Sample PTO bylaws, start to finish

Bylaws of Maplewood Elementary PTO (example)

Article I — Name

1. The name of this organization shall be Maplewood Elementary PTO ("the Organization"). The Organization serves Maplewood Elementary School.
2. The Organization is an independent parent-teacher organization, not chartered under any state or national association.

Article II — Purpose

1. The purpose of the Organization is to support the education and wellbeing of the students of the school by fostering cooperation among parents, guardians, teachers, and staff, and by raising and directing funds for school programs and enrichment.
2. The Organization is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
3. The Organization shall be noncommercial, nonsectarian, and nonpartisan. It shall not endorse any commercial enterprise or any candidate for public office, and the name of the Organization and the names of its officers shall not be used to promote any interest other than the purpose stated in these bylaws.
4. The Organization operates independently of the school administration; participation in the Organization confers no authority over school operations, and the school administration has no authority over the Organization's funds.

Article III — Membership

1. Every parent or guardian of a student enrolled at the school, and every staff member of the school, is automatically a member of the Organization. No dues are required for membership.
2. The Board may invite voluntary contributions, but no payment shall ever be a condition of membership or voting.
3. Each member present at a meeting is entitled to one vote. Voting by proxy or absentee ballot is not permitted.

Article IV — Officers & Board

1. The officers of the Organization shall be: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary. Together the officers constitute the Executive Board ("the Board").
2. The President presides at meetings and represents the Organization; the Vice President assists the President and presides in their absence; the Treasurer maintains the funds, records, and financial reports; the Secretary keeps the minutes and records of the Organization. Duties of any other offices shall be defined by the Board in writing.
3. Officers serve two-year terms beginning July 1. To preserve continuity, terms are staggered: the offices of President, Treasurer are elected in odd-numbered years, and the offices of Vice President, Secretary in even-numbered years. The whole Board shall never stand for election in the same year.
4. No person shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. After a year out of that office, they are again eligible.
5. A vacancy in any office shall be filled by Board appointment until the next election. An officer may be removed for cause by a two-thirds vote of members present at a general meeting called with notice of the proposed removal.

Article V — Nominations & Elections

1. A nominating committee of at least three members shall be formed no later than sixty days before the election. Any member may also be nominated from the floor with their consent.
2. Elections shall be held at the April general meeting by majority vote of the members present, a quorum being met. Contested elections shall be by written ballot.
3. Newly elected officers take office on July 1. Between the election and July 1, outgoing officers shall complete the transition: delivering all records, accounts, credentials, and the handoff binder to their successors, and completing bank signature changes.

Article VI — Meetings

1. General membership meetings shall be held monthly during the school year, at dates announced at least 10 days in advance. Any matter to be voted on shall be included in the notice.
2. The Board shall meet as needed. Special general meetings may be called by the President or by written request of ten percent of the membership.
3. 8 members present shall constitute a quorum for a general meeting. No binding vote may be taken without quorum.
4. On matters of procedure not covered by these bylaws, the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall guide.

Article VII — Committees

1. The Board may establish standing and ad-hoc committees as needed to carry out the work of the Organization — for example, committees for fundraising, events, membership, or hospitality.
2. The President, with the approval of the Board, shall appoint a chair for each committee. A committee chair need not be an officer but must be a member of the Organization.
3. Each committee shall present its plan of work to the Board before undertaking it, shall operate within the budget and authority the Board grants, and shall report on its activities at general meetings as requested. No committee may obligate the Organization financially beyond its approved budget without Board approval.
4. All committees are accountable to the Board. No committee action shall conflict with these bylaws or with a decision of the membership, and each outgoing chair shall pass along records and materials to the next.

Article VIII — Finances

1. The fiscal year runs July 1 through June 30.
2. An annual budget shall be presented and adopted by member vote at the first general meeting of the school year. The budget is a living document: it may be amended, and unbudgeted expenditures approved, by member vote at any general meeting.
3. Between meetings, the Board may approve unbudgeted expenditures up to $250 in total, to be reported at the next general meeting.
4. The budget may include a pre-approved startup fund, spendable between the start of the fiscal year and adoption of the new budget, so the Organization can operate over the summer and at back-to-school.
5. Organization funds shall be held only in accounts in the Organization's name. Funds shall never be routed through any personal account. The account shall have at least two authorized signers, who shall not be related to each other or share a household. Bank signers shall be updated within thirty days of any change of officers.
6. An annual financial review shall be completed at the close of each fiscal year, before the books transfer to a new Treasurer, by a committee of at least three members who are not authorized signers and are not relatives or household members of signers. The written findings shall be presented to the membership.
7. The Treasurer shall file the Organization's annual IRS information return (Form 990-N or 990-EZ as applicable) on time and store the filing confirmation with the Organization's permanent records.
8. No part of the net earnings of the Organization shall inure to the benefit of any member, officer, or private person. The Organization shall not hold or pass through funds on behalf of other organizations or individuals.

Article IX — Amendments

1. These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of members present at a general meeting with quorum, provided the proposed amendment was distributed in writing at least 30 days before the vote.

Article X — Dissolution

1. Upon dissolution of the Organization, and after payment of all liabilities, remaining assets shall be distributed to one or more organizations exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that serve the students of the school community, as chosen by member vote — or, failing that, to the school district for the benefit of the school's students.

Article XI — Additional Provisions

1. All meeting notices shall be published in both English and Spanish.