School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) parent groups run on volunteers that give their time and talents to benefit the entire school community. PTOs struggling to attract parent volunteers isn’t new issue facing most PTOs. It’s the perennial challenge every PTO leader faces. But just because it’s a common issue pretty much every PTO will face...Continue reading
Why Parents Don’t Volunteer for the PTO: 9 Mistakes to Avoid
One of the biggest challenges of running a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is getting and retaining volunteers. Most school parent groups don’t have enough volunteers and are constantly on the lookout to get answers and the solutions to keep their group afloat with enough helpers. That’s just what we’ll focus on in this blog post....Continue reading
How to Avoid PTO Meetings Turning into Ghost Towns
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....Continue reading
Why No One is Volunteering: 5 PTO Volunteer Recruitment Mistakes You’re Probably Making
Does your Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) have trouble getting volunteers for events and programs? Do you find that it’s the same 5 or 10 parents pitching in each time and it’s a struggle to get new volunteers? Unfortunately, this is a really common issue facing all volunteer organizations, not just PTA/PTO school parent...Continue reading
17 Easy Ways to Thank PTO Volunteers
Volunteers are the what keep groups like PTAs and PTOs running! Without them, none of the wonderful things parent groups do for their schools would be possible. Forget about the extra assemblies, room parents, playground additions, and volunteer and staff appreciation luncheons! While not impossible to achieve all of those wonderful extras to the...Continue reading
How to Recruit PTO Leaders During Uncertain Times
Times are not normal and the fallout can be felt on all different levels of life right now. What 15 months ago seemed like a certainty is now up in the air. So it makes sense to wonder how to address some of the uncertainty of the upcoming school year. This post will cover ideas...Continue reading
How to Set Up the Perfect PTO Membership Table
The easiest way to get new members for your PTA or PTO is to set up a Membership Table. But knowing what is best to have on the table in order to attract new parents to first come over and second, actually join isn’t always clear. This post will walk you through what’s involved with...Continue reading
The Secret to Getting Parents Involved in PTO
The one question that I hear all the time is how in the heck to get parents involved? Now to you, being the fearless PTO leader you are, this is an honest question. You really want to know what to do to bring more parents in to be actively involved. Because for you,...Continue reading
How to Recruit and Manage Volunteers for Big Events
One of the biggest concerns about putting on a big PTO event is being able to recruit enough volunteers to run the event successfully. Here are some things to take into consideration before you start planning your event! Have a Plan First, make sure you know exactly what you need to put on the...Continue reading
How to Keep PTO Volunteers Coming Back
Getting people to first come to your PTO meetings or events, takes one set of strategies. But getting these same parents to come back to volunteers and be part of the PTO time and again, well, that takes an entirely different set of strategies altogether. This post is going to walk you through some of...Continue reading
A Hack to Get More Volunteer Sign Ups
There are so many different ways to get parents to sign up to help as volunteer for PTO events: All of these methods for getting parents to sign up to volunteer are great options, except for the last one mentioned. If you’re using a program like Sign Up Genius to track volunteers, then you probably...Continue reading
How Not to Recruit Leaders for Your PTO
There’s something we need to talk about that is negatively affecting your school parent group in a massive way that you probably don’t even realize. It comes down to how your group is recruiting volunteers and leaders. There’s definitely a wrong and right way to recruit leaders for your group and we’re going to cover...Continue reading
How to Recruit Leaders for Your PTO- Easily!
The second half of the school year is normally the time when well organized PTO / PTAs start looking towards planning for the future school year and looking around to see who will be the leaders of the group. And while it’s true that the task of filling the slate of officers for the...Continue reading
8 Ways to Recognize Volunteers and Increase Involvement
Volunteers who give of their time or money deserve to be recognized early and often! It’s a great way to foster a positive experience and it leads to greater involvement. After all, when’s the last time you stayed involved when you didn’t feel appreciated? Ummmm… that’s right, you didn’t! Don’t make the same mistake with...Continue reading
5 Reasons Why No One Comes to Your PTO Meetings
Ah, PTO Meetings. Those in the know recognize they’re essential: An hour of discussion and decisions each month to set the group’s course. Despite their importance, PTO meetings can be some of the most poorly attended school functions! Here are five reasons why no one is coming to your PTO meeting and...Continue reading