Social media is a great way to make your Parent Teacher Group more visible. It also allows you to communicate directly to your audience; showing parents and teachers just how much work your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club do for your school and community. Showcase successful events and display how beneficial they are for students.
Promote your Parent Teacher Group with photos! Photos tell a story and social media is the perfect platform to share how much good your group can do. Use your account to thank members and volunteers for their work or donors for their support.
Social media is a useful tool, but did you know your social media could get your group in trouble?
Posting People on Your Parent Teacher Group Social Media
When your organization is having an event such as a Fall Carnival or Fun Run, you’re probably going to take pictures. You later decide that it would be a great idea to post these pictures on your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club run social media account. You’re hoping they will encourage other parents to join your group or give your community a sense of solidarity and companionship.
After you post a few pictures to your Parent Teacher Group Facebook page, Instagram, or Twitter account, you receive a message from someone. They’ve become upset that you’ve used their picture without permission and announce that your group will be hearing from their lawyer.
Posting a picture of someone without their permission or without the permission of a student’s parent or guardian can get your parent group in trouble. However, as innocent as it sounds, this is cause for a lawsuit for “invasion of privacy.”
Posting Logos on Your Parent Teacher Group Social Media
It’s not uncommon for a PTA, PTO, Booster Club sponsored event to be held at an off-premise location or to serve food or products from a 3rd party supplier as part of your event. Of course, what’s a fundraiser without a great promotional ad? Only, what if you forgot to ask for permission to use a 3rd party logo in your ad?
If you use a 3rd party’s logo in your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club fundraising flyers or other event promotions, the logo’s owner could hold you liable for misrepresentation or trademark infringement. For that reason, your organization could then end up on the wrong side of an expensive lawsuit.
How can you avoid mistakes like these? Always ask for permission! Make sure all your PTA board members that have access to your group’s social media are aware of these guidelines.
Use Your Accounts Without Fear with AIM Insurance
We hope you already have General Liability Insurance to cover your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club from potential liability. Here at AIM, we don’t want anything to keep your group back from making changes for your communities and schools; such as being liable for innocent mistakes on social media outlets your organization utilizes. If you already have General Liability insurance or are thinking of acquiring some, consider our Media Liability add-on. Don’t let social media be a hindrance, use it without fear to promote the accomplishments of your Parent Teacher Group.
AIM is here to help your organization succeed. Check out our other blogs for fundraising inspiration, tips, PTA, PTO, and Booster Club guidance, and more!