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.

December: Holiday shop and half-time

December is a short sprint then silence: the holiday shop runs, school events stack up, and then everything stops for two weeks. In December a PTO board should run the shop cleanly, reconcile it immediately, thank staff before break, and use the quiet week for a half-year review — what worked, what to drop, and whether the budget is on track.

Treasurer

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.

📅 Start now, thank yourself 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.

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

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