Dear Members,
Those volunteer leaders who pay close attention to our newsletters may have noticed that we tried something new last fall and then did it again this month. Any ideas? Here’s a hint, it had to do with money. Give up? Fair enough. We published articles on resource development, better known among local and council PTAs as “fundraising.”
The pandemic was difficult for all of us, personally and professionally. It was brutal for PTAs. In one year, our membership dropped by half. Volunteer leaders at the local, council, region, and state levels have worked thousands of hours to recover those memberships. You have been working hard to keep PTA alive in Washington. Our membership numbers are not where they were, but we will get there.
In the meantime, we need to keep the doors open. You rely on us to answer questions, help when needed, provide training, and advocate on your behalf at the state and national levels. We are building a resource development program to reduce our reliance on membership dues. We are seeking ways to raise money and are sharing that information with you. Last November, we published an article on Giving Tuesday. This month we are sharing what we have learned on GiveBIG Washington and will conduct a small GiveBIG campaign.
We are excited about where this could lead. We will continue to share what we know and learn about resource development. We will reach beyond our membership and cultivate new revenue sources. We want to bring you along, increasing the ability of all of Washington’s PTAs to do what we do best – advocate on behalf of every child in our communities.
Andrew