The best leader transitions for all Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO) are such more than handing off binders like a baton pass in an Olympic race.
But the very best leaders know they need to finish off their term strong.
And this includes setting the incoming leader up with everything they need to be successful.
There are specific things you have to do in whether you’re coming in as a newly elected PTO leader to start off on the right foot or as an outgoing officer to wrap things up nicely at the end of your term.
This post is going cover what you should do in both cases to make the entire transition process easier!
Outgoing Leaders
First, read the post on what to do before leaving office for a comprehensive run down of things to handle before you are finished with your current volunteer role.
Get all of this done before the Installation of Officers, if at all possible.
For most leaders, your official duties should be all finished by the last meeting of the year (typically when Installation occurs), except for PTO Treasurers, whose duties conclude with the closing of the organization’s fiscal calendar.
Right after the Installation of Officers, hand over your leader binder and schedule to meet with the incoming volunteer who’ll be taking on your role.
Ensure the incoming leader has access to your Google Drive or other digital filing system by inviting them to have access to the files.
This’ll give the incoming leader a chance to look over everything before you meet, helping ensure the meeting is more productive than it would otherwise be.
Having a chance to look through everything in advance allows them to be ready with questions during your transition meeting, making it a meaningful exchange.
The transition meeting should happen within a week or two of the installation so that the new officer can get going with making plans for the upcoming year and give you the chance to put the cherry on top of what hopefully was a great experience!
Transition Timing
Some PTO volunteers believe they need to wait to turn over any information to the incoming leaders until the financial books close for the year.
This isn’t true at all!
Assuming you have safeguards to prevent theft and embezzlement, make the official switch shortly after installation.
Also, not all leaders have to “come on board” all at once.
Given the timing of end of the year events, it may make sense for the current Treasurer to stay on to finish up tasks like preparing for the annual audit.
This way, the incoming Treasurer won’t be overwhelmed when faced with a deluge of requests!
And the incoming Treasurer can shadow or even assist the outgoing Treasurer as she wraps everything up, making fro a smoother transition for all.
Incoming Leaders
Once elected to your new position, the transition begins!
If you’re a new officer or new leader to the PTO, it can be super overwhelming, and sometimes it’s just because you’re new and don’t know what you don’t know. It’s not necessarily because you can’t do the job.
Know that your skill level will grow throughout your term and no one comes into any PTO role knowing exactly what to do if this is the first time they’re doing it!
So in this section, we’re going to cover a couple of things that you should be doing to make that whole process easier so you’re not losing your mind.
I don’t want you psyching yourself out before you even get going.
The job of a PTO leader can be done by anybody if they have the right attitude and if they are ready to look for the resources they need to do the job.
There are definitely some tools to have in your bag of tricks to make your life as a new PTO leader easier. So let’s get to them!
Quick Start Guides
If you’re new to a role, check out the Quick Start Guide freebies that best fits your new role:
Membership and Parent Involvement Quick Start Guide
Fundraising Chair’s Quick Start Guide
Room Parent’s Quick Start Guide
Each of them is tailored for the specific positions so you have a roadmap to follow right from the start!
Meet with the Outgoing Officer
The next thing to do as a newly elected PTO leader is to set up a call or a meeting (an in-person meeting would be best) with the outgoing officer in your position.
During this first ask, see if you can get a hold of the officer binder ahead of time.
Being able to look at the materials will give you a good idea of some initial questions to ask and the meeting will be more productive for you both.
When you meet with them, ask them some of the questions you have about how your particular group works since no two Parent Teacher Organizations work exactly the same.
The goals of the meeting is to get some a better understanding of what’s involved in your specific role and what the upcoming year is going to look like for you.
And also provide an opportunity for you to learn from them, whether they were successful in their role or not.
There’s a lot to learn from both really great and really bad leaders!
Sometimes knowing what not to do is just as valuable as knowing what to do.
One fantastic question to ask the outgoing officer, is what they wish they’d known before starting their PTO volunteer role.
This is such an awesome question to ask in any situation, but especially in PTO Land context since so often information is not communicated very well because it’s not written down, and it’s just not passed along.
There’s a great deal of information that leaves the school each year, trapped in volunteers’ brains and not captured for future volunteers to take advantage of in any way.
Really take advantage of the meeting with the outgoing officer to get as much information from them as possible.
It’ll help you make informed decisions going forward without re-creating the wheel or going in to a situation blind.
Resource Check
The next thing that I would advise any new leader to do in any position or any organization, but especially a PTO, is to take stock of the resources you have at your disposal.
Officer Binder
What materials have you been given from the prior leader? Take a look at them to get a lay of the land.
If you received anything less than a beautifully organized binder, then you’ll want to spend a bit of time organizing it.
Heck, even if the binder is pretty organized, look through everything and make sure it’s in a way that you can find things when you need it.
The previous leaders’ method of organization doesn’t have to be the one you use.
Set it up to make it work best for you.
Also be sure to check out whatever is available in your PTO’s digital filing system.
Many groups use dropbox or Google Drive to centralize files and make sure everyone has access to documents so they can be used to reference or as a template.
If you didn’t get anything at all, be sure to check out the leader binder kits that are included in the leader success kits.
Bylaws and Standing Rules
Another resource to consult is your PTO’s Bylaws and Standing Rules.
These governing documents should give you a lot of information about what your specific volunteer role entails and guidelines to be followed.
It’s always good to know the rules of the road upfront, right?
Join the Community
The next resource to take advantage of, if you haven’t already, is the PTO Super Star Leaders Group, a Facebook Community with thousands of like minded PTO/PTA volunteers looking to make their school communities better.
Inside the group, you’ll have access to a wealth of knowledgeable members and many years of posts to search through to get the answer to your questions.
And if you don’t see what you’re looking for, you’re free to post in the group to get ideas, support or feedback.
Watch and Learn
The last resource to have at your fingertips is the PTO Answers YouTube Channel.
Subscribe to the channel to get notified about new video releases and explore the back catalog of topics.
You can get your PTO-learning on while unloading the dishwasher or folding laundry or any other mindless task around your house.
Watch this!
For more Officer Transition Best Practices, watch this video!
Over to you!
Whether you’re a newly elected leader, coming in to a PTO role for the first time or a seasoned leader transitioning out of a role, these tips will help a ton!
Recommended Resources
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