This month, as the year winds down and the busy holiday season takes root, we encourage you to create some New Year’s Resolutions for your PTA to continue cultivating relationships that help your PTA flourish. Review your membership goals (remember goals are located in Givebacks >My Organization >Unit Data). Membership does not stop at the close of November - it is available to purchase all year! Continuing to send a simple invitation to join, a warm reminder, or moment of gratitude can be the sunlight that encourages new members to bloom for your PTA all year long. 

 

We are excited to announce that we will be having another Statewide Membership Drive in January - Discovering Members! You can find more information on the NYS PTA website here: https://nyspta.org/membership-awards-2025-26/ and we will be sharing more information and tools later in December to help you prepare to take part in this fun event!

 

Together, we will finish 2025 strong and set the stage for an exceptional second half of the membership year. Let’s continue encouraging families, students, and staff to join our mission as your continued efforts help ensure every child in New York has a powerful voice advocating for them.

Keep the Momentum Up

During the Holiday Season!

In December, the school calendar gets crowded, and families are busy! Your unit's marketing focus should shift from beginning-of-year membership drives to maintaining momentum, celebrating successes, and preparing for the new year. Membership is a year-round effort, and here’s a few tips on how marketing can easily shift to be year-round, too.

 

⛄Schedule one to two low-pressure social media posts (like a winter break photo contest or a “happy holidays” post) to be shared during the break. This way, your unit can still keep your PTA’s social media presence visible while not making an explicit ask for membership or volunteers.

 

❄️Show gratitude for your PTA volunteers with a December Gratitude Blitz. This could involve a personalized email to all volunteers, a public thank-you post featuring photos from fall events (like your successful Trunk or Treat!), or even handwritten notes for your “super volunteers”. Thanking people well is the best way to keep members engaged and to let them know that their work for PTA is appreciated.

❄️Continue to encourage PTA membership. While the biggest membership drive efforts for the fall might be over, come up with creative ways to market your PTA that leave no stone unturned this spring. Are you reaching out to members who joined last year but have not yet this year? To local business partners that aren’t official members? To school alumni who want to give back this holiday season? 

 

Every day is a great day to market your PTA!

Communicate with Members and Families

Consistent PTA communications help keep your members and the community at large active and informed. During this time of year it can be easy to become bogged down with decorations and preparations, but NYS PTA is here to help you make it through the holiday hump with a few pointers on boosting engagement. 

 

⛄ Be mindful that PTA messaging is respectful of various family traditions and celebrations. Inclusive language, social media posts, and programs can help families from diverse backgrounds feel welcomed and supported.

 

⛄Host a winter-ific give-back event where families can enjoy hot cocoa, watch a holiday movie, do a themed craft, or do any other cozy indoor activities perfect for colder weather (have a membership table near the hot cocoa as a subtle reminder).

⛄Organize gift drives, clothing drives, food donations, and other charitable initiatives to support families in need. Partnering with local organizations and businesses can help your PTA expand its reach and show students the value of community service early in life.

Membership Mondays

Come chat with leaders from NYS PTA Membership Team!

Membership Monday Zoom Schedule & Registration links

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!

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:

1. State/National dues paid for at least 25 members* 
2. Insured with the AIM NYS PTA Insurance package
3. Bylaws that are not expired
4. 990 Filing is current and IRS Exemption not Revoked**
5. Officers updated with current school year in Givebacks
6. President and Treasurer have completed the new Financial Accountability training***

• 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!

NYS PTA Membership Team invites you to join our statewide units

NYS Pride PTSA and Empire State PTSA!