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Every PTA leader knows that getting things done without the right tools is pretty much impossible. Whether you’re a communications coordinator focused on keeping your community updated or a vice president doing your best to keep everything organized, having tools that are easy to use is non-negotiable.
What’s even better? When those tools are free! PTA chaos, meet your match. These free tools help you organize, plan, and power through your to-do list faster than ever.
If you’ve ever struggled to create a logo for your organization, an eye-catching flyer, or put together a video to promote your fundraising campaign, you’ll want to set up a free education account with Canva right now.
Made for people without design skills, Canva is a drag-and-drop tool that lets you easily create everything from social media posts to presentation decks, all for free. When you’re designing in Canva, you can keep things as simple or as dazzling as you’d like by using your own images and assets or choosing from their library.
Plus, Canva gives K-12 organizations a free premium account.
If you’re managing multiple social media accounts, you might be spending a lot of time planning and scheduling your posts. Using a social media posting platform can help you streamline your social media efforts.
Zoho Social is a free tool that makes it easy to manage various social media accounts from one place. It’s a big time saver over having to go to each platform individually to post or interact.
When it comes to writing newsletters, social posts, and other messages, a little help goes a long way. If the thought of putting words onto a blank page stresses you out, turn to everyone’s favorite, free writing helper–ChatGPT.
Once you create your account, jump right in by writing prompts that give ChatGPT guidance around what you would like it to write for you. Be specific about the place you’ll be using the copy (Facebook, email newsletter, etc.), as well as the tone and voice you would like it to use to make sure it sounds like your organization.
You’ll want to review and edit anything written by ChatGPT to make sure it’s accurate and has communicated what you want it to. While it’s a really helpful tool, it doesn’t always provide correct information.
Keeping PTA leaders connected is easy with Slack, a free communication tool that makes sharing announcements and collaborating on projects a breeze. It’s especially useful if you have committees working on different projects or discussing various topics. You can even create individual channels to keep conversations organized and, if necessary, private.
Having a digital archive of all of your important documents is a must, not only for your board, but for the PTA leaders who follow. With Google Drive, you’ll have free, centralized file storage for your bylaws, budgets, meeting minutes, fundraiser details, event information, flyers, and other documents that are critical to running your organization.
Google Drive lets you control who has access to your files, so you can make sure only the people you want can see, comment, or edit them. You’ll want to set up a consistent folder structure and get everyone in the habit of adding their files in the right place with the right permissions.
There are plenty of free tools for managing your PTA that will help your group’s leaders save time, be more efficient, and stay organized. Start using them today to make your life easier!
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