Start a PTA

Start a PTA for Your School/Community 

As a member of the PTA, your school’s volunteers will have a strong support system and network of resources to benefit the families and students at your school while also retaining autonomy to decide how best to support the unique needs and interests of your local school community. 

All PTAs are noncommercial, nonsectarian, nonpartisan and organized exclusively for charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes under Section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Service code.  PTA provides access to programs, event toolkits, and grants that your volunteers can use to help build school spirit, celebrate students and create the types of traditions that help your families and your community get excited about learning together. Additionally, your community will have access to best practices and governance from a nation-wide network of support which ensures compliance with non-profit law and personalized support when your community encounters a problem. For more than 120 years Washington State PTA has connected parents with education resources and provided parents with a voice to advocate at the local, state, and federal level for the academic success, health, and safety of all children. 

• Governance. Provide your volunteer community with peace of mind knowing that you are meeting state and federal non-profit law and best practices. All PTAs in Washington state comply with the Washington State PTA Standards of Affiliation which helps maintain your PTA’s tax-exempt status as well as eligibility for grants, student recognition programs, scholarships, and volunteer award programs.  

• Community Engagement & Membership. All members of your school community are welcome to participate in PTA events and meetings. PTA works to support all children and your entire school community, however, when it comes time to elect officers and vote on the budget or other matters placed before membership, individuals must be a PTA member to vote. Every person who joins your local school PTA automatically becomes a member of Washington State PTA and National PTA. Annual membership dues are determined by the members of each local school PTA and include Washington State PTA dues of $5.75 and National PTA dues of $3.25 which are collected and paid by your PTA. 

• Ongoing Training & Personal Support. Washington State PTA and National PTA provide on-going training, sample templates, and resources so your volunteers can feel confident in the basics of running a strong PTA. If you encounter a problem, your community can contact a Council (if your local PTA is a member of one) or State leader for personalized support.  

• PTA Management Platform. Washington State PTA provides a FREE Givebacks-WSPTA account to each local PTA and council PTA! Givebacks has tools for member management, website building, storefront management, communications, fundraising, and more.  

• Collaboration & Advocacy. As a member of WSPTA, your volunteers will be able to participate in roundtables and events to share ideas and best practices with other PTA leaders from across your school district, region, Washington, and the United States. Our shared mission and focus on family engagement in schools helps volunteers find community and support for their work. Shared conversation also helps identify resource gaps or areas of concern across our schools that may require a change in policies, funding, or legislation to better support family engagement and the education, physical and mental health, welfare, and safety of children and youth. Our statewide advocacy program and topic specific resources provide PTAs and their members with tools to advocate for improved resources to support students. 

Get Started Now!

As a grassroots organization, PTA begins at the local level. A PTA may be any group that is committed to supporting the purposes of PTA – that group may be in a school, it may encompass several schools, or it may be a community-wide group. Whether you are starting a new PTA or re-starting a previous PTA or want to make the switch from your unaffiliated parent group to PTA, we are ready to get you started. 

Washington State PTA is here to guide you through the steps to become an independent nonprofit business including requirements necessary to ensure compliance with state and federal laws. The process is unique to each potential local PTA, but there are general steps that every local PTA will take to begin chartering.  

To get started, please complete the Start a PTA Interest Form

The WSPTA Growth and Development Committee volunteer will be in touch soon to answer any questions you may have. We look forward to guiding you through the process of starting a sustainable and successful PTA. If you need additional assistance, please contact us at grow@wastatepta.org. 

What Happens Next?