To consider being treasurer of PTA?

[NameChanged45678]

School PTA are looking for a new treasurer and nobody seems to be putting themselves forward. Before i indicate I’m interested, I just wondered if I may be mad to think about taking this on? I wonder many hours it would take to fulfil the requirements of the role and responsibilities? I’d be happy to do it if it’s just a few hours admin occasionally, and flexible on the time I can fit it in.

Both DH and I work full time busy jobs, we both help with the PTA when we can but mainly just helping out events, they are desperate for more people to become more involved so events can successfully go ahead.

I have 2 DC in the school, reception and year 3, so my kids do benefit from the PTA and events.

I do it. For similar reasons….

how long depends on your banking/payments set up and how big the school is. Cash is a pita, but most bank now have cash counters which help enormously. I just download the .csv from the bank and allocate payments to each event.

it is generally a few hours here and there - time pressures are due to needing floats and if acknowledging how well and event has done.

you have a year to submit the annual return. This is just income and outgoing figures of less than 10k, the same plus a few yes/no questions above 10k and any full return over £15k (I think, we’ve never reached that!).

I wonder many hours it would take to fulfil the requirements of the role and responsibilities? I’d be happy to do it if it’s just a few hours admin occasionally, and flexible on the time I can fit it in.

Tell them this, I'm sure they'll have some idea.

And good on you for wanting to step up and help.

Thank you! Didn’t want to start the convo and feel pressured into it without a bit of an idea as to what it entails. But think I may ask - I’m happy to help, give a bit of time and think I’d enjoy it!

That’s really helpful, thank you! Is there anything you’d need to be available during the working day for? E.g. I wouldn’t be able to make the uniform sales and after school events to collect cash, but would happily count it and record it/bank it later!

I started doing this last year (child now in Yr 2 and littlest starts reception next year). I've got absolutely no finance / accounting experience and had never even used excel before! Honestly it's been fine, I've learned some basic excel skills and it's been good fun being more involved with planning events etc for the year.

It's a couple of hours here and there, more so around big events like Xmas fair & school fete, but otherwise I've found it absolutely fine.

@Shouldbehoovering can I ask what you do with the .csv file snd how you use it? Sounds like this might save me a bit of time!

One thing I would say, as treasurer for a similar type of group, you may struggle to find a replacement if ever you want to step down!

But good for you for considering it. Can you contact current treasurer to chat through role?

@NameChanged45678 I'm often not around for afterschool sales, the others just collect & count the cash & hand it over to me.

I'm treasurer of our PTA. A lot will come down to how your PTA is. We do fewer events but high quality ones. Usually 2 in autumn term, one in spring and one in summer. We do preloved with a rolling float and school events we provide refreshments.

When I joined our PTA were still predominantly cash based. My first event I spent 12 hours counting money. I put a stop to that, we can accept cash but we invested in card payments and an online shop. Reduced the workload by 80%.

Now it's mainly getting a float pre-event which involves a bank pick up. Then a bank deposit after. Counting the cash takes a couple of hours now instead of 12.

All the numbers go in the trusty spreadsheet which does the work for us. I set up an online drive with a shared folder for all receipts. So I just need to check this off. I'd say post event, after cash is counted it probably takes me 2-3 hours all in. Pre-event does depend how many floats we need. The fayre where I needed 20 stalls was a nightmare and won't be happening like that again!

I tend to be the runner during the actual events due to having the cash. I genuinely love our events and seeing the kids having fun. We don't do stuff that is basically just asking for money and the children not getting anything out of it and it's the children having fun that I really enjoy.

So, in short, a lot of it is how your PTA is set up. I'd avoid a disorganised one or one that does constant events as that will be a huge time taker.

Do you have any spare time?

Do you enjoy / would you enjoy being a key player in the playground mafia ?

if you answer yes for both then go ahead …

Thank you! That’s great to hear.

I do have an accounts background/job so would be comfortable with spreadsheets, reporting etc, making payments etc….counting a load of coins sounds a bit tedious but thinking my 8 year old (who loves maths) would love to help count cash after events if that’s allowed!

I think you will find it a breeze!

As a PP as said, the amount of effort will relate to the setup.of the PTA. When I first started we didn't have online banking or card payments, which made things far more labour intensive! Things that have reduced the workload for us invlude:

• 2 x card payment machines (we use SumUp)
• setup of a cash deposit card - this means we can pay cash in via the local post office, rather than having to drive into the 'big town' to a bank (all our local banks are gone!)
• online banking setup
• setting up online booking & payments for events such as school discos & Santa's Grotto- we use bookwhen with stripe payments

Hope that's a bit of help!

I’m on the PTA and love it. I know there’s lots of jokes about Amanda from Motherland types, but actually I find it really fun with great people who actually just want to do more for our kids. We raise 5 figures every year, we’ve bought playground equipment, books, all sorts and it couldn’t happen unless we all do what we do.

Go for it!

I wouldn’t be able to make the uniform sales and after school events to collect cash, but would happily count it and record it/bank it later! Be upfront about what you can’t do. You have the upper hand here. They’ll be so pleased to have anyone who can take on even part of the job.

Now it's mainly getting a float pre-event which involves a bank pick up. Then a bank deposit after Where is their bank? Do you even have a branch in your town? (It’s not only the elderly who are affected by branch closures). Can you do what you need at the Post Office?

I see you don’t give a shit.

fortunately there are some people who do want the school to be able to afford to have nice things for the children, and for the children to be able to do nice things.

Not all kids are privileged, or cared for - for some, the PTA sending Father Christmas into school may be the only time they get to meet him. Or get a present.

and there’s nothing mafia like about it. We’d like more help and support but if you don’t want to join in then don’t. That’s your choice.

A .csv Is an excel spreadsheet you can download from your bank online. It’s all the dates and payments into and out of the bank. I create extra columns for each event and copy (or allocate) the figures across. Then excel does all my maths and totals it up which saves hours of swearing at the calculator and repeating the adding up getting different figures each time 😂.

I also keep a cash float spreadsheet which I total up after each event (I do it in numbers of each coin in the float and then get excel to do the maths again. Counting in 10’s then swapping to 20’s etc was a recipe for disaster, esp if tired). I account on there for any money banked or taken out too. We are a small school so an event isn’t necessarily finished ‘on the day’ as there will be people who have promised to do a transfer ‘later’ - and payments for things like disco can go on over a few weeks. But all this means that you can catch up at pretty much any point as long as you know how much cash each event took at the point of needing to do the float for the next event. Generally you aren’t needed at events - just need to make sure the float is!

it’s is also a nice way to meet people, and not just those in the pta as you will have reason to speak to others, or other parents will ask you about events. People with the attitude of ASCCM are really unhelpful. None of us do it because we want to, and none of us had any spare time even before we started (ask a busy person…!). We do it to support our schools, provide benefits to the children and because we (mostly….!) like working with other parents. It can be social too, but it’s certainly not cliquey - anyone who shows an interest is welcome in any format with open arms. Our meetings are open to all, usually in a pub, and not all business! Even if you are just there to find out what is being planned and maybe give us some thoughts or ideas, that is valuable input and you will get to know some more people.

OP the job of treasurer itself is fine. From my experience though very often there is an expectation that the committee literally do everything. It’s bizarre because I’d have thought that being treasurer is doing your bit and your contribution. So I would be very clear that while you will look after the money someone else will have to organise the fete and sell coffee at the nativity play.

I have bloody loved being treasurer for the PTA. As above it depends on how it's run and on the chair as they dictate that. Fortunately I've had a great chair for the 4 of 5 years I stood (was just a committee member for the 5th year) but she is being forced to step down this year so I am too.
For me, it has been a massive commitment, but that's because we have so few committee members that are available to do things in the day and I work part-time. But I would do it again in a heartbeat.
And don't listen to any of the ridiculous comments about 'playground mafia' and 'PTA golden children' as it's nonsense in the real world. We are nothing to do with the running of the school and my DD has been left out for the favoured children in many events over the year and I feel I can complain less as I'm PTA and some of the teachers know me.

Good for you for stepping up.

I personally can’t think of anything worse 😂

I do it and enjoy it, the cash is a PITA but offset by the glow of having generated it in the first place! I have a very organised, pro-active chairperson so that helps.
I'm an accountant by day so the accounting stuff is a breeze, I've switched to accruals based to properly reflect the financial years. I extract from bank and categorise in a pivot table, can send you my template if useful.

I do it, I'm also an accountant. I would definitely recommend making sure you have access to your PTA's parent kind subscription as they are really helpful.

I inherited files of paper receipts and spreadsheets but I have moved us onto accounting software with a bank feed so that (a) key people can see how we are doing in real time and (b) they can attach photos/email in their receipts etc and I don't need to keep a pile of paper files in my house.

The post office accepts takings from most high street banks although doesn't have a 'tip the cash in' machine, it has to be counted and bagged. The opening hours are better though.

Our school accepts parent pay for our events and non uniform days etc and we also have a couple of sum up machines which are really good.

You mention you both have full time jobs and cash is mentioned. Check the hours of your local bank as very few now have convenient hours. Saturday morning opening may not include the counters.

I'm a treasurer for one of our PTA sports committees at our secondary school.

We have an annual ball and it takes quite a lot of time as there's different fundraising activities - the event itself, an auction, raffle, bar and other things. I agree with the PPs who say the cash part is the hassle - getting and returning the floats when there's no local branches left open.

Would second the Sum Up machines - if you wait until they're on offer, they're £25. You set up on the app what the payments are for so you can see receipts split by drinks etc. They accept credit and debit cards and there's a very small processing fee.

Although I'm an accountant, I keep it simple for year end accounts. No b/s or cash flow, just a p&l and cash in the bank. I don't think it's too much hassle but if it was regular events and not one a year, I'd be less keen.

I'm the secretary but our treasurer has introduced all sorts of things to make things easier.

Sum up machines
Online booking
Centralised cash at big events (tokens are used on the stalls/activities

The most vital thing you'd have to do is submit the accounts to the charity commission every year (assuming it's registered)

Playground mafia 😂 I only drop off/pick up once a week as I have a full time job, most of our committee does.

As a treasurer you’d probably also have to give a report at committee meetings. I was a treasurer at a pre school, the hardest thing to do was find a replacement, I understand that once you start at a school, you’re likely to be in that role until your dc leaves.

@Shouldbehoovering that sounds amazing. I've just carried on with what I've inherited, and having no finance / accounting background (I'm a nurse!) makes it pretty slow.

For each event / income I literally type into the spreadsheet how much cash was taken, how much was taken in card payments, and then from any online payments. Then I check our bank statement and manually type anything else in and check it. It takes ages!

@Wrapunzel would you mind if I have a look at your template? Although to be honest I think it might blow my mind. I've only just worked out how to add cells together!