PTA threads collect opinions until the vendor date passes. Someone loves wrapping paper. Someone hates selling anything. Someone asks for a third option that is a full carnival. Nobody casts a vote that binds the board.
Write two fundraisers. Ask for one. Close it on a date that exists because a form does.
Two options a tired parent can hold
Name A and B in the words you will have to live with: the product or event, the dates, the volunteer hours you are actually asking for, and the number you expect to clear if the last similar effort is your guide. If that number is a guess, say so. A sufficient reply is A, B, or neither — one word is enough.
Ask for a decision: A, B, or neither if your rules allow it. That is the ballot. "What does everyone think we should do this time" is how you get a meeting.
Leave the hour of debate out. Members who missed it need the options, not the play-by-play. Write the pair so a parent who only has a phone can choose without opening a drive.
A deadline with a default
Set an honest deadline. The constraint is usually a kickoff date or a vendor lock. Say what you will do when it passes: count the replies, treat silence as you already announced, and book A or drop both. A date with no rule is a suggestion.
One vote per briefing. Do not staple a bylaws tweak to a chocolate sale.
They vote from email
Most members will never connect an assistant. Writing to someone who is not on RelayLink is ordinary mail plus a link. They read the two options and reply. No account. No password. If they already have an account, you need an accepted contact.
You draft the ballot. You read the numbers. You confirm the send. A fundraiser that goes out under the chair's name is not auto-mailed.
No attachments. The shared sheet stays shared. The briefing is the choice.
Nicknames stay private unless you share them. Use the names on the roster.
If someone blocks the sender, the block is silent. Your posted rule for silence still stands.
When the pair fits on a phone, connect your assistant and close the vote before the carnival becomes a myth.