Committee Guidelines

1. Chairpersons Responsibilities

Once a PTO member volunteers as a committee chairperson, that individual is responsible for the management of the overall event. This includes the coordination of committee members, communication to the PTO and the Winsor community, and financial matters. Chairperson responsibilities can be co-chaired by two individuals or the members of the committee can elect a chairperson. A PTO member must serve on at least one committee prior to volunteering as a chairperson.

2. Event

Each event (and the specific date of the event) must be approved by the PTO board. The event committee manages details around the event such as location, activities to be held, food and beverages, and costs. Events that are not held at Winsor must be communicated to the Board. Depending on the scale of the event and the types of vendors being used, the PTO board may require a contract be entered into for a specific event in order to guarantee that services will be rendered.

Venue capacity must be known in advance of securing location. If capacity is limited, event registration form must communicate that space is limited, first come/first served. Deadlines for registering for an event must be clear and held firm. Events that take place immediately after school require a confirmation notice be sent home to parents verifying that their registration has been received. Parents should be instructed that if they do not receive confirmation they need to notify the contact person on the registration form.

3. Communication to the Winsor Community

All notices and flyers must be read and approved by the school principal prior to being copied and sent home to Winsor families. Announcements to be included in “Late Breaking News” must be submitted to the PTO Secretary by Thursday morning.

4. Communication with Committee Members

As soon as the committee is formed and the membership list is complete, the chairperson(s) should contact these members and inform them of the nature of the committee and what will be expected of them as members. Communication can be via phone or email.

5. Committee Requirements

The expenses incurred by a committee must not exceed the proceeds generated from the event. Additionally, if an event does generate a profit, the spending of these funds is at the discretion of the PTO in the form of a vote taken at a monthly meeting.

The chairperson(s) of the committee should seek ideas from all the committee members for events, fundraising activities, etc. A vote should then be taken to gain consensus with the majority ruling.

The chairperson(s), or an otherwise delegated member of each committee, must attend the monthly PTO meeting to provide an update as to the progress of the committee. If attendance is not possible, a written or verbal report may be submitted to any PTO Board member and communicated at the monthly meeting.

Committee members are responsible for ensuring that the event is appropriately staffed. Help needed for any PTO sponsored event or activity should be solicited from William Winsor School’s staff and families (reference the PTO General Helpers list). If outside help is required, a background check, conducted by the School Department, must be completed. For this reason, the school principal must be notified well in advance of any event or activity that may require outside involvement.

When a committee member is soliciting vendors and/or advertisements for fundraising events, do not include anything that could possibly be considered inappropriate for children. If you have questions on this matter, ask the school principal for a determination.

6. Financial Matters

Funds needed to start-up a committee or to pay for incurred expenses of the committee must be requested from the Treasurer. A requisition form, supplied by the Treasurer, must be completed for all disbursements of funds. The committee chairperson(s) should submit completed requisition forms on behalf of the entire committee to the Treasurer, and original receipts must be attached.

The chairperson(s) of the committee should be the only member of the committee to handle cash flow for an event. All correspondence sent out to families through the school must clearly state that all checks must be payable to William Winsor PTO.

All money collected for any fundraiser or event should be turned over to the PTO Treasurer in a timely manner, ideally not to exceed a week after the event is held. A total of funds collected must be presented to the Treasurer, as the Treasurer will validate the deposit of funds submitted by the committee. Any coin must be rolled in advance of presentation to the Treasurer.

7. Committee Files

All committee files should be turned over to the PTO Secretary upon completion of each event or activity. These files are kept in binders to aid future committees and to keep a record of the PTO functions.