Chairperson Guidelines

Chairpersons of any committee are responsible for overseeing or delegating all the duties of the event they are planning. You will be guided by the presidents or vice-presidents who are responsible for your committee. 1^st vice-presidents are responsible for service activities or events and 2^nd vice presidents are responsible for fundraising. Please see attached list of Board member responsibilities.

Meetings

• Be sure to start your planning early.
• One of the presidents or vice-presidents (whoever is responsible for your committee) should be asked to attend a planning meeting.
• All chairpersons should keep in direct contact with the vice-president in charge of your event. If you are unable to attend the monthly PTO meeting to report on your event, please give your report to the VP in charge before the first Tuesday of the month. Please inform the secretary by the Friday before the meeting to add your committee to the agenda.

Volunteers

• Each chairperson is responsible for contacting the volunteers needed for their event. The chairperson responsible for the “Volunteer List” will provide you with a list of people who are interested in helping out with your committee. Contact can be made by phone or by a note sent home with the student listed on the “Volunteer List.” It is important to contact everyone on the list even if you have enough volunteers. They may be interested in volunteering for different event. The #1 reason people don’t volunteer is because no one asked them to.
• If the “Volunteer List” does not provide enough volunteers, you may want to advertise for help in the school newsletter, the PTO newsletter/calendar or at a PTO meeting.
• After your event, please remember to thank all your volunteers and let them know that they are invited to the Volunteer Appreciation at the end of the year.

Cash Collections/Deposits/Reimbursements

• If you are collecting money, ONLY the PTO Chairperson and/or PTO Board Members should handle, cash boxes, counting money, etc. All money should be counted at the school with a partner. We understand that it may not always be possible to count money at the school. If that is the case, please discuss this with one of the presidents.
• You can use a copy of one of the attached deposits forms (depending on the size of your deposit) to record all payments received. Some chairpersons prefer to keep track of their collections in a spreadsheet format. You may use this instead of the provided deposit form as along as it includes all the requested information.
• Fill out the Spring Trail Deposit Form completely. Checks must be in the same order as the deposit sheet with a maximum of 50 checks per deposit. Run an adding machine tape to verify the figures. Enclose the cash, checks, adding machine tape and the deposit form in an envelope. Label the outside of the envelope with the date and the name of the committee (ex. “Fun Fair”) and place it in the PTO drop safe located in the back corner of the conference room.
• All money should be collected as it comes in to school and deposited in the safe as soon as possible.
• If you are in need of start up cash (cash box change) for your event, contact the treasurer at least 10 days prior to needing the money. Use a copy of the attached “Reimbursement Form” for the cash requested. Please remember to specify the denominations of money needed to start the event. (Example 5-$20, 5-$10, 5-$5, 10-$1, 1 roll of quarters.) The treasurer will let you know where and when to receive your start up money.
• If you are requesting to be reimbursed for a purchase you made for your event, please fill out a green “Reimbursement Form” and attach copy of your receipt. Always keep the original receipt for yourself. Please make sure to get approval from the presidents or VP’s for any major purchases.

Publicity/Correspondence

§ If you want to advertise your event in the PTO newsletter, all items are due to the secretary by the third week of the month.

§ All copied materials that are sent home must be proof-read by the responsible VP or president. This can be done either by providing a paper copy or by e-mailing an attachment to the appropriate person. The PTO is charged for all the copies we make. Please keep copying to a minimum. Use ½ sheets of paper and/or double sided whenever possible. You are responsible for making and distributing materials for your committee. If you are not sure how to use the copier, just ask, someone will help you. Please remember to use ID code #2 for all copies made for PTO use.

§ If you would like pictures taken for the school yearbook, please notify the yearbook chairperson.

§ If you would like your event covered in the local newspaper, please contact the Daily Herald and/or the Examiner before the event.

Supplies/Decorations

§ Please box any decorations and/or supplies used for your committee that can be used again. Label all boxes with the committee name and contents before putting in the large storage room. The large storage room (“Storage C”) is near Room 114. The PTO section is on the back wall. There are also supplies like paper plates, cups and napkins, etc. that can be used by any committee. These items are found in the PTO storage closet (Storage B) near Room 108. Please check these two storage areas before purchasing any new supplies.

Remember you are not in this alone! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the VP responsible for your committee. Additional copies of all blank forms can be found in the PTO mailbox (bottom, right corner) located in the mailroom.

Thank you for being a Spring Trail Volunteer!

We can’t do it without you!