Ethical Issues
Standard and Practice for
PTA
Definition: Merriam-Webster
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eth·ic
noun \ˈe-thik\
Definition of ETHIC
1 plural but sing or plural in constr : the discipline
dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty
and obligation
2 a : a set of moral principles : a theory or system of
moral values <the present-day materialistic ethic> <an
old-fashioned work ethic> —often used in plural but
singular or plural in construction <an elaborate ethics>
<Christian ethics> b plural but sing or plural in constr :
the principles of conduct governing an individual or a
group <professional ethics> c : a guiding philosophy d :
a consciousness of moral importance <forge a
conservation ethic>
3 plural : a set of moral issues or aspects (as rightness)
<debated the ethics of human cloning>
Ethics:
Ethics is a topic that is very immense and
can not be fully explored in this presentation.
The intention of this program is to give
guidance from Maryland PTA to Local and
County PTA. For more study on the subject:
 National PTA website www.pta.org has
e-learning course’s under Leadership
Fundamental’s programs include ethics
and other topics covered in this
presentation.
Ethics Continued:
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“All local boards have enacted local ethics
provisions pursuant to the requirements of State
Government Article Sections 15-811 -- 15-815 and
State Ethics Commission regulations at COMAR
19A.05.”
Therefore, your Local Education Agency (LEA)
has in place a policy or code for you to review
please search their website or ask the appropriate
personnel.
Maryland State Ethics Commission
http://ethics.gov.state.md.us/ also has posted
codes of conduct. Regulations are listed that each
LEA is required to incorporate into their policies as
well as in practice.
A Few Key Ethical Principles
Explored:
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Honesty
Transparency
Respect for the Individual
Integrity
Tolerance
Conflict of interest
Beneficence
Non-maleficence
Common Good
Honesty:
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Be factual about programs supported by the
PTA. Do not give less than accurate facts in
order to gain support from the board and
members for a program or event that you are
passionate about.
Don’t give half truths if the members are
expecting to have an event that has occurred
for years but there is not the money or the
leader to run it let the membership know that
it can’t happen this year unless these are in
place.
Dishonesty will quickly tarnish the reputation
of the PTA and its leadership.
Transparency:
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Be open about the mission and goals of the
PTA. Post these at meetings, read them aloud, or even post them on your web site.
Make documents and information available
and accessible to members including: audits,
reports, budget, fundraising objectives...
By law your 990 is to be available to the
public but do more to inform membership and
others about the association.
Fundraising should clearly articulate the
mission, goals, activities/events it supports,
and revenue.
Respect:
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Respect for each individual: Includes
Student, Non-Member, Member,
Volunteer, Committee Chair, Officers of
the Association, School Staff and
Administration.
 Inclusiveness
 Dignity
 Autonomy
 Stewardship
 Subsidiarity
Respect continued:
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Inclusiveness – Do not exclude any person from PTA
membership or volunteerism. Accept differences.
Dignity – Treat all individuals the way you would like
to be treated.
Autonomy – PTA is Volunteer based, individuals have
the right to say “no”. Do not assume that all are in
agreement – follow Robert’s Rules of Order for
discussion.
Stewardship – Responsibilities for the care of the
organization and all of its membership.
Subsidiarity – Those in authority (the board)
recognize that individuals (membership) have the right
to participate in decision making that will directly effect
them (for example approval of the budget)
Integrity:
Actions along with written and spoken
words that positively reflect the
association.
 Maintain a personal Code of Ethics.
 Having a written expectation of behavior
does no good if it is not adhered to by all.
 Leaders of the association set the stage
for actual ethical behavior – set a good
example, “the buck stops here”.
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Tolerance:
Give people and their differences room to
breathe - you don’t need to agree but
agree to disagree.
 Don’t need to be BFF’s to do good work
for the association.
 Please leave your own agenda at the door
so others can do the same.
 Cultivate a Board of Directors that reflects
the community it serves.
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Conflict of Interest:
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No one person is to profit from the
association. Do not join the PTA Board to
gain customers for your business, to gain
membership contact lists, to promote yourself
financially (employment) and or politically
(run for office after your term is up or resign
your position).
Bylaws provide basic rules to guide the
association.
If there is an action item to be taken and you
have a personal conflict of interest declare it
and recuse yourself from the vote and or
discussion.
Beneficence:
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To do good and avoid doing wrong.
When making decisions there may be
“shades of grey” where it is difficult to see the
best possible choice include the entire board
in these decisions and the entire membership
when able.
Use Robert’s Rules of Order to guide
discussion to enable all to speak and be
heard.
The majority rules when voting on actions of
the association.
Non-maleficence:
To first do no harm.
 Sometimes in decision making a choice
may have adverse effects. If the board is
considering an action but a negative
impact is detected that is considered
harmful to the association or its members
then the decision should be no action
taken.
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Common Good:
Decision making that is done for the
greatest good of all membership.
 Sometimes there are members who do not
contribute equally decisions should not be
made that only have positive outcomes for
those who volunteer or hold specific
positions within the association.
 When working on the behalf of the
association its goals, mission, objectives
supersede that of the individual.
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Non-profit Management:
Specific IRS Guidelines
 Activity directly reflects the mission and
vision
 Financial assets belong to the association
 Documentation is the property of the nonprofit
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Volunteers:
Volunteers lead the association and
therefore…
there is no payment for service either
monetary or in kind
 there is fiscal responsibility
 there is confidentiality and professionalism
 there are expectations and accountability
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Volunteers as Professionals:
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Knowledgeable – Speak with authority
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Articulate – Use proper language
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Presence – Non-verbal positive regard
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Appearance – Dress for success
Procedure:
 Parliamentary
Procedure/ Roberts
Rules of Order
 Offer
guidance in order to conduct meaningful
business
 Provide an opportunity for every voice to be
heard
 Confirm leadership positions and members
rights/responsibilities
Roberts Rules are not…
Weapons
 Bullying Tactics
 Delay or Filibuster strategies
 Dictator development tools
 Suppressors
 Exclusionary Tactics
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Conflict
Exchanges of ideas create conflict
 Conflict is a way of opening the door to
new ideas and points of view
 It is an opportunity to explore new
solutions to problems
 It offers new approaches to cooperation,
collaboration and communication
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Unity:
All board members share the same
message
 Discussion and disagreement take place
within the meeting (not the parking lot)
 The final decisions of the board are the
decisions of each board member
 The whole is greater than the sum of its
parts
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Difficult Situations:
Appreciate extenuating circumstances and
situations
 Accept that someone may not always be
at their best
 Acknowledge the belief that no one is
perfect including you.
 Recognize your own frustrations and how
you handle them.
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Fundraising and Ethics:
Accountability to Donor
 Respecting Donor Intent
 Be Honest in Disclosure
 Donor demands
 Acknowledging Donations
 3:1 rule
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Accountability to Fundraising Donor:
What is the fundraiser for? Please list your
fundraising goals specifically. “The sale…will
be used to provide a back to school ice
cream social, awards for our Reflections
participants…”
 Where will the funds be used? List and state
clearly the goals, objectives, plans, events,
and programs of your PTA and let all know
that this is what funds raised supports –
detail.
 When/How will the funds be utilized? If the
funds are being saved for a long term goal let
members know.
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Respecting Donor Intent:
 If
the PTA receives a donation with a
specific intent listed or a “restricted gift”,
that is the intention and should be utilized
only for that reason.
 If the gift’s intention is in conflict with the
association’s goals/mission then it should
be returned to the donor.
Be Honest in Disclosure:
 Be
honest in disclosure of a fundraising
purpose prior to the fundraiser solicitation.
 Let membership know the reasons for
fundraising – transparency.
 If the purpose changes then let the
membership know and be part of the
decision via a general membership
meeting.
Donor Demands:
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What if a person is donating funds to the
organization and is making demands that are
unreasonable or not given to other members?
This may be difficult and may require a decision by
the Board of Director’s on each individual situation
balancing the pros and cons.
What if a person is donating restricted funds to the
association but the purpose is in conflict with the
associations mission and goals? The PTA
Mission is clearly stated and no action can be
taken in conflict with National PTA or Maryland
PTA Policy. County Council and Local Bylaws
also provide governing rules to guide in decision
making.
Acknowledging Donations:
 Say
“Thank you” for donations of time,
treasure, and talent.
 Send a thank you card.
 Place a thank you message to
membership in the PTA Newsletter for
supporting fundraising efforts,
volunteering,...
 Acknowledge non-financial donations
sponsor a volunteer appreciation day.
3:1 Rule of Fundraising
As a general rule provide three events or
programs for each fundraiser.
 If the members feel that something is needed
for the students but it is absolutely something
that should be provided for in the school
budget try advocacy to procure the resource
instead of creating another fundraiser.
 Don’t fundraise just for the sake of
fundraising.
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Insurance and Liability
Call BB&T Insurance for questions
 Review the Insurance guide
 The Board of Director’s is responsible for
decisions taken
 Don’t make decisions for the board that
will follow
 Only President signs contracts
 Two signatures on checks
 When in doubt ask…
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Insurance
When a local PTA sponsors any event or
activity, it must comply with its current
insurance policy coverage.
 All PTA units in Maryland are required to
have insurance coverage of:
Liability
Bonding
Directors and officers
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Insurance Continued
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The Maryland PTA negotiated insurance policy
is through BB&T Insurance Services.
The insurance carrier information:
BB&T Insurance Services of California, Inc.
535 N. Brand Blvd., 10th Floor
Glendale, CA 91203
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For questions or enrollment at any time, please
call BB&T Insurance Services of California, Inc.,
818-662-4202 or mdpta@bbandt.com.
Toll free: 866-611-9400
Insurance - Liability
Before planning any PTA activities, the
RED, YELLOW, and GREEN pages be
reviewed in the insurance guide.
 For the insurance loss and prevention
guide, go to the Maryland PTA website
www.mdpta.org click on insurance and
scroll down the page click on the “Loss
Control Guide Book 2012 Maryland PTA”
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Communication:
Presentation and Perception
Newsletters
Email
Social Media
Presentation and Perception:
 How
you conduct yourself directly
reflects on PTA
 Your manners, behavior and
conversation reflect not only on you as
a person but also as a leader in PTA
 Remember that you represent the
image, integrity, and ideals of PTA
Newsletters:
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Communicate goals and mission of the PTA
with all members and non-members.
Give progress updates on goals, events, and
programs.
Solicit for volunteers in a respectful and
friendly manner.
Welcome all volunteers and members.
Try to include non-members and ask them to
join.
Celebrate success via announcements and
congratulations.
Email:
 Email
Etiquette
 Email Usage
 Email Clarity
 Email Respect
 Email Responses
 Email Consideration
 Email Messages
Email Etiquette:
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Email has revolutionized communication
by utilizing the worldwide web.
Email is useful to share information, not
emotion.
Online traces exist which allow others to
view your online activity.
What you say reflects your personal
values, attributes, intellect, and
professional decorum
Email Usage:
If your name appears in the:
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TO: You are being addressed, please
respond.
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CC: FYI. You can respond but only if it is
of the utmost importance.
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BCC: Use this feature when you want to
protect someone’s e-mail address privacy
Email Clarity:
 When
using RE: , be very specific.
 If it says “confidential”, it stays between
the sender and receiver.
 “!!!” means the message is very
important. If it is time sensitive, you can
also put that in the subject line.
 Use the subject line to assure receipt
and importance
Email Respect:
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No one word responses. (Yikes,
wow, good)
No more that 3 reply trailers, so the
e-mail does not go on and on and on
and on.
Remember that humor, like beauty is
in the eye of the beholder
Email Responses:
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If you have not responded within a
reasonable time frame, do not be
offended if someone sends a second
request.
If you have events which will affect your
response time (i.e. vacations, surgery),
please let the other Board members
know when you will be unavailable.
Email Consideration:
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are times when Reply All is not
appropriate. Use Reply All when it
pertains to a subject addressed to
more than 1 person
 People
will begin to perceive your
emails as junk if they are copied
unnecessarily
Email Messages:
Recipients of emails can often misinterpret
the meaning
 Use of initials (OMG, BTW) may not be
understood and can be offensive
 Use of all capital letters implies annoyance
or ANGER
 Use of RED, capital letters implies rage
 Read and Re-Read before you push send
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Social Media:
Includes all web based and mobile technology
used to have interactive communication between
individuals or groups. Some examples:
 Facebook
 My Space
 Twitter
 Pinterest
 Tumblr
 You Tube
 Instagram
Social Networking:
As a PTA leader, you have a responsibility
to the association to uphold a professional
standard
 Use discretion when sharing personal
information, emotions and beliefs
 Be cautious of the use of your name and
insure communication with the intended
person
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Thank you!
Your time and dedication in the
service of PTA is greatly
appreciated.