It is difficult to change anything without making waves.
I think you have to get involved first and even that can be hard. As far as change or rules, what I heard was "we are just volunteers" excuse. They would get a lot more financial support if they were more professional. But that may not be their top priority.
BTW, there are two types of organizations PTOs and PTAs. They differ by whether they pay dues and affiliate with the National organiztion. Both have websites.

Ours is the same but the last school my kids attended there were procedures and protocol and voting for officers. Here it is like a high school clique run by the Principal to benefit her staff with a little trickling down to the kids. Playground money was diverted for years to other projects until this year. Book fairs do not even issue receipts and so on. By talking to other moms and getting the scoop, asking carefully worded questions, and increasing awareness, you can put subtle pressure without getting yourself ostracized or attacked. If you raise enough issues and awareness then other parents will get involved and you change things a little. I am still struggling with the biggies though, not enough sinks.

Hi Anon. You might want to start at the PTA's national website and go from there. They're at www.pta.org/

You might not realize that GreatSchools is a nationwide community message board and it's highly unlikely someone from your district would see your post to respond.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

Go to your state's PTA website and find the bylaws which govern all the units. You should also be able to ask your board for a copy of the standing rules of your unit, but most likely these aren't up to date.

This can be a delicate situation in the school, so I would approach it carefully. I'm aways in favor of a nice polite conversation before going over someone's head. You should be able to contact the President and ask about how things are done. I'd start the conversation by requesting a copy of the Standing Rules.