Does anyone have a "form" letter that can be customized? I am thinking send the letter (or drop it off to save postage) and following up with a phone call.

At our meetings we actually have a dinner before the meeting begins. We have a main course, deserts, milk, etc. Dinner starts at 6:00 and meeting is at 6:30. We still have a hard time getting new members to join. We provide child care, have food, drinks, etc. but nothing seems to help. Maybe we should try door prizes. Couldn't hurt!

That is such a great idea. We've done prizes at our family fun nights, but not at meetings. I will have to suggest that to our Pres.

As a side note, make sure you don't use up all your sponsors' free stuff...save some for your carnival, etc.

Lisa @ Tx

I should change my name from TheMetzyMom to TheDoorPrizeQueen! I have done doorprizes for our PTVO for the last 3 years. I have had great success with getting the doorprizes donated. You would be surprised who will donate! I have had prizes from $5 gift certificates from a local AVON Representative to 3 day/2 night stays at local casinos. I also go after the men's attendance by getting oil changes, dash board covers, tools, Ace Hardware gift certificates, etc. Most restaurants will give you lunch for two, as will almost all fast food restaurants. Florists usually give once a quarter, but they give $25 gift certificates. Some other good ones are: Gas stations (free gas is always a welcome prize), Grocery stores (we have one that gives $10 EVERY month), gyms, haircuts, tanning, dry cleaners, and more! Don't forget to ask your vendors for free stuff too!

I always make sure to put what businesses are donating this month's prizes in all bulletins and notices. I also thank them following the meeting when we send the Minutes of the Meeting home in our newsletter. A great place to show people who is winning is at the very end of the Minutes! It really helped keep our attendance numbers up. Especially when I told them that their chances of winning a prize were! Better than even money in the lotto! LOL!

Yes - we do offer small door prizes at our meetings. They have varied greatly...at our lasy meeting of the year we picked up teacups and saucers from local thrift shops and garage sales and filled them with oasis and then lilacs and other flowers from me and another board members yards...they were a big hit and they looked beautiful displayed on the refreshment table. We have rows of chairs set-up ahead of time and before anyone arrives we place a die cut under a chair to mark the winners...we usually have about 4 to 5 prizes per meeting!!

When we have offered door prizes, our increase of parents went up slightly at first, but when word gets around it tends to come up more. We stopped giving them last year until our meetings had 4 or 5 people including board members and a principal. We were told by another PTO in our district said their attendance at meetings soarded with a combination of door prizes AND refreshments. That's what we are planning for next year!