Membership Is No Laughing Matter

Membership is serious business. At our local units, we’ve assigned the important task to a chairperson or maybe even an officer. They usually have a plan of work that describes their membership campaign. The plan usually includes statistics and percentages and concludes with the all important membership goal. It is all about the numbers, the goal and it is no laughing matter… or is it?

What if we lightened it up? What if we had a little fun along the way? I’ve been reading about and hearing from folks around the state that are trying some inventive and fun ways to increase membership numbers and meet their membership goal. While the methods differ, the idea is similar. The key is to find something that your school would enjoy and to keep it fun!

In Hampton, the Kecoughtan High PTSA asked their principal to offer an incentive to teachers for joining the PTSA. Principal Wright and his assistant principal agreed to camp out in front of the school overnight if 100% of the school’s teachers joined their unit. They did! And it was the first time in at least three years that any high school in Hampton had 100% teacher membership.

In Rockingham County, the Cub Run Elementary PTA used a “100% in 100 Days” campaign. It included lots of perks but the one that kids liked the most was the 100 extra minutes of recess time for the first class to 100% membership. Getting the students involved was a great idea because who could say no when the student rang their neighbor’s doorbell* and asked them to join their school’s PTA?

I’ve heard of PTA Presidents doing cartwheels, principals sitting in dunk tanks, wearing monkey costumes for the day, participating in pie eating contests, getting their hair dyed school colors. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as your members think its fun.

So, here’s the math. Start with a little planning, add some incentive, a little pinch of fun, and a few laughs. You end up with a successful membership campaign. And even if you don’t reach your goal (not likely), you will have some fun along the way!

If you liked this article or have feedback for future articles, email me at membership@vapta.org.

*Students should never go to a stranger’s house alone. Parents were asked to accompany students.

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