- Have a classroom contest. The class that recruits the most members by a certain deadline wins a party, or every class with 100 percent participation (including the teacher) wins a party. (See our Health page for healthy snack ideas.)
- The crazy principal incentive gets kids fired up every time! Ask your principal to do something off the wall if your membership goal is met. In the past, principals have dyed their hair, shaved their head, kissed a pig (or—for lack of a pig—a guinea pig), eaten dog food (really beef stew in a can), worked from the school rooftop (complete with desk), dressed up in costume, had pies thrown at them while the principals were duct-taped to a wall, sacrificed themselves in dunking booths, sang a song at a school assembly, and rappelled down the side of their school building. Ideas for such stunts are endless.
With your imagination and your principal’s sense of humor, the sky’s the limit!
- Build excitement as your school’s PTA memberships increase by posting a large display in the school lobby. To complement the PTA’s “Growing Healthy Students and Families” theme, put up a large paper tree to which you can add colorful paper leaves (with individual students’ names written on them) as members join. Or erect a paper beanpole and add paper beans as members join.
- Classroom doors can be turned into mini-membership displays. Have a PTA volunteer cover the doors with blank paper. Handprints, stars, flowers, or student signatures can be added as members join. Put a special design on the door when the teacher joins!
- Put a decorated box with a slot in the top in the teacher’s lounge to provide an easy way for teachers and staff to join. Leave blank envelopes and extra membership forms next to the box.
- Reward students who bring in the most members by giving them extra recess time with the principal, a special lunch with the principal, time in an inflatable jump, or a day of serving as an “assistant principal.”
- Reward teachers who recruit the most members by having the principal teach their class for an hour or even for half a day.
- Reward parents who recruit the most members by giving them a premier parking place for a special PTA event or even for an extended period of time.
- Set a membership goal of having an equal number of male and female members by the end of the year.
- Sell business memberships to area businesses. Enlarge a picture of the membership card to 8” x 10”, with the business’s name on the member’s name line. Frame the card so that businesses can hang it in their front rooms. Set business membership fees at $20 or $25. (Check your bylaws for any conflict with this idea.)