Maryland Parent Teacher Association
Membership Kit
2006
All Aboard!—Join the PTA Train
everychild.onevoice
Table of Contents
Welcome to Membership
Advantages of PTA
Membership Cards
Membership Dues Collection
Membership Reporting Year
The Membership Campaign
Catch the Waves of Success – Join the PTA
Six Steps to a Creative Membership Campaign
Build PTA Membership
Attract New Members
How can you recruit new members? Ask yourself these questions:
Ideas for Getting New Members
When Someone Says “NO”
"I don't have the time!"
"But I don't have any children in school!"
"I don't agree with a lot of the PTA positions!"
"Your organization doesn't really do anything!"
"Not right now—maybe later!"
"I just can't join another organization. I belong to too many already!"
Membership Development Calendar
June/July
August/September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May/June
GOOD STANDING?
About PTA
Join PTA
Resources for Local Unit Leaders
Parent Resources
Other
Membership Awards
Certificates
President’s Honor Award
50% School Enrollment
Majority of Faculty
PTSA Student Membership
Plaques
The ABCs of Membership
Appendix
Welcome to Membership
The Membership Committee chair is charged with an important and rewarding responsibility. The opportunities for involvement that PTA membership provides are of great importance. Research has shown that academic achievement among students is higher in schools with active PTAs than in schools without these associations. When parents, teachers and school administrators work together, interact positively and regularly, share responsibilities and take pride in their work, their enthusiasm and caring message is transmitted to students and communities.
This kit is designed to help the membership chair do their job more effectively. It covers the general job description and basic information on getting started. The membership chair should be familiar with the following:
Membership Development Booklet of the National PTA Annual Resources for PTAs(available on disk or as a download from
National PTA’sOur Children
National PTA’sWebsite
Maryland PTA’s The Bulletin(Your PTA can order one for you)
Maryland PTA’sWebsite
Local PTA Bylaws
Council training,Maryland PTASummer Leadership Conference, and Fall Convention
On-line Training from the Leadership Resources portion of the National PTA Website
These resources should be available from the PTA president. If not, contact the Maryland PTA office.
Power of Association
PTA is a network of parent-teacher associations in all the states with national offices in Chicago and Washington, DC.
PTA addresses the needs of all children in the local community, state and nation.
PTA is the oldest and largest volunteer advocacy association working exclusively for children on the national, state and local levels.
PTA, as a nonprofit organization, allows its members greater financial independence including control of all funds raised.
PTA offers stability and structure through the use of required bylaws.
PTA units in Maryland automatically come under a blanket 501(c)(3) federal tax exemption.
PTA offers training for its members through annual workshops, conferences and conventions.
Maryland PTA and National PTA provide all units abundant, up-to-date material on issues related to children, family, education, and legislation.
PTA offers all units low-cost liability and bonding insurance.
PTA has representatives serving on important statewide committees that influence state policy.
PTA works in coalitions with state and local agencies, state and local school boards, other nonprofit organizations, and concerned individuals to inform the public on issues and to influence policy makers on the needs of children.
PTA represents over 214,000 parents and teachers in Maryland, and over 5.5 million parents and teachers nationally.
Locals Units are recognized for collaborative efforts that bring parents, families, faculty and community members together to promote parent and family involvement and ultimately encourage student success.
Membership Cards
You are now held accountable for all membership cards issued to you. By March 31 of each year, you will need to return any unused and/or damaged membership cards to the Maryland PTA office. The number of memberships reported, unused cards and damaged cards must equal the number of cards sent to you. You will be billed $3.25 for each card that is otherwise unaccounted for.($1.50 for Maryland PTA dues plus $1.75 National PTA Dues equals the $3.25 billed.)
Remember - do not destroy any damaged cards. Return them promptly for credit.
Please be sure that you only pay for those memberships that are sold during the month. Your membership chair and treasurer need to be accurate in their accounting.
Maryland PTAwill not issue a refund for membership overpayment.
Your PTA will be receiving approximately 10 more cards than your reported membership from last year. Please take time to count them and report any discrepancies to the Maryland PTA office immediately. The Maryland PTA office can be reached at (410)760-6221 or (800) 707-7972.
Remember:
Each individual who joins PTA pays dues.
Each person who has paid dues to join PTA must have their own individual card. A PTA membership card should NEVER be issued with more that one name, such as Mr. and Mrs.
Each member has a voice in PTA.
Membership in a PTA is required for the privilege of voting, and for holding office in that local and in Maryland PTA and National PTA.
Membership in one local PTA does not constitute privileges in any other local. To be a member of more that one local PTA, an individual must pay dues to each of these locals.
The membership card entitles its owner to attend and participate in state and National PTA sponsored meetings. Members may be asked to show a current membership card at PTA meetings. A current membership card is required to register as a voting delegate at Maryland PTA and National PTA annual convention.
The following information needs be completed on each card:
Fill in your National PTA ID number for each card (eight digit number).
Fill in the name of the person to whom the card is issued.
Fill in your local unit name
Fill in the issue date card is issued.
Fill in the expiration date on each card; use 9/30 of the next year.
For additional membership cards:
Indicate the number of cards desired on a copy of your monthly membership statement when you are submitting payment for dues received.
OR
Mail or Fax the Membership Card Order Form to request additional cards (See Appendix for Form).
A few reminders:
You need to submit $3.25 per member. The Maryland PTA portion of the dues is $1.50 per member and the National PTA portion of the dues is $1.75 per member.
Membership reports should be submitted on a monthly basis. Only report the number of cards sold during the month.Do not pay the entire amount of the statement unless your PTA has sold that number of memberships. No refunds will be issued.
Maryland PTA will not provide refunds for membership dues paid in error. Before submitting membership dues, Treasurers should always check with the Membership Chair to ensure the correct amount is being paid.
The final report and dues payment should be submitted and received by March 31.
According to bylaws, a local unit in Good Standing must have a minimum of 25 members. All membership money must be reported to Maryland PTA.
To be eligible for many of the Maryland PTA awards and recognitions, you must submit at least one dues payment accompanied by a membership report that is received in the State PTA Office by October 31.
Membership Dues Collection
Contact the school principal to work out the process for the daily collection of membership envelopes. (See Appendix for Membership Dues Envelopes order form.)
Check into school procedures regarding specific distribution and collection of membership materials.
Collect membership envelopes promptly each day.
The membership chairman and at least one other PTA member should count the money received each day in the returned membership envelopes. (See order form in the Appendix Section of this kit.)
The amount of money in each envelope should be counted and noted on the envelope.
Note how much membership money and how many memberships were received.
Fill out verification form for all monies received. Add the member to the Membership Roster.(Sample Roster may be found in the Appendix)
Take money to the treasurer to be deposited in the PTA’s bank account.
Request a dated receipt to be retained for your files.
That portion of each member’s dues that is collected that belongs to the National PTA and the Maryland PTA must be forwarded through the proper channels at the completion of the enrollment month and monthly thereafter. PTA Council dues should be paid separately to the council as directed.
Membership Reporting Year
Maryland PTA has adopted the same membership-reporting year as National PTA. The National PTA membership year is from April 1st through March 31st. Any memberships reported to Maryland PTA after March 31 will be counted towards the next membership year. This change has been necessary to cut down on the amount of time, paper work and expense needed to run two sets of membership records. Furthermore, it permits National and Maryland PTA membership figures to agree.
The Membership Campaign
An active, creative membership campaign is a fun and effective way for current members to recruit prospective members. Developing a membership campaign not only helps create public awareness about PTA programs and activities but also allows members to show their support for the PTA.
People must be motivated to join. Through a creative campaign you can show nonmembers why they should become members, convince them that they are making the right choice, and motivate them to take part. So, how do you develop a membership campaign? Planning is the critical for step for a successful membership campaign.
Catch the Waves of Success – Join the PTA
Most successful membership campaigns have a theme. You are free to choose any theme you like. Last year we were trying to Catch the Waves of Success- Join the PTA. Maryland PTA’s theme for the 2006 – 2007 is Catch the Waves of Success – Join the PTA. You can use surfing pictures, beach articles, waves, and other ocean symbols. You can also look for membership campaign ideas on the National PTA’s bulletin board. Discover what has worked for other PTA local units. There are excellent membership ideas in the Membership Development Booklet of the National PTA Annual Resources for PTAs.
Six Steps toa Creative Membership Campaign
Step One -- Identify - Identify any groups in your community missing from your active membership. Work with the principal; identify the make-up of your school community. Who is involved in PTA activities and who is not? The people who are not involved are the ones at which to aim your outreach efforts. Look for some common threads that make them identifiable as a group or collection of groups. This might include, but not necessarily be limited to, ethnic or cultural differences.
Step Two -- Approach - Find out more about what keeps these groups from becoming involved and create a plan to overcome those barriers. Find an effective way to communicate with your members. They won’t come to your meetings if they are not asked. (But there may be more to it.) How they are asked and who asks them may make a big difference.Person to person requests are the most effective. Encourage members to call and remind a friend to attend a meeting or event. Can they car pool? Could you send personal notes to prospective leaders? It may take a little work, but it will be worth it.
Step Three -- Reach Out - Getting people to attend a meeting is an important first step in getting involved. Increasing the attendance at meetings should be one of your goals. Determine what may be preventing people from coming. Change what you can to remove those barriers. You must be sensitive to the needs of new members while respecting the needs of the people who are already involved and regularly attending PTA meetings. Consider using a variety of communication methods to announce your meetings. Did you include an article in the school newsletter? Can you send e-mail reminders of PTA meetings? Do you have space on your school’s website?
Step Four -- Retain - If people enjoy themselves at a meeting they will be more likely to come again. To enjoy themselves, they must feel welcomed and accepted by the others there, and interested in what is being presented at the meeting. The PTA meeting must be important and meaningful to the membership. People live busy lives and will not waste time coming to a meeting that does not meet their needs.
Step Five -- Dissolve the “Them” Attitude - Sometimes when people are asked to serve on a PTA board, they say no because of the way they have been treated at meetings or because they don’t feel like they are part of the “in-crowd”. They feel closed out. Ask them to serve on a committee or board. Because they will know members of the PTA board from the meeting, they will feel more comfortable in agreeing to serve.
Step Six -- Check Your Success - Evaluate what you’ve done and what still needs to be done to include everyone in the community. Evaluate your PTA’s programs and policies. Are they sensitive to the needs and circumstances of the school community you serve?
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Maryland PTA National PTA
Build PTA Membership
As each new PTA year begins, take a fresh look at your PTA's current activities. Use this opportunity to increase your understanding of who are your potential members and what are their needs.Attract New Members
As a PTA leader, you believe in the PTA and would like to see membership increase. But what can you do? First, recognize that there are many people in your community who are important human resources. Know who these individuals are. They may be parents, teachers, teenage mothers and fathers, couples without children, grandparents, senior citizens, community leaders, business people, school board members, or students. Remember, everybody can be a PTA member!
How can you recruit new members? Ask yourself these questions:
What are the benefits and services available at the local, state, and national levels?
What do prospective members want to know about our PTA?
How can our PTA best provide that information?
Do our PTA materials reflect the cultural, economic, and social backgrounds of the community groups we are trying to reach?
What are our strengths, and how can we build on them?
What are our weaknesses, and how can we overcome them?
What other PTA programs and activities are our neighboring PTAs doing that attract new members?
What barriers exist in the PTA’s programs and practice that might discourage some from joining?
By addressing and answering these questions, you are on your way to customizing your local PTA's membership development efforts.
Ideas for Getting New Members
Throughout the entire year, invite individuals to join PTA. Membership promotion is a year-round activity.
Help all members feel a part of the PTA while encouraging them to remain loyal to their culture and heritage. Look at your PTA's programs, policies, and projects.
Do they meet the needs of all cultural and socioeconomic groups, single-parent families, dual-income households, males as well as females, and others?
Are they sensitive to the circumstances and needs of all parents and others who are concerned about the future of children or interested in being active in PTA?
Remember that one program cannot meet all needs, but you can have several programs to cover many needs.
A variety of tools for building strong membership commitment can be found on/in the following:
National PTAwebsite includes articles on such critical topics as membership service, connecting to the diverse groups in your community, and gathering member feedback
Maryland PTA website