PTO Today

I am current treasurer and incoming president of our pto and our by-laws are over 10 years old. In fact none of those who signed the original are at our school anymore. Do we need to update? I think they are basically still "correct" in practice. We are a small group and the bylaws are very basic & general.

My other reason for wondering is that we are going to be applying for our own EIN # & possible tax exempt status this year.

Thanks for any advise - input!

Dawn

We found that our by-laws needed updating as a result of requirements for the 501c3 process; I wouldn't be surprised if you found the same. But, the more general you can make them, the better the chances that they won't need to be updated.

The bylaws I wrote for the elementary group I belonged to actually had a section of how frequently the bylaws should be reviewed-I believe it was every 2 years or as needed. I think it's a good idea to look them over at regular intervals. Things change as a group grows and new officers flow in and out. What works for you right now, may not be functional for you two years from now if your group goes through a lot of changes in funding, programs, etc. The biggest area of importance is your finances. Having very specific guidelines for money handling and recordkeeping can protect your group and save the individuals who serve on your board a lot of headaches.

__________________
Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.

I am the new Co-President of our PTO. Our PTO doesn't have any bylaws and we would like to write them. How do we go about that? Is there a website or a link you can suggest to help us?

I believe there's a link here to check out by-laws-- try other schools in your area as well-- our by-laws are posted on our website-- you could check them out--- they are printable-- foxpto.com we have the V-president check over the by-laws each year and if they need updating we form a committee that includes the VP-- we've updated the by-laws 3 times since they were written in 1998... A good practice-- especially if you change who is on your board and how long their term should or can be.

Thank you so much - your reply was very helpful

Check out the File Exchange (link at the top of the page) for some sample bylaws.

From what I understand the bylaws need to be submitted to the state? Is this correct? If so, how do I find out where they are to be submitted. THanks!!

If you incorporate, you probably need to include your by-laws as part of the filing. There will be a state agency responsible for handing incorporations - both regular and non-profit. This is a key part of setting up a business in your state, so it's usually easily found. There's often a link on the main home page of your state. (www.state.xx.us - substitute your state abbreviation for the xx). Either you will see a link in the business area or there should be a search field.

You can also search via Google. But note - you'll get a lot of hits for businesses and lawyers that handle incorporation for a fee. Incorporating a PTO is generally a very simple process (if that is what you are trying to do). The state typically provides a sample template for the Articles of Incorporation that's about 1 page long and there's usually a small filing fee. So it's unlikely you'd need to PAY anyone to handle an incorporation.

If you aren't seeking to incorporate, I doubt the state wants copies of your bylaws. (Unless you are already incorporated and filing an update. If so, it would be the same agency.)

I don't know about incorporation - they made it a non-profit last year & that is when the updating of the by-laws came up. Maybe I should look at the paperwork & see what it says - our president wa pretty sure that New Jersey wnated the updated by-laws filed somewhere.
Thanks for getting back to me!