Worried that getting parents to attend your monthly PTO meetings is going to become a challenge?
The truth is that most parent groups totally struggle with meeting attendance… for a myriad of reasons.
So whether you’re struggling with this issue now or not, at one point, this issue will probably pop of for your group.
But this is something that you can get a handle on pretty quickly.
We’re going to cover a few of the mistakes to avoid that generally put parents off from attending PTO meetings in this post, so let’s get to it!
Set Your Expectations
First, let’s get on the same page as far as what you should be expecting.
Because setting yourself with an expectation that you’ll have standing room only for PTO meetings isn’t very realistic.
Expect the first PTO meeting of the year to have the biggest turn out, probably for the rest of the year, unless a big issue pops up in your school community, like a curriculum or schedule change, etc.
That’s the norm that happens because parents are excited for the new school year and will show up for the first meeting of the year to check things out.
But for meetings after that, the meeting turn out will drop off or maybe even take a nosedive.
How much they’ll drop off depends on what you do to keep people coming back.
If your group ran an informative and efficient meeting, you’ll probably get a good chunk of those parents returning again the following month.
But if your first meeting was less than ideal, you’ll be dealing with far more empty seats come the following month.
Even if you’re dealing with a small turnout, things don’t have to stay that way.
There’s a lot you can do to make sure people come back to your PTO meetings again and again!
Let’s get into some of the ideas for how to make that happen.
Be Welcoming
One of the best ways to ensure people keep coming to PTO meetings is to be outwardly welcoming.
Because no one wants to be the new person in the room and feel like they don’t fit in.
And since PTOs totally get a bad rap for being cliquish nightmares (thanks a lot, Bad Moms), there’s a lot of work to do to overcome the stereotypes.
Here’s how to set the right tone from that start!
Get the the meeting place early so that you can get settled, make copies of the agenda, etc. before other people start arriving so that you have an opportunity to personally welcome them.
In fact, it’s a fantastic idea to get a volunteer who’s pretty outgoing to act as a door greeter.
Find someone with a dynamic personality who will be able to warmly and genuinely welcome everyone.
The greeter should personally welcome each person and also hand them a name tag and meeting agenda.
This is a great role for a member who’s an extrovert because they are going to eat up this role and do a fabulous job of setting a good first impression.
If you’re expecting a large crowd, get multiple people to act as door greeters.
Speaking of name tags, everyone should wear name tags so people can start to put names and faces together.
Familiarity breeds friendliness!
Start on Time
Maybe this is just a pet peeve of mine, but it’s super important to start meetings on time.
I know sometimes, especially if a lot of people haven’t show up yet, that it’s tempting to wait for more people to show up.
But you are training the latecomers to keep coming late!
I practically guarantee that people will start (eventually!) coming on time if you start the meetings on time.
They’ll know that you’re not going to wait for them and that they’ll miss out on information.
The other thing about starting on time is that is the most respectful thing to do to honor the time of those who did show up on time.
And for the most part, your newbie parents will be showing up not just on time, but early!
If you’re starting the meeting late, that’s an indication that the group isn’t well run and can send a bad impression to first time attendees.
That in turn makes it less likely that they’ll come back for another meeting.
So do yourself a favor and start on time.
End in an hour or less
Next, aim to keep your meeting as short and sweet as possible.
I’ll be blunt: Most PTO meetings go on for way too long.
There’s almost no (good) reason why PTO meetings should be over an hour.
First, nobody’s got time for that and they’re not going to show up for that if they know that’s what’s in store for them.
Tighten up your meetings to an hour or less.
If you need specific guidance on how to accomplish the one hour meeting, you’ll want to check out the meeting guide I put together specifically for PTO and PTA groups.
This picture shows a sneak peek at some of the tips covered in the guide.
Get serious about running efficient and short PTO meetings and you’ll be less likely to have parents opting out.
Offer a treat
Sweetening the deal for meeting attendees is another solid strategy for getting people to show up.
A full course meal won’t be a realistic incentive for the majority of people to come to meetings, but have some sort of a treat or refreshment at each meeting.
It’ll be a nice little surprise and help round out the welcoming atmosphere!
Get a volunteer to act as Hospitality Chair and give them a small budget to work with so no one has to pay out of pocket for the treats.
Chocolate is a small, but good option for a nice little treat.
Get individually wrapped chocolate and put some on each table.
For the newbies, they’ll enjoy a small treat and it also gives some fodder for small talk.
Another great idea for a treat is to bring samples the fundraising company sent for your group to trial during the meeting.
It won’t cost your group a thing to offer the samples and you can get an idea if the product will sell well or if you need to look for another fundraising option.
Over to you!
Hope this post has given you a clearer idea of just a few ideas of how you can set your PTO up for success as far as meeting attendance.
Using the tips outlined in this post really translates into better meetings, which parent are more likely to attend.
And this will translate into higher parent involvement because parents can’t pitch in to help if they don’t know the help is needed!
Need even more resources?
I have a few go-to resources that will help you create the right atmosphere for getting parents to show up to PTO meetings so you can avoid having low turn out:
Transform Your Meetings from Dread to Delight!
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Our Meeting Success Kit empowers you to captivate parents and PTO members, turning them into eager participants.
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Get Organized Instantly: The Ultimate Secretary Success Kit for PTO Secretaries!
Don’t waste another minute juggling paperwork.
This complete bundle provides the exact resources you need to build a powerful officer binder, simplifying meeting preparation, execution, and post-meeting tasks.
Designed for both Recording and Corresponding Secretaries, this kit is your key to efficient record-keeping and streamlined communication.
Take control of your PTO role now!
Recommended Reading on this Topic
Having Nightmares About Running Your First PTO Meeting?
5 Reasons No One comes to your PTO Meetings
How to be the Best PTO Secretary
Watch this!
