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Parent Teacher Associations and Organizations (PTAs and PTOs) are integral to any school system. They facilitate parent-teacher communication, advocate for children and teachers, and are a big part of creating the school culture - a key element in student performance. PTA membership helps support all those missions through its financial support (through membership dues) and volunteer participation. As such, it is almost always a key PTO initiative to increase membership. I recently attended a webinar by the California PTA. It was a lively, interactive discussion among PTA and PTO leaders on exactly this topic. The group had some great ideas on how to increase membership, so I wanted to share them.
Getting Started With Your PTA Membership Drive
1) Family Trivia/Bingo Night
One of the best ways to recruit new members for your PTA is by organizing a family trivia or bingo night with a membership drive. Existing PTA members could host a new member-only game night with raffle prizes, including backpacks full of school supplies and summer activity kits. Once parents learn of the resources they could win for their children, they are much more likely to want to join their local PTA and avail of all its benefits.
2) Join in on the Virtual Orientation!
PTAs should request their school’s principal for a small slot in this year’s virtual orientation. During these minutes, PTA organizers should outline all their association has to offer and why parents should consider joining it. Since this announcement will be made during an official school event, the PTA will gain reliability and a wider audience.
3) Recruit-a-Member Drive
A fun and student-involved way to increase your PTA membership is to hold a recruit-a-member drive where students can compete to gather new members for their local PTA. Small prizes can be set up for students who recruit the most members or those who recruit members from the farthest away, with international members being a bonus! Remember, membership is not just limited to family members of a student - anyone can join.
4) Target-Specific Groups
PTAs can extend membership by targeting specific groups through different activities. For instance, celebrities and social influencers can be contacted to join the PTA and promote its benefits to their followers. The PTA can massively increase its outreach since these celebrities have a large fanbase. These celebrities can and should include local celebrities such as mayors or council members.
Similarly, superintendents, school board members, and city council members should also be approached for membership as they have considerable following and influence.
5) Online Reading Night
Students can engage in an online reading night where they must involve members of their extended family. This can include grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, or any other relative that would be up for this fun activity. By involving members from outside of the direct family, students can help share the mission of the PTA and promote membership.
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6) Membership Monday
Your PTA can set out a day of the week to focus on recruiting new members. For example, they can have “Membership Mondays,” where emails are sent out explaining the benefits of joining a PTO to parents and students, along with details on how to join. PTAs can also choose this day to update their blogs and float posts through relevant social media platforms. They can provide templates for parents to use on their own social media so that the membership ask extends beyond the school community.
7) Talk About Your PTA at Welcome Back Night!
If you’re looking to increase your PTA membership, then it is important for your teachers to be fully informed of all of your PTA’s offerings. PTO organizers can provide teachers with a PowerPoint slide to include at the end of their back-to-school night. This shows parents that teachers support the mission and is another reminder to join the PTA.
8) Get Your Teachers Involved
Teachers are a critical part of your PTO. To get them more involved, some schools have successfully involved teachers in discussions about improving the PTA. If your by-laws allow, you should offer a lower-priced membership to teachers (or change your by-laws to allow for that). Finally, don’t forget to tell them about the teacher-specific benefits - e.g., classroom supplies, etc.
9) Spirit Package Celebrations
Teachers and parents alike tend to love spirit wear. Not only does it make them feel at home in their school, but it also gives them a sense of belonging. PTAs can encourage new members to join by giving the entire class school t-shirts upon reaching 100% participation. New members can also be given spirit wear t-shirts or coupons as an incentive to join.
10) Prizes for the Winning Class!
The class with the highest membership could be given a special prize at the end of each term. One idea that was a hit among the webinar participants was for the winning class to get a Zoom meeting with a llama. As this is a unique idea that elementary kids will love, it will surely blow up among other classes and raise motivation levels to recruit new members.
Other suggestions were a socially distant popcorn or ice-cream party to celebrate, and the teachers of these sections could be given a small raise in their teacher allocation money.
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11) Finally, Remember to Ask!
It’s surprising how many people miss out on being a PTA member simply because they were never asked to join. Remember to ask anyone you talk to join. In fact, while on the webinar, PTA leaders asked each other, and many of the PTOs got 10+ new members just from that ask on the webinar itself! If you ask, you’ll be surprised how many new members you’ll get.
We wish you much success this year in your PTA/PTO membership drives!