Behind the Membership Scenes: To Activate Your Card…or Not?

To activate or not; that is the question.

We received some emails asking why we are encouraging you to activate the new card. It’s a great question, considering we’ve never requested it of you.

Should I activate the card? Are others activating their card? Am I still a member of PTA if I don’t activate my card? Are you going to give my email address to other companies?

Yes, you should activate the card. Card activation helps PTA meet your needs. When you activate your card, you share with us what role you play in the PTA family… parent, teacher, grandparent, guardian, school administrator, student, or supporter! Knowing who you are helps us to provide resources you need and want.

Yes, other PTA members have activated their cards. Hundreds of thousands of the PTA member network have activated their card to access benefits and that number grows every day. The great thing about card activation: You can activate your membership card anytime you’re ready! Even right now.  It’s never too late to activate.

Yes, you’re still a member of PTA even if you don’t activate your membership card. However, activating your card helps to count your voice. We are a powerful network of 5,000,000 members spread across 54 Congresses (the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Europe). Activating your card helps us to count your voice from state to state. Telling us your voice count helps us get valuable discounts on products and services that can benefit your children, your child’s school, or you. Better voice count equals better discounts!

No, we won’t sell your information to a third party vendor. Receiving unwanted email is not fun, and we won’t add to the dilemma. We keep your email address in confidence and value your willingness to share with us to better serve you and all children.

Activate your card now!


Joy Lindsey is the Membership Marketing Manager for National PTA in Alexandria, VA. Contact Joy at jlindsey@pta.org.

Behind the Membership Scenes: Welcome to Today’s PTA!

When the PTA membership team was looking for ways to convey the spirit of our members, we wanted to come up with a message that reflected the rich diversity, history, and future of our membership. Most importantly, we wanted your voices to be heard.

We decided that the best way to find out what you’re thinking is to talk to you directly. So we did just that: we asked you about your PTA membership and what keeps you engaged at your local PTA meeting, at your child’s school, and in your community. We asked what matters most to you and how can we continue to contribute to your child’s success.

How did we do it? We invited thousands of you to tell us your stories by email survey, and you responded clearly, loudly, and strongly. You care about your child’s education; you value your PTA membership; and you want other families to be engaged in their children’s future, just as you are.

You want to be engaged in a way that meets your individual lifestyle and the multiple demands of today.  You want to connect with others at your PTA meetings to help build your child’s tomorrow. You want to show the strength of your voice. It was obvious to the membership team at National PTA that your voice is rooted in a rich history, but building in today’s modern setting. Your voice is Today’s PTA!

Today’s PTA describes the tone and path National PTA has created to embody our members mission to connect through advocacy, parent networking, school and community partnerships, and social media to give power to 5,000,000 members nationwide. Today’s PTA is you!

We invite you to continue to share with us on Facebook and Twitter to stay connected, network with other PTA members at our upcoming convention and conferences, and learn how you can become a better leader or advocate in the comfort of your own home through PTA e-learning. But most importantly, the National PTA membership team would like to thank you for making our job to connect with our members and stay engaged easier.  That’s because you are Today’s PTA …connected, dedicated, and powerful.


Joy Lindsey is the Membership Marketing Manager for National PTA in Alexandria, VA. Contact Joy at jlindsey@pta.org.