Question: Preschool PTO and 501 (c) 3 status

Hello! I have been approached by my children's preschool to start a PTO. The preschool is a parochial preschool and uses the church's non-profit status and EIN # for past functions. In starting a PTO, will we have to have our own number or can we use the preschool's/church's?

Asked by angelinerahn

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Rose H writes:
Thanks for getting in touch and great to hear that you will be starting a parent group. There isn't exactly a right or wrong answer here. It depends on the level of independence your group wants to have. If you want to set up the group as a separate operation from the preschool/church, that independently makes decisions about fundraising, events, etc., then it likely makes sense to go with 501c(3) status. If, however, you anticipate being more part of the preschool/church, then you don't have to take that step. You might want to take a look at our PTO Startup Kit. It has lots of great information about starting up a group. Good luck and let us know how you make out!