What your board should be doing right now

Every month of the PTO year, by role — the tasks, the deadlines that bite, and the things to start now so they're ready later. Assumes a July–June fiscal year; adjust if yours differs.

October: Peak season

This month

October is peak event season: the fall festival or trunk-or-treat, the fundraiser closing, and conference-week meals stack into one month. In October a PTO board should execute the big fall event with enough volunteers, reconcile the fundraiser within two weeks of closing, feed staff during conferences, and get the IRS Form 990 filed well before the November 15 deadline instead of discovering it late.

President

Fill the festival volunteer schedule early

Short shifts (45–60 min) fill; four-hour shifts don't. Personal asks fill the last gaps, not another mass email.
Check in with every committee chair

Fifteen minutes each, mid-month. You're listening for quiet drowning — chairs rarely volunteer that they're behind.
Thank sponsors publicly

Banner at the festival, names in the newsletter. October delivery is what makes next September's ask easy.

Treasurer

File the Form 990 now

Due November 15 for a June 30 fiscal year end. The 990-N e-postcard takes ten minutes — and three missed years means automatic loss of tax-exempt status. File in October, save the confirmation.
Reconcile the fundraiser within two weeks

Report the real number to members while they still remember the event. "We'll total it up eventually" erodes trust.
Enforce two-person cash counts at events

Festival cash boxes, counted by two unrelated people, signed the same night, deposited within days.

Secretary

Send sponsor thank-you letters with the EIN

Businesses need a receipt letter with your EIN and 501(c)(3) status for their books. Template it once, use it for years.
Check photo permissions before posting

The school tracks which students can't appear in photos — check before festival pictures go on social media.

Events & volunteers

Run the fall festival / trunk-or-treat

Day-of command sheet: who opens, who holds cash, who handles the bounce-house company, who closes. Print it.
Feed staff during conference week

Meal train or catered dinner on the long nights — check allergies against the favorites collection first.
Close the fall fundraiser on schedule

Announced end dates that quietly slide teach families to ignore the next deadline too.

⏰ Deadlines that bite

IRS Form 990 — file this month

Due November 15 for June 30 fiscal years (15th day of the 5th month after year end). Filing in October leaves room to fix surprises.

📅 Start now, thank yourself later

Holiday shop volunteer schedule

December shop needs a full roster and inventory plan by Thanksgiving.
Winter staff gratitude

Pie drop before Thanksgiving break or cocoa cart in December — order ahead.

Prefer the readable version? Read the October guide · or see the whole PTO year at a glance.

Get next month's list before the month starts

One email a month with exactly this — what your board should be doing, by role, before it's urgent.

One useful email a month — what your board should be doing right now. Unsubscribe anytime.