PTA Connect dashboard displaying events, announcements, and fundraising progress

PTA Connect – Parent Teacher Association Engagement Platform

Mobile and web solution that gives PTAs a centralized hub for announcements, fundraising, volunteer sign-ups, and real-time parent communication.

Industry: educationProject Year: 2014Client: PTA Connect

Services Provided

Product Design
Mobile & Web Development
Payment Integration
Support & Growth Enablement

Project Tags

Industries

EducationEducation & EdTech

Focus & Tech

EducationiOS (Objective-C)Android (Java)PHP/MySQLNode.jsBraintree

Overview

PTA Connect helps schools modernize parent engagement. The platform powers newsletters, event calendars, volunteer rosters, fundraising campaigns, and two-way messaging—reducing paper flyers and manual coordination for PTO leaders.

Our Contributions

Product Design
Mobile & Web Development
Payment Integration
Support & Growth Enablement

Supported Devices

iPhone
iPad
Android
Web

Development Tools / Environments

iOS (Objective-C)
Android (Java)
PHP/MySQL
Node.js
Braintree

Implementation Details

Built multi-school architecture with role-based permissions for district admins, PTA leads, and parents.
Integrated Braintree for dues, donations, and recurring giving with automated receipts.
Implemented push notifications, SMS, and email delivery so critical updates never go unnoticed.
Added content scheduling, translation support, and accessibility compliance for inclusive communication.

Admin Features

Dashboard summarizing engagement metrics, fundraising totals, and volunteer hours.
Template library for newsletters, event reminders, and sponsorship outreach.
Approval workflows ensuring communications meet district guidelines before publishing.

The Problem

School PTAs juggled email lists, social media, and spreadsheets. Parents missed updates and volunteer opportunities, while treasurers lacked transparent fundraising tracking.

The Challenge

We needed a secure, FERPA-conscious system that synchronized across web and mobile, supported multiple schools under a district umbrella, and handled payments/donations with minimal friction.

The Result

Schools using PTA Connect saw newsletter open rates climb to 82%, volunteer sign-ups increased 40%, and digital fundraisers generated twice the contributions compared to paper drives.

Key Requirements

Provide a trusted, secure environment for parent/teacher communication.
Simplify fundraising and volunteer coordination to lighten PTA workload.
Offer analytics that help school leaders understand participation and campaign effectiveness.

Results & Impact

Newsletter open rates averaged 82% as parents opted into push, SMS, and email notifications.
Volunteer participation increased 40% thanks to automated reminders and easy sign-ups.
Digital fundraisers doubled revenue compared to previous paper-based campaigns.

Screens & Flows

PTA Connect announcements feed and upcoming events list — Announcements feed keeps parents informed while upcoming events show RSVP counts at a glance.

Mobile fundraising progress tracker and donate button — Fundraising tracker highlights campaign goals, progress, and one-tap donate options via Braintree.

Volunteer shift management screen with confirmations — Volunteer management assigns shifts, sends reminders, and logs participation history for school records.

Chat interface for parent-teacher conversations — Secure messaging supports classroom updates, direct teacher outreach, and automated translation.

Calendar view with filters for grade and activity type — Calendar filtering lets families subscribe to grade-specific events and sync them to personal calendars.

Parent directory showing approved contacts — Optional parent directory shares approved contact info, strengthening classroom communities.

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