Take Action Tag: PTA Leaders

Financial Information & Resources for your PTA

FINANCIAL INFORMATION & RESOURCES FOR YOUR PTA

Every year California State PTA compiles a packet of financial information and resources to help your PTA run the financial side of your organization. Typically, PTA presidents receive the Financial Mailing in the fall and all PTA officers can view and download the packet from the California State PTA Leaders’ website. 

Check out the Leaders’ Website to download the contents for the 2024-2025 Financial Mailing.

View the Leaders’ Website

Most of the materials in the Financial Mailing are available in both English and Spanish. They include:

  • Tax Filing Support Center Information
  • State of California Attorney General’s Tips and Resources for Charities
  • PTA as an Employer – What You Need to Know
  • The PTA Insurance Guide — English and Spanish

Taking Personal Responsibility for Cybersecurity

Posted on by CAPTA IT

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month

“The line between our online and offline lives is indistinguishable. In these tech-fueled times, our homes, societal well-being, economic prosperity and nation’s security are impacted by the internet,” the National Cybersecurity Alliance. 

The truth of that statement has really come home to families and schools in the last 18 months. We have all become increasingly dependent on the internet to learn, to connect with each other, to shop for necessities, and to stay entertained. That makes Cybersecurity Awareness Month an ideal chance for families to learn more about what they can personally do to stay safe online. 

Start With Some Basics for Individuals

It’s easy to think of cybersecurity as a topic that’s just of concern to large companies and organizations, not something individuals can do much about. A central goal of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, however, is to point out all that we can do to keep ourselves and our information safe on the internet.

For example, there’s a list of basic steps you personally can take to keep your information safe, including: 

  • Use long, unique passphrases (they needn’t be complex) that are easy for you to remember and at least 12 characters long. 
  • Use 2-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication (such as a one-time code sent to your mobile device) whenever it’s offered.
  • Don’t click on links or download anything that comes from a stranger or that you were not expecting. 
  • Keep all software on your internet connected devices current to reduce risk of infection from ransomware and malware.
  • Limit what you do on public WiFi and avoid logging in to key accounts like email and financial services. 

These are just some of the recommendations you’ll find in this two-page guide to cybersecurity basics. You can do your part for cybersecurity awareness by sharing it with others in your PTA, your family, and your community.

Resources for Keeping Kids Safe Online

Acknowledging the increase in internet activity brought on by the pandemic, there’s also a Tip Sheet about Online Learning meant for parents and students: Security Tips for K12 Online Learning.

As kids get older, they need to take greater responsibility for their own cybersecurity. Thankfully there are some great resources available to help families have the “tech talk” about online privacy, and even a guide for helping kids learn about cybersecurity careers. These would be great resources to share. 

You’ll find all this and much more at the official Cybersecurity Awareness Month website: Cybersecurity Awareness Month – Stay Safe Online . 

In addition, National PTA, in collaboration with LifeLock has developed a web-based tool to facilitate parent-child conversations about being responsible with the use of technology. It’s called The Smart Talk.

Six Tips for Building Your Local PTA Leadership

Posted on by CAPTA IT

Children are back in school, but for many of us it feels like we are still a long way from a full pandemic recovery. One place many PTA leaders feel that is in the volunteers on their local boards, or should we say the lack of volunteers. Filling a vacant board position or committee chair is important to your plans this year and it’s also key to building leadership for the long-term vitality of your association.

Here are some ideas for how to connect with your members and encourage them to take on a leadership role.

Hone your leadership team’s skills.

PTAs throughout California are seeking individuals who will step back into the limelight by not only joining PTA, but volunteering in some capacity to support their school and its families, and further their PTA goals.

Having knowledgeable, welcoming leaders will encourage your PTA members to join the team. Training develops officer leadership and teamwork skills, so do take the time to find and participate in any trainings available from your District PTA. But first, review Tips for Leaders from the California State PTA. 

In addition, the 2021-22 Welcome Packet local leaders received from California State PTA includes RUNNING YOUR PTA…Made Easy. This 24 page, easy to read document is your roadmap for successful goal setting, executive board and association meetings, leadership practices, officer tips, inclusivity, finances, bylaws, and calendar planning. Share it with your board via this link (or this link for the Spanish version). You can also request copies through your District PTA president. The California State PTA “Welcome Packet Homepage” includes specific items for your PTA leaders: president, treasurer, parliamentarian, communications. 

Consider doing less this year.

The executive board should consider if past supported events and fundraisers are too intimidating this first year with students back on campus. It may be wise to scale back the number of events to between three and five for the remainder of the year, and ask for participation. Also, be sure to include a social, fun event. Your community’s social well being is important, just like student social well being. Events done well will encourage others to step up.

Make participation easy.

More members may be working from home, but don’t assume they have more time. After being home bound some are hesitant socially to step out. 

Look at ways to divide the work into smaller, less threatening tasks with shorter timeframes. For example, subdivide the hospitality chair role into the events: winter, spring, and summer association meetings, Founders Day, Staff Appreciation, etc. For fundraising consider a chair for each activity. 

Refer to the California State PTA Toolkit for more than 28 suggested Job Descriptions for PTA leaders. You can adjust these to suit your goal. 

Use the buddy system to get the work done.

Every PTA association officially needs to have a president, secretary, and treasurer. If your PTA doesn’t have an executive vice president, corresponding secretary or financial secretary, these three positions, already included in the standard bylaws, were created to provide support and divide the work. Updating your bylaws is easy using California State PTA’s electronic eBylaws program to add these positions permanently. In the meantime, the president may appoint an assistant to any officer for support, with or without attendance and full voting rights at executive board meetings. Consider these guidelines when appointing committee chairs and assistants.

Expand your reach through purposeful inclusion.

Does your PTA embrace individuals included in your school community? 

If families at your school speak many languages, seek volunteers who will help engage those families. Parents of students with special needs often feel left out when they cannot leave their children at home with a child care provider. Ask your officers and school staff which tasks can be done at home by eager volunteers.

Don’t forget students have great talent and energy. Middle school and high school students can be PTA members and they can be volunteers as well. They can get a lot out of that involvement.

PTAs can and should be creative. 

More often than not, the new idea you have has been done before. Reach out and connect with nearby PTAs and your council and district PTA to share ideas and success stories and pool your resources.

It’s Tax Time for PTAs: Connect with us for help

Posted on by CAPTA IT

Need help heading off tax issues before they start? Need help reaching the right contacts at the various government agencies who can help expedite processing of paperwork? We’re here for you. California State PTA has a dedicated tax support specialist available to offer tips and direct you to help. 

California State PTA also offers tax workshops/filing help at various trainings and has helped hundreds of units file their postcards and charitable trust renewals over the last few years. While we can’t file the long-form taxes for you, we are here to support you in the process.

As a part of the PTA organization, you are able to use File990.org at a discounted rate. Starting in the 2021-22 term, the 990-EZ form must be filed electronically only and this access will save you money.

Last year, the Attorney General asked for additional information from all of our postcard filing units. (PTAs that make less than $50,000 a year are eligible to file taxes by a simple electronic postcard.) The required forms can be confusing because the AG’s terminology doesn’t match up to what most people call things in their budgets/treasurer’s reports. That is why we created our annotated RRF-1 and CT-TR-1 forms. Our annotated forms help you translate the AG  information making it much easier to complete without all the stress.

It is really important that if you get a letter from any government agency, you take it seriously, but don’t panic! Contact your district PTA. They can advise you or help you get in touch with one of us at the California State PTA. 

If you have questions, a great place to start is by visiting the Tax Filing Support Center on our website. 

Help with tax filings is one compelling reason that more than 3,000 schools in California choose PTA. 

Interesting tax related fact and added benefit of your PTA status:
A special exemption for sales tax collection is granted by the state of California specifically for parent teacher organizations chartered as part of the California State PTA. You are not required to collect state sales tax on items your PTA sells because you are considered “consumers of products” you are selling. In this case, it means even though you are selling something, the profits are being consumed for your charitable purpose in your budget. Most other non-profits are not exempt and have to collect and send in sales tax to the state.
*Note: This doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay sales tax when you purchase items for your PTA, just that you don’t have to collect it on your sales.

Leadership Essentials: Tips to Help Strengthen Your PTA

Leadership Essentials is just for PTA leaders, featuring timely information and reminders about issues, tasks and responsibilities at any level. Plus, you’ll find helpful tips and news to help strengthen your PTA and leadership skills.

Take a look at the latest issues of Leadership Essentials:

2024

2023

2021

2020

Lourdes Beleche: Putting the ‘T’ in PTA

lourdes_beleche_teacherLourdes Beleche is all about the kids.

A nominee for this year’s Contra Costa County Office of Education Teacher of the Year, Lourdes has taught several grades — including bilingual classes — at Concord’s Cambridge Elementary School (Mt. Diablo Council, Thirty-Second District PTA) for 19 years.

“I love watching students make connections with things they are learning about,” she said. “I love seeing them learn from each other and have discussions, arguments and defend their opinions.”

And in addition to her nearly two decades of teaching dedication, Lourdes is a dedicated PTA member inspired by her mother.

“Even though my mom didn’t speak English, she joined the PTA and volunteered at our elementary school – Nestor Elementary – setting an example for me,” she said.

“Teachers are the ‘T’ in PTA,” added Lourdes, noting how important it is for teachers to be involved. “I believe that, if we want parents to be active on campus, we also need to step out of the classroom and work side-by-side with them.”

Do you know an inspiring PTA volunteer or member like Lourdes? Let us know: Share your story with socialmedia@capta.org.

 

Reflections Art Program Logos, Fliers and Promotional Materials

Encourage your school community to be part of PTA’s 2024-25 Reflections Program “I am Hopeful Because…” with promotional materials.

2024-2025 PTA Reflections Image

Running Your PTA… Made Easy

One of the wonderful benefits of belonging to PTA is the support system it offers.

Running Your PTA… Made Easy provides simplified summaries of the PTA basics that all PTA board members should know. It covers meetings, recruiting volunteers, finance, membership and more.

Reading this basic guide will enhance your experience as a PTA leader and provide you with information on topics you will be likely to reference throughout your term of office.

Download here.

Engaging Men in PTA

There are more than 70 million fathers in the United States. That means 70 million possibilities for PTA membership, inclusion, engagement and strength for our schools and kids.

One out of every three children in America —more than 24 million in total — live in a home without their biological father present, according to a 2012 White House Fatherhood Report.  And, roughly one out of every three Hispanic children and more than half of African-American children also live in homes without their biological fathers.

More engaged fathers and father figures — whether living with or apart from their children — can help foster a child’s healthy physical, emotional and social development.  There’s no doubt of the positive impact male role models can have on their children’s lives.

MEMBERSHIP: MAKE IT ABOUT MEN

DadsRecruiting men as PTA members may mean rethinking how your PTA is run on a day-to-day basis. If your PTA mostly relies on female caregivers, reaching out to men may involve breaking down barriers and trying new approaches and strategies:

  • Communicate directly to men – How you and your PTA speak to members and potential members can impact the level of men’s involvement. Simply slimming down language and shortening messages in your communications can be more appealing to male readership. And be always sure to explain and emphasize how men’s unique involvement benefits kids.
  • Just ask – Nearly half of men who responded to a recent National PTA survey said they haven’t gotten involved with PTA simply because they weren’t asked. Those involved said their spouses’ participation led to their own involvement. So, encourage women in your PTA to invite the men in their children’s lives to get involved, and take your PTA to places with large male contingents – such as service clubs – to share our message and ask for participation and membership.
  • Create men-focused groups and events – Surveys also show that men prefer to volunteer for hands-on projects and men-only events with clear expectations. So, organize special events and groups for men to enjoy working on and being involved with together and define volunteer roles and expectations.
  • Respect men’s time – More than 70 percent of recently surveyed men said time was a barrier to PTA involvement, and the majority said they wanted fewer meetings at more convenient times. Make efforts to schedule workdays in mind for all parents and organize results-driven meetings with clear agendas and topics.
  • Celebrate engagement – When you start getting more men involved, it’s great to celebrate! Letting the school community know will help emphasize and publicize your welcoming environment for all parents and members. Thank men publicly at meetings and in your PTA communications, and always encourage more male membership – we’re all in it together for our kids!

NATIONAL NEED FOR MALE ENGAGEMENT

More than 1 million men visit schools across America each year as part of the National PTA MORE Alliance (Men Organized to Raise Engagement).

Organizations in PTA MORE are dedicated to raising the level of engagement between children and the important men in their lives. Members of PTA More serve as conduits for greater father and significant-male involvement, resulting in positive outcomes and successful relationships for children, parents, schools and communities.

PTA MORE:

  • Works with schools and communities to provide programs to engage fathers and positive male figures in the educational and social development of children.
  • Develops male leaders who work with fathers and male role models to enhance positive male parenting and involvement with youth.
  • Acts as a resource for families, communities and schools on fatherhood initiatives and issues
  • Increases visibility and outreach of quality programming by coalition members.

To learn more about PTA MORE, read an article on this PTA initiative and visit National PTA.