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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found [b]we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations[/b]. No, it's not that big a deal, but [b]spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. [/b]That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.[/quote]

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.[/quote]

For some schools it is not realistic, but for others it is. There is a lot of variety in Title I schools. And the money does not need to come from families. There are lots of grants to apply for, and lots of individuals in the neighborhood who care and will chip in a bit even if their kids go elsewhere or they don't have kids at all. We had realtors and other businesses as sponsors for our big fundraiser. Harris Teeter sponsored our teacher appreciation lunch. Our law firm also gave a cash gift and some raffle prizes. The Target grant for field trips was very easy to write. If it's a very small PTA you can't raise much for lack of people to do the work, but with a fundraising team of 3-4 parents and a year or two of experience, it's totally doable. [/quote]

Well my kid attends a community eligibility FARMs school and is one of very few white, non-Hispanic students -- and that is not at all realistic in our school. And applying for grants also takes time, time that parents in our school do not have.[/quote]

Right. For some schools it is and for some schools it isn't. Like I said.

There are grants you can get over and over again and the application doesn't really change, so if you're short on time I'd recommend finding one of those and doing just that one. Don't take on more than you feel comfortable with![/quote]

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