Question: Changing a Booster Club to a PTA organization

Our Jr. High wants to become more like a PTA/PTO instead of a booster Club. We want to the organization to support ALL students and not just those in athletics or other clubs. How do we go about doing this?

Asked by MJH

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Rose H writes:
So, it sounds like you want to broaden your focus. One of the first things you can do is change the name of the group from a booster/sports related name (if that's the case) to one that more reflects that broader, school-wide mission. Do you have people involved now in the booster club who can help define a general mission statement of supporting the whole school community? Then your next step would be to work towards building parent involvement. That's really the core, the foundation, if you will of a parent group. You could invite people to an informal, conversational meetings to get a sense of interest level and what people are interested in. We have some great articles on building community involvement. This article examines what to tell parents about the importance of involvement. This story offers tips to build involvement so it is sustained over a period of years. Down the road a bit, there are all sorts of additional steps you can take to formalize your group, draft bylaws and establish non-profit status. Good luck!