Make Your Vision Visible

Aligned to: Plan Your Year 

What This Can Feel Like

Many parent leaders are feeling it right now—low turnout, limited volunteers, little response to communication, and the same small group of people carrying most of the work. After a while, it can start to feel like families simply don’t care or don’t want to be involved.

But in many cases, disengagement isn’t always about unwillingness. Sometimes families don’t fully understand what the parent organization actually does, why it matters, or how they fit into the bigger picture.

A Better Way To Think About It

Family engagement starts long before asking people to volunteer. It starts with visibility, clarity, and consistency. Families are more likely to support an organization when they understand:

• What the group exists to do

• How it supports students and the school community

• Why family involvement matters

• What impact their participation actually makes

If families only hear from the organization during fundraisers or volunteer requests, they may never fully connect to the vision behind the work. Strong parent organizations intentionally communicate that vision throughout the year—not just their events.

What This Looks Like In Practice

During summer planning, the board identifies the priorities and goals that will shape the year ahead—not just the events they want to host, but the impact they want to create within the school community.

From there, communication becomes intentional. Instead of assuming families already understand the organization’s vision, the board creates consistent and visible ways to reinforce it throughout the year. 

The goal isn’t just to promote activities—it’s to help families understand:

• what the organization stands for,

• why the work matters,

• and how they can partner in supporting students and the school community.

That might look like:

• Sending home simple flyers at the start of the year explaining the organization’s vision, priorities, and ways families can get involved

• Creating a short welcome video introducing the board and sharing goals for the year

• Maintaining a visible presence at school events so families regularly see and interact with leadership

• Communicating consistently through newsletters, social media, email, and an updated website

• Using every touchpoint to direct families back to important information, opportunities to engage, and ways to stay connected

• Regularly sharing not just upcoming events, but also accomplishments, outcomes, and the impact being made within the school community

Over time, families become more familiar with the organization, better understand its purpose, begin to trust its impact, and see where they fit into supporting the larger vision for the school community.

Playbook Pause

• If a new family joined your school tomorrow, would they clearly understand your organization’s vision and role within the school community? 

• Do families mostly hear about needs and requests—or do they also hear about impact?

• How intentionally are you communicating your vision, priorities, and ways families can partner with the organization throughout the year?

Bottom Line

Families are more likely to engage when they understand the vision, trust the leadership, and clearly see how they can be part of the impact.