Now that you’re back to school, into the swing of things, and hopefully able to take a breath, it’s a good time to take a deeper look at some of the ways you want to present yourself with parents and volunteers—although when it comes to your PTO reputation, it might be easier to start by thinking of what not to do.

1. Avoid clique behavior. The perception that a parent group is a bunch of people “in the know” is one of the most common roadblocks that discourage new people from joining in. If this is an issue in your group, admit it, and do what you can to dispel the image. (Some suggestions: mingle whenever possible, be easily accessible, and wear name tags at meetings.)

2. Don’t come on too strong. Telling parents what they "should" do or implying that your core volunteers are doing so much can make people feel judged before they’ve even really gotten started. Warmly staying in touch and letting people know that whatever time they can contribute will be appreciated works much better than an all-or-nothing approach.

3. Limit your fundraisers. Being known as a group that does a lot of fundraising may increase your struggles to add volunteers and engage parents. (It’s also the root of those jokey posts along the lines of “let me just fork over $50 now and be done for the year.”) While many groups seek to build on their success by adding fundraisers, a better approach is to maximize the ones you already have.