RUN A PTA – Your PTA road map
BE POSITIVE
When I went to my fi rst PTA meeting, I’d just had our second baby, so I
invited the chair and the secretary to my house. But it all felt so negative, and I thought, oh my gosh, that’s the problem. I understood where they were coming from – it can be
disheartening when you’re trying so hard – but I knew things had to change. Positivity is key.
IT’S PERSONAL THIS TIME
Take the time to chat with people and learn about them. When I
write the newsletter, I then pass it over to a dad who is a graphic designer. He makes it look
professional, so it does a better job of communicating. It’s a small job that he does once a month, but it really helps.
EMBRACE THE TECH
Before I was chair, I concentrated on communications for the Friends, and part of this was setting up class WhatsApp groups. I also set up two new Facebook groups: a closed group for parents and carers, and a public group to promote our events. Don’t be afraid of new technologies such as AI. I used Chat GPT, for example, to help with a piece for the newsletter about match funding.
From avoiding secret societies to sharing photos of ukuleles, PTA chair Carolyn Sparks reveals her tips for navigating the path to PTA success
Your PTA road map
SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION
PTA life is easier when people feel appreciated. When people step up, we say thank you. We put photos
of the volunteers in the newsletter. We acknowledge that if it wasn’t
for these people, nothing would be happening for the school. At the end of every event, our secretary sends out an email asking for
feedback: it lets people know their view is important.
DON’T FEAR THE NO
When I’m trying to fi ll a committee role, I go up and ask someone. My husband taught me not to be afraid of the no. But nine times out of ten
people say yes. Someone once said: ‘Maybe, not
now, as I’m a bit busy,’ but funnily enough, she
volunteered to do what I was hoping she would do a year later.
IT FOR ME? People are more likely to help if they see what you have done for their children. The newsletter helps us set out our achievements more clearly. Last year I introduced a new element: a simple image of a piggy bank showing how much money’s come in alongside how much we spent. For example, we bought ten ukuleles, so we featured a photo of happy children playing them.
WHAT’S IN DUMMIES’ GUIDES
Every time we ran an event, we would ask volunteers to run a class stall and be overwhelmed by a deluge of questions. So one evening, the secretary and I sat down, poured glasses of wine and started writing dummies’ guides: Where do you get prizes? How much can you spend? What do you do with receipts?
FUN, FUN, FUN Being part of the Friends is so
much fun. To make it easier
for everyone, it also needs to be fun for the volunteers. Effi ciency is part of that,
along with being positive, being appreciative and
considering how you can give people ownership of what you’ve asked them to do.
BE AVAILABLE BE VISIBLE, When I got involved I thought,
how can we make ourselves less like a secret society? Now, each
year, we attend the new parents’ evening, where I say something about the Friends and what we
do, and encourage the parents of new starters to come along to the summer fair. I also set up a WhatsApp group, so new parents can connect. From the get-go they know the Friends are a friendly bunch who are trying to help.
School Fundraising SUMMER 2025 47
AS TOLD TO DANIEL ETHERINGTON. IMAGES: CHANAKARN PHINAKAN/
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
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