Thank you for your help! Myself and the other officers are definitely willing to head the committees if that's what it takes to get everything up and running.

If people are sometimes scared of "joining" a committee, do you just emphasize what that means or just suggest that they be volunteers?

I think that with a new event or program to happen, the first thing you should have is a member willing to take charge of it. If your group is very small, that person might have to be you.

That person is the committee chair, and whoever he or she can recruit to help become the committee.

I am finding that a lot of people are afraid of 'joining' a committee as that sounds like a commitment to something big, but many of those same people are willing to put in a lot of hours 'helping' the committee. I am trying to make that delineation for next year and the future -- committee members divvy up planning; volunteers help out committee members.

We wrote our bylaws to empower/encourage officers to form committees to address issues. This is supposed to help groom future leaders -- if people come to us with a problem or suggestion, a committee can be formed to either eveluate or plan it. The head of that committee would hopefully care about the idea enough to do the job right and get a taste of just what we do. Hopefully they like it.

I will be a new president in the fall also. We have committee heads - some will keep their current positions. I am thinking of making up a description of what each committee does, the time it takes for that position, etc. and send it home at the beginning of the year. They can sign up during Open House or at our first PTA/PTO meeting. I head a committee right now that I really enjoy so I think I will keep that one for myself next year.

I am going to be the new President of a PTO that has not had a lot of involvement in committees and the such. I am extremely excited and want to do some really great things next year, but am feeliing a little overwhelmed and wondering just where to start???

I love what I've read on all of the different committees that have been formed, but if I'm trying to get involvement up, trying to hold new events when not much has been done in the past, and to show the teachers that we are there to also help them, where in all of this do the committees come in to play? When do they get set up? Who chairs the committees and hows that done? And are the committees seperate from officer positions or do they coordinate with them?

Have really great hopes and expectations for next year, but want to get started the right way!!! Thanks for all of your input! :confused: