Wednesday, December 26, 2018

President's Message



PTA Leaders,

Wow! You have done an amazing job this fall! Membership is up over last year and we can’t wait to recognize you at Ohio PTA Convention in April. Keep submitting and meeting those monthly goals so you can receive an Emmy on April 13. In addition to membership efforts, nineteen Ohio units and councils from all over the state won a total of 21 grants from either Ohio PTA or National PTA. Take a look at the FSP article and Ohio PTA Facebook to learn who won. We congratulate all of you and encourage you to share photos and success stories from your grant-funded (or other) events with us at communications@ohiopta.org or on your Standards of Affiliation Checklist.

Thanks for keeping up with your government filings. If you haven’t filed your IRS990 or your Ohio Attorney General Charitable Trust yet, please do so you can remain a unit in good standing. Your first installment of membership dues should have been sent by November 30. Check with your treasurer and submit as soon as possible. If you have questions or need help, please contact your District Advisor or the VP Field Service.

What’s next? It’s time to take a break and reflect on how to make the second half of the year even better for your students and families. Spend some time thinking about how well your unit or council met the needs of your school community by conducting a mid-year unit check up. Ask yourself and your board…

Is membership up?
Are our meetings or events well attended?
Do we have enough volunteers?
Are new families joining or volunteering?
Are we providing opportunities to connect families and staff?

If you can’t answer yes to these questions, ask your staff for suggestions, survey your families and evaluate the events you held. Listening to all the people in your school community is the first step to growing membership. However, the real key to truly serving students, staff and families is responding to and using their feedback. It shows you value them and want them to be part of PTA.

Enjoy winter break as you share this time with family and friends. Thanks for your commitment to PTA and our mission of making every child’s potential a reality. Happy New Year!

Susan