If you are struggling with connecting with parents, you may want to try these ideas:

• Adjust meeting times or venues

• Create a personal connection by finding common interests

• Zoom meeting option

• Invite teacher groups

• Have childcare to include more families at meetings

• Include snacks

• Announce special speakers or teachers who will be attending

• Assume people don’t fully understand PTA, so frequently give explanations

Fall Festival Ideas

• Food trucks

• Silent Auction

• Event to Give Back to Teachers

Fun Run

Consider these things when planning a Fun Run:

• You may want to use Cheddar Up to create runner profiles

• Partner with local running store

• Include all students and staff

• Color Powder - Color Powder Supply Co.

• Add fun obstacles

• Add a bubble station

• Add a mister station if it is hot outside

• Create excitement around the run

• Set a donation goal and have a specific use in mind (ie:field trips, school assembly)

Community Night Out- Partner with local businesses who give back a portion of their sales. You may check out these businesses:

• Zupas

• Panda Express

• Red Robin

• The Farmstead (or other pumpkin patch)

• Culvers

• Chipotle

Partner with local or State Parks

• Lake Lowell, Nampa - Ecology

• Celebration Park, Melba - Hieroglyphics, Native American history 

• Bruneau Dune State Park, Bruneau- STEM & Observatory

• Coeur d’Alene’s Old Mission State Park, Cataldo - Idaho History

Activity ideas

• Glow and Art Party

• Book Swap

• Art Auction

• Bingo Night

• Trunk or Treat

• Candy Monster- kids feed the candy monster in the week before the event

• Donuts with Grownups

• STEM Night - Partner with university/college near you

• Boise State Engineering Dept

• Boise Water Shed

• Micron

• Kindness Night

• Service projects -  partner w/ community schools and local nonprofits to do projects (hospitals, assisted living centers, foster care, humane society, etc)

Activities during the school day

• Extra Recess

• DJ at recess

• Bubble Party at Recess

• Masked Reader

• Assemblies - authors, story tellers, musicians, theaters, dance, reptile zoo

• Hallway Dance Party

• Hallway High Fives

Elementary School Carnival

This is best with lots of volunteers and in the Fall. Cheddar Up is a great platform to do a presale for tickets.

Themes:

• Wild West

• Around the World

• Circus

• School Spirit- invite local HS students, athletes, and cheer teams

• Neon or Glow Party

Carnival Activities

• Food trucks - some donate a portion of their sales back

• Giant Bubble Balls/ Bounce Houses (check your insurance)

• Pony rides

• Obstacle course

• Dunk Tank

• Pie Eating Contest

• Face Painting

• Balloon Artist

• Cake Walk

Monster Mash

• Haunted House- include HS drama club kids to help

• Sell wristbands to participate

Color Run/ Jog-a-thon/ Fund Run/ Turkey Trot

• Can pledge per lap or flat pledge

• Get sponsorship for t-shirts - local orthodontist or dentist

• Turkey trot includes people outside of the school so possibly more donations

• Boosterthon

• Provide help, prizes, & website

• Take percentage of the funds earned

• Cheddar Up

• Takes more work to set up but you keep all the money

Family Food Night - 

Send home flyers and put on social media

Restaurants to Partner With

• Zupas

• Panda Express - nationwide

• Red Robin

• Culvers

• Chipotle

• Broken Yolk

• Papa Murphy’s

• Texas Roadhouse

Flower and Bulb Sale

Silent Auction 

A note: This can be a lot of work for treasurer. They will need to value each basket and pay taxes  

Logistics You Can Think About

• 1 basket per teacher

• Choose theme

• Collect donations

Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough Sales

World’s Best Chocolate Sales

Yearbook

Example: Cost $10 to print, sell for $12

Spirit Store 

• T-shirts

• Sweatshirts

• Hats

Raise Right

• Sell or buy gift cards

• Give back to the school

Kroger/Fredmeyer

• Sign up and every time you shop, a portion goes back to the school

Box Tops

• Download app and scan reciepts

Food Truck Night

• Free event, do it in the neighborhood park

• Purchase food, a portion of sales goes back to the school

Bike-a-thon

• Rails for trails - 21 miles

• Pledge per lap or mile or flat pledge

• Adults can ride with kids

Spaghetti Feed & Talent Show

• Charge for admission

• Dessert auction or silent auction

Cookies and Canvases

• Charge $10 for entry, can do 2x per year

Do a meet and greet at the beginning of the year - introduce yourselves

The more people you talk to and get to know, the more people you can ask for help

Incentivize Meeting Attendance

Ideas:

• Raffles

• Pizza party

• Provide Child care

• Hold a Volunteer appreciation breakfast once a year

Meetings

• Stick to the agenda

• Don’t go over-time

• Give a snapshot of all the events - easy to digest, maybe a one page calendar

• Invite a special guest speaker/teacher and let parents know about them

Sign-up Form

Include volunteer opportunities in Cheddar Up form when signing up for PTA

Alternate times - morning one month/ after school the next

Venue - try holding the meeting outside near the playground or park

Communicate- 

Communication Ideas

• Monthly newsletter

• Text blast for meeting reminders or specific sign ups

• Group Me

• Ask to be included in the school newsletter

Schedule - come prepared at the beginning of the year

• Have a schedule of events and signups ready at the beginning of of the school year

• Paper sign-ups- collect names and addresses

• Plan ahead so you don’t over-ask to help avoid burnout

Invite individuals to volunteer

An invitation to everyone is an invitation to no one. Try to identify the needs and specific skills or talents of the people.

Involve the men - consider an activity just for them

Time commitment

• Allow flexible and one time opportunities for those who can’t commit to a large project

• Remind volunteers that every little bit helps

• No guilt, life happens

• Choose your own adventure, you pick your availability

Recruit middle school and high school volunteers

• Honors Society

• Key Club

• Student Council

Try Link Tree for all sign-up links, easier to share and send

Remember

Fundraising is not the mission of the PTA

Cheddar Up

• Jog-a-thon

• Join PTA

• Registration

• Sales

Auction Frogs: (Keep in mind it can be a complicated learning curve in the beginning)

• Auctions

Buffer

• Ideas Posts

Mail Chimp 

• Sending emails

Smore 

• Sending emails 

• Newsletters

Google Sheets

• Easily shareable spreadsheets

Bloomz

• App to use to communicate for people who may not want texts or social media

Remind

• Get updates

Sign-up Genius

• Sign-ups

Meta Business Suite

• Posting

Milkshake & LinkTree

• Way to post links for social media or quick links to send out.

Parent Square

• Communication and text messaging

Headspace

• For Mental Health

99 pledges

Tracks participation and money