RUNNING A PTA – Roles and responsibilities
for the PTA and it’s environmentally sound. The PTA uniform coordinator role involves requesting and sorting through
donations, washing and repairing as necessary, storing, pricing and organising sales. These may take the form of pop-up sales in the
playground, uniform stalls
at events or even dedicated shops. A great job for someone who can’t make meetings. ✓ Suits people who are ecologically committed
closely with the school and PTA
committee to identify funding opportunities, the PTA grants officer applies to grant-giving trusts, local authorities and businesses for significant financial donations. Writing skills are a must, as the officer will have to complete applications and provide feedback. ✓ Suits people who have fundraising experience or are motivated to learn
STORES MANAGER Any PTA will have a lot of clobber, from folding tables to miles of bunting, to donations of items for sale at future events. All of this will need managing, quite likely in a large cupboard or shed on the school premises. It makes life easier for everyone if that store is inventoried and well organised. ✓ Suits planners and tidy people who can work on their own initiative
CLASS REPS An essential role, class reps are the communication channel between the PTA and parents of each class. As such, they’re key in securing volunteers for events and enabling the committee to reach out to the school community with immediacy and directness. ✓ Suits friendly people who are good communicators
SECOND-HAND UNIFORM COORDINATOR Second-hand, or pre-loved, uniform is brilliant. It’s affordable for parents, it’s a reliable money-maker
24 SPRING 2023
pta.co.uk
EVENTS MANAGER A dedicated events manager will help ensure good planning and that things run smoothly on the day. In the planning stages, they should work closely with the chair to complete risk assessments, organise bookings and licensing, plan infrastructure (power, lighting, layout etc), and all the details of a successful event. The PTA events manager is also the point of contact for all the volunteers and external parties involved in an event. ✓ Suits practical people who are good multitaskers
CATERING OFFICER From summer fairs to autumn discos, PTA events often involve feeding people in order to raise funds. The catering and refreshments officer organises PTA-run stalls, coordinates with parent volunteers and works with external vendors, such as pop-up caterers or ice cream vans coming on site. ✓ Suits people who have catering experience
BAKE-SALE COORDINATOR Bake sales are perennially popular and a great way to reliably top up PTA funds. If they happen frequently, a dedicated PTA bake- sale coordinator can be invaluable. The role involves agreeing dates with the school, getting volunteers on board to bake or staff the stall, and managing the sales hygienically and safely, with an awareness of allergens. ✓ Suits reliable people who love cake
Putting it
into practice ‘In my first year as chair, we introduced a lot of changes, including rolling out the Classlist app, reactivating our social media pages and producing a termly newsletter. We felt the best way to deal with the additional workload was to allocate new roles. We introduced a ticket ambassador to manage ticket sales, including those made online, and allocate and distribute tickets. Our social media ambassador deals with all social media platform updates and posts, and our newsletter ambassador collects all the information and compiles each newsletter. Things are now more organised, and it isn’t left to the chair to do all three jobs in one. Our committee has welcomed these changes as they give more people the chance to have a structured role and play to their different strengths.’ Zarifa Dewey, chair, St Aidan’s School Association, St Aidan’s Primary School, Coulsdon, Surrey (220 pupils)
SKILLS AUDIT If you’re trying to find the perfect
volunteer, why not get parents to fill in our questionnaire? The results – and a bit of persuasion – could match their skills with any one of these important PTA roles.
pta.co.uk/running-a-pta/ community-engagement/ parents-questionnaire/
WORDS: DANIEL ETHERINGTON; IMAGES: BUDI PRIYANTO, ILONA KITAEVA/
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
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