We do not have our own 501 c3 designation. We use the district's EIN number. When I inquired into this earlier this year I was told it was just easier that way. When I presented reasons why this was not necessarily in our best interest, I got no response. If and when I become president, that is the first thing I will change--that and get a committee together to write bylaws!

Originally posted by TheVirtualOne:
Another Q for you. What percentage of schools are running underneath their school instead of under a separate 501c3?

Not a lot hopefully.
We would NEVER allow to be run under schools 501c3. That's just asking for problems.

We have had our first Parent Appeciation Night which cost about $100. We used individual invitations for each child to bring home and the parents all had to RSVP to attend. We gave each parent a small goody bag and drew for door prizes. We had each principal from our Primary School, Elementary, and Middle School come and speak for about 10-15 minutes each about how valuable parents are. It was a very successful evening.

Another Q for you. What percentage of schools are running underneath their school instead of under a separate 501c3?

Thanks CapeDad. I'll be in touch.

When we formed our PTO, we could not get any of our leftover funds that were in the school's accounts (we were treated like a committee) until we had our determination letter (still waiting) and special permission from the principal.

We decided to keep that group/account active and spend/reimburse through the old channels until there was no money left.

You probably could not 'restructure' the subcommmittee -- that is under the control of the school. You could, as a group of parents, organize and form a corporation with the sole purpose of supporting the school.

Any of the old money you get to use would be a bonus. You may all need to chip in at first to cover the fees. You can wait up to I think 15 months before doing the federal filing ($500). That should be easy to raise, even without school support.

You need to sell to your group that spending a little to form and grow the organization is not misappropriating funds. The group will be stronger in the long run (probably even in the short run) and better able to support the school.