Board & Committee Chair Job Descriptions
What helps to make Chatham such a great, supportive community?
Our parent volunteers of course!
Whether it is serving on the PTO Executive Committee, spearheading a fundraiser or
attending meetings and giving your ideas and energy, many parents take great pride in their schools and show their support by volunteering for the school-wide PTO.
Our time, talents, and energy really do make a difference!
What follows is information that you can use to find the volunteer role that is right for you.
We hope that this packet will answer your questions
and inspire you to join us!
Download the packet as a pdf file
Contents
- Introduction & Overview of a PTO Role
- PTO Board Descriptions
- Committee Chair Descriptions
- Frequently Asked Questions about Volunteering
Thank you for your contribution to our community!
Introduction & Overview of PTO Roles
Chatham is a wonderful community because of its extensive parental
support and the volunteer contributions of people just like you! Job descriptions
for PTO board and event chair roles are on the following pages. To get you
started, here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions:
What PTO board positions are available?
PTO board positions are open to any Chatham school parent and do not require previous board
or PTO experience. If you are interested in a PTO board position for the following school
year, you should contact a nominating committee member in January or February. Elections are held at the May meeting. Each position runs for a 2 year term. You may hold the same office for 2 consecutive terms.
How do PTO board positions get filled?
A nominating committee is formed each year. This committee then seeks out nominees for each board that is open and presents a slate of candidates to the membership at the April PTO
meeting. Board elections are conducted at the May PTO meeting.
How do PTO committee chair positions get filled?
Once a PTO board is elected, the PTO president for the following school year will begin
seeking individuals to fill committee chair roles. If you are interested in a PTO committee
chair position for the following school year, you should look for announcements on the PTO website or flyers sent home or talk to the President-Elect in May or June.
What are the basic and shared job responsibilities of board members and
chairs?
- Help to recruit and train your successor
- Keep binders up-to-date; maintain good files
- Attend PTO meetings whenever possible
What are the basic job responsibilities of board members?
All of the above, plus:
- Attend board meetings scheduled as needed throughout the school year
- Act as liaison between President and board and those Chairs who fall in to your
subject area.
What kind of files should I keep?
It is a great help if you create and/or audit a binder for your position and to have a short
orientation when you hand it over to your successor. An ideal binder contains a
summary of the position, a calendar or timeline for your job or event, your budget,
vendors used, ideas you tried and liked or didn’t like, fliers you created, feedback you
received, and anything else you think would help your successor to get a good start.
Chatham PTO Board Position Descriptions
President
Time Commitment: 4-8 hours per week
Busiest Times of Year: Busiest at the beginning of the year but flattens out quite
soon; additional special projects as desired
- Manage overall objectives and strategies of PTO
- Act as liaison between parents and principal/staff at all 3 schools
- Recruit all PTO Committee Chairs
- Create agenda and facilitate monthly PTO meetings
- Create agenda and facilitate about 3-4 PTO board meetings
- Write a periodic .PTO News. bulletin for website
- Create a mailing for all Chatham parents in August
- Create school calendar and budget with Executive Committee
- Speak at School Committee meetings as necessary to present PTO goals/yearly plan
- Set up and man recruitment table at each school Open House event
Vice President
Time Commitment: 50 hours across the school year
Busiest Times of Year: Early in school year.
- Support President in managing all PTO activities throughout year.
- Act as liaison between parents and principal/staff at all 3 schools.
- Maintain software upgrades and any data input or earmark other volunteer to fill this role.
- Lead monthly meetings in absence of President
- Recruit and train future Vice President
- Attend all Executive Committee Meetings
Treasurer
Time Commitment: 2 hours per week; more during peak times
Busiest Times of Year: Fall and Spring or around particular events
- Support President in managing all PTO activities throughout year.
- With assistance of executive committee, generate PTO budget each year.
- Prepare annual tax returns with assistance of auditing firm.
- Ensure all state/federal filings are made on time.
- Inform committees/event chairs of budget funds for their activities.
- Pay bills and reimbursements as required.
- Oversee ongoing PTO finances, ensure adherence to approved PTO budget
- Prepare and present budget report for each PTO meeting
- Maintain any/all data input in PTO software.
- Help recruit and support committee chairs for key fund-raising events
- Continue to monitor success of fund-raisers; recommend changes to fund raising objectives
- Attend all Executive Committee Meetings
Secretary
Time Commitment: 20 hours per year
Busiest Times of Year: Immediately following monthly meetings and any Executive Committee meetings
- Take minutes at PTO meetings
- Forward to President and Vice President for review
- Submit minutes for inclusion on website within 3 days following each meeting
- Make copies of minutes and distribute at next PTO meeting for review by membership.
- Attend all Executive Committee Meetings
Event Chairperson
Time Commitment: 20 – 30 hours per event
Busiest Times of Year: In planning event
Organize particular fundraiser, adhering to timeline, budget and fundraising goal. Recruit volunteers to help organize and implement event. Ensure that record keeping on all aspects of activity are up-to-date. Ensure that all donors are thanked for their time or gifts. Record all monies raised, expenses generated and report information to Treasurer.
Chatham PTO Frequently Asked Questions about Volunteering
Budget
How much money may I spend?
Almost all PTO Board Members or Chairs have a budgeted amount of PTO funds
If you think you may need to spend more than your budgeted amount, you need to get prior clearance from the Treasurer or President. Without prior clearance, no reimbursement will be made over and above budget.
Reimbursement
In order to be reimbursed for expenses, the reimbursement process is as follows:
- If your purchase has not yet been made, fill out the check request form (available in Teacher’s Workroom at the Elementary School), and put it in the PTO mailbox. The Treasurer will write the check directly to the vendor for you.
- If your purchase has already been made, fill out the reimbursement form and put in the PTO mailbox at the Elementary School. A check will be made and mailed to your home. *All reimbursements need to be requested within 1 month of expenditure*
- Many Chatham volunteers very generously donate from their pocketbooks as well as of their time. If you do want to, please read the section about donations below.
Donations
Making Them
Many PTO volunteers pay for things related to their roles out of their own pockets. If you give the Treasurer a receipt or some description of these expenses a letter may be generated for your personal tax records. It is also important that you document how much you spent of your own money and place it in the materials you hand over to your successor so PTO knows the real cost of events and programs and the following year’s budget may be adjusted accordingly.
Seeking Them
Go ahead. Just make sure that you let the President/Treasurer know who gave you a donation so that thank you letters can be sent to the donor or donating company.
Press
How do I get an announcement in to the Chatham Scoop?
At this point, please call the office and ask Faith Caswell about timing and submission requirements. You can also email our webmaster (Warren Nash) at warren@wozzaworks.com
How do I get a flier sent home?
You must get approval from the school Principal ahead of time. Then, purchase paper (save your receipt) and make the copies (350 for Elem. School and 250 for middle school). The Elem. School flyers can go in each teacher’s mailbox in the workroom. For middle school, drop them off with the secretary for dissemination.
Questions
The Chatham PTO Executive Committee stands ready to assist you in your efforts. So, if you have a question, send an email to either the President or Vice President and you will get an answer within the day