So you’ve made your first membership dues payment to Illinois PTA by October 1 (ahem), and perhaps you’re thinking, “Is that it? Are we done with membership for the year?” Of course not! You’ve got your Reach for the Stars goals to achieve. And if you’re looking for ways to grow your membership to meet those goals, remember: Everyone can join PTA! 

Far too often, we think of PTA membership as just for those in our school: parents, teachers, and the principal. Make no mistake, those are our core membership people, but PTA membership can be so much more. Consider:

  • Have you stressed to families that PTA membership is about supporting the work and mission of the PTA in your school, not about volunteering? Many people are afraid to join because they don’t want to be asked to help out at events.
  • Have you reached out to the support staff in your school—secretaries, librarians, social workers, janitors, and more? They, too, should have an interest in supporting the children in the school and PTA’s work.
  • Have you encouraged your families to reach out to grandparents, aunts and uncles, and the rest of the extended family? If they want to support their grandchild’s success, a PTA membership can help achieve that. Making membership available through Givebacks makes joining as simple as sharing a link.
  • Have you reached out to businesses near your school? You can’t endorse those businesses, but you can tout their support of your PTA in your newsletters or on your social media (that is, you can’t say, “Shop at Joe’s Widget Hut!” but you can say, “Joe’s Widget Hut is a proud supporter of our PTA!”).
  • Have you reached out to your superintendent, assistant superintendents, other district staff, and school board members? They have a vested interest in the success of all the schools in the district, and a strong PTA supports student success.

Don’t limit your PTA membership to those who come up to you and ask to join. Go out and recruit new members in your school and beyond. It will make your PTA stronger and build ties with your community. Remember, everyone can join PTA!