I just worked on re-doing our website and used a free service called Weebly. I'm no web designer, but I find their product very easy to use. We will probably end up spending the ~$3/month to upgrade to their paid service so we can add more features. Previously, we used Google Sites--that was OK (also free), but I was getting frustrated with being unable to do certain things with the site. Anyway, if any of you would like to take a look and see what you can do with Weebly, check out our site at (www) lortonstationshp (dot org) (I found out about Weebly when our school had the 6th graders use their site to make web pages for a history project. So if a 6th grader can do it....)

I actually find a site called my-pta.org

I just signed up and its free and seems to have everything needed. I am newly elected president and we have had a pta but its not been active. So I'm trying to get it out there and noticeable.

jessica

I forgot to include email notifications for events in the survey.

And since I asked, I'll start...

There are three elementary schools and a junior high in our district. They all currently share a web site with the district.

The district's web site is currently used for document and form distribution and school/district calendars. PTO activities are added to a school or district calendar according to scope.

In some cases, individual PTO members will maintain their own lists for mailings (e.g. chairs to their committee members). The school or district will include PTO announcements in their e-mails, or will otherwise mail to their lists on behalf of the PTO.

The district web site also features a slide show of events from each school. The district schedules P/T conferences using an out-sourced web service.

Pretty much everything else (directories, signups, surveys, special lunch) is done by some combination of paper, (google docs and) spreadsheets, or external web sites, depending on the school and who's running the associated committee that year.

Our principal set up a discussion board, but it doesn't seem to have caught on.

As a technologist, I would prefer to pay a small amount to have as many functions integrated into one web site as possible, with a single URL, single login, consistent interface from year to year, and a searchable directory.

As a parent (PTO dad) and web designer, I'm very curious about how many PTOs have web sites and for what uses.

Feel free to expand upon the survey.

The Basics

1. Do you have a web site for your PTA/PTO? If so...
2. What percentage of your membership uses your web site?
3. Do you share a web site with your school or district?
4. Do you share your web site with other schools in your district?
5. Is your membership directory available in print, online, or both?
6. Are you (otherwise) paperless (out-bound to parents)?

Features

What features do you currently have, and what would you like to add? Which features are most important? Which ones are in your own web site, and which ones are supported by external web sites (e.g. signupgenious, surveymonkey)?

1. Announcements and notices (time-specific or time-sensitive content)
2. Budget setting and tracking
3. Calendar and events
4. Contact forms (web-form-to-email gateway)
5. Document and form repository
6. Electronic forms (a general forms facility, with online submission)
7. What electronic forms do you or would you have online?
8. Email mailing lists (simple compose and send)
9. Email newsletter lists (with a web-based archive)
10. Extended directories (e.g. committees, clubs, etc. beyond basic membership)
11. Financial reporting (what reports do you use/need?)
12. Financial tracking (simple deposit and payment ledger)
13. Informational pages (static, "all the time" content)
14. Legally-adult students (students can have accounts and assume control over personal information and its accessability)
15. Meal ordering (e.g. daily or special breakfast and/or lunch)
16. Members' community/discussion/bulletin board area
17. Members' live web chat area
18. Membership directory
19. Membership payments
20. Online store
21. Parent/teacher conference sign-ups
22. Photo gallery/slideshow
23. Point-of-sale payments (e.g. card swipe or scan at cafeteria check-out)
24. Point-of-sale purchase history (e.g. parents can see what was purchased)
25. Polls/surveys
26. Public access to selected content
27. Volunteer time-tracking
28. Volunteer interests
29. Volunteer sign-ups
30. Web site customization (e.g. colors and logos)
31. Wish lists (e.g. for teachers/classrooms, libraries, raffles, gift baskets, etc.)

Cost vs. Consolidation

Given a choice, is your preference for a "hodge-podge" of free sites, each performing one or two functions (e.g. one for content, another for signups, and another for surveys), or a commercial, integrated, all-in-one site?