Are Local PTAs in Good Standing?
To be eligible to participate in PTA programs, grants, and awards at the state and national level, PTAs must fulfill the requirements set out in the WSPTA Standards of Affiliation (SOA.) Councils can support local PTAs with these requirements and ensure that everyone is able to take advantage of all the opportunities available from WSPTA…
Category:
Leadership
Plan for the Future: Engaging Future Leaders
Councils exist to serve local PTAs, to educate local PTA leaders, to create a stronger awareness and relationship between local PTAs and the school district, and to facilitate programs that are more effective on a larger scale. One of the biggest determining factors in the health of a local PTA is whether that local PTA…
Category:
Leadership
Considering an ONLINE Gambling event? THINK AGAIN!
Who doesn’t love a fun basket raffle, cake walk, or hosting a PTA casino night? We know that social distancing has made it a challenge to host live events, but it is important to know that ONLINE gambling in the state of Washington is strictly prohibited and considered a class C felony. How do you…
Category:
Governance
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Leadership
October Checklist for Running Your PTA
Governance. Powered by PTA. Washington State PTA understands that PTAs are working through the realities we are all living under during this unprecedented time. The following list outlines the things that a PTA, as a nonprofit corporation, should be doing at this time under normal circumstances. It is not a level playing field and we…
Category:
Leadership
Set Up for Success with Standing Rules
Each local PTA and council has a set of standing rules that members of the board of directors must read and be prepared to follow. Standing rules are a legally binding agreement between a PTA’s board and members about how that individual PTA will be run. Standing rules need to be reviewed by the board…
Category:
Governance
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Leadership
September Checklist for Running Your PTA
Governance. Powered by PTA. Washington State PTA understands that PTAs are working through the realities we are all living under during this unprecedented time. The following list outlines the things that a PTA, as a nonprofit corporation, should be doing at this time under normal circumstances. It is not a level playing field and we…
Category:
Leadership
Building a Virtual Membership Campaign
The best membership campaigns for 2020-2021 will be the ones that don’t require paper forms and payment to be collected at school. Virtual membership campaigns will do three things for your PTA: reduce face-to-face contact, reduce the time processing memberships, make it simple for members to start enjoying member benefits right away. Selling memberships online…
Category:
Membership
WSPTA President’s Power of Connection – May 2020
As we wrap up our first virtual convention, I think about all the unknowns we are all facing in this uncertain time. In pivoting from our planned in-person convention, we had to solve problems we’d never had before. We had to think outside the box. This was new for all of us, and we asked…
Category:
Leadership
Transitions
Though the last couple of months have been a little bit of a blur, there are some things that haven’t changed. One of them is that dishes still need to get done every day—heavy sigh. Another is that the end of the PTA year is approaching and it’s time to think about leadership transition plans…
Category:
Leadership
Gift Cards, Families in Need, and Appreciation Gifts
Many PTAs have questions around gift cards – whether the cards are for appreciation, or to give out to families in need. Gift cards are a complicated topic, and the IRS has a great deal to say about their use. We’ll summarize some of the most common issues around gift cards here. Gift Cards as…
Category:
Leadership