Best and Worst of PTA events?

[Anonymous]

Worst

1. Scholastic Book Fair expensive books and scholastic makes most of the money. Time intensive and always run by diva martyr moms who would give Putin a run for his money in dictatorships without term limits.

2. Anything Boosterthon. Our school has an athletic day/fun run that was run by parents which was fun and free. We looked at Boosterthon and good grief it looks awful. Half the money goes to the company and they advise you not to tell parents. They go into the classroom and apply high pressure to kids.

3. Jump Rope for Heart: Great cause but also has heavy handed tactics at our school. Expensive and they push kids to spend more for prizes. If you don't sign up, donate $$ then your kid gets to sit in class alone while all the other kids have a fun popsicle party. This wasn't PTA but run by a teacher in our school.

4. Read-a-thon - too complicated and there really is nothing fun about recording your minutes and keeping track of sheets, It felt more like an accounting exercise.

Best

1. Beginning of the year and end of year picnic/carnival - easy, kids get to run around, good chance to meet other parents
2. New family welcome event - this was great, it was at someone's house on a large lot our first year. Kids ran around and met other future friends.
3. International Night - parents REALLY got into this at our school, good food
4. Science Fair - coordinated by a teacher, a PITA if you are hosting your kids team to put it together but a really good event
5. Book donation - collected used books and gave them to school with high FARMS for the counselor/medi specialist to just give out to kids to keep
6. Other used donation drives - a good way to give something that is needed and clean house.

OK

1. Bingo Night - fun but gets old after many years
2. Movie Night - good for younger kids
3. Talent Show - kids who like to perform enjoy it

[Anonymous]

The best is the Science Expo because it teaches the kids how science works. I loved the Talent Show mostly because I saw my daughter getting over her fears and performing in front of an audience. Watching all the kids perform was a little boring (it's not a high-quality show), but I would go through the same experience again.

[Anonymous]

Boosterthon is THE absolute worst. The PTA brought it to DD's school three years in a row. Horrible.

[Anonymous]

Anything that pressures parents to pay more than a modest amount of money where a big portion of the proceeds go back to the company is always hated by everyone except the small handful of parents that set it up and possibly the principal drooling at getting a portion of the slush fund.

The best activities are ones that are age appropriate to the kids, lets the kids roam around, and lets the parents hang back. It gives kids a fun event at school and a chance to feel independent while in a safe setting. It brings out the community and lets everyone participate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Worst

1. Scholastic Book Fair expensive books and scholastic makes most of the money. Time intensive and always run by diva martyr moms who would give Putin a run for his money in dictatorships without term limits.

2. Anything Boosterthon. Our school has an athletic day/fun run that was run by parents which was fun and free. We looked at Boosterthon and good grief it looks awful. Half the money goes to the company and they advise you not to tell parents. They go into the classroom and apply high pressure to kids.

3. Jump Rope for Heart: Great cause but also has heavy handed tactics at our school. Expensive and they push kids to spend more for prizes. If you don't sign up, donate $$ then your kid gets to sit in class alone while all the other kids have a fun popsicle party. This wasn't PTA but run by a teacher in our school.

4. Read-a-thon - too complicated and there really is nothing fun about recording your minutes and keeping track of sheets, It felt more like an accounting exercise.

Best

1. Beginning of the year and end of year picnic/carnival - easy, kids get to run around, good chance to meet other parents
2. New family welcome event - this was great, it was at someone's house on a large lot our first year. Kids ran around and met other future friends.
3. International Night - parents REALLY got into this at our school, good food
4. Science Fair - coordinated by a teacher, a PITA if you are hosting your kids team to put it together but a really good event
5. Book donation - collected used books and gave them to school with high FARMS for the counselor/medi specialist to just give out to kids to keep
6. Other used donation drives - a good way to give something that is needed and clean house.

OK

1. Bingo Night - fun but gets old after many years
2. Movie Night - good for younger kids
3. Talent Show - kids who like to perform enjoy it

It is interesting that you dislike all fundraisers but like all events that are freebies. Your "Worst" events fund your "Best" events. You sound like just another freeloader parent at the school.

[Anonymous]

Lots of events that are school events but the PTSA funds some parts of it -
1) Donut for Dad, Muffins for moms, Fieldtrips, BTSN, Promotion, Bookfairs, Parent workshops, Pie day, 100 Day of School, Science Fair, Harvest Festival, Literacy Night, Math Night, Penny for Patients, Earth Day, Talent show, Fall-Winter-Spring Concerts, used book exchange, International fashion show, Staff appreciation events, MLK day of volunteering, International night, coffee with principal valentine's day (flowergrams).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Worst

1. Scholastic Book Fair expensive books and scholastic makes most of the money. Time intensive and always run by diva martyr moms who would give Putin a run for his money in dictatorships without term limits.

2. Anything Boosterthon. Our school has an athletic day/fun run that was run by parents which was fun and free. We looked at Boosterthon and good grief it looks awful. Half the money goes to the company and they advise you not to tell parents. They go into the classroom and apply high pressure to kids.

3. Jump Rope for Heart: Great cause but also has heavy handed tactics at our school. Expensive and they push kids to spend more for prizes. If you don't sign up, donate $$ then your kid gets to sit in class alone while all the other kids have a fun popsicle party. This wasn't PTA but run by a teacher in our school.

4. Read-a-thon - too complicated and there really is nothing fun about recording your minutes and keeping track of sheets, It felt more like an accounting exercise.

Best

1. Beginning of the year and end of year picnic/carnival - easy, kids get to run around, good chance to meet other parents
2. New family welcome event - this was great, it was at someone's house on a large lot our first year. Kids ran around and met other future friends.
3. International Night - parents REALLY got into this at our school, good food
4. Science Fair - coordinated by a teacher, a PITA if you are hosting your kids team to put it together but a really good event
5. Book donation - collected used books and gave them to school with high FARMS for the counselor/medi specialist to just give out to kids to keep
6. Other used donation drives - a good way to give something that is needed and clean house.

OK

1. Bingo Night - fun but gets old after many years
2. Movie Night - good for younger kids
3. Talent Show - kids who like to perform enjoy it

It is interesting that you dislike all fundraisers but like all events that are freebies. Your "Worst" events fund your "Best" events. You sound like just another freeloader parent at the school.

NP here. Who likes attending fundraisers? I will attend them and donate, but I don't enjoy them. "Freebies" as you term them are accessible to the broader community and usually have an education component. Ask me to cut a bigger PTA check at the beginning of the year and then I would rather not hear from you piecemeal for smaller events (although my kids' ES doesn't have Boosterthon or Read-a-thon, so I can't opine on why they are bad.)

[Anonymous]

Cutting a big check at the beginning of the year does not work for FARMS (and cheap!) families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cutting a big check at the beginning of the year does not work for FARMS (and cheap!) families.

Neither does the Silent/Not-so-silent auction or Booster-thon or Scholastic Book fair. No matter what you do you have an issue and you're not going to raise much if you have poorer families. You have to target to your community.

[Anonymous]

So many people say, just ask me for one donation at the beginning of the year and cut out all the fundraisers -- and then, I've been at several schools where the PTA does just that, and then maybe 50 families out of 700 donate ANYTHING, and then even those families often only donate $50-$100 (with only few donating a $100). PTA gets about $5000 and that's just not enough to do anything.

[Anonymous]

It is interesting that you dislike all fundraisers but like all events that are freebies. Your "Worst" events fund your "Best" events. You sound like just another freeloader parent at the school.

Hah! I was the PTA treasurer and one of the biggest donors. The ones that I listed as worst are not only not fun but are not the best money makers for the school. They enrich others outside the school and make parents annoyed to upset about the amount they are pressured to spend. Book fair is ridiculous. Most of the money goes to scholastic. The cost for fun door prizes, snacks for the volunteers all week and other stuff eats into the returns as well. Jump Rope for Heart doesn't go to the school at all.

The best money makers are:

1. Beginning and end of year picnic/festival. Sell pizza, water bottles and snacks. Do a cake walk and some games and charge a nominal fee for tickets. Get a vendor that does bday parties to give you 75% off or a free bounce house in return for year long advertising. Get food trucks and require that they give you 20% of gross sales. Sell spirit wear. Have a donation table and a raffle table filled with donated items.

2. Sell pizza, water, snacks and spirit wear 30 minutes before school events. Parents scrambling with after care and sports will love being able to give their kids a quick dinner before the concert or whatever event.

3. Movie Night concessions and Bingo can make a good amount of money.

4. Ask for targeted financial donations. Raise money for new playground equipment, books for the library, teacher supplies, technology for classrooms or media center if you need it, school garden or something specific. Advertise the goal and send thank you when you reach the goal. No one want to give money to the PTA or principal slush fund.

The common element above is that these all allow everyone to participate at the level they feel comfortable. People will give and spend more when they feel they are part of the community, their kids are benefiting or they are enjoying a "free" event.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It is interesting that you dislike all fundraisers but like all events that are freebies. Your "Worst" events fund your "Best" events. You sound like just another freeloader parent at the school.

Hah! I was the PTA treasurer and one of the biggest donors. The ones that I listed as worst are not only not fun but are not the best money makers for the school. They enrich others outside the school and make parents annoyed to upset about the amount they are pressured to spend. Book fair is ridiculous. Most of the money goes to scholastic. The cost for fun door prizes, snacks for the volunteers all week and other stuff eats into the returns as well. Jump Rope for Heart doesn't go to the school at all.

The best money makers are:

1. Beginning and end of year picnic/festival. Sell pizza, water bottles and snacks. Do a cake walk and some games and charge a nominal fee for tickets. Get a vendor that does bday parties to give you 75% off or a free bounce house in return for year long advertising. Get food trucks and require that they give you 20% of gross sales. Sell spirit wear. Have a donation table and a raffle table filled with donated items.

2. Sell pizza, water, snacks and spirit wear 30 minutes before school events. Parents scrambling with after care and sports will love being able to give their kids a quick dinner before the concert or whatever event.

3. Movie Night concessions and Bingo can make a good amount of money.

4. Ask for targeted financial donations. Raise money for new playground equipment, books for the library, teacher supplies, technology for classrooms or media center if you need it, school garden or something specific. Advertise the goal and send thank you when you reach the goal. No one want to give money to the PTA or principal slush fund.

The common element above is that these all allow everyone to participate at the level they feel comfortable. People will give and spend more when they feel they are part of the community, their kids are benefiting or they are enjoying a "free" event.

This is a great post from someone who knows. Our Int'l night is free, but I imagine you could sell tickets to that. People will pay for a potluck.

[Anonymous]

Amazon wish lists are another good way to provide the teachers and school with things that they actually need.

[Anonymous]

Tonight's suicide prevention presentation at Churchill PTA was actually a very informative event. It would be important information for all parents to view. I hope the video that the counseling office showed will be online so parents can watch if they were unable to attend.

[Anonymous]

I like the scholastic bookfair fundraiser. I do not like any kind of door to door selling kind of fundraisers. I have also attended a different bookfair that was not run by scholastic and it was pretty bad.

Scholastic is a big fundraiser at our school and provides the money to run many events.