[aks1382]

[B][/B]

Hi! We are starting our PTO from scratch this year. The last PTO president did not involve any of the volunteers, supposedly closed out the bank account, & we have no idea where any of the money supposedly went, not even what it was spent on. As the new President, I want to re-start PTO so that it is truly a benefit to our school. Where do you get the by-laws to run your PTO? What all do I need to know to make this run correctly? Any help that any of you may give will be greatly appreciated! If you can think of anything that I should know, but did not ask, feel free to post it!

[michelep]

I, too, would like to know where the by laws come from. We are in the process of disbanning the PTA and starting a PTO and I am totally confused about bylaws.

PTA's bylaws are in another language as far as I am concerned. Too hard to understand.

Michelep

[JHB]

Your best bet is to get sample by-laws from organizations in your state that are already 501(c)(3). That way you'll be sure they have the boiler plate pieces the IRS wants.

You never, ever want to write these from scratch. Look for groups with good, solid processes and use theirs as a starting point - customizing as needed for your group.

Aside from the obvious, like organization name, things that may be different for you are:

• Purpose
• Names/duties of officer position
• Who exactly is a member
• Whether or not dues are collected
• Officer terms, term limits
• Fiscal year
• Requirements on number or timing of general meetings and activities like nominations

Before you start writing the bylaws, you also probably want to figure out what type of organization you will be. If you plan to incorporate, your "organizing instrument" will be the articles of incorporation. If not you might have a constitution or articles of association, then the bylaws that define how your group operates. However, more and more groups (that aren't incorporated) are using a hybrid document that they call bylaws but actually has the basic organizational info (name, purpose, fiscal year, dissolution clause) PLUS the rules of operation.

The point is, you generally don't want to duplicate major sections. If you DO have two documents, put things one place or the other.

[WFS]

Post your website and schools can share theirs with you.

[EVPTO]

Are there any PTOs from Iowa out there on this board? If so I would really like to contact you regarding bylaws and perhaps sharing the information you run on. We are just starting up and have yet to address this topic!

[JHB]

Here's an old post where I explained how to search for PTO's that area already 501(c)(3).
http://www.ptotoday.com/boards/showt...ight=Guidestar

Note the 501's are a good starting point, but don't just assume the organization's perfect. You really do have to READ the bylaws and think about what they mean. It's a fairly boing job, I'm afraid - but an important one.

Note - the IRS is in the process of providing sample bylaws, but I don't have any idea when they will be available. And they may be too generic.

Lastly, there have been many links to bylaws posted in the past. Here's one: http://www.ptotoday.com/boards/showt...=sample+bylaws

Good luck!

[WFS]

aks1382-- Just curious.... Is your Principal asking the ex President for an accounting of the PTO funds? This could be a legal issue if money cannot be accounted for and the account closed.

[pzettler]

Message to JHB. You said it important to get sample from other PTO's "in your state". Can you help me understand a few reasons that this is important?

If this is true, then it might help if PTO Today could help us get examples organized.

[JHB]

Originally Posted by pzettler

Message to JHB. You said it important to get sample from other PTO's "in your state". Can you help me understand a few reasons that this is important?

The important part is really that they are a 501(c)(3) because the IRS does require several very specific pieces. I recommend seeking ones in your state simply because they would be subject the same state laws as you. They might be close enough for you to strike up a relationship and share information about issues beyond bylaws. It's not really critical that they be from your state, but if you are literally just going to start searching for other PTOs in similar circumstance, why not start close to home? If you find one in your same town/school district - even better. They would be subject to the same local rules and pressures as you.

Originally Posted by pzettler

Message to JHB. YIf this is true, then it might help if PTO Today could help us get examples organized.

The organizers of PTO Today have been incredibly generous, but we need to remember they are not a non-profit. They can't/won't be providing everything a PTO needs for free. They sell (for a very reasonable price) memberships that offer template bylaws and other resources to help a PTO start up from scratch. There's a lot available for free on their website and via the forum. If you use the search feature, you'll find posts where folks have shared links to their own bylaws. But I think there's a limit to how many resources we can expect PTO Today to offer for free.

Our family moved to a new county with a miserable school system - everyone says so. The good parents seem powerless to help. The county commissioners and school board don't get along. There are several PTO's for the elementary schools, but nothing in secondary. My daughter will start high school in another year and we are desperate to create support for the high school. Do you ever hear of high schools having PTO chapters? There is a band boosters and athletic boosters, but that is it. Our thought was to create a group of parents who could voice concerns in a positive way. We want to be more than a group of fundraisers (which is all it appears the elementary groups do). Does our motive seem in alignment with PTO and do you have any other recommendations? Also, would we need a separate charter from the elementary PTO's? How does it work? I tried to find "how to start a chapter" on this site and had no luck.