“What defines you?” It’s a common question and a good one to ask when you want to understand your motivations, goals, and ambitions. Before your PTO or Booster Club put on its first fundraiser or set up a school program, it is likely a PTO mission statement had already been written down to help guide your organization.
If your PTO or Booster Club has been active for more than a few years, you may want to consider reviewing your PTO mission statement. Reviewing your mission statement allows your group to reevaluate the work you have been doing or to better plan future events and activities. Parent organizations change officers fairly regularly and because of this, the focus of the group may shift in its execution. Or perhaps you want to add objectives to your statement.
If your PTO or Booster Club is just beginning to write your mission statement, understand that it can be a process and doesn’t have to be on paper, official and approved right away. Your mission statement is the foundation of your organization, you don’t have to rush it. If you are thinking about starting your own Parent Teacher Group and looking for PTO mission statement examples, check out our blog: How to Start a PTA, PTO or Booster Club.
How to Write a Good PTO Mission Statement
If you already have a PTO mission statement and you’re not sure it needs to be revised, ask your officers and members these mission statement example questions:
- Does the new school program or event further our current mission?
- Do the goals of members align with our current mission?
- Do our fundraisers or other such events help accomplish our current mission?
- Has there been progress furthering the PTO mission?
- Is an initial problem solved?
If you are looking to create a new mission statement ask your Parent Teacher Group these questions:
- What kind of school program or event are we hoping to create in the future?
- What are our goals?
- Do our goals and new/planned programs have anything in common?
- What are the problems we hope to solve?
Is your PTO or Booster Club trying to create more educational opportunities? Increase interest in college? Increase parent involvement? Your mission statement should encompass not only what you are today, but what you hope to accomplish in the future.
Involve the Entire Parent Teacher Group
One of the most important aspects of creating new mission statements or revising old ones is to have as many PTO members put their thoughts in as possible. As the foundation of your group, your statement should reflect the group’s mentality as a whole.
Although it may sound a bit chaotic to attempt to gather everyone’s ideas, know that you don’t have to do it all at once. Try working in small groups to help break down ideas. In small groups, come up with a two-sentence vision of what they hope the PTO or Booster Club will accomplish. Have 1-3 people review these and combine the ideas into three draft mission statements.
Your officers can read drafts and make revisions if necessary. Once a draft is approved by the board members, your Parent Teacher Group can vote to have it finalized as the new and improved mission statement!
Now when you are trying to decide if a school program, event, or fundraiser is best to implement, go back to your PTO mission statement. It will help you work towards the goals your organization has set up together.
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!