Happy February!
Let’s talk about everything that you, being your PTO, should be taking care of during the month of February.
We’ll be covering what officers and committee chairs, including the President, Nominating Committee, Membership Chairs, Fundraising and Ways and Means Chairs, and the Staff Appreciation Committees should be paying attention to and making sure that they are taking care of this month.
So, let’s hop right to it!
What PTO Presidents Should Do in February
For Presidents, I want you to keep continuing to do what you were doing in January.
Look at the upcoming PTO calendar, see what you need to be planning for, and queue up other officers and committee chairs to make sure that they’re on task.
Also, at the same time, prepare for the end of the school year and your term as President.
It’s time to start getting things out of your house that belong to the PTO and back into the PTO storage closet.
And also start going through your officer binder, getting it in order.
Even if you are not stepping out of your role, it’s good to, at least once a year, go through what you have and assess what you need.
This way, you can better prepare for the next year.
If you anticipate staying on as President, then definitely do this right now.
A prepared and planned out President is a calm President, is a happy President in my view.
A lot of times, what you did this year is probably what you’re going to do next year, especially if it worked.
You really know what to expect, so you can start planning for that now and put in place the tweaks that you need to make for things that didn’t work as you wanted them to.
Top Resources for PTO /PTA Presidents
Picture this: you, the PTO/PTA President, taking charge like a boss, armed with a treasure trove of resources that will make everyone else wondering exactly how you manage it.
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What the PTO Nominating Committee Should Do in February
If you are in charge of the Nominating Committee, you need to be really filling in that slate hard, making sure all of the essential group roles are filled.
Get to talking with the committee members to figure out who’s best suited for what roles.
Look at what roles need to be filled and chances are you’ll need to recruit outside the circle of members who are already coming to meetings regularly.
That’s one of the keys to maintaining a healthy group- to always be looking for fresh faces with new ideas and approaches.
Give this article a read if you need help with strategies for recruiting new leaders.
What PTO Fundraising Chairs Should Do in February
A the Fundraising Chair you really want to get everything in line now, and ideally, you want to be doing your last fundraiser of the year before Spring Break.
This is crucial because, as I mentioned earlier, parents tend to check out after Spring Break as the end of the school year approaches.
It’s a good time to assess your budget, talk with the President and Treasurer, and determine if there’s a budget gap that needs to be filled or if there are new opportunities to fund.
Take a close look at the financial standing of your PTO and plan accordingly.
If there’s a need for an additional fundraiser, it’s time to start the planning process.
Be proactive and ensure that you have a well-thought-out strategy in place.
This may involve rallying volunteers, organizing logistics, and creating a compelling case for your fundraising initiative.
People are going to tune out after that, so you want to be doing any prep work necessary to get that fundraiser done.
Since it’s February, you probably only have under two months, maybe only six or seven weeks, to get this done.
Continue with your marketing and promotion of the fundraiser, and don’t just rely on sending emails or flyers home.
A strategy I recently used to boost participation in a fundraiser was to look at all the parents I knew in my network.
I even grabbed my son’s yearbook from last year to jog my memory post-pandemic, as I’ve had trouble remembering people I haven’t seen as of late.
I reached out to parents I knew, provided a separate flyer promoting the fundraiser, and said, “Here’s a flyer for everything going on for the senior class.”
While it was specifically for our fundraiser, I framed it as an update for them.
I asked them to pass it along to other senior parents, and I did get some participants I hadn’t directly reached out to.
This one-on-one approach is an excellent way to boost participation, even if you can’t do reach out to everyone.
Those you do contact will be more likely to help you because of the personal invitation.
Top Resources for PTO Fundraising Chairs
Ready to dive more into the work of PTO and school fundraising, but wish you could have a plan of action ready at your fingertips?
Time to learn more about the Fundraising Success Kit!
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What PTO Family Event Chairs Should Do in February
For Family Fun Event or Family Programs Chair, it’s essential to start lining up volunteers for everything planned for the rest of the school year.
Look at what’s left on the calendar, keep lining up volunteers, and reach deep into your roster of volunteers and members.
Having a fully staffed event is crucial for its success, and you certainly don’t want to be running around like chicken with it’s head cut off during the event.
Think through the remaining programs and events, and make sign-up sheets to pass around at meetings for all major events remaining for the rest of the year.
Provide details about the involvement required, whether volunteers can bring kids, and any other relevant information.
Getting volunteers on board well in advance allows people to plan ahead, adjust schedules, and arrange for childcare if needed.
Last-minute requests often result in limited availability, so it’s smart to start recruiting volunteers earlier than you might initially think is necessary
If you’re finding that volunteer slots are plentiful, use the same tactics suggested earlier for the Fundraising Chair to boost participation and recruit new volunteers.
Making genuine, one-on-one connections can significantly impact your success rate in getting volunteers.
Ask them which events they’d like to help with, reinforcing that their contribution will make a difference for their child’s enjoyable remainder of the school year.
It’s not manipulative; it’s simply asking for help in a genuine way that strengthens the connection and commitment to your cause.
Investing time in these personalized interactions can give great results in terms of participation and support for your PTO events and fundraisers.
All too often, what happens with these all-calls that we put out is that people think others are responding.
They believe others are stepping up and that they don’t need to because there’s plenty of help.
They assume you would have reached out to them if you needed them, especially if you’ve mentioned before that they could help with anything.
This misconception can lead to missed opportunities for engagement and support
When you put out an all-call, some individuals might be waiting for a personal invitation.
If you notice certain volunteers are not responding, go ahead and reach out to them directly.
If time is a constraint, enlist someone on the board who can help you reach out to them.
Be sure to delegate anything that others can help with, whether it’s picking up supplies or brainstorming details of an event.
Top Resource for PTO Family Event Chairs
What PTO Staff Appreciation Chairs Should Do in February
As for staff appreciation, the end of the year is just around the corner.
If you haven’t already, start formulating your plans for staff appreciation week or teacher appreciation week (whichever your school observes).
While Teacher Appreciation Week is officially the first full week in May, any time is a good time to show some love to the teachers and staff.
Don’t wait until the last minute; if you have time to do a few extra things, teachers will appreciate the effort.
Top Resource for PTO Staff Appreciation Chairs
What PTO Membership Chairs Should Do in February
For the Membership Chair, the end of the year brings orientations and new family meetings.
This is a great opportunity to introduce your PTO to new families.
Consider attending these events, along with the President if possible, to present what the PTO does and share plans for the next year.
Use this chance to connect with new parents, inform them about the PTO’s activities, and provide ways for them to stay in the loop.
This will lay the foundation for new families to get involved come the new school year.
Top Resource for PTO Membership and Parent Involvement Chairs
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What All PTO Officers and Committee Chairs Should Do In February
If your role hasn’t been specifically mentioned earlier, know that it’s a good idea to look ahead to the rest of the school year and make sure you have things in line to wrap up the school year nicely
Go through your physical volunteer binder and online documents, preparing to wrap up the details to either hand off the information to the incoming volunteer, or to prepare yourself for the upcoming school year.
The time invested now in planning and organizing yourself and the details involved with your PTO volunteer role will set you up for a strong finish for this school year and beyond.
Top Resource for all PTO Volunteers and Leaders
Transform your school’s parent engagement with the Powered Up Parent Engagement System.Â
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Over to You
Whether it seems like it or now, February marks the beginning of the end of the school year.
With the crush of programs, events and obligations now through the end of the school year, it’s easy for details to get lost in the shuffle.
Carving out time now to follow the suggestions of what to do in your PTO volunteer role now will only help you finish off the school year strong.
No limping to the finish line for you!
Related Reading
Want to know what’s coming up next month? Read all about the tasks to handle each month as a PTO volunteer right here!
