Running your PTA

“ I went along to my PTA ’ s AGM when my daughter was in reception , just to show my support , but it was in a bit of a mess . As there was no Treasurer in post , I offered to take on the role .

When I started as Treasurer , I was given lots of receipts and a cheque book with expenditures and invoices , but nothing had been put into any kind of format or database . I work for Community First Yorkshire helping voluntary and community organisations with governance and funding issues , so I was very aware of the kind of support my PTA needed . My first task was pulling together all the data for the year before . My PTA is a registered charity , so I was conscious we needed to get our accounts approved by the Charity Commission .

As Treasurer , I oversee all income and expenditures for the organisation . I manage any requests that come in from the school , although I don ' t make the decisions myself . Everything is discussed by the committee and if something is approved , I ' ll make sure transactions are completed , bills are paid and money is banked . I ' ve been doing a lot of grant applications as well , and generally trying to make the hopes and dreams of the school come true .

One of the biggest highlights for me is getting grants approved . People don ’ t think you can get grants for PTA projects , but if they ' re presented in the right way , then it is absolutely achievable .

I also love being involved in fundraising events , like our Christmas raffle . Getting everybody engaged and involved in selling tickets was a real joy . It felt like the minimum amount of work for the maximum amount of return , which is always my mantra when it comes to fundraising !

My biggest challenge is time . It takes time to get reports ready for the committee , apply for grants and plan what we ' re going to do over the next few months . I work full-time , so this can be a balancing act .

As Treasurer I do focus on funds , but a PTA has to be about more than the money . It ’ s about creating a sense of community amongst the parents and connecting with the school .”

Reminder : Are your signatories up to date ? When Nicky became Treasurer , the account signatories for her PTA were ten years out of date ! And it took nearly a year to get it changed at the bank . But don ’ t lose heart – once that bit ’ s done , it ’ s all plain sailing .

Keep on top of your receipts .

As soon as you get receipts , put them straight into your spreadsheet . If you let them build up , it can become a mammoth task , so it ’ s much easier to add them in as you go .

Fundraising events don ’ t always have to focus on a specific goal . If you ’ re raising money for something specific , it needs to be in the accounts as a restricted fund so the money isn ’ t spent on anything else . If not , you can fall foul of fundraising regulations . Most of the time it ’ s easier not to advertise where exactly the money will go .

Take money out of the bank for petty cash . All the money you raise should be banked . Whenever you need petty cash , withdraw it from the bank . It can get confusing otherwise , especially when your accounts are examined .

Make a calendar of events . Every year , my PTA sets a calendar of events to give us a feel for how much we ' re anticipating to raise and how much we might spend . It ' s so easy to get convinced by the school to fund more and more projects , so a plan of action really helps with priorities .

Don

’ t overcomplicate the process . I ' ve tried many different platforms and systems to input account information , but I found they were too complicated or didn ’ t work the way I like to . I just use an Excel spreadsheet now . At the end of the day , you need to be able to explain your income and expenditures , so keep it nice and simple for yourself .

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PARENTKIND . ORG SPRING 2024 13