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The days of cash carrying are over. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple decades, you’ve noticed the societal shift toward electronic payments. What does this mean for you and your PTA? Let’s get schooled on payment methods. The reality is that ignoring this trend can seriously hurt the future growth of your local PTA. The benefits are enough to outweigh whatever costs are incurred – and we have proof. Check out these five payoffs of accepting electronic payments.  1. Grow your membership Studies indicate more than 70 percent of Americans have at least one credit card. Even more compelling is that 60 percent of consumers pay with credit cards instead of cash. This means that accepting credit card payments increases your ability to attract potential PTA members who find electronic payments more convenient. You can connect with a larger audience to recruit members, reach more donors for your campaigns, and increase ticket sales for your events. It’s simple math – when you broaden your reach, you also increase your chances of boosting membership. 2. Increase school and PTA revenue Research shows that people are willing to spend more on their credit cards than when making cash purchases. This has obvious benefits for fundraising campaigns, as it can lead to bigger donations from individuals. The New York Times sites several studies that demonstrate the increase in spending with credit versus cash of at least 5-10 percent. In one study, graduate students paid nearly double the price for a sporting event ticket when paying with a credit card!  3. Ease the burden of holding on to large sums of cash and checks PTA leaders don’t need to be carrying members’ cash and check payments with them. By accepting electronic payments, you make it more convenient for your members to pay by their own method of preference, and you’re likely to save yourself a trip to the bank. Direct deposit also removes the inconvenience of paying out of pocket. Accepting electronic payments increases cash flow by limiting the time it takes for money to appear in your account. Instead of waiting for PTA members or donors to mail a check, then depositing the check, and waiting for it to clear, funds are deposited directly into your account. 4. Simplify recurring payments and donations Local PTA members and donors can set up recurring membership payments and donations. memberplanet’s electronic payment feature is built in, easy to use, and features advanced encryption to ensure payments are securely processed and deposited directly into your designated account. Simplifying the payment process makes it easier to collect membership dues and retain current members, and is beneficial when collecting donations during fundraisers.  5. Build credibility with credit cards Accepting credit cards is particularly helpful because it adds credibility to a PTA’s operation. When your members and potential members see that you’re accepting credit cards it increases the legitimacy of your local PTA. Furthermore, limiting your PTA to cash transactions can seem unprofessional given the rise of electronic payment options.  Accepting electronic payments facilitates the exchange of money for you and anyone you collect payments from. This is beneficial and convenient for collecting membership fees, receiving donations, and selling event tickets or any other PTA product or service your offer. With an evident shift from cash to credit, it is essential to offer a variety of payment methods to retain members, grow your organization, and maximize PTA contributions. Ready to get started? Log in to memberplanet and set up your account to collect electronic payments. PTA Simplified is a series of tips for PTA and PTO leaders to get the most out of a powerful association management system – to manage, engage, and grow their membership all year long. Updated since original publication on 7/01/2017.
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We live in a world of instant communication. With a few clicks, almost anyone in the world can be reached via phone, email, or text messaging. Communication being this instantaneous has amazing benefits, but it can be confusing at times to choose the best method for your message. Emails are great for long form announcements, and they are typically a groups bread and butter for communication. But there are times when a text message is a better method to communicate with your members. Take a look at our three rules of when to text your members instead of email. Trust us, you’ll be glad you did.  Text your members when… 1. You have urgent announcements/reminders Shooting your members reminder messages is great for PTA leaders on the go. For example, a perfect time to send a reminder a text message is before an event. Shoot a quick text to remind admins to bring the decorations, or to pick up tape because you’ve run out. Messages are also great for reaching members quickly when breaking news happens in your PTA. 2. Your message is short and sweet Text messages are great for instant contact with PTA admins and members, but be mindful of sending too many texts. If members feel like they are constantly being sent messages, they may become less responsive and engaged. Save text messaging for important announcements or reminders. Non-time sensitive items are best left for email or meetings. 3. You need a response – pronto! When you are looking for a quick turnaround on responses, text messaging is the way to go. Let’s face it, our phones are never far out of reach. Sending a text message is a great way to ensure members receive messages fast. Our text messaging feature is different from a regular text message – even if you text multiple members, only you will receive their responses (unlike those annoying text chain messages). Make sure to send texts at times that you will be responsive to messages, and set aside time to put your phone down so you and your admins can enjoy time with family. Now that you know the golden rules of when to text members, learn how to create and send a text message. PTA Simplified is a series of tips for PTA and PTO leaders to get the most out of a powerful association management system – to manage, engage, and grow their membership all year long. Updated since original publication on 11/15/2017.
The constant pull of activities, to-do’s, and work for your PTA can leave you and other volunteer leaders with little time to focus on the vital task of boosting membership. On the flip side, parents and those you want to recruit to join your PTA are already time-deficient between their work and their children. These two hurdles however, don’t stand a chance with the memberplanet toolkit at your fingertips. memberplanet is like your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, here to ensure you’re maximizing your efficiency while attracting more members to your cause – without creating a supervillain amount of work.  1. Make it easy to become a member – offer electronic payment methods The first step to growing is to make it as convenient as possible for new members to join. A best practice for any organization is to make it easy for people to pay for your services. Offering electronic payment methods is the first step toward offering a convenient and modern membership experience, which is what everyone in today’s society has come to expect. Instead of forcing people to pay by cash or check, you’re giving them the option to pay by their preferred payment methods. Learn more: How Collecting Funds Online Benefits Your PTA in 5 Big Ways. memberplanet’s payment process is simple and direct. A few clicks, some basic information, and new members are in. Local PTA leaders can even set up automated email reminders to notify members when it’s renewal time, so it’s not only easy to join, it’s easy to stay a member. Check out our three-step checklist to get started. 2. Use multiple forms of communication to reach potential members To describe the header above, which is quite a mouthful, we frequently use the term multi-channel communication. Simply put, it’s using all different methods, mediums, and platforms (preferably the ones your prospects are using) to get the word out. That way, even if your potential members “change the channel” they’ll still receive your message. You can still distribute paper flyers, send snail mail, and yell through a megaphone to communicate (whatever works, right?), but we recommend also using more cost-effective digital forms of communicating: websites, e-newsletters with tracking, email and group text messaging, and social media. memberplanet's platform is equipped with tools to efficiently and consistently use multi-channel communication, and the best part is you don’t have to use multiple programs.  3. Blast out your benefits Telling recruits what they have to gain by becoming a member of your PTA seems like a no-brainer. It’s surprising though, how that message can get buried under the guise of free incentives. Let’s be honest – offering free food, t-shirts, and other giveaways are great for getting people at the door/sign-up table/website, but when it comes to sealing the deal, there’s no alternative for communicating the true benefits of your PTA – your mission of positively affecting the lives of all children and families. That’s a wonderfully amazing cause, and one that should come across consistently in every explanation of your benefits. Give your prospects the feeling that by joining, they’d be participating in something that’s bigger than themselves – something that makes a difference. You have all kinds of options on memberplanet to optimize your message, from creating customized event sites to utilizing targeted, dynamic distribution lists. PTA Simplified is a series of tips for PTA and PTO leaders to get the most out of a powerful association management system – to manage, engage, and grow their membership all year long. Updated since original publication on 7/01/2017.
Amazon is making a killing with their membership program – and other retailers have discovered they can ride the Prime wave. Since Amazon has raised the price for Prime membership, other companies can successfully do the same. The American Society of Association Executives’ (ASAE) Associations Now blog has given this a catchy name – the Prime effect.)
For the association industry, we can steal a page from Amazon’s playbook – while the membership model is nothing new, the way your association approaches the membership experience constantly needs to be kept top of mind. It really is all about the member experience. Amazon and other service giants, such as Netflix, have learned to cater exclusively to their members through complex algorithms – gone is the “one size fits all” mantra. Woven into the member experience is value. Membership-based organizations need to remember their value proposition, and they must deliver on it. Try not to get too wrapped up in dues payments and donations. Focus on the value your association can offer your members.
Convenience is also key. Your association may drive value, provide the best and most comprehensive solutions and benefits – but are they easy to access? Are your members spending too much time on painstaking tasks that provide no value to them? Do your members have a clear picture of the benefits you provide? Amazon and Netflix have seen sustained success not only because of their innovation, but because their services are easy and fast to utilize. Customers know exactly the benefits of being a member, and it’s easy to access those benefits and manage their own accounts at a time when it’s most convenient for them. Something that we must also consider – which is outside the scope of Amazon and Netflix services – is the impact your association has on constituents. More often than not, the value of an association goes beyond transactional services. Associations provide education, advocacy, community, and more to their members – but it doesn’t stop there. Those members in turn provide value to their industries, constituents, and societies to which they belong. If you want your association to experience longevity, embrace your role in providing value that goes beyond membership.
 Are your current methods of engagement helping you reach your membership goals? By promoting the value and benefits of your association’s membership through engagement, you can position yourself to attract new members while also maintaining and interacting with your existing membership base. Here are a few tips to showcase your value and increase your network: 1. Engage on social media
Update your members with upcoming meetings and events while keeping them engaged with polls and surveys to collect feedback. Being present on these platforms also helps potential members preview membership, understand your association’s mission, and see the kind of work you’re doing. 2. Invite potential members to events
It also gives non-members a chance to try before they buy – ask questions and see what your association offers before committing to membership. Asking your members to engage non-members will give your association the opportunity to grow exponentially. (Learn more: Promote your next association event with an impeccable marketing strategy.) 3. Make an offer they can't refuse
Advertise and announce the offer in your newsletter and on social media so prospects become aware they’re getting a great deal. When you convey a sense of urgency (Act fast to take advantage of waived membership fees!), your potential members will see more value in joining during this time. You’ll additionally want to make sure your membership benefits are competitive with other associations’, so as not to deter those who are comparing. 4. Track and measure your engagement efforts
Most marketing and membership software offer standard tracking, but it can be a difficult and time-consuming task to tie your data together if you’re not using the right tools. Our engagement solutions are fully integrated with a full suite of membership, communication, and event management tools on the memberplanet platform. You and your staff gain actionable insights with real-time reporting and a centralized database of membership for both your members and potential members. Maximize your engagement efforts and get a high-level view your association’s health – contact memberplanet to learn more about how we can help you manage, engage, and grow. Updated since original publication on 2/20/18.
You’re trying to keep things running smoothly for your association (or your chapter), but are spending too much time keeping track of spreadsheets, finances, and events. If you feel like you’re running in circles, you’re not alone. If you’re ready to pull all your hair out, read this for some membership-management relief.  1. Start by organizing your members Use membership levels to organize your members. Membership isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all option, and that’s okay. Associations often collect more if they allow members to pay their membership dues and give a donation at the same time. The generous guy or gal willing to pay a couple grand (and then some) can be part of one membership level (a really fancy one), while folks with a smaller budget may be able to access basic membership for $20. Some associations even offer free memberships in the hope that these upgrade to paid status later on.  Give the option to automatically renew membership. It’s great to have different levels, but you still need members to renew – and they won’t always remember (or want) to manually take money out of their paycheck. No matter how much they love you and your cause, making it inconvenient for your members to part with their money is painful, so give them the convenient option of an automatic payment plan. For members who opt to pay manually, or those who are past due, send reminder emails to keep them informed. Communicate to members using the levels, types and auto renew statuses. Your messages should be targeted to specific recipients, whether those are your top-tiered members, lapsed members, or another list based on variable data. 2. Get mentally organized to save time and sanity First, set realistic goals. Make them ambitious but practical; define targets that you think your team can actually achieve with hard work and dedication. How many members can you obtain, retain, or connect with in a realistic timeframe? Now that you’ve got some targets, recognize the fact that you’re not likely to hit them unless you use a calendar. Whether it’s a smartphone app or a physical appointment book, a calendar is great way to get organized and hit consistent deadlines. Set your priorities at the beginning of each day. List them in order of importance. Priorities help you finish what you start, which is always a good thing to do in business (and in life). Review each of your goals at the end of each day. See what you achieved, what you need to achieve, what you did well, and what you could do better tomorrow. Finally, clean up your dang office. Many leaders find it difficult to organize a schedule if their workspace isn’t squared away. An office should help improve productivity, not serve as a nesting place for small rodents. So, throw away that stack of unused lunch coupons, sift through the mound of papers, and set traps, if necessary.  3. Delegate the right tasks – and know which ones to do yourself Delegation is simple – but if you’re not doing it right, you could be wasting even more valuable time. First, you need to identify the tasks you should delegate and the ones you shouldn't. Here’s some of the best stuff to pass off:
It’s important to let go of some of these jobs, even if you love or have gotten used to doing them. Whether your association has 20 members or 20,000, it pays to stay organized, as well as to make sure the memberships you offer are flexible and diverse enough to attract new members and retain existing ones. Managing membership can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be a hair-pulling experience. With our tips and tricks, memberplanet will help you through your member management troubles. Schedule a demo today to explore new ways to help your association succeed. Updated & refreshed from original posting on 12/20/2017
We’re all guilty of scrolling through Facebook or Instagram before our heads hit the pillow at night. While social media has become a popular way to kill time, it also has many practical uses. As a group leader, you are already aware of the necessity of branding across various platforms, so here are our top five ways to bolster your online presence by optimizing your social media engagement strategy, first and foremost with your own members.  1. Deliver Digestible Bits Newsletters are great for providing various bits of information to your members all at once. Social media is best for delivering a brief message to a large audience. While people average a minimum of 50 minutes of Facebook each day, they typically only spend about 20 minutes on the site per visit. This means you have a small window of time to get users to interact with your post. Providing relevant, unique and easily digestible bits of info should be the focus of your social media strategy. Nobody wants to scroll through a Facebook post or read a tweet with three continuations. You can prompt users to click through to a website by providing a URL within your post where they can access more information. 2. Promote Your Cause Social media is an efficient and cost-effective way to broaden the reach of your cause, mission, fundraising campaign, or any other promotion. Whenever you send emails to your members, ask them to follow your organization’s social media handles. And make sure your posts tie in the cause or mission that appeals to your followers. People average almost two hours per day checking social media, making it a great promotion tool. Note to memberplanet users: You can easily share your event or donation site to social media directly from the platforms. Group admins and members can also do this directly from the event site, donation site, or mobile app. 3. Include Video You don’t have to be Einstein to figure out that social media users watch A LOT of video. Our own metrics reveal that video posts on Facebook and Instagram get about double the engagement than photo posts. So consider creating a short video explaining your cause. There are a bunch of free services online, such as Adobe Spark, that pretty much put together video for you based on the images and words you choose. Live video content is also on the rise, so find creative ways to use features like Facebook Live or Instagram stories to get your message out. memberplanet users: Adding a video to your donation site, event site, or email is also quick and easy.  4. Utilize a Social Media Calendar Hiring a social media manager or finding a volunteer who’s up for the task is a great way to stay organized and on top of your online presence. A social media manager is responsible for curating and creating content and making sure it gets posted at the right time. If you’re a team of one, utilize a social media calendar to minimize your time spent creating content. Hubspot has a free calendar template you can use to get started. Knowing when to post and what to post will help you strategically plan content for your members, as opposed to overwhelming their feeds or posting haphazardly. 5. Target the Platforms Your Members Use Facebook is the most popular social media platform (1.59 billion monthly active users) but you shouldn’t limit yourself to one network. We recommend using the social media platforms your target demographics use. Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter are major players in terms of their reach. By creating a diverse portfolio of social media strategies, you are likely to connect with more members and prospects. Twitter is a great way to get out a short message and interact with a large audience. You can provide links to your website or event page. memberplanet’s donation, event, survey, and payment form modules have built-in URL shorteners, so you don’t need to worry about going over the allowed 140 characters. (There’s no excuse for putting out an ugly tweet.)  Social media is great tool for spreading the word about events, campaigns, and general information about your organization. It allows you to interact with your members consistently and in real time without flooding their inboxes with emails. Building a strong online presence can also attract the attention of potential members while keeping current ones engaged. Follow us on social media for more member management tips. Updated and refreshed since original publication on: 10/5/2017
During the holiday season, everyone is bombarded with fundraising campaigns. You’ve likely taken advantage of giving season yourself, and that’s not a bad thing. To switch things up, consider also offering your members a way to give their time, and not just their money. In November, you’ve got Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday – one right after the other. To help you out during this especially busy time for your members, we have some tips to encourage volunteering. Yes, really!  Set up an incentive Members are lot more likely to volunteer their precious time if there is a return on investment for them. Try offering an incentive that will help give members that little extra push to sign up. The incentive can be simple; for example, first dibs on fundraising booth shifts, one extra vote in a t-shirt design survey, or even a gift card. The point is, no matter the occasion these small enticements can lead to a big turnout on participation. Plan and communicate early Procrastination is the enemy. If you’re collaborating with a local nonprofit, have a plan in place as early as possible. Communicate clear expectations to everyone involved, including your members. Create a frictionless experience to volunteer by sending out a form with easy-to-select sign-up dates and times, so it is effortless for members to contribute their time. Once someone signs up, have an automatic confirmation email set up to include all the information they’ll need for the event. Sometimes, plans don’t pan out – and we recommend having a back-up plan if a couple volunteers need to back out. By putting in a little effort ahead of time to connect with all parties involved, you will likely see more willing, and might we add happy, volunteers. Make your cause hit home In addition to competing with busy schedules, there are countless wonderful causes and charities your group is up against. The more that you can personalize your cause to your potential volunteers’ interests, the more successful you’ll be in getting them to commit. Try to volunteer for causes that are local, or causes that directly affect your group – and communicate the benefits of their time. Members are more likely to be encouraged to help a cause they are passionate about, and one they know makes a difference. Updated & refreshed from its original publication on 11/17/17
The average person checks his or her cellphone 47 times per day, and 80 percent of emails are opened on mobile devices. PTA leaders can use these stats in their favor by optimizing their communication for mobile – the channel that their members are likely using the most. This is where Broadcasts come in, and why they were created in the first place. These short messages are ideal when leaders need to send announcements, event updates, or reminders, allowing PTA leaders to connect with admins, members, and contacts. It’s one of the best ways for volunteer leaders to take advantage of today’s technology and provide up-to-the minute information.  A Broadcast is a short message that can be sent via email and/or text messaging. This feature saves time by allowing PTA admins to draft a message once and send or schedule it both via email and text. SMS text messages also have the option to be sent through a custom mobile number. How to set up a Broadcast 1. On the left navigation bar, click Broadcast 2. Select the New Broadcast button on the top right  3. Enter a title Note: This will appear as a subject line for email recipients. It will not be seen in the SMS text message format. 4. Type your message 5. Next to When*, use the dropdown menu to specify a delivery time In the Delivery section, both text and email are selected by default. Make sure to de-select either if you prefer one communication method. Broadcasts will always show up in a member’s news feed on the mobile app, even if you disable text or email announcements. Set up a custom mobile number Volunteer leaders can send SMS messages from a customized mobile phone number on Pro and Premium subscription plans. This helps cut down on unread messages, as it allows members to save the number you’re sending the message from. To set up a custom send number while setting up your delivery method: 1. Enter your preferred U.S. area code in the text box, then click Get a Number  2. An auto-generated phone number will then be assigned with your chosen area code Give this to your group members to save in their address book, so whenever they receive a Broadcast, they’ll know it’s coming from your group. Choosing recipients 1. Click Choose Recipients Choose to send your message using one of the five options along the top of the screen
2. After you have chosen your recipients, click Next 3. Review and confirm your message details, then click Confirm & Send Broadcasts are an ideal way to maintain simple and brief communication paths between volunteer management and members. Draft, schedule, and send both email and SMS text messages in just a few clicks. Log in to get started. PTA Simplified is a series of tips for PTA and PTO leaders to get the most out of managing their volunteer members and growing their membership all year long. Originally published: 11/17/2017
 Improve communication between headquarters, chapters, and members with a unified platform With so many multi-chapter organizations operating in the United States, there is relatively little research on how they maintain order and operations. How do individual chapters interact with their central or national office? What are their biggest challenges? It is difficult to keep processes streamlined when attempting to coordinate activities, goals, and communications. To dig a little deeper, here are four issues that are routinely faced by multi-chapter groups: 1. Communication
2. Membership data management
How many members do you have? Who needs to renew? Which members participate the most? What (and where) is the most recent reporting? We live in the connected economy – there is no need for cumbersome and imprecise methods of file sharing. An effective member management database and can seamlessly maintain records and renewals online while enabling groups to grow their membership. That’s why we’ve developed a user-friendly database that makes it easy to search, sort, and upload files while also streamlining dues collection and payment processing. 3. Being social but consistent
To manage this issue, the head office should develop a comprehensive social media strategy, create an email list of who is responsible for the campaigns for each office, and send them appropriate guidelines. Building a successful and consistent brand requires regular communication between HQ and the points of contact at the respective chapters, which is easily accomplished through internal email campaigns. 4. Leveraging technology for all chapters
The solution? A single, connected platform will provide chapters the tools to manage their respective silos while also coordinating with organization leadership. A user-friendly, adaptable level of consistency makes training, turnover, and growing membership much simpler to manage. And it can transform an organization for the better. If you’re part of a multi-chapter organization and face even one of these challenges, investigate our all-in-one membership management platform and see how it can simplify your life. Updated since original publication on 10/10/2016.
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