HILLSIDE COMMITTEES – IMPORTANT POINTS Committee Name: _______________________________School Year: _____________ Chairperson Name/Contact Info: ___________________________________________ Budget: ______________*Note* A list of anticipated expenses must be submitted to the executive board for review. Thank you for volunteering your time for a Hillside Committee. By working together, we can accomplish great things for our school and community. Please keep in mind the following: Budget – Most committees, but not all, have a budget to work with. Please do your best to stay within this amount and not to exceed what has been allotted. All of our money is donated so it is important to be fiscally prudent and not reckless when spending money for your committee. We recognize there can be exceptions but keep in mind expenditures should benefit the student body as a whole and not just a select few individuals. Tax Exempt – As a non-profit organization, we have tax exempt status that can be utilized to save money. Forms are available in the Treasurer’s folder which is located in the PTA box in the front office at school. Negotiate – It is not unreasonable to get a price quote from a competing company or negotiate a lower rate. We are a non-profit so every dollar in savings really adds up. Plan accordingly – Know and meet your deadlines. Communicate – Chairpersons should contact each and every volunteer. Volunteers should contact their chairperson. Don’t wait for someone to reach out to you – take the initiative if you haven’t heard from your committee. Record Keeping – If you have information that is relevant and/or helpful, please keep it together (and share it) so it can be used in the future. Getting the Word Out – Any flyers or correspondence with the teachers and/or parents must be approved by the PTA presidents and Principal. Confidentiality – Please respect privacy. Personal information, especially email addresses, is to be kept private and not shared in any circumstances. Please sign and return the attached confidentiality statement to an executive board member immediately. Problems – Not everything goes as planned. If you get in a pinch or need help, please contact one of the executive board members so we can help to resolve the issue. Volunteers – a list of volunteers and their contact information is attached. Planning & Evaluation – use the attached “Program and Event Planning & Evaluation Form” to help you plan your event. 1 Hillside PTA Program and Event Planning & Evaluation Form In an effort to avoid reinventing the wheel each year, we’d like to keep a record of the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly from all our events and efforts going forward. Please use this form to plan in advance with your committee and review with your executive board liaison immediately. At the conclusion of your event, please complete the evaluation form at the end. Thank you for time and dedication to ensuring PTA programs and events are a success! Name of Program/Event: ______________________________________________________________ Day/Date of Program/Event:___________________________________________________________ Time start: _____________________________ Time end: ___________________________________ Location: ___________________________________________________________________________ If program/event is held on school grounds or inside the school, reserve the space with the secretary and notify the janitors. A fire permit will need to be secured from the Livingston Fire Department. Permit applications are available from the secretary in the front office and need to be faxed to the fire department. Follow up with the Fire Chief and be present when they come for the inspection on the day of your event. Fire permit needed? yes no (circle one) Purpose or Goal of the Program or Event: _______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Cost per person to participate? Advance purchase price $_______________ Purchase price on day of $_______________ Committee Chairperson/Who is in Charge: ______________________________________________ Approximate Cost of Event: $ _______________ (Please include details about what was purchased and where. Remember to submit a reimbursement form and receipts to the treasurer.) Item________________________________________________________________Cost $___________ Item________________________________________________________________Cost $___________ Item________________________________________________________________Cost $___________ Item________________________________________________________________Cost $___________ Item________________________________________________________________Cost $___________ Item________________________________________________________________Cost $___________ Item________________________________________________________________Cost $___________ 2 CONTRACTS/AGREEMENTS -- If contracts are necessary, have all details about equipment and services clearly stated in the contract. Do not assume something will be provided or done – get it in writing! Carefully review with your committee any documents/contracts before having them signed by an executive board member. Be sure to follow up prior to event to confirm all details. MONEY -- Do you need a cash box/start up money to make change? How much money is needed as a beginning bank for the event? $_____________ Make your request known to the treasurer at least 5 days in advance and pick up the cash box the day before it is needed. Please indicate amount in each denomination if important and/or the amount for each station where a beginning bank is needed. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ EQUIPMENT -- What equipment do you need during your program/event? Extension cords or access to electrical outlets? Ice to keep refreshments cold? Wristbands to show who has paid? Signage? Decorations? Cash box? Calculators? Garbage cans and extra bags? Tables and/or chairs? Refreshments? Bake sale? A/V equipment? DVD player? Microphone/podium? Are office supplies needed such as tape, pens, paper, clipboards, etc? Prizes/awards/gifts? Other: ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ SET UP -- What will the “set up” be for the program/event? Where will equipment go? How should tables and chairs be arranged? What is the location of garbage cans, refreshments, check-in table, etc? Make sure the facility, school or janitors are notified of your preferences. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ CONTACT INFO – list the names and phone numbers of vendors and suppliers: ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 3 VOLUNTEERS and ASSIGNMENTS -- Approximate Number of Volunteers needed and their responsibilities or stations: ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ COMMUNICATION – Does an announcement need to be written for the Wednesday Weekly Bulletin (WWB)? What about creating a flyer? Does an eblast to the Hillside school community need to be sent? What about reminder notices? Staple any flyers or printed materials to this document so they can be used as a reference for the future. RSVP – If you are expecting a response from parents in the form of an RSVP, order form or money, please set up a folder in the PTA box in the front office to receive this information. If there is a deadline, check your folder on the afternoon the day following that deadline. Sometimes teachers turn in envelopes to the office at the end of the week on their way out the door. If you want to organize the order forms and/or money over the weekend, set your deadline for Thursday and do a final check Friday afternoon. ACTION PLAN -- Please jot down key planning dates below or attach a calendar showing when important steps in the planning and implementation need to be taken. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 4 EVALUATION AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR NEXT YEAR -- Summary notes and suggestions for next year’s program/event. Anything about this program/event that was particularly good or troublesome? What did and did not work well? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ What was your timing on communications? Was it too early or too late? Any lessons learned for next year? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Event Execution -- How was participation/attendance? (Be specific if possible.) ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Other successes and “gotchas” for this event? Anything you’d do differently? Anything that worked particularly well? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 5 Any feedback from staff, administrators, or families? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Should we run this event again next year? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Did you remember to attach flyers, contracts, and all printed materials to this form? 6