for future reference:Cut and paste in Word doc and this comes out looking good. :cool:
RECORDS TO BE RETAINED RETENTION PERIOD

Accounts payable records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 years
Annual audit reports . . . . ………. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Permanently
Articles of Incorporation ……. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Permanently
Bank reconciliations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 year
Bylaws, including all amendments………. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Permanently
Cash receipt records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 years
Checks (canceled, but see exception) . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 years
Checks (canceled, for important payments, i.e., taxes, special contracts, etc.
[checks should be filed with the papers pertaining to the transaction]) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …………………………………………….. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Permanently
Contracts & leases (expired) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 years
Contracts & leases still in effect . . . . . . . . …….. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Permanently
Corporation reports filed with the secretary of state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Permanently
Correspondence with customers or vendors .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 year
Correspondence(general) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 years
Correspondence(legal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Permanently
Duplicate deposit slips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 year
Employee records (post-termination),if applicable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 years
Employment applications, if applicable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 years
Equipment owned by the organization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Permanently
Financial statements (year-end) & budgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 years
Grant award letters of agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 years
Insurance records, accident reports, claims, policies, certificates ……. . . . . .Permanently
Inventories (products & materials) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .7 years
Invoices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .7 years
Journals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …….. . . .Permanently
Minute books of directors & committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .Permanently
Organizational charter …… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ….. . . . . . . . . . . . .Permanently
Petty cash vouchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 years
Purchase orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 years
Record retention policy….. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Permanently
Sales records . . . . . . . . . . …. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 years
Standing rules (current) . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Permanently
Tax-exempt status documents …….. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Permanently

Application for tax exemption (federal and state)
Letter of determination (recognition) of tax-exempt status (federal and state)
Group tax exemption documents, if applicable
Letter assigning IRS Employee Identification Number (EIN)
Form 990/990-EZ and Schedule A, as filed with IRS
State tax information returns, as filed
Form 990-T, if applicable, for unrelated business income
Correspondence with IRS
Other information returns filed with the government
Charitable Solicitation Registration, if applicable
Trademark registrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ….. . . . . .Permanently
Vouchers for payments to vendors, officers, etc. (includes allowances &
reimbursements to officers,members,etc.,for travel & other expenses) . . . . . . . . . .7 years

Something to consider - purchase a 4 drawer file cabinet for the school. Leave it in the store room or where ever you store the PTO's materials. This way at the end of the year, you can put all your materials in a central source from year to year.
I am not advocating the 'packrat' mentality but it's very helpful to have these things on file. You never know when a question regarding meeting minutes or an old flyer comes up. I purchased mine for home for $20 at a yard sale.

Something to think about.

We have to keep our finacial records for 3 years, all other paperwork gets dumped at the end of the school year.

I am one of those packrats...we keep everything! That includes of course all financial records in yearly binders plus a binder for each year (five so far). The binder will carry all of the meeting minutes, flyers that went home on events, event reports, copies of surveys, contracts, all of that stuff. I find it handy if you can look back and see something that you may do every other year, or be able to see what comments you wrote about using certain dj's, etc. But we dont have a storage problem as of yet...we have a nice size closet with lots of shelves.

Thanks! That was my thought, but sometimes I'm dealing with packrats.

since its not something the IRS would ever ask to see, toss em seems in order here.