does it all over town. I'm just starting to panic because we're supposed to have a meeting with my "lovely" principal in about 10 days to meet with the vendor etcetera--and I want to have all my ducks in a row before I call the principal to let her know we're not using the vendor (and we're all afraid that since we've never done a fundraiser during school hours before she'll make us call it off if we seem the least bit unprepared).

What especially galls me is that after the last fundraiser the fundraising chair made a big, diva production out of say, "I quit! No one listens to me, you change all my decisions (not true!), yadda yadda yadda." (Quite honestly we were all relieved). A few days later when we were getting to call a meeting with her to put it to rest--a close family member of hers died, so we just...sorta of let it go for a while. It also p!sses me off that I called her Sunday to see what the deal was, and asked her for the contract and phone number then and she was all, "No problem." I don't see or hear from her Monday so I call that evening and leave a message. Now it's Saturday and STILL nothing. I did call the actual chair for the fundraiser that's in question, whom we'd heard nothing from at all (which I was annoyed by) because it suddenly dawned on me that perhaps we were being played against each other. She seemed open to the idea of not using the vendor, but as she's socially involved with the fundraising chair she refused to be nailed to giving any real opinion. I'm sure this got back to the fundraising chair as well, and now she's imagning all sorts of Machiavellan plots on my part.

So--I called a meeting with the executive board for tomorrow afternoon. I'm still waiting to hear who can make it, but if everyone can get together we're going to let the chair have her say, write the pros and cons down, then put it to vote. Which she'll lose, then of course I'll be the evil queen who pitted everyone against her .

Check the contract. Don't let it go any futher before you see it and get your questions answered. It could come back and bit you if you don't. If it does come back, at least you can say I did my best and thought everything was OK.

Our bylaws state that 2 signatures are required for all contracts and fundraisers must be presented for a vote before contracts are signed. Kma, let her be miffed, she'll get over it. I've watched fundraisers fail that could of worked and ones that never should have happened, so I feel your pain.