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.

September: The launch month

September is launch month: the first general meeting, the membership drive, the fall fundraiser kickoff, and sponsorship season all land at once. In September a PTO board should run a short, welcoming first meeting, present the budget, open the fundraiser with clear money-handling rules, assign room parents, and get sponsorship letters to local businesses while their community budgets are still open.

President

Run the first general meeting like a welcome, not a hearing

Forty-five minutes, childcare if you can, food if you can afford it. New families decide tonight whether meetings are for them.
Publish the year calendar everywhere

Website, newsletter, fridge-ready one-pager. A calendar nobody can find is a calendar that doesn't exist.
Send sponsorship letters to local businesses

Tiered asks with real numbers land better than "any support appreciated." September is when community budgets get committed.
Open committee signups

Real descriptions with honest hour estimates. "Chair the book fair (6–8 hrs across one week)" recruits; "join a committee" doesn't.

Treasurer

Present the budget to members

If your bylaws require a member vote, this is the meeting. Bring simple category totals, not a spreadsheet dump.
Start the monthly report habit

Beginning balance, income, expenses by category, ending balance, versus budget. Same format every month, presented at every meeting.
Track fundraiser money by category from day one

Label income as it arrives. Reconstructing "which event was this deposit" in June is the classic treasurer nightmare.

Secretary

Publish minutes within a week

Minutes published fast build trust; minutes published in November build conspiracy theories.
Build the membership roster as forms arrive

Whatever counts as membership in your bylaws — dues, forms, or everyone — the roster determines who can vote later.
Give new chairs access to the shared drive

Every chair gets last year's notes for their event. Institutional memory only works if people can reach it.

Events & volunteers

Launch the fall fundraiser

Clear goal ("this funds field trips"), clear end date, and one reminder cadence agreed with the school.
Assign room parents

Every classroom covered, expectations in writing, and an intro from the teacher so parents know it's sanctioned.
Open spirit wear ordering

An early window catches back-to-school enthusiasm and delivers before weather turns.

⏰ Deadlines that bite

Sponsorship window

Local business community budgets close as fall ends — letters out this month, follow-ups in October.

📅 Start now, thank yourself later

Book the holiday shop vendor

December shop vendors and inventory need commitments by early October.
Plan conference-week meals

October–November conferences mean meal signups — and an allergy check against the favorites collection.

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

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