building your pta’s electronic presence
DESCRIPTION
Building Your PTA’s Electronic Presence . Blogs. Social Bookmarks. Social Media. Podcasts. Photo Sharing. Video Sharing. Website. Linda Kearschner PCCPTA | VP, Communications. Gary Alfred PCCPTA | Technology Chair. The Basics of PTA Communication. a Call to Action. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
BUILDING YOUR PTA’S
ELECTRONIC PRESENCE
Social Media
Video
Sharing
Photo Sharing
Blogs
Social Bookmarks
Podcasts
Website
Linda KearschnerPCCPTA | VP, Communications
Gary AlfredPCCPTA | Technology Chair
THE BASICS OF PTA COMMUNICATION
A CALL TO ACTION
PTA began in 1897 when two women from Washington, DC decided that the children of America needed a voiceand sent out a call toaction…
THE PTA MESSAGE
We are for every child, with one voice, non-partisan, non-sectarian, and non-commercial.
We educate, advocate, and lead.
Encourage involvement with the child in the home and in the school.
Inform every family in the school of the aims and accomplishments of the unit.
Encourage attendance at PTA meetings and parent involvement in PTA projects and activities.
Foster cooperation with the school in keeping parents informed about school functions, regulations and/or procedures on child-related issues.
Inform the community about PTA activities and school functions.
THE PURPOSE OF PTA COMMUNICATIONS
Identify the Target AudienceWho do you want to reach?
Choose the MediumBest way(s) to reach that audience?
Prepare the MessageVital to make the connection to PTA mission and purpose.
What does this do for kids?
PLANNING FOR COMMUNICATIONS
New territory – Tread carefully!Spell out:
• Goals• Objectives• Implementation process• Content including photo, video, contact info permissions
• Prohibited use or objectionable content • Administration authority
MEDIA POLICY
Ask Personally / Word of Mouth Telephone Direct Mail Bulletin Boards / Marquees Brochures Public or School Print Media/TV/Radio Newsletters / e-Newsletter Email Electronic surveys Website Social Media
WAYS TO DELIVER YOUR MESSAGE
WEB SITES
WHY HAVE A WEBSITE?
To save time & money on communicationTo provide up to date informationTo provide convenience to your membersTo encourage two-way communicationTo reach a larger audience
A majority of Americans seek information, socialization, and entertainment from the Internet.
There is no spoon!
REQUIREMENTS FOR A WEBSITE
1. A domain name2. A Web host3. Some useful
info
1. DOMAIN NAME
A domain name is a human-friendly address on the web. e.g. happytownhighpta.org
Get a domain name that makes sense for your org.
Domain names cost about $10 per year.Purchasing domain name hosting is not the
same as purchasing site hosting. You need both.
Gary recommends: enom.com, register.com and networksolutions.com
2. WEB HOST
A Website Host allows you to put your content on their computers for all the world to see.
Choose a host that provides simple, easy-to-use content management.
Hosting can be free to expensive. Go with free to very cheap.
Gary recommends: Weebly.com, Wix.com, and WordPress.com
3. USEFUL INFO
Advocacy informationLinks to partner
organizationsVolunteer opportunitiesHealth and Safety
issuesRecognize AchievementsFundraising
Mission and goals Board membersContact informationCurrent activities CalendarReflections ProgramSchool informationMembership
information
YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNTS
If you are willing to set it up and maintain it, providing organizational email addresses to your board members provides these benefits:
Continuity during transitionsEasily discoverable place for people to send
questions.Privacy for personal contacts
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
A domain nameSomeone to manage creating and
maintaining them.A naming convention, like
[email protected] makes it easier for people to contact you and makes transitions go smoothly.
Gary recommends: Gmail (mail.google.com)
MEMBER EMAIL ADDRESSES
Manual data collectionConstant Contact or other
email marketing servicesRSS feed on your website“Cloud tools”, e.g. via GoogleNational PTA member
activation….Coming soon!
USE EMAIL FOR…
Newsletter deliveryImportant Interim communicationsMeeting or event remindersSurveys
Keep you contact database secure!Don’t share it with any partners or vendors or
well intentioned grandparents.Practice discretion even within your member-
base.Read at least once, the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
before sending any email that is not directly related to PTA “business”.
PRIVACY & LEGAL
NEWSLETTERS
WHY CREATE A PTA NEWSLETTER?
Notify of upcoming events
Inform on current issues
Recognize achievement
Create a family camaraderie
Get others involved in PTA
WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS?
Print hard copies to distributeAdd a couple of PTA pages to school
newsletterGather email addresses on membership
formsDistribute electronic version
SOCIAL NETWORKS
CONNECT TO PTA THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKS
National PTAFlorida PTA PCCPTAOther local units
NATIONAL PTA & FACEBOOK PARTNERSHIP TO PROMOTE INTERNET SAFETY!
FACEBOOK SAFETY CENTER
Facebook has their own set of safety resources and best practices. Check it out!
https://www.facebook.com/safety
FLORIDA PTA ON FACEBOOK
PCCPTA ON FACEBOOK
Event postings (reminders, too)Daily status updates (these go on your fans’
walls)Link to National PTA, Florida PTA, and your
CouncilPost photos/video (with care)Mobile updatesInsightsAdd linksAnd much more…
OH, THE THINGS YOU CAN DO…
STEP BY STEP
MUST have at least one dedicated “administrator” who can view/edit your page almost daily
Educate your families on the importance of personal Facebook page privacy settings
When someone “likes” your page, they can click on other fans’ pages –control what others can view
ALL info on personal Facebook pages with privacy settings not set to “friends only” are available to virtually ANYONE
FACEBOOK SECURITY
PERSONAL PAGE SETTINGS
EVENT POSTING
BE EFFICIENT & FRUGAL
1. Post essential content first!2. Use the tools YOU find easy to use.3. Establish and adhere to conventions.4. Post content in batches.5. Re-use content.
HOW TO SAVE TIME…
1. Register your domain name for multiple years.
2. Use free, or cheap, or free services 3. Use pay-services judiciously.
HOW TO SAVE MONEY
1. Make your communication sparkle.2. Make it personal. Have fun.3. Make it a conversation, not a speech.4. Document as much as you can.5. Plan ahead.6. Share the work.
KEYS TO SUCCESS
IDEAS & HELP
DISCOVER, CREATE AND SHARE
If you discover a really useful tool or some great resource; if you create some inspired content, a wonderful work of art or come up with a great idea..
Share it! Send it to us so we can brag on you and offer it up to others.
WIN AWARDS
Official PCCPTA AwardsNewsletter / e-Newsletter AwardWebsite Award
Unofficial AwardsOpen Source Award – share resources and ideas
with us all.
Check out http://pccpta.org/online-presence.html for resources and links that will help you build and maintain your online presence.
Google for Non-Profits offers free organization email, web sites, file/document sharing, phone numbers and more to non-profits.
Grassroots.org seem to also provide a decent set of features for free to non-profits. If anyone gives them a try please share your experiences.
National PTA’s marketing resources
RESOURCES
Linda Kearschner – Vice President, Communications
Gary Alfred – Technology [email protected]
WE ARE HERE TO HELP
Linda Kearschner – Vice President, Communications
Gary Alfred – Technology [email protected]
NO SERIOUSLY,WE ARE HERE TO HELP!