The only fundraisers we do are school dances and selling sweatshirts. We have found that the school dances are a BIG HIT!! The kids love them and the parents love to chaperone (if their children don't mind, of course). Our PTO sponsors a dance each month and the profits are great. At some dances we take polaroid pictures against a background the student council makes (which could even be the school mascot), and charge the kids $1 for each polaroid they want. This is not a big profit maker, but the kids really love it and have something they can put in their scrapbooks! This is one fundraiser that everyone profits from....the parents, the kids, and the PTO!
Hello, I am serving my first year at a middle school (we have only lived in this state a year) as President and I was shocked that we (the PTO) asked 45 dollars as a membership fee. I agree that not having fundraisers is wonderful, but it seems we only have 40% membership and some of that is for less than the recommended 45 dollar donation. I'm still unsure if not having fundraisers is the way to go yet. On one hand I do agree that i's much easier than having a fundraiser(s), but on the otherhand, I sort of feel that is disconnects people from the school. Does any one have any opinions or experiences they would like to share about this? By the way, this is the most informative and giving website for parents I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of! Thank you everyone!
I'm President of a Middle School PTO... meeting attendance is a perpetual problem, irrespective of school level... and if you've read thru this site, everyone experiences the same "problem." Having been in this "business" for too many years, I've given this a lot of thought... First of the year meetings are a full house and it goes dramatically downhill from there. I used to lament, "B and moan" about parents not showing up at meetings.... and while I STILL would like to see more faces... this is what I've concluded. There are a lot of parents out there who are willing to help. Some volunteer openly, others are just waiting to be asked. Some just like being "behind the scenes," others just "don't do" meetings.
If we do a good enough job in communicating, and our jobs get done... then a meeting is just an added bonus. E-mail, websites and bulletin boards are great tools and we have to begin to accept the fact that meetings for meeting sake just aren't a priority for most people, and these electronic methods of communication at least are available to share the information that is available. If you get speakers there, attendance picks up. Our Principal always attends the meetings... I've been successful in getting teachers there too. At the middle school, meetings that highlight issues of behavior or substance abuse are always good draws. The larger the Board's personal network, often the larger the meeting attendance.
As for fundraising.... we don't do fundraising at our Middle Schools. Because so much of it is done at our elementary schools.. and so much parental involvement is both wanted and needed there, we opted for a higher membership fee ($30 per year) so parents with kids at both grade levels aren't unduly stretched. We find parents more than happy to cough up the fee knowing there aren't a gazillion fundraisers to organize and run... and contribute to.
As the parent of a Middle schooler, my advice is get past the kids and to the parents. I haven't gotten involved at that level, but can say the Administration at her school is also very strict about parent contact so that is a BIG deterrent. My daughter does not give me notices as she doesn't want to see me at school. Find a way that is not in-your-face with the kids.
I am a 3rd year PTO president for our middle school. I am looking for ideas on fundraising and events that are suitable for a middle school. Our fundraisers now include school dances about once a month and we sell sweatshirts and t-shirts during conferences. I am also looking for ideas on getting more attendance at our meetings from parents. Since my three years, attendance has been growing but would like to see it even higher. ANY ideas on a middle school PTO would be great!
