Showing posts with label Give the Gift of Membership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Give the Gift of Membership. Show all posts

Friday, January 27, 2017

Leadership News: Week Ending 1/28/17

Did you miss this week's issue of Leadership News? Download the public version here

Key Takeaways:

  • Give the Gift of Membership contest recipient and PTA recipient
  • 2017 WSPTA Board of Directors Elections
  • Advocacy in Action
  • Member Benefits: Events
  • Opt In for Student Success contest (ReadyWA)
  • January 31 due date
    • Annual Corporation Renewal
    • IRS 1099-MISC
    • Sales Tax Remittance (includes popcorn sales!)
  • Join Red Robin Royalty to earn $$ for your school
  • Question of the Week (Hint: replacing a board member mid-year)

Friday, December 16, 2016

WSPTA Leadership Roundup: Week Ending 12/17

In observance of the holiday season, the WSPTA office will close at noon on Friday, December 23 and will re-open Tuesday, January 3rd.
PT Avenue will be down for major maintenance on December 27th and 28th. You will not be able to access PT Avenue during this time.

GIVE THE GIFT OF MEMBERSHIP CONTEST
Contest Extended to December 20th
Thank you to all who joined a PTA this past month, and thank you to the PTAs for entering their new gift memberships. 

A holiday bonus: We are extending the contest entry period 'til December 20th and we will hold the drawing January 13th. Enter gift memberships here.
KNOW A GREAT PRESENTER? 
December 31
The WSPTA Leadership Committee is reaching out to seek external presenters for the 104th Annual WSPTA Convention, April 28-30, 2017. If you are or know a great presenter with an applicable topic, complete the online form. Form includes tips and disclaimer. 
FOCUS DAY 2017
January 16, 2017 | Capitol Building, Olympia
Have you registered yet? Focus Day is fast approaching. The final agenda and plans are being accomplished and this exciting event will be published next week - stay tuned!
BEWARE OF EMAIL SCAMS!! 
This week a PTA president came into the office because he was just informed that their treasurer had wire transferred over $7,000 to another bank account, based on a fraudulent email she received. The treasurer was unaware it was a fraudulent email at the time and by the time she figured it out it was too late, the money had been transferred. Since then, the police have been contacted and a police report has been filed.

Here are steps recommended to avoid or prevent fraud:
  1. Make sure you have well documented procedures and processes for money disbursement.
  2. Establish clear lines of communication between your board members.
  3. Know your budget well. The best indicator of a potential fraudulent activity is a request that is made for something outside of your PTAs member-approved budget.
  4. Make sure your board of directors is well trained.
If they have already wire transferred the money this is what we recommend for the next steps:
  1. File police report keep duplicate copies for your records.
  2. Close bank account.
  3. Call your PTA's insurance provider.
  4. Do a mid-year Financial Review (see the Question of the Week below).
  5. Call a special general membership meeting.

ID THEFT
As we head into the home stretch of the holiday shopping season, how worried are you about having your identity stolen? PEMCO Insurance, one of our trusted partners, recently asked Northwest people and you might be surprised by the results. For more information on the poll and tips on how to protect your identity, click here.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Question
Is it necessary for our PTA to conduct a mid-year financial review, even if we have never had a problem with financial reviews in the past?

Answer 
While a financial review is required immediately following the end of the fiscal year (June 30), when another PTA member assumes the treasurer position, or whenever there is a question about the financial well-being of a PTA, a mid-year financial review is strongly recommended for all PTAs. A mid-year review helps to assure that the funds of the PTA are being administered properly and that good financial practices are being followed.

The mid-year financial review should be conducted in the same manner as the review held at the end of the fiscal year. The financial review committee must consist of no less than three members of the PTA. Members of the review committee must not have signature privileges on PTA documents during the period being reviewed. The treasurer is not to be physically present when the committee meets, but should be available by phone to answer questions.

The treasurer should gather all the financial records for delivery to the financial review committee. A list of financial records for the review can be found in Treasurer's Handbook. For additional resources, visit the Finance Resources page, on the WSPTA website.

After the financial review committee examines the records, the committee is to present a written report of their conclusions to the board of directors. As always, the WSPTA staff is here to help. If you have questions about the review, contact Tatia, Local PTA Support: tvasbinder@wastatepta.org.

Thank you for making sure your officers and members
have what they need; it is appreciated!

Kathryn Hobbs
Executive Director
Email your questions here.

Monday, December 12, 2016

WSPTA Leadership Roundup: Week Ending 12/10

PT Avenue will be down for major maintenance on December 27th and 28th.
You will not be able to access PT Avenue during this time.

INVOICES & MEMBERSHIP ROSTERS
December 9
Membership invoices are sent the 2nd Friday each month to presidents, treasurers, and secretaries. Please take time between now and when the invoices are generated by the system to check your membership roster for duplicates and erroneous entries. Once a member has been included on an invoice, staff is unable to delete them from the database. As a result, your PTA will owe payment for that person, regardless whether that person is an active paid member or an erroneous entry.

Interested in saving volunteer hours? 
Consider offering potential and returning members the option to join your PTA online via PT Avenue. PTAs can also save time processing memberships you enter by opting in for monthly direct debit of dues payments to WSPTA.

GIVE THE GIFT OF MEMBERSHIP CONTEST
December 15
Only one week left of the Give the Gift of Membership Contest - how is your PTA doing? To help promote the contest and your members, use the following promotional materials (also listed on the Membership webpage). Items include:

Flier to send home to parents/guardians: color | b & w
Social media posts: content | .png
Gift tags for bulletin board: color | b & w

REFLECTIONS ENTRY FORM CLARIFICATION
It has been brought to our attention that there is need of clarification on the student entry form, in regard to the portion about the gender of the student submitter, where only M/F is offered. This question is considered optional and is not a requirement in order for a student's work to be qualified.

From National PTA:
"This year, we’ve advised PTA leaders, in our trainings and support, to use the open space to mark 'not indicated' or write in how the student identifies or simply leave the question blank. By no means should a student be disqualified for writing “other” in this space on the form as Male/Female isn’t a requirement to participate."


Applications due 12/31

GREAT WOLF LODGE RESERVATION CLARIFICATION
When making a reservation with Great Wolf Lodge, via telephone, please be sure to state the promotional code, rather than stating you are with PTA. By stating the code (or reserving online), it is the most foolproof way to avoid any issues.

Additionally, the offer may not be valid during holiday and blackout periods or combined with any other discount or offers. Additional charges may apply for themed and premium suites, weekends, and/or holidays.

Ask your PTA's leadership for promotion code - please do not share code with non-members or on social media.


Click here for more information about the program.

WSPTA CONTESTS, AWARDS, AND SCHOLARSHIPS
March 1
Local PTA and Council Awards of Excellence
Does your PTA/council follow best practices? Does your PTA/council have a website or newsletter that you are proud of? Does your PTA/council have a program or event that is absolutely awesome? 

If the answer is yes, to any of the above, your PTA/council is encouraged to apply for all applicable Local PTA and Council Awards of Excellence. Learn more here.

Men's Essay Contest - Men Making a Difference 
This statewide essay contest explores the important contributions men make in the lives and education of children - from a children's perspective. Learn more here.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Question
One of our PTA members did not receive their membership card after we manually entered them into PT Avenue database. Can I resend their card?

Answer                                                                    
Thank you for your question! Thank you for making sure that your members are able to take advantage of all the benefits WSPTA has to offer. Yes, whomever is assigned to manage your PT Avenue account (typically membership chairs and presidents) are able to re-send a membership card.

Note: Before re-sending a membership card, please verify that the correct email address of the member is listed in PT Avenue. Also have the member check their spam or junk folders.

From the PT Avenue Guide (page 31): 

How to Re-Send Membership Card (PT Avenue Guide, page 31).

Want to save time from manual entering membership data? Set up the Online Join feature within PT Avenue (page 21 of the PT Avenue Guide).

Thank you for making sure your officers and members
have what they need; it is appreciated!

Kathryn Hobbs
Executive Director
Email your questions here.