we don't have an amount listed in our bylaws but try to have around 1000.00, this year we are starting with less than $500.00 but within three weeks of school starting we have a bookfair and our big fundraiser. Our outlook is that if the fundraiser fails then find other ways aroound our events. I must say that we have a ton of supplies(paper goods, craft supplies, tablecloths, decorations, school store supplies, etc) carried over that helps us keep expenses down at the beginning of the year, the vast majority of our budget is actually spent after December!
Your bylaw was probably set up to have your PTO budget using the money that was actually raised last year, for this year's use. That way, you know exactly how much you have to work with, rather than having to predict the results of fundraising you haven't done yet. Once a group has settled into this pattern, it seems to work fine, as long as the members and officers understand the approach. The temptation is to think you could add this year's fundraising dollars to the money already on hand and have a ton of $$ to spend all in one year.
I just took a closer look at your post - you say your bylaws require a $12k balance at all times . That doens't make any sense. You might as well take the $12k out of the bank, stick it in a shoe box and bury it for all the good it can do your students. If your fundraising goes bust, you still can't tap into that $$ if your bylaws forbid dropping below the $12k balance. I'd be thinking about revising that rule to allow your PTO access to its own money.
Our bylaws require a $3,000 minimum carryover, though it's historically in the $5-6k range (as crazy as it sounds, it's hard to spend money late in the year despite our best efforts). We have very low start up costs, and do our major fundraiser in October, so the carryover isn't critical to our ability to operate. It just becomes part of our programming budget for the new year. Out total budget is about $22,000 per year.
Though we have no by-law provision that requires us to carry over any money, what has occured the past few years is that we spend about $12,000 and we bring in about $12,000... so, our bank account is always right around there! I actually like it this way... I know the money is there to accomplish our goals this year!
Kelley Kirkpatrick-Berg
Madison PTO
Mount Vernon, WA
We try to carry over enough to cover most of the discretionary funds budget. This is around $4000. If we could get people to quit coming up with "projects" that our group "needs" to do, I would like us to carry over more incase a fundraiser doesn't go well or a worthwhile purchase needs to be made. Though I would never try to carry over my whole budget from year to year, what happens if your district won't let you fundraise one year or if you group falls apart? I think whoever added this to your bylaws was just trying to protect your school.
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morris
We usually carryover a startup amount of $3000. This helps us pay for expenses incurred during the first month of school such as student folders and assignment pads. We don't have this carryover defined in our bylaws - it is up to each year's board to decide how much will be left in the account.
In general, whatever we fundraise during the school year is spent that year. That way, the students and their families who raise the money also benefit from it.
