At the end of a school year, many PTA's find they lose active parents as their children move on. Autumn brings a fresh intake of families, and how you welcome them shapes your PTA's year ahead. 

By establishing a welcoming presence in school and on social media with clear and transparent messaging, you can make sure your PTA group isn’t intimidating for new arrivals. 

Table of Contents

Why welcoming new parents matters

Start early with awareness

Be present on settling in days

Host social events early in the term

Put together a friendly starter pack

Stay open to fresh ideas

Use social media properly

Don't neglect existing parents

Be gentle

FAQs

Why welcoming new parents matters

At the end of the Summer term, schools wave goodbye to a year group of children. That might be the preschool off to Reception, Year 2s leaving infant school, Year 6s graduating from primary, or Year 11s heading off after their GCSEs. It's a moment full of emotion, nostalgia, and pride (see our recent post on the Class of 2026 leavers for ideas on marking the children's send-off).

But we don't talk much about the parents. With every child who moves on (siblings notwithstanding), a parent goes too. That parent may have been heavily involved in the PTA, attended every event, bought raffle tickets by the strip, or organised the summer fair single handedly. Suddenly they're gone, and your committee is lighter than it was in July.

Then, come September, a whole new group of parents arrives along with the fresh intake of children. They bring new skills, ideas, and energy. You might even make a few friends for life along the way.

The trick is to be welcoming without being overwhelming. To share information without sounding like you're running an initiation. To stay open and approachable without losing your existing momentum. At IQ Cards, we work with PTAs up and down the country, so here are our tips to start the year well.

Start early with awareness

Now is the time to plan for the new academic year. Primary places are offered in mid-April and secondary places at the start of March, which means parents and children have been thinking about their new schools for the whole Spring term. By the time September arrives, anticipation has been building for months.

Use that lead time. A friendly post on local Facebook groups for incoming families, a welcome message added to the school's induction pack, or a simple "Hello from the PTA" letter handed out at the first school drop off can do wonders. People who recognise your PTA's name before they walk through the door in September are far more likely to say hello back.

Be present on settling in days

Induction or settling in sessions are notoriously awkward for parents. They're often scheduled mid-morning, with not enough time to get back to work or back home and out again. 

This is an ideal moment. Run an informal coffee and cake drop-in while the children are spending time in class. Parents will be grateful for somewhere to land, and it gives you the chance to casually promote the PTA without anyone feeling cornered. A few warm welcomes and a decent biscuit go a long way.

Host social events early in the term

Everyone likes a social, and new parents are often keen to make friends. Try a few of these in the first half of the Autumn term:

• A "wine and whine" evening at the local pub, kept casual and no-pressure
• A weekend family picnic in the school grounds or local park
• A pre-half-term coffee morning where new parents can chat properly

Keep things relaxed. The aim isn't to recruit volunteers on the spot but to give new parents a face to put to the name on the WhatsApp group. It’s a bit like building brand awareness!

Put together a friendly starter pack

A short, easy to digest starter pack tells new parents who's who, what the PTA does, and how they can get involved if they fancy it. Include the chair, treasurer, secretary, and any other named roles, along with brief descriptions of the projects you run each year (fundraisers, social events, school improvement projects like setting up a PTA-funded reading nook).

Be honest about vacant roles. If you're short of a treasurer or need someone to take over the social media account, say so. Mystery doesn't help recruitment, and neither does pretending everything is running smoothly when it isn't.

A simple table like this one in your pack can help new parents see what your year looks like at a glance:

This kind of overview makes it easier for new parents to spot something that fits their skills or schedule, rather than feeling they need to sign up for everything.

Stay open to fresh ideas

New parents bring fresh outlooks, and that's a good thing. You might not use every idea (some may not work with how your school operates, or the budget you have), but explore them properly before saying no. The phrase "we tried that once, it didn't work" closes more doors than it opens. Sometimes the timing was off, or the right people weren't available. Now might be the moment.

Equally, share the practical side openly. Why did the last summer fair raffle struggle? What worked brilliantly two years ago? New parents appreciate context and may well find clever ways around old problems.

Use social media properly

Consistent social media is one of the most effective ways to keep your PTA visible across the school year. Make this a dedicated role rather than something passed around. A clear voice, regular posts, and a sense of humour go a long way.

A few principles worth following:

• Be authentic and conversational, not corporate
• Mix updates with appreciation posts (thanking volunteers, celebrating teachers)
• Keep content visual where possible, since photos perform better than long captions
• A structured Whatsapp community will stop chats from getting too noisy

Don't be afraid to share the human side too, like the chaos of setting up a Christmas fair or the relief when a fundraiser hits its target. People warm to a PTA that feels human rather than like a faceless committee.

Don't neglect existing parents

Your next active member might not come from the new intake at all. They may have been watching from the sidelines for two or three years, building the confidence to volunteer. Keep your communications open to every year group, and make it clear that involvement is welcome at any stage.

It's easy to get distracted by the new arrivals and forget the enthusiasm that may be subtly growing among parents you already know. A friendly "we'd love your help with X" message, sent in the second half of the Autumn term, often catches people at exactly the right moment.

Be gentle

Above all, don't strong arm anyone into volunteering. PTAs work best when people join because they want to, not because they were ambushed at the school gates. Be friendly, be clear about what's needed, and let people come to you in their own time.

If you make your group warm, organised, and a bit of fun to be part of, you'll find people gravitating towards you. Easy fundraising projects help too. IQ Cards runs several that are popular with PTAs across the country, including our Christmas card project and our tea towel project, both of which are simple to manage and reliably profitable.

Looking for a friendly first project to run with your new PTA committee? Register your school or get in touch with us to chat through what would work best.

FAQs

When is the best time to start welcoming new parents?

Start before September wherever possible. A friendly note included in the school's induction pack or a welcome post in the local parents' Facebook group makes a noticeable difference. New parents who recognise the PTA's name before term begins are far more likely to engage once it does.

How do we recruit PTA volunteers without putting people off?

Be open about which roles need filling, share what each role actually involves, and avoid asking for big commitments upfront. Most parents are happy to help with a one-off event before considering anything larger, so work on the principle that a little help is better than none.

What's the easiest fundraiser for a new PTA committee to run?

A school Christmas card project is a sensible first fundraiser. It celebrates children's artwork, which parents love, and IQ Cards handle most of the logistics, making it easy for you to operate even if you’re few in number. You can register your school with IQ Cards to get a project set up for next term.

July might feel like the wrong moment to think about Christmas, but planning your school Christmas card fundraiser during the summer is worth it. Early planning gives you time to run creative artwork sessions, work within a set budget, avoid the autumn scramble, and raise more money for your school. This post explains why July is the ideal starting point, what to plan now, and how to run a smooth Christmas card project with IQ Cards.

Table of contents

Why July is the smart month to start planning

The business case for early Christmas card planning

What early planning gives you

A rough timeline from July to December

How the IQ Cards Christmas card project works

FAQs

Why July is the smart month to start planning

During the summer months, and especially the school summer holidays, Christmas is likely to be the last thing on your mind. That's understandable. It feels like another world entirely, and you've got flip-flops, packed lunches, and a rapidly emptying paddling pool to worry about. But without wanting to wish away time, July really is the best month to start thinking about your Christmas card fundraising project.

Here's the honest truth. The PTAs and schools that raise the most from their Christmas card projects are the ones who sort things out before term ends, not the ones in an October panic. A few short conversations before the summer break can save you hours of stress in the autumn term, and can add hundreds of pounds to your final total.

The business case for early Christmas card planning

It's partly about taking a business-minded approach to school fundraising. You can bet that theatres, toy brands, and department stores are already knee-deep in planning their Christmas activity, and for good reason. When the festive season is such a lucrative time for them, it makes sense to give it early thought and invest properly in the planning.

The same principle applies to school fundraising. A well planned Christmas card campaign returns considerably more funds than something thrown together at the last minute. And unlike a toy company, you don't need a marketing department or a warehouse. You need artwork, a bit of organisation, and a printing partner who knows what they're doing.

What early planning gives you

Starting your Christmas card project in July gives you time to do things properly rather than react to deadlines. Here's what you gain by getting organised now:

• Early bird pricing from IQ Cards, which can add up to 25p per item to what your school raises
• Time to go through our resources information and work with class teachers on artwork sessions at the start of the autumn term
• Flexibility to combine artwork with other classroom projects, such as outdoor learning sessions that produce genuinely lovely results
• A calmer PTA committee, since you're not chasing deadlines while also organising the winter fair
• More time to communicate with parents, so they know what the project is raising money for

Any one of these on its own would be worth the effort. Together, they make the difference between a campaign that ticks along and one that funds something meaningful for the school, such as a new reading nook or a substantial piece of playground equipment.

A rough timeline from July to December

Every school and PTA works differently, but the shape of a well planned Christmas card project usually looks something like this:

That's not a rigid schedule, and there's flexibility built into every stage. But having the shape of it agreed by July means everyone involved knows what's coming. The real benefit comes from working to one of those three artwork deadlines, which qualify you to make more from each order

How the IQ Cards Christmas card project works

If you've never run a Christmas card project before, or you're thinking of switching to a different provider, here's how ours works in practice.

Your school registers with IQ Cards, and we send everything you need to get started, including artwork templates, guidance for teachers, and a dedicated support contact. Children create their designs in class, ideally as part of an art session that ties into their existing activities (like painting styles, for example).

You return all the designs, and we scan and send individual A5 order forms showing each child’s design. Parents then browse, choose products, and pay directly online. There’s no cash handling your end, which makes things so much lower maintenance for you.

From the artwork, we produce a range of professionally printed products including Christmas cards in packs of twelve, ceramic mugs, cotton tea towels, cushion covers, bookmarks, coasters and even art prints.

Everything is printed to a consistently high standard, which is what keeps families ordering year after year. We also plant a tree for every school that takes part in our annual project, so there's an environmental benefit alongside the financial one.

Schools across the UK have been running Christmas card projects with us for years, and the feedback we hear most often is how manageable the process feels once you've done it once. If you're weighing up whether your PTA has the capacity for a Christmas card project this year, our answer is that early registration makes it super easy.

Ready to get the best return for your school's Christmas card fundraiser? Register your school with IQ Cards or get in touch to chat through how it works.

FAQs

When should I register my school for the Christmas card project?

Aim to register by the end of July if you can. Early registration sets you up for the best per-item return through our early bird pricing, as it gives your teachers time to plan artwork sessions to start with the autumn term. Later registrations are still welcome, but you'll have less flexibility on the timeline.

Does the Christmas card project work for small schools and nurseries?

Yes. The project is designed to work at any size, so nurseries, primary schools, and secondary schools all run successful campaigns with us. Smaller schools often find the process easier because coordinating fewer year groups is quicker, and the per-child return still adds up nicely.

What if we don't have many volunteers on our PTA this year?

The IQ Cards system is built to run with minimal volunteer input. Parents order and pay through our online portal, so there's no cash to count or envelopes to distribute. Most PTAs manage the whole project with one main coordinator and a light touch from teachers, which is one of the reasons schools come back to us year after year.