PTA events and Christmas - a PITA or pleasure?

[MinnesotaMuffin]

I think PTAs can have a wonderful impact on the community spirit within a school - especially at primary level - and provide some goodies that otherwise school funds may not stretch to. However, at Christmas we all know there are many drains on our time and financial resources. This term my child's school PTA has suggested (not demanded) that parents support the PTA by...

Buying Christmas cards designed by their son / daughter and printed professionally (£4 for a pack of 12)

Buy a school calendar (£10)

Buy / sell a book of raffle tickets (£5)

Provide a bottle for the bottle stall at the Christmas fair (spend what you want or find something hideous and out of date in the cupboard)

Send in a donation for the money tree at the Christmas fair in an unmarked envelope (20p minimum donation but notes also appreciated)

Attend the Christmas fair, pay a small entry fee and spend money while there.

Send in filled jars with e.g. lego, polly pocket, sweets, jewellery, marbles, K-nex, etc etc for the stall at the fair

Send in cakes for the cake stall,

Buy gift wrap through a company where the profits will go to school

Look for nice items around the home which can be put into pretty packages and sold in the secret present room at the fair.

I think the PTA at my child's school have been creative and resourceful in coming up with a variety of ways to raise funds and of course I can opt out of many of these activities if I choose. But I will feel a bit guilty if I don't support by making these various contributions.

Outside of the PTA there is also the Shoebox appeal to participate in.

Christmas is a time for giving - but is this too much? How do the suggestions given by my child's school PTA compare with your schools?

Sounds like our children go to the same school!!!!

We don't have the calender or fair but all the other stuff. If you don't want to buy stuff - don't. I'm on our PTA and I don't necessarily buy into everything. OTOH, the kids do get some nice extras from the funds.

sounds just like our school I'm on the PTA but try as I might to suggest that we do some things that WON'T require parents to dig deep into their pockets, we still end up sending out ridiculous numbers of flyers asking for donations and informing parents of the admission prices to events
Personally think the calendar is a waste of time - calendars are one thing that you CAN have too many of IMO!

sounds familiar
I have learnt to only do what I can afford or feel like doing.
No point feeling guilty.

Or how about the PTA do nothing? Then everyone can complain about the stuff that doesn't happen during the year.

You don't have to do any or all of this- nobody is keeping tabs on who has or hasn't baked a cake for the cake stall. the whole idea is that there is a wide range of things that people can do to contribute - just choose the one you want to do/can afford to do and ignore the rest.

lol seeker!
It would be a fair point if it wasn't for the fact that at our school it's the same people year in year out who do all the volunteering and most of the supporting! Would be nice sometimes to feel that some of the other parents were a bit more enthusiastic! That's why we do a very large bottle tombola - they crawl out of the woodwork for that one!

What worries me is that PTA funds are increasingly going towards upkeep and development of buildings, roofs, development of kitchens etc that the council should be funding. It is no longer just for the extras.

I think you just have to do what Seeker says, chose some things out of that that you can/want to do.
I don't like buying raffle tickets for a raffle when I've also bought the prizes.

Yes, don't feel guilty for what you don't do. Do what you can and feel proud!

The cake sales are the ones that amuse me. I bake cakes and bring them in. I help to sell the cakes. And then I buy some cakes. It would be a lot less effort just to send some money in - but the kids love the cake sales.

Our PTA is currently fundraising to give the school a library. That surely isn't an "extra"! But there won't be one if we don't do it.

yes all you have to do is what you want / what suits you.

Our PTA (I am on it) does a Christmas pudding thing - a child wins the comp to design the label and then they are on sale.
I make our Chr pud (if we even have one!) so I don't buy this.

But for some people it works as a way to donate with minimum effort.

It's helpful if people donate to the Chr fair stalls - but there will also be people who just turn up and buy - that's good too.

paisleyleaf you need our raffle - loads of fabby prizes donated by businesses eg a makeover at Debenhams, a hamper from Boots etc

Our calendars are a fiver

Other than that pretty much standard.

This year due to credit crunch I'm not buying raffle tickets (have donated/sorced majority of prizes and if we did win I'd feel duty bound to send them back .. so figure whats the point?)

OP, Pretty much the same except your cards are positively bargainous compared with the 10 for £6.50 that I have forked out.
Great PTAs think alike