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PTO to Expand Green Technology Pilot Program Written by Keith J. Wood The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has announced that it will expand its Green Technology Pilot Program so that more patent applicants can take advantage of faster examination for “green” technology. Free Programs and Resources to Help You Help Your School. From getting more parents involved at back to school to getting free brand name samples for a school family event, PTO Today's free school programs, special offers and contests are designed to help your group make a difference within your school community – at no cost to your school.
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We have 11 fun-filled PTO Today Live expo events this spring—and if you register early you can get a certificate for a FREE medium classic jar Yankee Candle®! (Must attend show to receive candle coupon; while supplies last.)
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Restaurant fundraisers are an easy and simple way for your group to raise money for your school. Our guide will help you plan and promote your event with no stress.
Read MoreFree Fun Run Planning GuideHow To Plan a Fun Run
Our free guide covers everything you need to know to pull off a jogathon fundraiser at your school, from motivating students to collecting pledges.
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The 411 on Credit Card Payments
Accepting payments by credit card is a step that can increase your parent group’s income. Our guide will help you understand the benefits and risks, evaluate costs, and more.
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From raising money to boosting your parent group’s profile, school logo clothing can make good things happen.
Read MoreFundraising CompaniesPTO Fundraising Resource Guide
Hundreds of listings, whether your group is planning a fundraising event, a product sales program, or a less traditional fundraiser.
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The options are endless, and it’s a great time for PTOs to try something new.
Read MorePTO Today ArticleFine-Tune Your PTO and PTA Fundraising
Strategies and tips to help you go beyond school fundraising basics—and boost your profits.
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Consider a few key questions, then check out our chart to determine what kind of fundraiser will best meet your current needs.
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What the experts say—and you should know—about product fundraising.
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Read MorePTO Today ArticleUse the Internet To Boost Your School Fundraiser
Online tools can help PTOs and PTAs reach more people and make selling easier.
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Eco-friendly fundraisers let parent groups help their schools and the planet at the same time.
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How schools use technology to boost results from clip-and-save fundraisers.
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Read MorePTO Today ArticleAdd a Creative Touch to Your Bake Sale
A chocolate chip cookie will sell itself, but you can have an even more successful event with a little creativity.
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It takes more than good organization to have a successful sales fundraiser; get better results by creatively promoting yours to families and the community.
Read MoreGrow Your Business, Not Your Inbox
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This may sound like one of those Zen koans – such as, “What’s the sound of one hand clapping” – but I assure you it’s not:
What can you offer your employees as incentives not to work that are, in fact, incentives to encourage them work?
In today’s highly competitive market for top talent, fast-growing and innovative companies are offering employees what seem to be generous incentives to stay away from the workplace.
Netflix, for example, is giving employees unlimited paid maternity and paternity leave. It covers births and adoptions. Further, when employees decide to come back, they can work part time or full time and even take additional time off if situations arise that warrant it.
“This new policy, combined with our unlimited time off, allows employees to be supported during the changes in their lives and return to work more focused and dedicated,” says Tawni Cranz, the company’s chief talent officer.
In similar moves, many companies are killing the old two-week vacation policy and giving employees unlimited vacation days. Paid time off policies are going through a major evolution right now.
Employers promote these generous perks as reasons to come work for them, and I think that’s great. However, there are a lot of upsides for the employers as well. The first of these is obvious: the flexible PTO policies may lure in some top talent.
(By the way, I just heard a report concerning a large Silicon Valley firm that’s a major email provider. The company can’t find enough qualified people to move forward on several important projects. Being unable to hire talent carries a huge, somewhat hidden, price tag.)
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But the actual cost of these generous time-off programs may not be as high as you would initially guess. I say this for two reasons.
- Career-mind individuals tend to not take very much time off, and
- Defined vacation benefits are a financial liability for a company.
If your goal is to bring in the most qualified talent, these individuals put a high value on career advancement and generally that means they are dedicated to their work. I have seen many studies that say this and you probably know this from experience: top workers seldom use up all their vacation days.
This leaves employers with a financial liability. When these workers move on, they have to be paid for their unused vacation. Currently, it looks like the undefined, flexible, approach to offering time off doesn’t give companies the same financial burden.
So a benefit that seems altruistic on the surface, may be, in fact, much better for the bottom line as well.
I haven’t seen studies on the unlimited maternity/paternity leave benefits; it’s probably too new and too rare. However, I don’t see very many reasons that the same principle wouldn’t apply. Highly motivated careerists won’t abuse the benefit. They’ll be back on the job fairly soon, or if they decide to take time off to raise their families, they’ll let their employers know.
To go back to the pseudo-Zen koan I offered at the top: These benefits that look like incentives for people not to work, will actually turn out to be incentives to make more people work for the companies that offer them!
I think they’ll result in a net increase in productive hours from in-demand professionals. This might encourage you, as a small business owner, to experiment with some of these more generous PTO policies.
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