PTA treasurer report template

What goes in a treasurer report

Your board doesn't need every transaction. Before each meeting, ask what the board needs to decide and what it needs to know to decide it. Then answer the same questions every time:

1. 1 How much is in the bank today?
2. 2 What came in and went out since the last meeting?
3. 3 Are we on track against the budget?
4. 4 Is anything unusual, late or unresolved?
5. 5 What large payments or deadlines are coming up?
6. 6 Were the checks done? Say whether the bank statement matches your records and who reviewed it (someone who doesn't sign checks).

On paper that becomes a header (group, period, who prepared it and when), one line per account, the totals, a "matches the bank statement?" box, what's coming up and a line for the reviewer. Ask the president when the next meeting is and how much time you'll have. It's usually just a few minutes.

Treasurer report example

Here's a sample month for a school with a checking account and PayPal. The numbers are an example; the builder above takes yours.

Money in was membership dues ($1,650.00), the fall fundraiser ($3,180.00) and donations ($300.00). Money out was the fundraiser vendor, teacher grants, the back-to-school picnic and PayPal fees. Each account's end balance matched its September 30 statement, so the "matches" box is ticked. If one hadn't, the report would still show the computed balance and the treasurer would mark No and explain.

How to give a treasurer report

Most board members aren't finance people either. Speak like you're explaining it to a friend. A two-minute script:

"We have $[balance] across our accounts. $[restricted] of that is set aside for [purpose], so $[available] is ours to spend. Since our last meeting, $[in] came in, mostly from [source], and $[out] went out, mostly for [purpose]. We're on track with the budget, except [line], which is [over/under] because [reason]. Coming up: [big payment or deadline]. The bank statement matches our records, and [name], who doesn't sign checks, reviewed it. The full report is in front of you. Any questions?"

Only say the statement matches if you've done this month's bank match. If you haven't, say "I'm still matching the bank statement and will send an update." If you don't know an answer, say "I'll find out and email everyone this week." Then do.

• Send the report to the board two or three days before the meeting, so they read it first.
• Short on time? Give three headlines: the balance, the biggest win and the biggest worry.
• Explain only the lines that are off budget by more than an amount your board agrees on, such as $100.
• Never read transactions aloud. Never name families who owe money; give the total owed instead.
• Once a year, at the first board meeting, spend ten minutes showing everyone how to read the report.

In most PTAs, nobody votes to approve the treasurer's report. After questions, the president says it "will be filed for the financial review", and the secretary attaches it to the minutes. The vote comes at the end of the year, when members adopt the financial review report. Some groups still vote on it out of habit. Follow your bylaws.

How to write a treasurer's report

Fill it in from your bank match and your records. Keep it to one page; anyone at the table should be able to read it without you explaining it.

• List each account on its own line, including PayPal, Square or Venmo. They count as accounts too.
• End the period a few days before the meeting, and use the same cut-off every month.
• Show restricted money separately. That's money given for a specific purpose, like donations for the 5th-grade trip. Label money the board chose to set aside as "set aside by the board", and show money that isn't yours to spend, like state and National PTA dues you haven't sent yet.
• Round to the dollar in the summary if you like, and keep the exact figures in your records. If rounding makes a total look a dollar off, write "rounded" under it.
• Add a short note next to anything unusual: "Book fair invoice paid early to get a discount."
• Don't name families or volunteers. "One returned check, being followed up" is enough.
• If someone wants every transaction, attach your ledger as a second page. The summary still fits on one.

Booster club financial report

A booster club's report works the same way: each account on its own line, start + money in − money out = end, a check against the statement, and what's coming up. Your bylaws say who gets it and how often. Give a copy to the president and the secretary for the minutes, and keep one in your file. The builder prints that copies-to line at the bottom of the page.

PTA, PTO and booster club differences

• PTA units give the report at board meetings and at every general membership meeting. Your state PTA may have its own form; Utah PTA's monthly report is one example. If many of your families speak Spanish, Texas PTA's treasurer page has sample reports in English and Spanish.
• PTA units also show state and National PTA dues collected but not yet sent as money held for others, not as money to spend.
• A school PTO or booster club follows its bylaws on who receives the report and whether anyone votes on it.

Common mistakes

• Saying "it matches" before you've done the bank match. Say you're still matching and send an update.
• Forcing a mismatch to zero. Show the difference and find it. It's often a bank fee or a check that cleared but isn't listed yet.
• Leaving out PayPal, Square or Venmo. Every place money sits is an account on the report.
• Judging the year by the bank balance alone. A healthy balance can hide a fundraiser that came in short or a big bill that isn't paid yet. That's what the budget vs. actual table is for.
• Moving the cut-off date from month to month, so the numbers never line up.