What should a PTO board do in December?

These checklists assume the most common setup — a July 1 – June 30 fiscal year and federal 501(c)(3) status. If your group runs a different year, shift the compliance dates to match.

President — December

• Run the half-year review. One honest hour over break: budget vs. actuals, what fizzled, what to cancel in spring. Killing a tired event is a gift to every future board.
• Thank the board itself. The board thanks everyone else all fall. A handwritten note to each member over break costs nothing and retains officers.

Treasurer — December

• Reconcile the holiday shop fast. Daily counts already signed — final reconciliation and deposit before break, reported in January.
• Mind gift limits on staff and volunteer thanks. Commonly cited guidance keeps individual thank-you gifts modest (under ~$100) — generosity above that creates tax questions nobody wants.
• Half-year budget vs. actuals. Feed the president's review with real numbers — it's the mid-course correction meeting.

Secretary — December

• Mid-year records check. Minutes through December filed, roster current, event notes captured while chairs still remember.

Events & volunteers — December

• Run the holiday shop. Volunteers briefed on prices and the "budget envelope" kids, restock between classes, teacher schedule honored.
• Support winter concerts. Cookies and coffee in the lobby is cheap, easy, and the whole school sees the PTO being useful.
• Write the December debrief. Twenty minutes on what to order more/less of next year — December-you is the only one who knows.

Start in December, needed later

• Book spring event vendors. Fun-run companies and auction platforms fill spring calendars in January — email over break.
• Teacher Appreciation Week seeds. TAW is the first full week of May; themes and big-ticket ideas start in February.