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As a PTA leader, have you ever planned a large, complicated project and felt overwhelmed by all the things that needed to be done? Have you ever held an event that had the potential to benefit many communities and wished you could get the word out? You can lighten your load, make your PTA’s events even more successful, and extend your PTA’s impact beyond your own school community by partnering with another PTA—or several other PTAs. When PTAs pool their resources, there are more volunteers, more event participants, and more opportunities to increase awareness of PTA and itsMission.
Forming a partnership
Before you and another PTA decide to partner, you need to have an explor-atory meeting. This meeting provides you and your potential partner an opportunity to identify the benefits and possible challenges of the proposed partnership and assess the needs of your PTAs, schools, and communities.
If you and the other PTA do decide to partner, you both need to bring your school administrators on board. A strong, amicable PTA-administrator partnership lays the groundwork for successful programs and events.
Making plans
You and your partner should start your planning by defining mutual goals and desired outcomes. Desired outcomes for a health and safety fair, for example, might be to showcase the resources available in the community, to introduce new families to these resources, and to increase your PTAs’ volunteer base. Be sure to put the goals and desired outcomes in writing. Then, plan activities that align with the desired outcomes. Include in the plan of work who is responsible for what, the resources available, and the project timeline. (Consider having a facilitator at your planning sessions to help you stay focused on the purpose of the meetings. Your state PTA can be a great resource for locating a facilitator.)
To manage the implementation of the partnership’s plans, select a point person from each of the partnering PTAs and each of the schools. That way, all parties will know whom to go to for direction, additional information, and clarification of tasks. Choose people with good communication and organizational skills. At school, you might tap a staff member who can speak directly with the principal. You may also want to put together a support team (comprised of volunteers from each partnering PTA) so tasks can be delegated. “You and your partner should start your planning by defining mutual goals and desired outcomes.”
If needed, provide training for everyone involved. One instance in which training may be needed is if the partnership is for a social activity that involves the use of a popcorn or beverage machine. (Believe me, no two popcorn machines are alike!) As a whole, the training you provide ensures that all volunteers understand the structure of the event and their responsibilities; it also gives volunteers an opportunity to ask questions.
Publicizing the partnership
Inform the community about your partnership and the exciting programs and events your PTAs are providing. Make use of all available media, and make sure each partner is publicly and privately recognized. Good publicity and public relations will help ensure the success of your project. It will also help your PTAs when they seek donations or apply for awards or grants.
Evaluating the outcomes
Conduct regular evaluations to determine the satisfaction with and effectiveness of the partnership. Regardless of the size, duration, or goal of your partnership, it should end with a joint review to determine whether the desired outcomes were achieved for each partner. Did each organization achieve the level of success it expected? Are there things that should be reconsidered if this is going to become an annual event? What could have been done differently to make the project more effective in reaching your PTAs’ mutual goals?
Finally, don’t forget to thank your partner for a job well done. By reinforcing the bond your partnership forged, you’ll pave the way for future partnership opportunities.
Sharon Weigh has volunteered with PTA at the local, council, and state levels for more than 25 years. Curre ntly, she serves as a trainer and facilitator for several state PTAs. She can be contacted at Smweigh@aol.com.
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