How do you keep track of your members and publish their info in a student directory?
There are complete software systems out there can can help you track your member data for parent groups as well as create your directory. Just Between Friends is a biggie, the free online membership software solution endorsed by the National PTA. Other software solutions for PTAs and PTOs are out there as well. As this blog progresses, I’ll talk more about them. For now, let’s focus on free DYI solutions using Google Docs.
Keeping your records in a simple Excel spreadsheet is pretty easy. Just don’t let all your data entry tasks build up, or you’ll have dozens of forms to enter at a time – a tiresome chore. Plus, if your member data is in one spreadsheet on one PC controlled by one membership VP, it makes it difficult to share information or make updates. It also opens you up to data loss. One virus on one PC, and boom – it’s gone.
Google spreadsheets are the easiest way to store and share membership information, plus their Forms make it easy to perform data entry – or for members to enter their own information. It’s pretty powerful stuff available for the price of a free Google/Gmail account. Free is good.
Tip: Make sure everyone who needs to share your document has a Gmail/Google account as well. Theoretically, non-Google users can view documents, but only Google accounts can edit them.
Start by create one or moure Google accounts for your PTA or PTO if you don’t already have one. You can, of course, let multiple people use the same account, but that can make things messy. One idea: create multiple Gmail accounts for your group leadership and keep them impersonal, so they could be passed down to the next person who takes over your position. Example, for the Pretend Valley ES PTA: pretendpta@gmail.com, pretendpta2@gmail.com, pretendpta_president@gmail.com…you get the idea. (In later posts, I’ll talk about Google Apps for Nonprofits and how you can take things up to the next level with your own domain.)
Once you’ve logged into Google, go to Drive to start creating a document. (Use the Apps button to reach it:
(Hey, it’s not obvious.)
Then click on the big red Create button to start a new spreadsheet. Once it opens, you’ll find a pretty straightforward spreadsheet setup a lot like Excel. Customize as needed. Here’s a suggested list of fields:
- Adult 1 Last Name
- Adult 1 First Name (tip: break up last and first names into separate fields for easier searching and sorting)
- Adult 2 Last and First Name
- Adult 1 and 2 Phone (Home? Mobile? Work?)
- Adult 1 and 2 Email
- Child 1 Last and First Name (…and 2, 3, 4. Maybe stop at five!)
- Child 1 Grade
- Child 1 Teacher Name (It’s a good idea to have the teacher name for each kid – makes it easier to send messages and, of course, makes your directory more useful.)
- Address (Again, consider breaking up the address fields into address, city, state, and zip. Plus, consider that each adult/parent might have a different address. Think about your community and if that might be useful.)
- Membership Y/N
- Paid $
- Want to be in a directory? Y/N (You’ll need a way for families to opt out.)
I’ve created a sample Google docs spreadsheet for PTAs and PTOs that’s pretty similar to what I’ve set up for my PTA. (Make sure you’re logged into a Google account.) Feel free to download and save and adapt as needed. Enjoy!
Next time: the benefits of Google forms and how to put them to work for your group.
The Fearless Volunteer 