Finance and Budget Archive

Your group can't do its great work without strong financial policies and a sound budget. Whether you're the PTO or PTA treasurer or a member concerned about protecting funds, you'll find tons of ideas and help on money management in the articles below. Yes, we even cover PTO and PTA embezzlement. When you're done reading, head over to the Message Boards to connect with other leaders facing the same challenges.

Articles with a plus sign () are available to PTO Today Plus members only.

• A Tool To Manage Volunteers - PTO Manager helps you find and track volunteers, and manage your finances more efficiently.
• Insurance: Do You Need It? - Without insurance, your group and your officers may be at risk. Here's what you should know to assess your needs.
• What Should PTOs Pay For? - Tighter school budgets mean parent groups are asked to fund more and more items that used to be paid for by the administration.
• Budget Basics for PTOs - Budgeting upfront makes all of your financial decisions easier. Follow these steps to create and use a budget for your PTO, even if you've never had one before.
• Finding and Winning Grants - Parent groups can and do get grants. Just follow a few simple rules to put together a winning application.
• Can I Deduct That? - The information you need so that your group's supporters can get the full advantage from their tax-deductible donations.
• Dealing With Bad Checks - Many problems with check payments can be avoided by having a clear policy in place from the start.
• How To Manage Your Budget - Tracking how money is spent month to month in comparison with the yearly budget gives a PTO treasurer the ability to monitor surpluses as well as shortfalls.
• Should You Charge Membership Dues? - Charging PTO membership fees might mean more cash, but perhaps fewer volunteers.
• Preventing Theft: Why It's Crucial - Theft from PTOs and PTAs is all too common. It doesn't happen because there's a criminal in your midst. It happens because need meets opportunity—opportunity you can and should prevent.
• Adversity: After Embezzlement, a Test of Strength - Discovering that their veteran treasurer had stolen funds from the group, parent leaders opted to stick it out and face up to the underlying causes. Their response made them PTO Today's 2007 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Effort To Overcome Adversity.
• Handling Cash: 6 Simple Steps - You want to make the money you raise count for the school and the kids. Set up these six checks and balances to reduce errors and the risk of loss.
• Figuring Finances for Events - How to build a simple cost model and estimate the start-to-finish finances for your group's new events.
• 5 Smart Financial Controls - Avoid unnecessary headaches with these practices to keep your assets safe and your records clean and up to date.
• Annual Audit: How and Why - A yearly audit is a key safeguard for your money and a planning tool for the year ahead. Think of it as a "year in review" for your finances.
• When To Change Banks - If the fees are piling up or there's a limit to the number of transactions you can make each month, it might be time to look for a better checking account at a new banking center. Keep a few basics in mind when you do.
• What Every Treasurer Should Know - Being a good treasurer takes planning and organization. Follow these pointers and you'll be ready for success.
• Should PTOs Pay Expenses? - Under certain conditions, it's OK for PTOs to pay travel and training expenses for board members. And if you don't get reimbursed, here's what you need to know about tax deductions.
• Just Say No to Dues - Dropping dues from your budget can pay off in higher involvement and more willing volunteers.
• Higher Fuel Costs Mean Fewer Field Trips - Rising costs are a problem for most school districts, survey finds.
• How PTOs Are Adapting to Hard Economic Times - PTOs everywhere are bracing for lower fundraising returns and tighter budgets at school and at home. We talked to parent group leaders about how they're getting through it.
• Recession Busters - The down economy doesn’t have to keep your group from having a great year. Try these tips for success when money and resources are tight.
• How Has the Economy Affected Your Group? - A sampling of responses from PTO Today’s fall 2008 survey of 1,100 parent groups.
• Mass. Town’s PTOs Face Stronger Financial Controls After Thefts - Police charged four women in January with embezzling more than $55,000 from four PTOs in New Bedford, Mass. In response, the New Bedford School Committee enacted rules that require more oversight of parent group finances.