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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

PTA member using funds to buy presents for own children

71 replies

PantonePolly · 22/11/2013 20:04

A prominent member of our school PTA has mentioned in passing that she had been shopping for prizes for the Christmas Fair and had kept a couple of the items - for her daughters. She was quite pleased about it and laughingly said, "Well, there have to be some perks".

AIBU to be shocked by this? The money she's used is from PTA funds, largely donated by parents. Surely this is morally wrong (and actually fraudulent, albeit on a very minor scale)?

OP posts:
toffeesponge · 22/11/2013 20:17

Tell the Head as you don't want to be implicated when it comes out.

"Well PantonePolly knew I was doing it!"W

meditrina · 22/11/2013 20:19

If there was a spare BOGOF item, it should have been kept as a prize at the next fair.

Original poster
PantonePolly · 22/11/2013 20:22

Hmmm... Reading these responses makes me realise that I wasn't being overly dramatic to be so shocked. I relayed it to my OH tonight using words like misappropriation of funds, etc. Yes, it's a registered charity. Yes, I had thought about me being implicated as she'd told me and I therefore know. It is possibly only a few quid, but that's not the point, right? (Btw, there was no way she was joking).

OP posts:
Vatta · 22/11/2013 20:25

Report to the head, so they can check the accounts properly. It's theft, pure and simple.

AmberLeaf · 22/11/2013 20:25

How does she get round the receipt issue?

MrsPnut · 22/11/2013 20:27

The school has no jurisdiction over the PTA, the charity commission is the correct body to report a misappropriation of funds relating to a charity to.

The head has no more say over what happens in the PTA than any other parent in the school.

KeepingUpWithTheJonses · 22/11/2013 20:29

Are you sure you didn't misunderstand?

Did she mean that she found an some items that would have been good for the fair - but she 'kept' them for her daughters instead - meaning she paid her own money for them?

That would seem much more plausible to me. I can't imagine that any PTA Chair would be so stupid as to boast about stealing funds.

breatheslowly · 22/11/2013 20:30

Are you sure that she didn't mean that she paid for the ones for herself, but got the best pick of them? I really can't imagine anyone I know defrauding a PTA for a few quid. I'd just ask what she meant.

AndHarry · 22/11/2013 20:31

That is disgraceful. There was a thread a while ago about a PTA member nicking an X-Box from the school fair. It ran for ages got deleted in the end because the police got involved IIRC.

Jenny70 · 22/11/2013 20:32

Unless she meant whilst shopping for pta she also found stuff for her dd (or decided to keep something and won't get repaid for), then she is well out of order.

elfycat · 22/11/2013 20:33

Report it Monday. Fortify yourself ( Wine ) over the weekend.

If you will be the only person to know say that you don't want it to be obvious that you said anything, but perhaps someone could do a spot check on the accounts.

If she's laughed it off in a crowd, report it but say you don't particularly want to be named, unless it's to give evidence for the police (and yes, it can go that far. Too bloody right!).

However she's passing it off in her head (oh - I only kept the free gift) she's taking money from a charity as that 'extra' could go towards more fund raising. She's stealing from every parent who has baked a cake, bought something, paid for Christmas cards with a terrible tree on, sent their child to a fund raising event. She stealing from every child who might have had more toys in the playground, or things for the school allotment or needed a piece of specialist equipment.

phantomnamechanger · 22/11/2013 20:33

I cant imagine this being true, unless the woman is very stupid!

most PTA members, like me, give hours and hours of time and effort, and at times are owed ££ by the PTA and there are no perks at all - except the pleasure the snide remarks if one of your Dc wins the raffle!

Blueandwhitelover · 22/11/2013 20:34

I could understand it if maybe she had had 'first pick' at donations for a toy stall and had made a suitable donation in return but that certainly does sound odd.
Receipts have to be given in though and books balanced so I can't see how she would be able to cover it.

BuzzardBird · 22/11/2013 20:34

I would be busy writing the email now to the head.

scrappydappydoo · 22/11/2013 20:35

or did she mean that whilst out shopping for pta stuff she had the 'perk' of picking up her own presents at the same time which she paid for herself?
I would make sure you were absolutely clear about what she meant and is doing before making any accusations.

HoratiaDrelincourt · 22/11/2013 20:35

That's... staggering. And wrong.

That said, I'm not sure that auditing the accounts would help. If she submitted receipts for 200 Secret Room gifts and 100 selection boxes, for the Christmas fair, the accounts audit won't show that only 198 and 98 actually reached the respective stalls. It isn't practical to stocktake in that way.

But yes, report. Our head is constitutionally in charge of the pta even though in practice he doesn't tell us what to do.

bochead · 22/11/2013 20:40

isn't she at risk of being done for it by the police if it comes out? I would have thought that was seriously against the law, and would worry about becoming an accomplice after the fact or whatever the legal term is if I didn't tell the HT.

sweetkitty · 22/11/2013 20:52

The only perk I get is getting first dibs on the toys & books in the Xmas Fayre which I pay for. I donate loads, bake loads not up mention my time.

I remember one year I was selling raffle tickets then the head picked out mine first, hoe red faced was I? Couldn't believe it Confused

Anyway what your friend has done is fraud and disgusting report her

WooWooOwl · 22/11/2013 20:58

I agree there should be perks to playing a major role in the running of a charity on a voluntary basis, but stealing is not one of them! A perk would be getting a free polystyrene cup of mulled wine after setting up for hours on the day of the Christmas bazaar, not getting free presents for your children.

I also agree there's no point going to the head, and that you do have to do something. You simply cannot know about this and do nothing, otherwise you become just as guilty. I'd suggest phoning the charities commission first thing on Monday morning. As a charity there will be trustees, and I would get onto them ASAP.

WooWooOwl · 22/11/2013 21:03

The receipt will make no difference unless the person doing the accounts and auditing is also checking up on how many prizes were given out at the Christmas fair.

The receipt will show what was purchased, not where those things have gone after that.

Vintagecakeisstillnice · 22/11/2013 21:09

T'is fraud at the least.

toffeesponge · 22/11/2013 21:10

Report. If she is doing any of the innocent things suggested here there is no issue. If she isn't then she will be taken to task for stealing.

gintastic · 22/11/2013 21:11

I have helped on preschool committees, with hours and hours and hours of my time and energy, often to the detriment of my own family. The perks I got were as follows

A free cup of tea at the Easter fayre which I then paid for as I felt guilt.

Being able to decide which sessions I wanted before the general melee - but I still had to pay for all the sessions, no freebies or anything...

Occasionally being able to phone up and have an extra session at short notice, obviously paid for. Although if we had space in a session, any parent could do this, so not really a perk.

This is theft, it's disgusting and if I was a parent and knew about this I would want the police involved.

Hassled · 22/11/2013 21:13

There's no chance she meant that she'd used some sort of bulk-buying PTA discount to buy stuff for her kids at the same time as the PTA purchase?

The only perk I ever got from the PTA was the opportunity to wash lots of dishes.

Chocovore · 22/11/2013 21:17

Who is the Treasurer? I would be speaking to them about it. Presumably if she has purchased items on behalf of the PTA, she will have to submit an expense claim which will need Treasurer approval. In our case, all expense cheques need 2 signatories (even as Chair, she wouldn't be able to sign her own).