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Recruitment letter
Good Morning from Virginia
I am writting to seek advice and help. I will be the PTA president for the school I work at 2010-11. I have NO BOARD and the out going President is having an awful time recruting. I would like to send a letter home with all the kids asking for parents to think about this great oppourtunity to help not only their children but everyone's kids that attend our school. Is there a templete out there? Can someone help me write this letter...I really need help.
Thanks so much!
Kristine Eakins
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Adriana on -
Hi Kristine,
Yikes! We don't have a "form letter" just a sign up sheet. We are currently without a Vice-President and the Secretary just informed me that she may be leaving.
I think the key thing to do when you are drafting the letter is to make sure that you point out that the time committment isn't huge, typically, 1 meeting a month. For Kindergarten orientation night, I spoke about PTA and basically said, "yes, the dreaded 3 letters that everyone runs from, but without the PTA, your child will not recieve XXXX (I then listed the money we donated per child for field trips, events that we held etc.). You are creating lasting memories for your child and without your help volunteering they lose out. 30 minutes of volunteering could mean the difference between having an event or not. The best part of volunteering is walking into the school and the students knowing who you are, the hugs and smiles you will receive. The impact that you are having on your own child, by default they will learn that volunteering is FUN and not something to dread."
Sorry, it is not a form letter, you can turn it into bullet points, but this really is a pet peeve of mine, everyone is busy, I understand that, but it is our children that we are doing this for.
Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Carissa Dollar on -
You're likely to get better results from approaching people directly.
Have you tried asking the teachers for suggestions of parents from their classes?
Parents tend to be very flattered if the president or principal approach them and say, "your teacher recommended you" to be part of the team.
Be sure you are honest about what the time commitment is like. And try to keep the jobs "parent sized."
Also, have you tried putting something in the school newsletter?
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Permalink Reply by Jessica Smith on
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I am a new PTA president as well and our outgoing president was very lax in recruiting and communication with parents. I have put together an information sheet I am currently distributing at all school events and will revamp for fall signup. A few of the things I have in my letters....
"The goal of the (insert school) PTA is to encourage parent, teacher and community involvement in the education, health and welfare of our students. We are not only about raising money – we are about parents and caregivers who have an interest in the success of our children's educational, emotional and social experiences while at (insert school). Your support and involvement is the only way we can accomplish these goals. "
and
"PTA is for all caregivers: moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles or anyone who loves our students and wants to get involved. Even parents that work can be involved in PTA. Do you have experience in desktop publishing? You would be perfect to assist with the newsletter or the yearbook. Does it seem like you know everyone in the community? We would love to have your help in encouraging community involvement in our school. Most of our events require a lot of preparation and we sometimes hold workdays over the weekend to prepare. A couple of hours on a Saturday morning makes all the difference in the workload. Or if you have a day off during the week, check with your child’s teacher to see if there is anything you can assist them with. Our teachers work hard and have many responsibilities that volunteers can help with and make their job a little easier."
Not exactly a form letter but I hope it helps. I get a lot of guidance from looking at other schools websites to see their recruiting information. Check your state PTA website and see if they have a list of member PTA's or maybe an awards page for best website or best newsletter. That is the easiest way I have found to locate successful PTA's.
We are also considering what sort of incentives we can offer for people to not only join PTA but actually help. Not sure how to track participation but incentives like a % off their purchase of Secret Santa Shop items or spirit shirts.
Good luck to you. We new presidents have to stick together!!!
Jessica
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Permalink Reply by Kristine Eakins on
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Jessica
Thank you so much! I have been at a loss as to how to deal with the lack of parent envolvement here at our school. Your letter is perfect. Good luck!
Kristine
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Permalink Reply by Tammi on
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Kristine,
I put together this letter and sent it home with membership envelopes. Word of mouth is always the best route but many of our parents don't even step foot on campus. The envelopes give us ability to contact and communitate through emails with the parents also. Now if I could just get the members to come to meetings. - Attachments:
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