PFC Chair How To's

New To Your Role?

• Here is an Onboarding Checklist to get you started on learning about and getting trained on your PFC board position. 

Chair Basic Responsibilities

• Plan and execute your activity or program according to budget guidelines and/or to generate a targeted income amount if your event is a fundraiser.

• Communicate your activities to the PFC and attend PFC meetings whenever possible.

• Create/update a document that includes: A summary of the position, calendar or timeline for your activity or event, your budget, vendors used, ideas for improvement, collateral created, and any other information that might help your successor. This should be a document is a Google Document that can live in the position's google email account. 

• Help to recruit and train your successor. This usually takes place after the May PFC Meeting and before the summer. 

Chair Confirmation

You will complete a “PFC Board Chair Confirmation” online when you accept a chair position with the PFC. Questions, please contact the PFC President.

Chair Position Descriptions             

Go to: PFC Board Position Descriptions on the PFC website for more detail. Position descriptions, as well as keeping detailed records of how you did your job, are vital to the success of the next person to take on your position.  Update your job position online anytime.

Your Google Account

Every PFC Chair Position has an account in Google. The first time you log into your account, go to 'Use Another Account' and enter in your PFC Chair email address (see the Board Directory) and then your password. You can get your password from the Chair before you, or ask the VP of Communications. Once you log in, you can save the log in and password for easy future access. If you go to 'Google apps' from the Google Account menu, you can access "Drive." This is your file folder for the position. You should have instructions, budgets, and shared documents in the Drive from the volunteers in the position before you. If you received your instructions in Word or Excel documents, transfer them to your Google Drive. Questions? Reach out to the VP of Communications.

Board Directory             

Use the board directory on the PFC Website to contact other board members. We also have a PFC Board Committee on Konstella for easy messaging and sharing within the Board Committee.  Questions: contact VP of Communications.  

Your Budget, Reimbursements and Deposits

Ensure before any planning is done that you understand your budget.  Questions about budget: contact PFC Treasurer.  

If you require reimbursement for expenses, you must submit your forms within 30 days or you may not be reimbursed. There are limited exceptions to this rule. Please have reimbursement items on a separate receipt from personal items.

Please note, all payments for services to vendors (e.g. a D.J.) over $600.00 should be paid for by the PFC, so please submit for a check to pay them. We recommend you request the check in advance.  Links to reimbursement and deposit forms are below, and are also kept in the  “Treasurer” folder in the PFC files in the Walnut Acres Office Copy Room.

Reimbursements                        

Deposits                                          

For a summary of the PFC Chair Financial Guidelines, click here. This document includes details on deposits, reimbursements, and how to arrange for the cash box. 

If you require funds in cash before an event contact the PFC Treasurer for a check.

Vendor Contracts

Any contracts must be reviewed by the PFC President and Treasurer prior to signing.

Use Permits for Use of School Premises                                   

If your committee plans to use school premises in the evening or on the weekend, you will need to request a Use Permit from the district. Please submit your permit at least 2 weeks in advance of your event date.  Anytime you submit a Use Permit, there will also be an invoice for custodial overtime, so please be accurate with your request times. Click here for the Use Permit Guidelines. 

Fingerprinting/TB Tests

All school volunteers must be fingerprinted and TB tested. You only need to be fingerprinted once, but you must get TB tested every four years.

Volunteering on Campus

Any volunteer who plans to be on the WA campus must sign in at the office and put on a volunteer sticker or wear a previously issued lanyard. 

Soliciting for Donations                                 

Committees may approach local businesses for donations. These partnerships can benefit both the PFC and the local business community. We ask that if your event is not a PFC fundraiser, but an activity, that you keep your donation requests to a minimum. If you are interested in corporate sponsorship for your event, or more involved soliciting, please check in with the VP of Activities first.  Some larger businesses require an online submission in advance, or a formal letter with Tax ID number. It is your responsibility as the event chair to track donation requests, and what donations have been received. It is also your responsibility to send a personalized copy of the following thank you/donation receipt to the donor after you receive their donation. PFC Thank You/Donation Receipt

Communication

PFC Files for Mail and Correspondence in the WA Office  

Please check your board chair folders in the Walnut Acres Office Copy Room regularly.  It is especially important that you check your folders regularly if you are expecting to receive paperwork from individual classrooms or outside mail (i.e. volunteer sign-ups coming from “Back to School Night”). The WA office staff kindly distribute our mail into the folders, but it is your responsibility to check the folders. You are welcome to ask other individuals on the board or other parents to please email you when they place something in your folder. 

E-mail Communication        

All communication with our families happens through our online Directory, Konstella. We have a bi-weekly newsletter, E-news, that you can submit articles too. See Enews Submissions for more details. 

Room Parent Communication      

If you are a Walnut Acres Room Parent, you will be added to the Room Parents Committee on Konstella. You will receive regular updates from the Room Parent Lead(s), and you can ask questions of other room parents using the Konstella message feature. For more information on being a Room Parent, go to: Room Parents.

How to Advertise Your PFC Event 

The following document provides you with a sample advertising timeline, plus tips on using the website, Enews, Konstella, the MDUSD print shop, etc. Please read this document before you advertise your PFC Activity or Program. Go to: How to Advertise Your PFC Event

Posters on Campus

We recommend placing posters on the billboard in front of the Kindergarten garden, and the chalkboard next to the MUR (it has clips on it).  You can use push pins or tape on the billboard by the Kinder garden. All posters on the walls of the school must be posted using blue painter’s tape. Please remember to remove your posters when your event is finished. 

Due to safety concerns, flyers may not be distributed in the drive-thru area.                                                  

PFC Meetings

Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month, August through May, at 7 PM on Zoom (unless otherwise noted).  PFC Board Meetings, Agendas and Minutes are available on our website. The PFC meeting agenda is sent out attached to a Konstella announcement before each monthly meeting. If you are on the agenda and cannot attend, it is your responsibility to e-mail the VP of Activities with an update for them to say on your behalf. Out of respect for everyone’s time, please keep what you need to say to three minutes or less. Go to: PFC Meetings for more details. 

Enews                                                                                                          

Enews is sent biweekly.  A reminder to submit Enews articles is sent to the PFC Board on Konstella.  Articles should be submitted to: enews@walnutacrespfc.net.  It is your responsibility to stay on top of due dates and release dates in order to make them work for your event.  Go to Enews Submissions for more details.  Only articles directly related to Walnut Acres will be considered for inclusion. Articles from the local community will be considered for the Community Announcements section of Enews. 

Community Announcements                                          

The PFC supports our WA community and the city of Walnut Creek by highlighting current child-centered or parent education-centered events and activities in the “Community Announcements” section of our bi-weekly Enews.

PFC Website & Your Page Updates                                                                         

All committees should use the website as a primary source of information. You can link to your page from Enews to provide more details.  You can include attachments on your page. It is your responsibility to keep your page up to date. It is suggested that you review your web page on a monthly basis to determine if updates are needed. If you need assistance accessing or altering your page, want your activity/program to be featured on the home page, or have feedback on the website, contact the PFC VP of Communications or the Webmaster.  It is also the responsibility of all Chairs to use the website whenever possible to inform themselves and others of PFC policies and procedures. See "How to Update Your Page on the PFC Website" for details.