Parent–Teacher Organizations (PTOs) are a godsend to schools. They address important school issues and host fundraising events when needed. In other words, they keep the school running, fueled by their passion to get their kids the quality education that they deserve.
In order for your PTO to continue making smart decisions, they need to be informed about the various happenings at your school and how they can get involved. While you can do this through traditional newsletters and flyers, it’s much better to create a professional communication network. These are the five must-have PTO communication platforms that we recommend.
What to Look for in PTO Communication Platforms
Before you start your search for the best communication platforms for your PTO, you must identify your pain points. One way to do this is by answering the following questions:
- If you’re using a platform now, what’s missing from it? Are you lacking members? Do you need a calendar to keep track of events?
- How hard is it to join your current communication platform? Ideally, if a parent or teacher needs to create a new account, the process should be seamless.
- Does the platform allow private messaging between PTO members?
- Can you create online forms and host events on the platform?
- If you plan to hold fundraising events frequently, can you raise funds on the platform?
- Does the platform work on mobile devices?
To narrow down your options, we recommend making a list of what your PTO needs and discussing it with everyone. Someone may provide a helpful insight that you’ve never considered before.
In general, however, you should prioritize the following features:
- Easy registration and setup
- Private messaging
- Online form creation and hosting
- Fundraising event management
- Mobile optimization
5 Essential Communication Platforms for Your PTO
Handbid
Handbid is the best communication platform for PTOs that prioritize school fundraising campaigns because it streamlines your fundraising events. Most nonprofits use Handbid for silent auctions, but it also works for galas, peer-to-peer fundraisers, online events, and more.
Handbid boasts a wide variety of powerful event management features, including:
- Mobile bidding so guests don’t have to raise paddles or hunt down bid sheets—they can just bid on auction items from their phones.
- A streamlined registration process that only takes a few minutes for your guests to complete.
- Real-time livestreaming to make fundraising more engaging during virtual and hybrid events.
Handbid can also aid you with your text-to-give campaigns, raffles, and paddle raises. And if you want to expand its capabilities, you can easily integrate Handbid with other technologies like your donor management system.
SignUp
SignUp (formerly VolunteerSpot) is a scheduling and volunteer management tool that makes it easy for people to join your events. It's a go-to free resource for recruiting parents and teachers to pitch in at your events. All you have to do is create an event on their platform, send one email out, and Signup does the rest. They send automated reminders to volunteers, create an easy-to-use online calendar, and provide a clean interface that reduces your workload.
Like it or love it, Facebook still rules social media, and it should absolutely be a staple for your PTO.
Your PTO is an outward-facing platform that communicates and sets goals across a large network. You need to be able to reach out to parents, students, teachers, and faculty, and the best way to do that is through Facebook.
Nearly everyone has a Facebook account and uses it to share and attain information. Its broad base and ability to be quickly shared with community members not in your immediate email list make it a perfect way to spread news and events held by your PTO.
Mailchimp
You may know Mailchimp from your favorite podcasts like Serial. It's a free email platform that allows you to create professional-quality monthly newsletters, personalized emails, and gives you reports on the effectiveness of your email campaigns.
It even allows you to create mailing groups so you can easily reach out to the right people with the emails meant for them. Mailchimp automates a process that is otherwise grueling to do alone and is a must-have for a PTO that is frequently reaching out to parents, teachers, and the community.
Slack
Slack is a team workspace organizer. It sets up your team across multiple channels so you can organize thoughts and ideas with your committees to get your events and plans off the ground faster. Slack is a really cool tool for organizing your communication channels, so you don't have to search through text or email chains to find the right group. It also just looks really nice. Another really appealing point is that Slack offers a 85% discount for non-profits.
Next Steps
Once your PTO has chosen the communication platforms that work best for them, it’s time to put them to work. If planning fundraising auctions is part of your PTO’s communication strategy, here are some resources to help you out:
- How to Plan a Standout School Auction + 6 Fun Item Ideas: Ideal for PTOs that don’t know where to start
- How to Set Up an Online Auction and Boost Bidding Revenue: Reach more potential donors by making your auction available online. This article details how you can do that.
- Where to Start Your Search for Silent Auction Items: A Guide: Discover strategies for finding the best auction items to maximize fundraising success.
