How One PTA Got Teachers Excited to Join With Custom Painted Parking Spots
Andover Elementary PTA found a creative way to incentivize teachers to join the PTA: letting staff buy and paint their own parking spots! With this fun incentive, the PTA got 32 staff members to join the PTA by the second week of school. Here's how they did it.
Teacher membership is one of those things that can easily slip to the bottom of a PTO or PTA’s priority list. After all, teachers already do so much for students, and it can feel awkward to ask them to also join the parent group (one more thing...eek!). But here’s the truth: Having teachers on your PTO/A makes your group stronger, more connected, and way more effective. Teachers are great champions for the work your group does, and can bring valuable insights and ideas that support their students and colleagues.
And, Andover Elementary PTA in Orlando, Florida, came up with a genius way to make it happen—by letting teachers buy and paint their own reserved parking spots. So fun, right? 😎
Last year, just 17 of Andover’s 80 faculty and staff were members of the PTA...not exactly the level of engagement the PTA board was hoping for. They met with teachers and brainstormed ways to get more buy-in. At the top of the list: making PTA membership more fun, and giving teachers a reason to feel invested right from the start of the school year.
Over the summer, the Andover Elementary PTA launched a new membership tier system with built-in incentives. The star of the show? The “platinum tier,” where teachers could purchase a reserved parking spot for $50 and paint it—just like high school seniors do. The team knew teachers already had their favorite "unofficial" parking spots, so offering a way to claim and customize their spots was an easy sell.
By the first day of school, 23 teachers and staff had already signed up. By the second week? That number had jumped to 32! Each membership sold at $50, creating a solid financial boost of $1,600 for the PTA, right at the start of the year.
More importantly, teachers were having fun, feeling valued, and starting the year feeling connected to the PTA. Alicia Pigon, Andover PTA President, shared with us, “We want them to feel like if they share their voices, they’ll be heard, valued, and considered."
@ptotoday Andover PTA in Orlando, Florida, boosted teacher membership in the PTA (and also raised money) thanks to a creative idea from the PTA president… reserved parking spots - custom painted!! - for teachers at $50 a pop. Read more at link in bio! #ptapresident #teacher #backtoschool #schoolfundraiser #fyp ♬ Swear By It - Chris Alan Lee
Why Teacher Involvement in the PTO/PTA Matters
Yes, teachers are busy. They’re tired. They’re juggling kids, homework, sports, and hobbies (teachers...they're just like us!). So making it easy—and rewarding!—for them to join your school parent group isn’t just a membership drive strategy. It’s a way for your PTO or PTA to say, "We see you, we appreciate you, and you matter to us."
🎉 Use our FREE teacher recruitment flyer (Canva template)
Andover’s PTA didn’t just grow its membership numbers. They strengthened the relationship between parent volunteers and staff, set a positive tone for the year, and proved that sometimes all it takes to get teachers on board is a parking spot, a paintbrush, and a little creativity.
Big shout out to our friends at Andover Elementary PTA for inspiring our community with this fun and creative teacher recruitment idea!
Want more? Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter for more ideas and inspo for your PTO!
