New Officer Starter Kit
President: where to start
You set the tone and keep the machine running. Your job isn't to do everything — it's to make sure everything has an owner.
Not your role? Pick a different one.
Your first two weeks
- □ Read your bylaws start to finish — 20 minutes that prevents a dozen disputes. What each clause means →
- □ No bylaws, or they're a mess? Draft a clean set in ten minutes. Bylaws Builder →
- □ Coffee with the principal — just listen, and agree how PTO news reaches families.
- □ Confirm your board and open seats; recruiting now is a conversation, not a crisis.
Your first month
- □ Map the year with the Year Wheel so nothing lands on you the week before. Open the Year Wheel →
- □ Get the budget adopted by member vote — from real numbers, not a blank sheet. Budget Builder →
- □ Run a welcoming first meeting; make it 45 minutes and warm. The PTO year →
- □ Set up the welcome table — a clean "what is a PTO?" one-pager with a signup QR. One-pager generator →
Your first season
- □ Start the handoff binder now, and share the fill-in link with your whole board. Handoff Binder →
- □ Line up staff appreciation with a favorites collection your board reuses all year. Favorites Collector →
- □ Thank volunteers by name, early and often — it's next year's recruiting.
The New Officer Starter Course
Want it walked with you, one email a week?
A short weekly email that walks your role's checklist with you — one doable step at a time, timed to the school year. We'll start you on the president track.
One useful email a month — what your board should be doing right now. Unsubscribe anytime.