Getting More Parents to Join the PTA????

We host a special members only event once a year. Ours is a dance, but I have seen a carnival and a spaghetti dinner. Think outside the box. Our dance is free to PTA members, or $6.50/ family (the cost of membership) for non members. Once they get inside we have pizza, dessert, drinks, popcorn, games and a live DJ all for free. It is a huge benefit that is tangabale and visable. I stole the idea from the carnival school a few years ago. They did the same thing. Just yesterday I heard of a middle school who offered a free spaghetti dinner to the entire family for all PTA members. They charged $20/ plate for non member families, or $10.50 to join the PTA and eat for free. Response was standing room only.

We also work to let our parents know that we want them when they can give to us. During school, after school, evenings. I am in a big school (800 kids) and we fit all the subgroups. In the end though, parents are parents and they all want whats best for their kids.

One great thing our admin has helped us with is a pick up line project group. The parents that wait 10-45 min in the afternoons to pick up there kids, can park in carpool come in pick up a project, cutting, sorting, coloring, whatever the teachers need and work on it until 5 min before the bell rings when they then go back to their cars and wait for dismissal. Lots of extra hours of help that way.

Our Bookfair setup and packup are done over lunch, as parents come in to eat with their kids, we ask that they give an extra ten minutes and unpack/ pack one box of books. It doesnt have to be perfect, the kids dont care, but many hands make light work.

Little things like after the PTA meeting, everyone is asked to take their chair and put it up. Three minutes of everyones time means two or three of us dont stay afterwards for an hour putting up chairs. Something small, but it means A LOT to those of us who can leave on time to get home to our kids, which is why we are in PTA to begin with.

Our custodian has asked for help at lunch washing tables between grade levels, again those parents that come and eat, stay an extra five minutes to help clean. One of the table washers from last year, is now one of our VP's. on the board. She liked helping and wanted to be more involved, she felt comfortable enough to ask and she is doing an amazing job this year.

Of course we still need someone to come for several hours and help run bookfair or the school store, but for those that dont have that much time, there are plenty of ways to help.

Good luck and remember, think outside the box!

feed them, have good coffee, have raffles, ask people directly - face to face. if you get enough people at a meeting, have sign up sheets out on a table. have everyone sign up at one time, seeing other people sign up is the best way to get people to step up. be very clear that they can do a lot or a little, i go so far as to advise them not to do more than they are comfortable with. suggest specific things they could do to help, let them start small. like " do you think you could just call/email these 10 people?" or "could you just copy these at some point next week?" "can you help at the book fair for an hour or 2?" something quick and one time and very specific. a good way to bring people in without scaring them off. and really discourage all the catty stuff that can happen when you get a lot of women together. thats the reason that most people give for not wanting to get involved. im sure lots of them are copping out, but lots of them mean it also. i have had to actually walk away from people once or twice to keep from getting involved in drama, but i would do so again. its not why im there. and its easy enough to avoid, really. the people who believe in pta for the kids will step up if you ask them directly, more so if its not such a huge undertaking for them. everyone is swamped, working and sahm. different people can help in different capacities. and some just cannot for so many reasons. let them be, let them know if they ever change their mind or situation, they are welcome and appreciated. oh, speaking of... when people do help, appreciate them.

Vary the time and day of your meetings. For example, one time meet at 1pm on Tuesday. Another, 7pm on Wed. Another Sat coffee at 9am. If you always meet on the same day and time you are going to run in to a lot of people who just can't make it for whatever reason. This is why I stopped participating in meetings. I just cannot make 6pm Mondays anymore, and our meetings are never, ever any other time or day.

Offer childcare and food at meetings. LOVE the idea of a raffle! Include hot topics for discussion on the agenda, and enough time for open discussion, not just reports, budgets, and passing around sign ups and asking for volunteers.

Put a sign up sheet for volunteers in the school office so anyone can sign up to participate, even if they can't attend meetings. This is also a great way to ensure anyone can volunteer, not just a hand-picked few of the same people over and over again. When people see that, they get turned off because it seems cliquey.

Publish what your PTA does for the school. Most parents have no clue of what the PTA does with the money it raises. For example, the playground equipment at my child's school was funded solely through the PTA. All of the SmartBoards - funded solely through PTA and they are finally in every classroom this year. (3 year project) If parents can SEE where the money goes and how it is benefitting THEIR child, they are more apt to join and volunteer.

Have contests! That's what we do at our school. There is a pizza party for the homeroom class with the most members, ice cream for 2nd place and Popsicles for 3rd place. It is a Parent TEACHER Association, so the teacher's have to really be behind you and encourage the kids to get their parents to sign up. We always have a big push in the Fall with information going home and a table set up at Meet the Teacher night and other activities. At these events we often have a bowl of candy and when the parents join, we give the students candy. You would be surprised how well this motivates the students! lol

We provide a back to school luncheon for the teachers and get them to sign up that day. Our principal is essential in encouraging the teachers to join. Our PTA really supports the teachers by helping in the classroom, assisting teachers, monthly snacks, breakfasts and lunches that are donated by parents. I think teachers are really critical to remind and encourage the kids to ask their parents to join. We usually have a bulletin board in the cafeteria that shows the progress of each class.

Of course all of this has to be backed up by an active PTA. There usually is a feeling of the PTA being a click and at some schools that may be true. You have to be sure that you give all parents an opportunity to help out and be involved. On your membership form, list the things that the PTA does to support your school and ways that parents can be involved.

I would love to help more but the school calls it a liability issue if I bring my younger two to school. PTA meetings are not child friendly events either and are always held at 9 pm at night on a school night and last a minimum of an hour and a half... Can you get a parent of a teen allow their child to babysit on a Tuesday? I can't so it would mean a collage kid watching the kids (who are sleeping the whole time!) for 20 dollars an hour.... Not worth it! Ask my husband to watch the kids? He works 100 hours a week and is a doctor so if a pregnant lady goes into labor, he needs to get going NOW... And he often is working overnight anyway so not happening.

I would love it if the meetings were held earlier than 9 pm and if they could open a kindergarten room to childcare and hire a few people or even ask for volunteers (would be willing to help with this!) so parents could attend but they can't or won't and I can't get anyone to call me back.

Communicate with the parents through different venues - and invite them to join you. Send notes home in backpacks, create e-mail blasts, have an online newsletter or a link off the school website. Also, one day have PTA members in traffic vests visit with the parents in the pick up lines to invite them to participate. Ask for their input on different issues, have some defined jobs and some occasional volunteer opportunities. Find a rallying point or a theme (building a new playground for the kids). Have some PTA meetings at different times of the day to accommodate different schedules (some in the mornings, some early afternoon prior to pick up and some in the evenings) Have an education or information program that parents might be interested in along with your PTA meeting to increase attendance--(i.e. a dietician speaking on how to get your kids to eat more vegetables) Remember to thank your volunteers and remind them the purpose of their efforts --the health, welfare and education of their children. Good Luck

1.) Put up a website or put out a flier with what help you need, and be very, very specific about it. We need someone to do x, y, and z from this time to this time on these dates. Maybe have a sign up sheet.
The flyer my son's pta put out is really vague and says stuff like...

Help out in the computer lab - so ummm do they need someone during the day to come in and supervise the kids with the computers? or someone who can provide tech support after hours?
Help at the such and such festival (that I am not familiar with as a new parent to the school)
Read the children a story and have them answer questions about it (er, will the material be provided to me or am I expected to come up with it? What are the guidelines?)
They also make it clear that they want people to be uber flexible - they really want people they can call in on the drop of a hat. I'm not up for that, and I don't think most people are.
2.) Don't always hold your meetings on the same day and time. The pta here always meets on wed nights. I have night class and my husband is busy taking our son to soccer practice on wednesdays. In fact, it's the only night of the week we CAN'T go!

Well, what does your PTA do for the school, and how can working parents help without feeling like it's one more thing in an already packed day? Other threads like this suggested things like brownbag projects. Sure, I could find time to cut out things for teachers while supervising homework. That sort of thing might entice parents to go "Hrm...maybe I can help...."

Underneath it all, what is the benefit of joining? Parents can volunteer without joining, they can attend functions without joining, you can make all the contests you want to encourage it, but the parents still have to want to fill out the paperwork and become a member. For me, it's having a vote. You don't have a say in where the money goes and how this school works without being a member. Decisions are made in those meetings, and the only votes that are counted are PTA members. If you care about how things go, then join and have a voice.

Beyond that, we print a school directory that only goes to paid members. AND we try to make it really easy to get involved, as the others said. Lots of specific details in multiple places, and lots of personal invitations and requests.

I believe to a agree, it almost has to be mandatory.. it's become so difficult to get parents/caregivers to attend.. That said, a memo needs to go out from the principal stating to some degree that attendance is mandatory.. sorry, sure some won't like that word, but in this day and age, it needs to be stressed that it's not just up to the school to educate and help peoples' kids... it's a group effort...... This has become a nation of people thinking "someone else" will do it... well wake up those who don't ever attend a school function or attend pta meetings.... we aren't going to raise your kids for you.. also.... it's your kids that are missing out......

I'd love to help. However, the PTA is just not responsive about what they need. We have our Fall Festival on Oct.14 which they apparently plan. Not once has a note come home asking for help in the planning nor has any contact informatin been given to call the PTA directly and ask.

In other words, give me an easy way to contact the PTA to offer my help...whether that be an email address, phone number...whatever. I do work full-time...I really don't have lots of time to spend just trying to figure out how to contact the right person in order to offer help.

Invite EVERYONE to participate and never decline help.
Send home a list of specific volunteer functions with the name & number of who to contact to be involved in each item.
NEVER turn anyone away that expresses interest.