To ask the PTA mums

[user1495362060]

Do you really believe that PTA organized events are an effective way to raise funds for school needs?

(I have absolutely nothing against those events - i think they are great for socializing for those who want it! Perhaps it would be better if there was less sugar and plastic and more male participation. I just can’t wrap my mind around the fact that you try to coax money out of parents by offering them cookies and lottery tickets )

I think it’s fair that those parents who have the most should subsidise the parents who are struggling

they already are, they pay tax!
And I am sorry, but every penny a well-off parent spends on another child is money they don't spend on their own, hardly fair. It's enough to contribute to things that benefit the whole school, not the ones who don't want to spend money on their own kids.

I do agree with you, some of the worst-off families will scrimp every penny to give the best to their kids, whilst some calling themselves poor whilst holidaying in Florida resent spending any extra on their kids, because "school is free, innit"

On the whole, we do usually find that most of the better off contribute more at the stuff we do, but it’s always special when i see parents I suspect don’t have lots of spare cash turning up to the events and contributing - that also happens alongside the rich grumblers and people choosing to freeride.

The ones I have trouble with are the ones that don’t attend events, don’t volunteer or contribute and then come to meetings to moan about what the money is spent on. We’ve had a few of those!

I disagree on richer parents spending more.
People pay taxes which the government gives to schools so richer parents already pay more.
If people are able to donate then they're free to do So, but no one should be expected to donate and no one should be expected to pay more then they already do through tax to the school.

Yes you are very naive.

We can't even get a majority of parents to donate £10 a term to the school swimming pool. £30 a year for every single child to have a swimming lesson once a week.

Soon the school be forced to revert to the mandatory swimming only and pay for swimming and coaches to the public pools.

Our PSA fundraised for that new pool and contributed a huge amount over the years.

Our PSA pay for the children to go to the cinema once a year, a panto for one year group ,we contribute to each classes annual trip, reset a challenge at the Christmas fair and the class with the most profit retains the overall profit and this year went on an educational trip with the proceeds. We gave £2000 to theForest School Project. We also run a Mother's Day and Father's Day shop for £2 which means that every pupil get to take home a gift on those occasions.

I help with cake sales. 80% of what we sell is shop bought - ie a pack of Mr Kipling cakes that cost £1. We will sell each actual cake at a bit more to make more money but if a cake is priced at - for example - 50p and a child is stood in front of me clutching 24p in loose change I never turn them away.
For some events it isn't so much about the money but getting the children involved. Years 5 and 6 usually have a stall at fairs selling something - so it's a big education in responsibility, customer service, handling money etc. Younger children don't always handle money but might be in charge of running a game. Yes everyone could just hand over a cheque at the beginning of the school year - but hours of life experience is much more important for the children.

I have families in my class who genuinely struggle to afford basics, who rely on free school meals and food banks to get by some months.

Yep and there is a huge awareness of those families struggles and our head deals with those families sensitively so all are included.

However the vast majority of our parents are the parents that could pay but won't pay. They want the extras but they arent prepared to dip into their pocket - just moan at the already heavily subsidised trip!

No cake sales here. Our local council have very strict healthy eating rules. The PTA events are very popular, fetes, raffles, adult quiz nights, discos. The kids love them and the money helps.

I have no problem with who contributes what, 'rich' or poor, its a personal decision and really no-one has any idea what's going on in anyone's life. Also no problem with anyone who decides not to volunteer, you have no idea what's going on in their life, what other voluntary work they do, whether they are socially anxious or just a bit fed up with school life, whatever! I'm not involved in the PTA at the moment as I've given myself a break from everything as I got burnt out with working, 4 kids, PTA, helping SEN child and that's no-one's business but mine!

The only issue I have is those who do nothing (fine) and grumble about those who do whilst, of course, their children happily climb on play equipment, learn on i-pads, relax on comfy beanbags in the library, enjoy Christmas parties & book day events or whatever their school do with the money.

I agree OP.
I was on the PTA committee in active time consuming roles for 8 (long) years. I’m in another country, we call it P&C. We would raise an equivalent of £75,000/year on average. Medium size primary school with 350 kids. It was NON STOP requesting of money. As a parent it drove me insane. As a committee member it wore me to the bone.

We had a yearly contribution we asked all families to make. That made up roughly 25%. Then we requested grants/corporate sponsorships etc, a lot of work in itself, which made up roughly 25%. The other 50% was due to non stop organisation/running ng of every event you could think of including a massive fete.

Everyone bitched and moaned non stop, it was the same people doing all the work, so unfair etc. Every year I said let’s just increase the yearly contribution to cover 60% of what we averaged. I was sure people would have been incredibly grateful for one large sum rather than requests ad nauseum. Concentrate more on grants etc. Then just do 2 events a year (2 discos as kids love them) to make up remaining 10%. Nope, better just to keep on with the non stop grind and bitching apparently.

user1495362060 Some schools ask for straight out donations, but the reaction can be, 'but education is supposed to be free.' School funding has been hugely reduced.

One school I know offered a witness protection programme where you would not be asked for anything by the PTFA is you paid a large amount at the start of the year.

An event is seen more that people are getting something and raising money for a school. I look forward every year to the conversation of if a can of coke is still only 50p.

Given the school budget cuts, I should think that we should all be bloody grateful for the selfless work of the PTA (and no, I'm not on a PTA). Our PTA raised just over £32K last year and have funded new playground equipment, computers, a hardship fund, interactive whiteboards for classrooms etc. Without the PTA, the school would be a very different place and wouldn't a) enable less well-off kids to go on school trips b) enable ALL kids to have access to a computer etc. I think that they give up a hell of a lot of their time and energy to make YOUR kid's schools better and for that, you should be damn pleased.

It’s always those with the most that contribute the least IME.

It’s also those that live to throw rocks at the PTA’s efforts who don’t come up with any creative ideas which are both enjoyable and money spinners.

Our PTA made about 5k last year. It funds the kids Christmas outing and equipment the school says it needs.

Good luck with your banner at the gate though. After about the 5th parent, you’ll find out exactly how it feels to be invisible.

We don't do bake sales, we do bigger events like film night, school disco, summer fair, Xmas fair, parents quizzes - with the ticket sales and alcohol sales to the parents we can raise £15k for the school that they wouldn't have. It's spent on things that the council should really be paying for but don't - redesigning and making safe playground, whiteboards in classrooms, sports equipment that kind of thing.

We set the kids an incentive for the class that sold most raffle tickets last Xmas. That was genius; brought out the competitive spirit, got them working on strategies and widened the net further than just parents.

I like the school events, so do the children. I wouldn't like to be asked outright for money because we already 'voluntarily' donate it seems to anything that's not bloody numeracy or literacy, including sports, music and all trips. I am happy though to pay to come to a quiz, and drink a few glasses of warm-ish cheapo wine at £4 a pop and socialise while knowing all the profit goes to the school.

postcardsfrom do you actually organise and run the events though? I’m guessing from your description of knocking back the wine and socialising the answer may be no? If not the case and you do kudos to you, due to chronic lack of volunteers for events those of us organising/running them were always run off our feet to the extent taking a breath to say hi and a sip of water was a near impossibility let alone socialising with a wine. The problem with events is that fairies don’t come in and run them, for these to occur (as opposed to people just forming over what they would have spent for the event) people sweat blood.

• forking out, not forming over .....

Yes Pavlova but the effect of all the organising is to put on an event that people who pay to attend will enjoy.

I’m always delighted when people pay to come to the events, they can knock back as much booze as they like if they’re happy to pay for it!!

???? It’s nice people have a good time and put their hand in their pocket. My thought was always if they are prepared to come and pay £30 for a few drinks and have a good time while not contributing at all to the work involved it may be fairer all round for them to just hand over £30 given the whole point is raising of funds.

Sorry, just from someone exceedingly jaded by people wanting to attend events in order to hand some money over yet never lifting a finger to assist at said events in preference to just giving contribution equal to what would have been the profit. Most people who want the events seem to honestly think they run themselves or turn a blind eye to those slugging it out event after event in with a ‘as long as it’s not me’ mentality.

I wish PTAs of state schools would reach out to alumni for donations.
My former uni is always asking for money, making us aware of fundraising campaigns.

Most schools have 70s/80s/90s pupils groups on Facebook. Let people know you’re raising money for xyz and how to donate.

It's frustrating for PTA committee when someone makes a suggestion but won't facilitate it - "We should do a fun run" or more usually "You should run a creche for the nativity / refreshment stall on sports day" or whatever. We stick to the same events while they work because we can't risk existing funds or volunteer goodwill (the same ten people every damn time) on something that might not sell any tickets. And if it's the same ten reliable volunteers then it'll be what suits them because otherwise it won't happen.

If you think it would be better to donate directly, talk to the PTA treasurer or the school finance manager. I'm sure they'd be delighted to give you the details for a standing order and you don't need to wait for an invitation.

Regarding the economics of cake sales, that's why I make a vanilla tray bake nowadays, or if I do make something nicer I cut it into small pieces!

If I donate why is that wrong. Why do I have to volunteer or assist?
I don't complain about your choices and the events and I truly appreciate it. So I don't think it is fair to complain and belittle mine

PTA mum here.

The biggest thing here is that children do better when their families are involved with the school. And for many families that starts with coming along to a social event and chatting to teachers and other parents.

Our PTA don't do bake sales at all (although the school does, 1 per class per year, recently re-branded cake and craft and the kids make bookmarks and such like).

We have been fortunate to raise a vast amount in grants and corporate donations, but had to set up a charity to access these, which is a bit of a commitment.

Since we made so much in corporate donations and the like we reduced the number of fundraising events to focus on making the most popular events really special, and we reduced the entry price for some of them.

We now do about 4 events per year. The Halloween Party is legendary and loved by the children. We have whole families come in matching costumes.

We get a lot of children join the school in older years, often mid-year and quite a few from families that have moved to the city from overseas and have no local support network. Social events are a great opportunity for the adults to build a network and feel part of the community.

£50 per child per term would break some families. But some of those families can manage £10 for an evening's entertainment that includes feeding the family.

Although I don’t want to be involved at all with the PTA because they’re so cliquey at our school, I think they do an amazing job. Ours is a large school in an affluent area so the picking are good, and the school/children benefit from it hugely. If the events are being run and the money is being raised I can’t see how you can even begin to crtiticise them. And they give their time for free.