As school begins, now is the perfect time to make sure that 1) you are collecting email addresses for the parents and guardians at your school; and 2) you have a plan for using those email addresses well. A bit of effort now -- like adding an email question on all your back-to-school forms -- can make the rest of your communications for the year go so much better.

Email is truly a power tool for your communications. You can get big messages out quickly (and for free) to your whole school community. And you can get targeted messages to, for example, just one grade or just one set of volunteers. Or maybe an email to just those folks who expressed an interest in helping with the fall fair. If you're still primarily a printed flyers group, then you are really missing out -- it's a very safe bet that in 2012 the vast majority of your parents have and use an email account regularly.

Check these tips for great ways to use email effectively for your parent group.

Email Communication Tips
Group Email Communication Tips

And, of course, we have a really great (free!) group email tool for PTOs and PTAs for you to check out in Parent Express Email. PEX makes managing email addresses and sending effective, great-looking emails really easy for your group and your fellow leaders.