1. BUILDING YOUR PTA’S ELECTRONIC PRESENCE Social Media Video Sharing Photo Sharing Blogs Social Bookmarks Podcasts Website

2. Linda Kearschner PCCPTA | VP, Communications Gary Alfred PCCPTA | Technology Chair

3. THE BASICS OF PTA COMMUNICATION

4. A CALL TO ACTION PTA began in 1897 when two women from Washington, DC decided that the children of America needed a voice and sent out a call to action…

5. THE PTA MESSAGE We are for every child, with one voice, non-partisan, non-sectarian, and non-commercial. We educate, advocate, and lead.

6.  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

7.  Identify the Target Audience  Who do you want to reach?  Choose the Medium  Best way(s) to reach that audience?  Prepare the Message  Vital to make the connection to PTA mission and purpose.  What does this do for kids? PLANNING FOR COMMUNICATIONS

8.  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

9.  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

10. WEB SITES

11. WHY HAVE A WEBSITE?  To save time & money on communication  To provide up to date information  To provide convenience to your members  To encourage two-way communication  To reach a larger audience A majority of Americans seek information, socialization, and entertainment from the Internet. There is no spoon!

12. REQUIREMENTS FOR A WEBSITE 1.A domain name 2.A Web host 3.Some useful info

13. 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.comenom.comregister.com networksolutions.com

14. 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.comWeebly.comWix.com WordPress.com

15. 3. USEFUL INFO  Advocacy information  Links to partner organizations  Volunteer opportunities  Health and Safety issues  Recognize Achievements  Fundraising  Mission and goals  Board members  Contact information  Current activities  Calendar  Reflections Program  School information  Membership information

16. EMAIL

17. 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 transitions  Easily discoverable place for people to send questions.  Privacy for personal contacts

18. WHAT YOU’LL NEED  A domain name  Someone to manage creating and maintaining them.  A naming convention, like position@yourpta.org makes it easier for people to contact you and makes transitions go smoothly.position@yourpta.org Gary recommends: Gmail (mail.google.com)

19. MEMBER EMAIL ADDRESSES  Manual data collection  Constant Contact or other email marketing services  RSS feed on your website  “Cloud tools”, e.g. via Google  National PTA member activation….Coming soon!

20. USE EMAIL FOR…  Newsletter delivery  Important Interim communications  Meeting or event reminders  Surveys

21.  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

22. NEWSLETTERS

23. WHY CREATE A PTA NEWSLETTER?  Notify of upcoming events  Inform on current issues  Recognize achievement  Create a family camaraderie  Get others involved in PTA

24. WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS?  Print hard copies to distribute  Add a couple of PTA pages to school newsletter  Gather email addresses on membership forms  Distribute electronic version

25. SOCIAL NETWORKS

26. CONNECT TO PTA THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKS  National PTA  Florida PTA  PCCPTA  Other local units

27. FACEBOOK

28. TWITTER

29. YOUTUBE

30. FOTKI

31. NATIONAL PTA & FACEBOOK PARTNERSHIP TO PROMOTE INTERNET SAFETY!

32. FACEBOOK SAFETY CENTER Facebook has their own set of safety resources and best practices. Check it out! https://www.facebook.com/safety

33. FLORIDA PTA ON FACEBOOK

34. PCCPTA ON FACEBOOK

35.  Event postings (reminders, too)  Daily status updates (these go on your fans’ walls)  Link to National PTA, Florida PTA, and your Council  Post photos/video (with care)  Mobile updates  Insights  Add links  And much more… OH, THE THINGS YOU CAN DO…

36.  Log In and search for “Pages” into the search box  Click “Create Page”.  Choose “Create a page for a “brand, product or organization” under “Official Page”. In the drop down box choose “non-profit”.  Fill in a descriptive and concise “page name”.  Check the “official representative” box.  Click “Create Official Page” CREATE YOUR OWN FACEBOOK PAGE

37. CREATE A PAGE

38.  First things first…set up privacy setting  Click “edit page” and go to “wall settings”  Decide whether you would like “people who like your page” to post to your wall and click the appropriate boxes.  Upload an image  Next fill in basic info about your PTA: this is where you list your website, your mission, and anything else you want fans to know about PTA IMPORTANT FIRST STEPS

39. STEP BY STEP

40.  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

41. PERSONAL PAGE SETTINGS

42. EVENT POSTING

43. BE EFFICIENT & FRUGAL

44. 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…

45. 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

46. 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

47. IDEAS & HELP

48. 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.

49. WIN AWARDS Official PCCPTA Awards  Newsletter / e-Newsletter Award  Website Award Unofficial Awards  Open Source Award – share resources and ideas with us all.

50. Check out http://pccpta.org/online-presence.html for resources and links that will help you build and maintain your online presence.http://pccpta.org/online-presence.html Google for Non-ProfitsGoogle for Non-Profits offers free organization email, web sites, file/document sharing, phone numbers and more to non-profits. Grassroots.orgGrassroots.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 resourcesmarketing resources RESOURCES

51. Linda Kearschner – Vice President, Communications communication@pccpta.org 727.669.7979 Gary Alfred – Technology Chair admin@pccpta.org WE ARE HERE TO HELP

52. Linda Kearschner – Vice President, Communications communication@pccpta.org 727.669.7979 Gary Alfred – Technology Chair admin@pccpta.org NO SERIOUSLY, WE ARE HERE TO HELP!