Frequently Asked Questions
* How much does The Paperless PTO cost?
The Paperless PTO Program has been constructed with the smallest of budgets in mind. We have made the program easily affordable for PTAs and PTOs of all sizes. Please refer to our pricing chart.
* Our PTO already has a website. Can we continue to use it and still join your program?
Absolutely! However, your PTO will greatly benefit by using our website builder.
* How do we earn the fundraising donations from your retailing partners?
Your family members must click on the retailer links on your Paperless PTO website and then make their purchase. If they go directly to the retailer website without clicking on a link from your Paperless PTO website, you will not earn the commission.
* Can we walk into a retailer's store and expect to earn commissions for our PTO?
No. The commissions can only be earned through online purchases that originate from the retailer links on your Paperless PTO website.
* We currently use Excel to manage our directory. Can we use it with The Paperless PTO Program?
Definitely! We can import your directory into The Paperless PTO Program if it is in Excel format. We can also import it if it is many other formats. Once we complete the import, your will be able to conduct all activity using The Paperless PTO.
* What does it mean when you "import our directory" into The Paperless PTO Program?
Importing is simply a way of taking your directory and creating a Paperless PTO account for all families in your directory. Once a family's account is ready, it will contain information on the family, their students and their teachers. The families can then change the information, like teacher names and grades, as it changes each year.
* Do we have to send you a new directory each year?
Absolutely not! At the beginning of each school year, The Paperless PTO Program will force families to update the grades and teacher names of their students. New families simply create a new account. This makes the board's job much easier, though select board members will be able to review and modify all accounts as needed.
* Our PTO does not have a directory, can we still use The Paperless PTO Program?
You sure can. Parent teacher groups that do not have a directory or prefer not to send it to us can simply direct their families to create an account. Within minutes they will be able to use The Paperless PTO.
* Can anyone see information on our families?
No! The Paperless PTO is secured by state of the art internet protocols. Families can only view information pertaining to their own accounts after they log in. Only select board members can view information from accounts other than their own. This is simply for the purpose of managing their parent teacher group.
* Each year we send a form home to all of our families to fill out, if they want to be included in our directory. Can this be done by your Paperless PTO Program?
Yes, it can! When your members use the Paperless PTO program for the first time, they will provide their own profile which usually contains the information used in the directory. They can even decide which pieces of information they want included and excluded from the directory. There is no need for you to send home the fliers and therefore, no need for you to collect any updates since the Paperless PTO Program does all of this.
* Can you give an example of how your Paperless PTO Program will make our association paperless?
Sure! Let's say you are having a fundraising book fair. You can send us the titles, prices and rules by which the book fair will be run. We then setup your Paperless PTO system to accept purchases before the fair takes place. Once set up, we can send out a mass email blast to all or some of your members, letting them know that they can now make purchases for the book fair. Your members make their purchases by credit card, electronic check or traditional check. During the sale and after the sale ends you will have the ability to view all of the purchases and the financial details and then organize the distribution of the books in the most efficient maner. How many fliers did you have to send out? NONE! How much time did your volunteers spend on organizing and running the book fair? A few minutes which is much less than if they had to hand out fliers, collect order forms, sort through mounds of paper and then deposit checks.
* How do we begin to offer items for sale like lunches, supplies or membership?
Select board members will be able to set up items for sale that then become viewable in the shopping cart. We can train your board members on how to do this as well as many other administrative tasks within the program. We can also do it for you if you prefer.
* Some of our members may not want to make electronic payments. How does The Paperless PTO Program handle this?
Your memebers can still order from The Paperless PTO Program and pay by a written check. Instead of paying electronically, they can print a barcoded order form that can be mailed to your treasurer with the payment. Your treasurer will be equipped with a hand held scanner that will scan all of these manual orders into the system. A pile of 50 orders should take no longer than 3 minutes.
* How secure is your Paperless PTO Program?
The Paperless PTO Program has established and maintains state of the art security procedures to protect the confidentiality, security and integrity of your members' personally identifiable information. Personal information that is collected is stored in a secure operating environment that is not available to the general public, nor to the internet public. All activities conducted in the Paperless PTO Program, including registration, credit card and bank information supplied by users is transmitted via Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. This means that information you provide is encrypted so that it can't be read or intercepted by other people. The Paperless PTO Program uses a valid SSL certificate which is a statement verifying the security of the Paperless PTO Program. This certificate shows that the security applied to the program and website is authentic. It also ensures that no other site can assume the identity of the Paperless PTO Program and website. Your may also view our privacy policy.
* Do you store credit card numbers, bank account numbers, or other financial data?
No, we do not. We only pass this information on to the merchant processors who validate and process the financial details. For this reason, all members will need to provide their credit card or bank account number each time they make a purchase from your Paperless PTO Program.
* How does our organization receive its funds?
The Paperless PTO Program transfers the funds due to your parent teacher group two times per month. Funds from orders placed from the 1st through the 15th each month are electronically transferred on the 25th of the month. Funds from orders placed from the 16th through the last day of the month are electronically transferred to your checking account on the 10th of the following month.