Can a PTA Require School Staff to be Members to be Eligible for Classroom Grants?
Let’s consider the question of whether a PTA can require staff to be members in order to qualify for classroom grants. The short answer to that is NO, and requiring it would jeopardize the PTA’s tax-exemption. Charging a fee (dues) to apply for or receive a charitable grant violates the IRS private benefit rules. Charitable…
Mission Focused Advocacy and Fundraising
By: Beth Cogan, WSPTA Region 6 Advocacy Chair, and the Region 6 Advocacy Team As the school year winds down, PTAs (local, council, state) are holding elections, approving next year’s budgets and setting the stage for a successful 2026-2027 school year. School districts around the state are experiencing shortfalls and school administrators have to make…
Unauthorized GoFundMe Accounts
In October 2025, GoFundMe created more than 1.4 million donation pages for nonprofit organizations without their knowledge or consent, using publicly available IRS data. This affected hundreds of PTAs across the country, including Washington State PTA and many of our affiliate PTAs. GoFundMe has since made this statement: GoFundMe’s statement. How do I find out…
Category:
Finances
Your PTA and the New Sales Tax
During the last legislative session, Washington State added new services that may be subject to its existing retail sales tax. You can find a list of the services newly covered by the tax on this Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR) website. The one most likely to be relevant to PTAs is the inclusion of…
Category:
Finances