 Every year PTAs start their membership campaign and every year families ask the same question: "Why join the PTA?" After over a year of being at home, many families may feel discounted and be asking why they should support PTA. It can be hard to communicate your PTA's value with programs being offered virtually when families are used to attending PTA events in person or seeing the support your PTA does in the classroom. That's why it's more important than ever to answer the question "Why PTA?" One great way of doing that is sharing with your families the reason why you support the PTA. Knowing WHY those leading your PTA serve is a great way to inspire other families to support your PTA by joining or donating. Check out all the reasons that inspire your Northshore Council Leaders to PTA below! Interested in making your own "Why I PTA" slides but need help? Contact Council's Co-VP of Membership, Melissa Kline.  Does your PTA have a display board? Now's the perfect time to create one as it can be used all year long! Why make a display board? It's a great tool to use to easily identify your PTA, connect with members of your school community, and highlight your PTA's value!  A display board is a great tool to have at your membership table at events. It helps volunteers easily answer the question we often hear - “Why should I join PTA?” You could also ask to put the display board in your school office in the fall so staff and families can see what PTA contributes to your community. Recently, Northshore Council PTSA leaders attended the NSD Back-to-School Fair to highlight all Northshore PTAs and ask families to join their local PTA. We had a display board at our table to highlight what programs and activities are run through PTA. Check out Council's display board below for inspiration! Some ideas to highlight when creating your display board:
 Display board Council used at the August 2021 NSD Back-to-School Fair. Start the school year off right by being sure to check these important tasks off your PTA To-Do list!  This is a busy time of year for PTA Leaders with so many things to get done in order to run your PTA, plan programming for students, and provide support to your school community. Here at Council we want to make sure a few key "to-do" items don't get overlooked so we've created the checklist below. We've included links and resources for these items, but remember, Council is always here to help and support our local Northshore PTA Leaders! Visit our Contact Page to connect with a Council officer. 
 Council is helping to promote PTA Membership across our district! Last week, Council's Co-Chairs of Membership, Hanisha Bakshani & Melissa Kline, traveled to all corners of our district placing "PTA for Your Child - Join PTA" yard signs. These signs were placed at all Northshore Schools and the District Admin Building. The QR code on these signs directs families to our list of Northshore PTAs/PTSAs* on our website. This list includes links to your website, Facebook, and online join link so families can connect with your PTA and sign up for membership. Check out the photo gallery below for pics of all the yard signs! To find out more about why online join is key, check out last week's Membership Monday article on Planning Your Campaign. *Need to update or add a link for your PTA to our list? We can do that! Just send us an email.                                    Please join us for our first general membership meeting of the year on Monday, September 20, 2021 via Zoom! In addition to our regular business items, we’ll also be voting on updated standing rules, goals and budget, and hearing updates from community leaders. *Update* We'll also be offering breakout rooms for networking and Q&A with Council members. The breakout rooms offered will be (1) elementary level PTAs, (2) secondary level PTAs, and (3) general questions regarding running your PTA.
Council meetings will build your PTA knowledge, give you the opportunity to network with other PTA, school district and community leaders, and they can be a lot of fun, too. Each PTA may send up to 4 voting representatives - but we encourage ALL who are interested to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!
*A meeting passcode is required to join. It will be sent to local leaders via email. You can also request the passcode by emailing Council PTSA Communications VP, Rachel Fitzgerald. All great Membership Campaigns start the same way: with a plan!  As you begin to coordinate your 2021-2022 membership plans, think about the reasons why families and staff should join.
This year it's more important than ever to kick off your campaign and start entering those memberships because Washington State PTA has a **new** requirement. This year, in order to remain in good standing, your PTA/PTSA must have at LEAST 25 members entered into memberplanet by October 31, 2021 AND must enter any memberships received into memberplanet no more than 30 days after someone joins. Why is it important to remain in good standing? If you want to attend convention, send in reflections submissions, apply for awards, or apply for grants you must be in good standing. (Click here for all SOA requirements.) One way to increase your membership this year is to make sure it is EASY to join online. We have compiled a list of all our local PTAs/PTSAs with a link directly to your site to join online, so make sure your links are up to date. This makes each PTA/PTSA more accessible to members of our community, school board, and even district admin who might be looking to join. Please know you can contact us anytime with questions or to help you brainstorm ideas for your membership campaign. Reminder: Council will be hosting a Northshore PTAs Connect Roundtable this Thursday, August 26th @ 7PM. This Roundtable will focus on membership. Membership is everyone's job, so all officers are welcome to join! Additionally, please email your membership chair name(s) and contact information to us ASAP so they can be added to all communications about membership. Melissa Kline and Hanisha Bakshani Northshore Council PTSA Membership Chairs membership@northshorecouncilptsa.org When it comes to joining your PTA, make it EASY for families to sign up online!  Joining online will be key for families this year. Your join link should be clear and on the front page of your website.
If you have questions or want help setting up a way for your families to sign up online, contact our Membership Co-Chairs, Hanisha Bakshani & Melissa Kline. BONUS: Council is also helping with easy access by including all of your online join links on our website here! We'll be promoting online join for all Northshore PTAs/PTSAs at the upcoming August 28th NSD Back to School Fair. So please take a few minutes to check the links for your school. Need to update a link? Email communications@northshorecouncilptsa.org.  Looking for help with using memberplanet? Attend Northshore Council's upcoming training!
Date: September 9, 2021 Time: 7:00PM Location: Online via Zoom Presenter: Amanda Cabana, WSPTA Membership Director Register: zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tdemgqDsvH9UAZzVDvhbpvGFvlGoqd7HU This training is intended to teach Northshore PTA Leaders how to navigate memberplanet, update PTA officers, enter memberships, and more! Registration is required. Once registered, participants will be emailed a link to join the Zoom on September 9th. Questions? Contact us!  Join us for ‘Northshore PTAs Connect’ – an online roundtable discussion for PTA/PTSA leaders to ask questions, share ideas, and connect with one another.
Northshore PTAs Connect Roundtables are designed to support our local PTA/PTSA leaders as we navigate membership, programs, and managing our organizations in an uncertain and ever-changing landscape. This evening (7pm) roundtable will feature a focused discussion on the topic of Membership. Local leaders will have the opportunity to ask questions and brainstorm ideas as PTAs begin their 2021-2022 Membership Campaigns. While the focus will be on membership, Northshore PTAs Connect Roundtables are an open discussion and there is always opportunity to ask questions and tackle emerging or ongoing areas of interest or concern. Date: Thursday, August 26th Time: 7:00PM Location: Online via Zoom Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/95115031258 Meeting ID: 951 1503 1258 Passcode: *Available upon request Questions? Contact Council's Membership Co-Chairs, Hanisha Bakshani & Melissa Kline  PTA is a membership-driven association. Sustaining and growing membership builds PTA's power as advocates and change makers not only in your own school community, but also at district, state, and national levels. WSPTA recognizes PTAs for their work growing membership as well as for achievements in membership. Congratulations to our Northshore PTA/PTSAs that have earned WSPTA Membership Awards in 2020-2021!! Membership Achievement Awards: 100% Staff Membership Award The 100% Staff Membership Award is presented to local PTAs that enroll at least as many school staff members as there are full-time certificated employees at the school. This award recognizes the value of teachers and school staff as stakeholders advocating for all children through PTA.
Membership Growth Awards: To highlight the importance of membership growth, Washington State PTA recognizes local PTAs for enrolling more members than they did in the previous year. As PTAs achieve incremental increases in membership growth, they are recognized for each milestone they reach.  Many thanks to all of our amazing Northshore PTAs/PTSAs for continually striving for membership growth, helping us to have an even more powerful voice for our children!
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