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.

⏰ 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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