10 Ways to Modernize Your PTA

10 Ways to Modernize

Your PTA

We talk to PTAs everyday (and we love it). Those that are innovating are collecting more and increasing participation. Find out how.

#1 Eliminate paper at all costs

Nothing slows down a PTA more than paper. Let’s face it, paper is the antithesis of efficiency. Planning a fundraising or school event? From start to finish, from marketing to payment, think about how you can eliminate paper from the mix. Send out electronic communications, promote it on Facebook, accept payment with Cheddar Up. This not only makes managing the project easier (read: no more spreadsheets, data entry, or trips to the bank!), it will also increase participation.

#2 Consider a direct donation fundraiser

Nothing says buzz kill like the arrival of a fundraising packet

Never before have parents and kids been busier. Whether its candy bars, wrapping paper, magazines or butter braids, most parents fall into the same pattern to get the job done. Call the grandparents, email the aunts and uncles, and write a personal check for the difference. PTAs are wising up and making changes to better suit today’s lifestyles. How? By offering simple, direct donation fundraisers – also called annual giving campaigns. It saves everyone time and usually produces better results. Really savvy PTAs are moving all payments online with Cheddar Up, because:

+ Who still carries a check book? Online payments get the job done in just a few clicks. + Collecting money online is more secure than collecting cash and checks. + Marketing the fundraiser is easier when people can pay online. + The whole “I forgot my checkbook“ excuse is out the window! + Schools that offer online payment collect significantly MORE.

#3 Collect PTA dues online and boost parent involvement

If you give a human an excuse... they’ll take it! Any school that only collects PTA dues in-person or via cash or check is handing parents an excuse on a silver platter. Give parents an online way to pay and you will see an instant boost in membership. Not only is it easy to pay, it’s also easy to market – you can promote membership via email, Facebook, or your school website. Need to collect contact information? If you use Cheddar Up you can do this by seamlessly adding custom fields to your payment pages.

#4 Sneak in fundraisers that don’t seem like fundraisers

Public, private, charter…in all cases, parents can be sensitive to the number of fundraisers that happen.

This is why we’re a huge fan of what we call “micro fundraising”. This sneaks fundraising into activities that don’t feel like fundraising! When done well, this is a winner. Some of our favorites include:

+ Family restaurant night. Select a popular restaurant that gives back to schools. Pick a date, market the heck out of it, and voila. A fun night of dining with the community turns into instant proceeds. Everyone needs to eat, right?

+ Grocery cards. If your school doesn’t sell grocery cards it should. We all buy groceries, why not give 3+% back to your school. Schools tell us that in-person payment limits these programs. Use Cheddar Up to sell your cards and participation will go through the roof.

#5 Use Facebook to stay in touch with your community

Chances are that most school parents use Facebook regularly (weekly, daily, maybe even hourly) – use that to your advantage! Facebook is a great way to engage your community and keep them posted on news and events. If your school doesn’t have a Facebook page, set one up today! Here are some tips:

1. Check with the principal to make sure a page doesn’t already exist. If it does, volunteer to take it over so the PTA can update and monitor it.

2. Make sure to create a Facebook fan page and not a Facebook group. A group requires permission to join and a fan page doesn’t. You want to encourage involvement for this school-community page and the fan page

will do this.

#6 Turn teacher giving into a fundraiser

We know teacher giving is normally not a PTA activity, but this idea is so brilliant, it’s worth collaborating with the room moms.

Teacher giving usually happens at least twice a year – around the holidays and at the end of the school year. Let’s face it, teachers don’t like receiving mugs. Thus, the latest trend is a group class gift – usually in the form of a gift card. Teachers love this; instead of 25 mugs, they receive a gift that can make a real difference in their lives.

Some schools take this to the Nth degree. They use Cheddar Up to create one big payment page with every member of the staff listed. This makes it easy for parents and hassle free for volunteers. Cheddar Up does the work for them. Once collected, the teachers select a Scrip gift card with their collected funds.

Boom! The epitome of a win-win. Great gifts for the staff and an instant fundraiser for the school.

Find out more about how this works >>

#7 Find the BEST tech tools to simplify PTA admin

The job of the PTA comes with some arduous tasks. Automate them to make lives easier.

Take the time to find the BEST tools for each task. If you pick the all-in-one tool, chances are you won’t find the best and most affordable option. For starters, make sure you have tools to help with:

+ Volunteer Sign Ups. We like BringIt. It has a clean user interface and great functionality.

+ Online payments. Call us biased, but Cheddar Up was created to solve PTA pain points. It not only helps with paying and collecting, but also does the tedious task of tracking and reminding.

+ Scheduling. Lots of meetings and submeetings happen in a PTA. Save your inbox by using Doodle.

#8 Boost parent involvement with flexible PTA meetings

Need some fresh faces in your PTA?

This is a common concern among PTAs…how to get others involved. Busy working parents often sit on the sidelines when it comes to PTA involvement, because they don’t want to over commit and under deliver.

You can solve this. Incorporate technology into your meetings that allow even the business traveler to participate. Make sure there’s an online or virtual component for every meeting. Skype and Google Hangouts are two popular tools that will do the trick.

Don’t penalize parents with busy schedules and work commitments. Advertise your flexible arrangements and you’ll be surprised by the diversity you can draw to the group.

#9 Implement multiple communication channels

In case you missed the memo, people don’t always read their email.

This is a huge frustration for school administration, teachers, and PTAs. It’s not that people never read their email it’s that things get missed. And if something gets missed, the odds of them going back to it are slim. How do you combat it? Multiple communication channels! Our society is on information overload and if you have something important to say, your best bet is a one-two…or even a one-two-three punch. If your school will allow it, encourage them to establish a mobile communication channel. This can be done by putting together an SMS distribution list or by creating a school app. Between mobile, email, and Facebook, your odds of exposure, and hence participation, are significantly higher.

#10 Sign your school up for the BIG Cheese program

Make money on the money you make. We’ll explain…

If your school and PTA is like most, you collect money for hundreds of different activities – for everything from band uniforms to annual giving campaigns to after-school chess club. The list is long. Chances are you’re still doing this collecting via paper methods.

If you use Cheddar Up and sign up for our BIG Cheese program, your school can earn money back based on the number of people that pay and the amount of money it collects.

Take it one step further and your PTA can also make money on ever dollar that parents collect – be it for their fantasy football league or soccer coach gift – by simply adding a special link to your school’s website. Referring back to tip #4, this is our favorite micro fundraiser of all! Find out more.

Get hours of your life

back

CREATE PAYMENT PAGES IN SECONDS

SEND FRIENDLY, AUTOMATIC REMINDERS

AT-A-GLANCE TRACKING OF ALL PAYMENTS

TRACK BOTH ONLINE AND CASH/CHECK PAYMENTS

EXPORT PAYMENT INFO TO EXCEL

FAMILIES PAY IN 3 CLICKS VIA CREDIT CARD OR E-CHECK

SCHOOLS DECIDE WHO PAYS THE PROCESSING FEES

CREATE CUSTOM BRANDED PAYMENT PAGES

PTAs that use Cheddar Up see results and collect more.

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