NYS PTA Membership Newsletter - Celebrate Students!

The NYS PTA statewide membership drive “ Celebrate Students!” begins now!

Take part in this month’s statewide membership drive “Celebrate Students!” by encouraging students to join your PTA. Students as members can help bridge the gap between students, parents, and teachers, which will create a stronger sense of community within the school.

Highlight the essential role students play in the life and success of your school on social media and tag NYS PTA using #CelebrateStudents and #PTAneedsYOUth hashtags to show us how you honor student involvement!

By joining the PTA, students have the opportunity to contribute their perspectives, take part in meaningful initiatives, and strengthen the partnership between home and school that enhances the overall student experience.

Student membership in the PTA is an important way to demonstrate school pride and active citizenship. Participation not only helps ensure that student voices are represented but also supports programs and activities that promote academic achievement, leadership, and community involvement.

During this November’s membership drive, we invite all students to become part of this statewide effort to Celebrate Students—because when students engage, schools thrive.

Youth members are very valuable to PTA and our statewide goal is to have 2,000 new student members join from November 1 - November 30

Every PTA is encouraged to have student members, including PTAs serving at the elementary level.

PTA welcomes all student members who:

Are able to understand the PTA mission, values, and beliefs;
Can cast ballots, either in person or virtually, independently and without assistance (unrelated to a disability, accommodation, language, or other allowable assistance)
Robert’s Rules require that voting members be fully informed and able to participate in the decisions of their organization.

Participate this month by enrolling students as new members of your PTA, the unit that enrolls the most students from November 1 - November 30 will win a $100 cash prize and will be highlighted on social media!

Connecting with Student Members

Student members are one of your PTA unit’s most valuable assets, bringing fresh energy, ideas, and a direct voice for their peers. Here’s how you can make your unit irresistible to them:

✏️ Speak Their Language (and Use Their Platforms): Skip the email blast! Use graphics, humor, and snappy language to promote your student-focused membership drive on platforms students actually use (think Instagram or TikTok). If allowed, post short, engaging videos (15-30 seconds!) on social media with a direct call-to-action and a QR code for easy sign-up.

✏️Highlight Why PTA Membership Matters To Them: Focus on the tangible benefits of their membership as part of your unit! You may seek inspiration from NYS PTA’s Youth Graphics that are ready for reusing and posts!

✏️Offer Student-Specific Incentives: Motivate students to become a member and to stay engaged with prizes that matter to students. For example - if you’re a high school student-serving PTSA unit, consider hosting a celebration of all your 12th grade graduating senior members, and giving them a special PTSA-designed honor cord!

Caption: The Central Memorial PTSA (Nassau Region) celebrating its graduating class of student members with a special PTSA honor chord.

✏️Recruit and Engage Student Ambassadors: The best marketers for students are other students! Recruit a small, enthusiastic group of students who are already PTA/PTSA members and invite them to speak at your unit meetings, to help with creating social media content, or to even table on behalf of your unit during a lunch period or after school.

✏️ Feature Students Year-Round: Use photos and quotes from your existing student members in your marketing materials. Show them in action planning events or speaking at meetings. Seeing their peers involved reinforces the idea that PTA is a space for them.

Engaging and Celebrating Student Members

This month is all about students - the reason we’re all in this PTA game together. By becoming members of the PTA, children can gain early experience advocating for themselves and others in a supportive learning environment. Whether it’s volunteering, having a say in school decision-making processes, or simply sharing their ideas, student engagement in the PTA/PTSA can look many different ways.

From elementary to middle and all the way through high school, student participation in extracurricular activities like the PTA/PTSA is often linked to higher self-esteem, better grades, and the development of strong leadership skills. Here are some ways to encourage student members to join and actively contribute to your PTA:

◉ Host a grade- or school-wide challenge to see who can sign up the most student members by a certain date. Share updates during morning announcements to encourage healthy competition, and offer a cool, age-appropriate incentive to the winners, such as an extra recess period for younger students or a special social media shoutout for high schoolers.

◉ Invite Student Council or Student Government members to introduce themselves and/or present an idea at your November meeting. These groups represent the student body, and their voices matter in conversations that affect them.

◉ Be visible! Your PTA/PTSA should have a presence at all student-led or -centered events, including sporting games, assemblies, and school dances. If a full membership table isn’t feasible, create favors, signage or handouts with a QR code to sign members up on the go!

Membership Mondays

Come chat with leaders from NYS PTA Membership Team!

Membership Mondays are open Zooms that any leader (unit, region or state) can attend. On these monthly zooms we talk about PTA Membership!

Below you will find the schedule and the link to register (pre-registering is required and a Zoom link will be sent to you upon registering). Zooms start promptly at 7:30pm and will last about 40-60 minutes.

Membership Monday Zoom Schedule & Registration links

Meeting dates 11/3, 12/1, 1/5, 2/2, 3/2, 4/13, 5/4, & 6/1

Lunch and Learn Videos!

Our first Lunch & Learn video has been posted to the NYS PTA Facebook Leaders Group. More will be coming soon, so check back often for new videos to be released periodically throughout the year.

These videos can only be accessible on Facebook through NYS PTA Leaders Group - so make sure you join now if you have not already done so!

Videos run 2-3 minutes in length so leaders can quickly learn - even during their lunch without having to carve out a large chunk of time to watch!

Best Practices
Tips for Givebacks
Social Media Ideas
Incentive Ideas
and more!

2025-2026 Membership Awards have some changes to the previous year's awards. Please review our newsletter every month to see what is coming up next and learn what criteria your PTA needs to achieve in order to earn a Membership Award. You can also read about each Membership Award on our website nyspta.org/membership-awards-2025-26/

To be eligible for any award your PTA must be "In Good Standing" as described in bylaws and Resource Guide. This means that your PTA's:

State/National dues paid for at least 25 members*
Insured with the AIM NYS PTA Insurance package
Bylaws that are not expired
990 Filing is current and IRS Exemption not Revoked**
Officers updated with current school year in Givebacks
President and Treasurer have completed the new Financial Accountability training**

*For awards October-June

**For awards November-June

November NYS PTA Membership Award

Students Rock Membership Award

Student Members must equal 20% of your total membership

Pay State/National dues for all members who have joined to date by November 30
Enter student members using the “STUDENT” member type
12 random winners (one from each region) will receive PTA Swag

Savvy Membership Award

November and December

Savvy Membership Award

Reach 100% of your Membership Goal

Pay State/National dues for all members who have joined to date by the final day of each month
3 random PTA winners will be drawn each month (Sep to Dec) from all achievers to receive a $100 cash prize

Check out the Membership Resource Guide for all sorts of tips and helpful ideas. (This section will be updated soon!)
Use the “Why PTA” flyer [(Canva) (Word)], and have plenty of copies available to hand out that explain all that YOUR PTA does for the children in your school (cultural arts programs, reflections, book fairs, scholarships, etc...).
Put a Customized PTA Logo on all your communications so that everyone knows "PTA did this!"
Check out NYS PTA and National PTA websites to learn about the advocacy that takes place. Knowing a little can help you answer that hard question - "what does PTA do?"
You can find past newsletter editions in our archive here!