Good Standing

Great news about Good Standing!

All nonprofits—yes, all—must meet Good Standing requirements each year with the IRS, Secretary of State, and Attorney General’s Office. It might sound overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. As a PTA, you’re never alone—Minnesota PTA is here to provide the tools, reminders, and support that make compliance simple and manageable, so you can focus on what really matters: making an impact.

How to maintain Good Standing in 3 easy steps

Your submission timeline

In September...

Complete:

Officers - must be listed in Givebacks
Financial Review - finalizing, or has been completed.
990 - Submit to the IRS before November 15th

In December...

Complete:

Secretary of State renewal
Attorney General Charitable Report (if applicable)
Standing Rules - review and submit any changes

In March...

Submit:

Memberships before March 1st to qualify for the April membership awards. Enter Membership info and pay dues through Givebacks.

In June...

VERIFY YOU HAVE SUBMITTED ALL ITEMS IN GIVEBACKS BY JUNE 1st:

Officers for next year
Standing Rules - IF updated
Membership information & dues
Copy of your completed 990
Financial Review confirmation
Secretary of State confirmation

Get started completing these REQUIRED items

#1 - Submitting your officers

Your officer list is the most cirtical submission you can update to stay in Good Standing. It's also the easiest one to complete. Officers must be updated before June 1st annualy, or upon any change. Officer imformation must contain personally identifiable information such as name, personal email address, and personal phone number for each person in the role of the President, Secretary and Treasurer.

Update officers through the Givebacks 'Compliance' Section.

Read here for more information about updating your officers in Givebacks.
Officers may alternatively be submitted to our office by email. Please use THIS FORM to complete your submission by email to mnpta@mnpta.org

#2 - File Your 990 to the IRS

Your 990 to the IRS is a critical annual requirement for ALL nonprofits. PTAs must report their taxes to the IRS within 5 months and 15 days of the close of their fiscal year. Please Click the link to read more about the 990 submission to the IRS.

Please submit a copy of your 990 in Givebacks through the 'Compliance' section.

Vist the PTA & IRS information page.

#3 - Report Your Membership

Your PTA is a membership association and members have rights by state law. It's imporatnt that once you collect your membership dues to remit all membership information and dues to Minnesota PTA so they can exercise their rights and redeem their benefits. Members are cirtical to the overall health, and support of your local PTA, as well as the advocacy work of Minnesota PTA and National PTA.

Please read more about membership on our Membership Webpage.

Get started on your Membership Campaign by clicking here.

Collect membership by:

Submit membership to Minnesota PTA by:

#4 - Update Your Standing Rules

Standing Rules are a subset of the Universal Bylaws and define how your local PTA should operate. Please review your Standing Rules annually to make sure they do not require any updates, and are less than 5 years old. Click the button to read more and download the template and instructions.

Please submit these in Givebacks through the 'Compliance' section.

#5 - Complete a Financial Review

Your PTA should complete a Financial Review of your books every year when your fiscal year closes. Please click the link for our sample template.

Upload your completed review in Givebacks in the Compliance section when it's complete.

MORE COMING SOON! We will be updating our guidance on this soon. Please check back!

#6 - Renew Your Secretary of State Registration

Your Renewal with the Minnesota Secretary of State is required to be completed through their online portal on a annual basis. Please click the link to read more and get started filing your renewal. Please reach out to our office if you have questions or need additional assistance.

Please confirm your renewal in the Givebacks 'Compliance' section once it's been completed.

Other Important Considerations

Minnesota Attorney General - Charitable Report

Some PTAs are required to submit an annual report to the MN Attorney General's Office. Please click the image to read more about the report and if your PTA qualifies to submit.

Mn Department of Revenue - UBI Tax & Sales-Tax Exemption

PTAs may need to file UBI taxes to the Minnesota Department of Revenue for hosting regular sales of products that is unrelated to the regular business they conduct..

Also...

PTAs can qualify to make some purchases tax-free. Your PTA will have to have a sales-tax exemption number, or file with the Department of Revenue. Click the icon to read more.

PTAs & Gambling

PTAs that conduct gambling such as Bingos, Raffles, Paddle-Wheels, or pull tabs, may have to file for a license, or an exempt license with the Mn Gambling Board. Click the icon to learn more.

Insuring Your PTA

PTAs in Minnesota are not required to carry insurance, however, we STRONGLY ENCOURAGE your PTA to consider purchasing insurance to cover your officer's and those that participate in PTA Hosted events.

Please browse insurance information from the carriers linked below.

Beneficial Ownership Reporting

PTAs in Minnesota are exempt from having to file Beneficial Ownership Information.

More about Good Standing

What is Good Standing?

Nonprofit good standing means that your nonprofit has taken the necessary steps to comply with regulatory requirements. This includes registering with and reporting to various state and federal agencies, such as the Secretary of State, departments of revenue, state charity officials, and the IRS. Good Standing is also required with Minnesota PTA and National PTA in order to remain in affiliation, retain your nonprofit status, and be eligible for services, grants, and other opportunities.

There are three levels of Good Standing…

In Good Standing - Your ready to go for the year!
Pending / Missing Items - You will not qualify for some services, grants and awards
Not in Good Standing - Your unit is in critical condition and may lose it's nonprofit status

How do we maintain Good Standing?

Make sure you are submitting your state and federal submissions by their due dates.
Submit all your Good Standing Items to Minnesota PTA no later than June 1st every year.
On average, it should only take about 10 minutes a year to submit all these items to our office to stay in Good Standing.
Need help? Just ask! Want training? Just ask! We are here to help! If you are missing items, please contact the office.

How do we know if we are in Good Standing?

Check the compliance section in Givebacks to see if your submitted items are accepted
Check your email for requests from our office for items after they were due
Check your school mailbox to see if you've received a paper correspondance
Email the Minnesota PTA office to inquire: mnpta@mnpta.org

Standards for Affiliation

Standards of Affiliation: The National PTA Standards of Affiliation (SOA) is a policy of the National PTA Board of Directors that defines the relationship between the state constituent associations and National PTA, including what National PTA will provide to those associations. The policy sets the standards for a successful state constituent association; protects the National PTA name, identity, and brand; and ensures that all will be treated fairly and equally.
National PTA & Minnesota PTA recognizes its responsibility to preserve the reputation and trust of the PTA brand through support of its constituent associations from local to state. The SOA is in place to ensure state constituent & local constituents align all communications and actions with National PTA’s vision, mission, values, and policies and to comply with applicable federal laws. In addition, all associations shall support the current National PTA legislative and advocacy priorities and only take public positions which are consistent with adopted National PTA positions and resolutions.
See more about the National PTA Standards of Affiliation
Minnesota PTA will be adopting new Standards of Affiliation (SOA) to help guide local constituent associations in Minnesota through the requirements of the National PTA Standards for Affiliation. At this time our association defaults to the rules and regulations of National PTA's SOA when in reference to our local constituent associations in Minnesota.

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