Being in charge of any organization, especially a PTO or PTA, is not easy, but there are things that will help!
There are volunteers (like me!) who are willing to share their experiences that you can draw upon to make tweaks in your own organization.
In this post, I’m going to cover some easy ways to get your parent teacher organization organized!
We’ll talk about some big picture organizational changes you can make in your group to infuse some structure and get rid of miscommunications and the potential for chaos in the process.
As a Professional Organizer, I know a thing or two about how to make everything more organized, and this includes things to get my own PTOs organized through the years I’ve been involved.
Let’s get to the organizing tips!
1. Plan in advance.
It’s always a good time to plan!
Even in the Summer, it’s PTA planning season in my neck of the woods.
Summer planning meetings are key to getting your PTA / PTO’s rear in gear.
I highly suggest getting an overview of the year planned out during the Summer.
If you wait until school is in full swing, it’ll be much harder to get your team focused with the craziness of new schedules and kid activities.
Do it now and there’ll be less to do when you’re busier during the school year.
Look for opportunities to plan things in advance throughout the school year, not just during the Summer.
Planning helps to minimize mistakes and vastly boosts the opportunity for success.
2. Keep meetings to about an hour.
Seriously, keep your PTO meetings short.
Under an hour if you can manage it.
Meetings that last over an hour, to an hour and fifteen are just too long.
Parents will start bailing on the meetings and that’s the opposite of what you want.
To start trimming the length of meetings, you’ll have to take action before the meeting even starts.
Ask for reports from officer & committee chairs before the meeting so that the agenda can be set with all issues to be discussed at the meeting.
This will also ensure that people giving reports at the meeting will be prepared and won’t be scrolling through their phones looking for correct dates and times.
Find more great PTO meeting tips here!
3. Do some reflection after meetings and events.
Ask yourself and the PTA / PTO team:
How can the event or meeting be improved in the future?
What worked?
What didn’t work so well?
Don’t just do things the way they’ve always been done if they don’t work.
But at the same time, don’t change things just for the sake of changing things.
Write all of this down so you won’t forget any nuggets of gold that are mined out of the discussion or reflection time.
4. Communicate clearly.
Discuss major issues during meetings or via email to the Executive Board.
Don’t have side conversations that only a few members are privy to.
This is disruptive and makes your group a clique, at best.
Just don’t do that.
Being transparent will let others know that you value their input and participation and will encourage them to stay involved.
Just the opposite will happen if the transparency or clear communication goes away.
5. When in doubt, list it out!
Planning is so much easier when you make a list.
But making the right kind of list is key.
You’re not looking to make a list of everything in the world you need to do, but rather a focused list.
Make sure you know what’s involved in each event you and your PTO team plans so that everything can be accounted for.
Overwhelmed by what I’ve just gone over?
Have some doubts that you can do it? I know you can do it because all women are serious wonder women!
But if you’d like to have a kick-butt planner that has been expertly crafted (by me!), look no further!
Get the President’s Success Kit.
It’s over 120 pages of organizing nirvana and has everything from coordinated calendar pages to really fantastic officer & committee forms that’ll make your year as President (or any other Board position, really) so much easier.
I’ve thought of everything I either used as President and then added everything I wish I’d had to make my life as PTA leader easier. It’s all there, ready for you! Get it today and you’ll be on the road to a more well run PTA / PTO!
Get More Support
I have a Facebook Group just for PTA/PTO Leaders + Volunteers: Request to join here.
The group offers the chance to get your burning PTO questions answered by me and other PTO nerds, plus tons of motivation, inspiration and support exactly when you need it most!
Watch This!
Over to you!
Getting your PTO / PTA organized doesn’t have to be difficult!
Follow these simple steps and you’ll find that you’re in control of your schedule and the direction of your group.
