Can you call your organization a PTO if you are not incorporated?

Our PTO had been declining for a number of years. I am the last elected official of the old PTO. I have been trying over the last year and a half to get more parents involved and I am still stuggling to find parents that want to take on an official title and leadership role. As it stands now, we have meetings each month and family events each month for the students. We are a loose group of individuals carrying out the functions of a parent teacher group.

When the old PTO fizzled out, the principal wanted the group name changed to the "Friends of XXX(elementary school)". Now everytime anyone says PTO or I try to write PTO in the monthy notices, the principal "freaks out" because we are not an "official PTO".

Are there specific requirements to be called a PTO? Can you be a "PTO" if there are not elected officials? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi chef -

Your principal is wrong. There's no required affiliation or structure or formality to use the PTO name.

Good luck,

Tim

Gee I guess if that is the case then our group wasn't a pto for two years. Second what Tim says!

Correct... a bunch of schhols here in SoCal use the 'Friends of XYZ school' for community grants (i.e Friends of Calahan- did community beautification grants for campus beautification / parent invovlement inconjunction with school $$ and PTA $$$ and suplies)

Have him purchase the PTO startup kit, Tim has all the info he needs in there to set him straight