“Members are the essential piece of the PTA” and Membership Chairs are vital to attract and retain new and existing members. They provide information, design and run the membership drive, and collect dues and maintain the list of voting members for their school. They make sure that the Council, District, State, and National portions of per capita dues are submitted by the required due dates. They keep their units dynamic, healthy and strong.

Whether a continuing or new unit Membership Chair, following this simple Membership Drive To Do List will help you hold a successful and fun membership drive.

1. Send me your name, home mailing address, phone number, e-mail address and your school name so I can put you on the Membership Chair Roster and keep you informed of National, State, and District information. If your Unit doesn’t have a Membership Chair, please provide a school contact from your Executive Board. An important mailing is being sent in August to each school; so, please let me hear from you.

2. Obtain the procedure book from the previous Membership Chair. Select a theme and dates for your membership drive. Set goals and prepare a budget. The California State PTA theme is “Members are the essential piece”. You can build on this theme or create one of your own. Design your drive dates to fit your school calendar and Council and District due dates. Your membership plan should be approved by your Executive Board.

3. Draft your letter of welcome requesting parents, teachers, and staff to join the PTA. Tell them what PTA is, what it does, and why they should be a part of it. Sample letters are available upon request. Remember, your Executive Board, school Principal, and Teacher Representative each must be current members of the PTA to serve on the Board.

4. Send home your welcome letter to all students and distribute to school staff. Include a PTA membership envelope. Envelopes are available for purchase from me or your Council at $2.00 per 100 envelopes. Fill in your Unit name and dues amount. Amounts vary so please check your Unit bylaws for your school’s dues amount. Want to increase your membership by 50%? Highlight “Name” under both the number one line and number two line and the words “Dues for each person” on the envelopes to let families know that two adults per family can join and see what happens. Highlighting the envelopes and filling in the dues amount is a great community service project for the mature student helper.

5. Provide a safe place at school for the return of dues remittance envelopes. Collect and process memberships often. Remember, two unrelated board members should count and forward dues. Maintain a spreadsheet of member and payment information and provide a current membership list to your Unit President, Secretary, and Treasurer prior to each general association meeting. Make sure your Treasurer makes deposits and sends the pass-through portions regularly using your Unit Remittance Form.

6. Assign someone to enter the membership data from the membership forms (found online www.pta.org “The Membership Quick-Reference Guide”, page 37) into a spreadsheet using the National Online Membership Reporting System (OMDR). OMDR will allow PTAs to collect dues and communicate with members quickly and efficiently.

7. Send home a thank you letter to let your members know that their dues have been received and include their completed PTA Membership Card with the letter. Please note: one member, one card, one dues payment—there are no family memberships. A reminder letter to those who have not yet joined will bring in more memberships.

8. Advertise your membership program. Decorate your school’s multipurpose room or auditorium bulletin board with by-class participation, maintain a poster outside the school office showing your total memberships versus your membership goal, set up a PTA table at school events, provide class rewards (ice cream or pizza parties, extra recess time, etc.) for the classes closest to 100% class participation at the end of your drive, submit articles to your school newsletter—whatever works at your Unit—to promote the progress of your drive.

9. Finally, continue to welcome new families by inviting them to join the PTA. At year end, write your Membership Chair report and submit it to your Unit President, and update the Membership Chair procedure book. Membership envelopes received during your 2006-2007 drive should be stored for one year.

Need PTA membership envelopes, membership cards, drive suggestions or sample welcome letters, advice or information, don’t hesitate to contact . . .

Cathi Russell, Fifteenth District Membership Chair
cathi@silcom.com (805) 688-7033