PTA Leaders

Tell Us About Your PTA

In our first General meeting of the year we spent some time in a group conversation prompted by these three questions:

  1. What’s great about your PTA community?

  2. What does your PTA need help with?

  3. What concerns does your PTA have?

Before we plan the rest of the year and determine what our goals and priorities will look like, we want to make sure we hear from all our leaders. If you were unable to attend the General Meeting, or if you did, but did not have an opportunity to discuss your PTA/school community, we would love to hear from you. We’ve created a form with the three questions from the meeting and we would love to gather as many responses as we can.

Please share this link with your PTA board & members and we’ll circle back with the results to inform our next discussion together:

Tell us about your PTA

Campaign & Election Guidelines

National PTA has partnered with Nonprofit VOTE to produce several resources around elections for our members. Visit the National PTA Election Guides page for permissible activities checklist, voter engagement timelines, hosting a candidate forum, and much more. 

In addition, Washington State PTA has developed the following resources: 

The Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) is a government agency created, and empowered by Initiative of the People, to ensure compliance with and equitable enforcement of Washington’s disclosure and campaign finance laws. Guidelines for School Districts in Election Campaigns is a resource that is intended to provide guidance regarding the Commission’s approach and interpretation of how the statutory prohibition on the use of public school facilities for campaigns impacts activities that may be contemplated by district personnel and other persons who may seek to utilize those public facilities. 

Supporting Families in Need with Gift Cards

Washington State PTA
A frequent question is whether it is acceptable for PTAs to collect and distribute gift cards for families in need, or to accept donations of gift cards to purchase necessities for children or families in need. Although it is common for PTAs to involve themselves with activities in their community that help families meet basic needs, there are some important considerations before a PTA embarks on such a program. Here are some things PTAs should know:

PTA funds must be spent on PTA purposes
Check to make sure that new activities are aligned with the PTA’s purposes. Each PTA submitted an IRS Form 1023 or an IRS Form 1024 when they applied for nonprofit status (501 c 3 or 501 c 4).  On that form, the PTA told the IRS everything they would be doing.  Review these forms to ensure new programs are in alignment.  A PTA’s standing rules state who the PTA serves.  For example, “ABC PTA serves the students, staff, and families of ABC School.”

PTA funds must serve a “class” or group of people, not individuals.
Nonprofits are organized for the benefit of the public, not individuals, and they must serve a charitable class.  Giving funds to individuals endangers a PTA’s nonprofit status. For example, PTA funds may not be spent to help a family after a job loss, fire, or other emergency.  If a PTA were to notice that a family was going without warm winter coats, they could not give that family gift cards to purchase coats. However, if a PTA were to note that many students needed new coats, they could set up a program through which any student at the school could obtain a new coat or a gift card for a new coat, regardless of whether or not they or their family are members of the PTA.

Respect Privacy
A PTA should avoid getting involved with directly identifying families in need. Anonymity is crucial; the confidentiality of families in the community is paramount.  For this reason, it is often preferable for a PTA to work with a school counselor or nurse, or to donate funds or gift cards to another charity or nonprofit that serves local families in need. A cause may be very important, but PTA may not be best positioned to do the work.

Know District Policy
Some school districts have policies that prevent school staff from handling donated gift cards, and without staff participation, the PTA may be left with no way to determine who the families in need are. Make sure that you are aware of all district policies before embarking on a program of this nature.

Gift Cards are Cash
It is not recommended that PTAs purchase gift cards for this type of program with PTA funds; it is preferable to receive gift cards that are used or passed on as needs arise.  This is because the board is responsible to ensure that PTA funds are spent on PTA purposes, and there is no way to ensure that gift cards are used for their intended purpose once they’ve been given out.

Final Considerations
PTAs must also create a clear, written process for handling gift cards. Include the process for receiving and logging a gift card, where gift cards are stored, who has access to the cards, and the process for distributing cards or checking out a card and submitting receipts.

Gift card donations should be handled like cash donations. The PTA should give the donor a cash receipt, must keep a record of each donation, and track the funds as donation income in bookkeeping.  Best practice would be to track gift cards as a separate, restricted fund, and to include this report in the monthly financial reports.

Likewise, when cards are distributed, those funds must also appear in the PTA bookkeeping.  If the PTA is using donated gift cards to purchase items that are then distributed, there should also be a system in place to ensure that all items purchased are accounted for; for example, ten coats purchased and ten coats distributed to families in need.

Published by Washington State PTA.
originally posted April 21, 2020; edited November 16, 2021.

 

Protecting Disability Benefits: What to Know About Gifts

Seattle Council PTSA
Local PTA’s should be aware of the risks associated for people with disabilities in accepting certain monetary gifts. Federal benefits that have income and asset limits such as Medicaid, SSI, housing, and other programs can be affected by receiving certain gifts. Best practice is always to ask what a person can receive before giving.

A resource to point families with questions to:
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACCD) Protecting Your Benefits: What to Know About Accepting Gifts

 

Additional Updates & Announcements

Remember to review the 2025–26 Standards of Affiliation Agreement (SOA) for local PTA’s at every board meeting. In addition to the items listed on the SOA tracking sheet, local PTAs shall uphold the ethics, policies, and principles of PTA and shall not take positions in conflict with adopted WSPTA or National PTA positions, resolutions, or issues, or the values, mission, vision, and purposes of PTA. For assistance with this checklist or help understanding any of the requirements, please contact treasurer@scptsa.org or secretary@scptsa.org.

Please enter ALL board members into Givebacks, not only your elected officers. Having all board member contacts in Givebacks allows SCPTSA and WSPTA to share important position-relevant (membership, DEI, advocacy, etc.) information with leaders. It also allows everyone to receive leadership newsletters!

Remember to regularly check the WSPTA calendar for upcoming trainings and events. PTA and the Law, a required class for at least one officer (and recommended for the whole Board), will be offered at least once a month throughout the year.