Q&A

PTO not following the bylaws

What do you do if your PTO did not follow their own bylaws. Last year for election they did not allow every parent to vote. They simply talked amongst themselves & voted. Those of us not holding a board position (president, VP, secretary) didn't get a say at all. This is not what the bylaws say. What can we do? Who can we report them to?
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This is a challenging situation, to say the least. Nonprofit organizations are required to follow their bylaws, or they can get in hot water with regulators over their nonprofit incorporation or nonprofit status. If you want to look into reporting the group, you'll need to learn more about how nonprofits are regulated in your state. The website Grantspace has a good link for that. http://grantspace.org/tools/nonprofit-startup-resources-by-state?_ga=2.63253999.1768441483.1508257464-1301708364.1508257464

Before you take that step, though, think about what your ultimate goal is. If your goal is to have the group get in compliance with hits bylaws, start by bringing the matter up with the group's leadership. There's some good advice in this Grantspace post. http://grantspace.org/blog/what-can-i-do-if-a-nonprofit-isn-t-following-its-bylaws Avoid laying blame. Assume the mistake was made in ignorance, and talk about how the organization can resolve the issue. I'm not sure what the group can do about it now, aside from having a new election, but they can certainly make sure they follow the requirements of the bylaws when the next election is held. - Emily from PTO Today
- egraham
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