Running your PTA
Our Treasurer is signing cheques for the school without checking with the committee . Is that okay ?
All decisions need to be made by majority vote of the elected committee members . They ’ re all equally responsible and accountable for running the association and managing funds . The Treasurer ’ s job is to look after the accounts , not to make financial decisions on their own . This is something you need to address at your next committee meeting to make sure the Treasurer is clear on their role , and raise it with the school so they understand your legal responsibilities .
We ’ ve always sold paper cloakroom / raffle tickets as a form of raffle entry in the lead up to events , I ’ ve now read in a Facebook group that we shouldn ’ t – what ’ s the truth ?
If you are selling raffle tickets in advance or your draw is a standalone event ( not part of a wider event like a fair ), you will need a small society lottery licence from your local authority . Certain information also needs to be included with the tickets . You will need to have the name of your association , ticket price , your licence number , name and address of the organiser , and the date of the draw . It ’ s easier to have these tickets professionally printed , but you can attach all the information to a cloakroom ticket if you prefer .
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Our headteacher can be a bit overpowering . They insist on approving everything we do , even the communications we send out to our members . Can they do this ?
Legally you ’ re a separate entity to the school , so when you hold an event on school property , you are effectively ‘ hiring ’ their property . This means you do need to liaise with the school to make sure the site is available when you set your dates and you will have to comply with any conditions they set , such as no alcohol at the event , or no Halloween-themed events . However , if you hold the event off school property , they cannot insist on any conditions like this . Regarding communications , it ’ s a matter of courtesy rather than a requirement . It ’ s trickier if you are using the school communications channels to get messages out to your members , so you might want to consider how your PTA can get messages out to your members directly , such as having your own mailing list or Facebook page .
Got an issue you need advice on ? Contact Clare and her team :
Helpline 0300 123 5460 ( Mon-Fri 9:00-5:00 )
info @ parentkind . org
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