Last updated 2026-07-25
TL;DR
A booster meeting is where the club's officers and members review money, activities, and decisions together. The treasurer's job there is to report cash in and out, flag any filing deadlines (like Form 990/990-N), and get spending approved in the minutes. It's not complicated, but skipping it is how clubs end up with missing records or auto-revoked tax-exempt status.
What is a booster meeting, and what should be on the agenda?
A booster meeting is a regular gathering of a booster club, PTO, or youth sports organization's officers and members to handle group business: money, events, votes, and planning. It's the forum where the treasurer reports on the bank balance, upcoming bills, and fundraising results, and where the group votes to approve spending before it happens. A workable agenda runs short. Call to order, approval of prior minutes, treasurer's report, old business, new business, adjournment. That's it. Groups that pad this out with long discussions lose members fast. Volunteer treasurers already have full lives. The treasurer's report itself should take five minutes, not thirty. It needs: starting balance, money in (by source: concessions, spirit wear, sponsorships), money out (by category), ending balance, and a one-line note on anything unusual (a bounced check, a large upcoming expense, a filing deadline coming up). Minutes matter more than most new officers realize. If a state charity regulator or the IRS ever asks for proof that the club approved a $2,000 equipment purchase or a raffle, the minutes are the paper trail. No minutes, no proof. Write down what was voted on and the vote count, even for small clubs of five people.
What does a treasurer do?
A treasurer tracks the money: what comes in, what goes out, and where it sits. Concretely, that means keeping a checkbook or bookkeeping software up to date, reconciling the bank statement every month, filing whatever tax paperwork the club owes the IRS and the state, and reporting to the group at every booster meeting. Most booster and PTO treasurers are volunteers with no accounting background, and that's fine. The job doesn't require a CPA. It requires consistency: recording transactions as they happen instead of trying to reconstruct six months of Venmo activity in April. A realistic monthly task list: reconcile the bank account against the register, update the budget-to-actual comparison, prepare the report for the next meeting, and check whether any receipts or invoices are missing. Annually, add: file the IRS return that matches your club's size (Form 990-N, 990-EZ, or 990), renew any state charitable solicitation registration, and do a handoff packet if you're leaving the role. The IRS itself doesn't define "treasurer" as a formal title, since that's a nonprofit's internal decision, not a federal one. But the IRS does hold whoever signs the return responsible for its accuracy, so if you sign a Form 990, you're on the hook for what's in it [1].
What do treasurers do at a booster club or PTO specifically?
At a booster club, a treasurer is doing the same core job as any nonprofit treasurer, just at a smaller scale and often with less structure to lean on. Boosters run concession stands, spirit wear sales, car washes, and raffles, all of which throw off cash that needs counting, depositing, and recording the same day whenever possible. A club treasurer at a school booster group typically handles: bank deposits from events, reimbursements to coaches and parent volunteers, vendor payments for uniforms or equipment, and the annual IRS filing. Many booster clubs are recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, though some operate as 501(c)(4) social welfare groups or aren't separately incorporated at all and instead operate under the school's umbrella. Cash handling is where booster treasurers get burned most often. Two people should count concession stand cash together and both sign off on the total before it goes in the bag for deposit. One person handling cash alone, with no second set of eyes, is how honest mistakes and dishonest ones both go unnoticed. If your club doesn't have a two-person cash-count rule yet, that's the single highest-value fix you can make this season. Raffles add another layer: many states require a specific charitable gaming or raffle license before you sell a single ticket, separate from your tax-exempt status. Confirm with your state charity office or attorney general before running one, since the rules and fees vary widely by state.
What is Form 990, and does our booster club have to file it?
| Normally $50,000 or less | Any | Form 990-N (e-Postcard) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than $200,000 | Less than $500,000 | Form 990-EZ or Form 990 | |
| $200,000 or more | Any, or assets $500,000+ | Form 990 | Miss three years in a row and the IRS automatically revokes your tax-exempt status, no warning letter required beyond what's already on file. The IRS states plainly: "Organizations that don't file for three consecutive years lose their tax-exempt status automatically. The revocation is effective on the original filing due date of the third return" [3]. This is the single most common crisis new booster treasurers inherit, usually because the prior treasurer didn't know the filing existed. |
Form 990 is the annual information return that most tax-exempt organizations file with the IRS to report income, expenses, and activities. It's not an income tax return in the traditional sense (exempt orgs generally don't owe income tax on mission-related revenue). It's a disclosure document that keeps the IRS, and the public, able to see how the organization operates. Which version you file depends on gross receipts and assets. The IRS explains it this way: organizations with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less can file the Form 990-N e-Postcard; those with gross receipts under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000 can file Form 990-EZ or the full Form 990; larger organizations must file the full Form 990 [2]. | Gross receipts | Total assets | Form required |
What is a 990 tax form used for, and who reads it?
The 990 tax form tells the IRS, state charity regulators, and the public what a nonprofit took in, spent, and owns. Donors, grantmakers, and watchdog sites like GuideStar/Candid and ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer pull directly from filed 990s, so a sloppy or missing filing is visible to anyone who looks. For a small booster club, the practical purpose is narrower. It's proof to the IRS that you're still operating within your exempt purpose, and it's the paper trail that keeps your [990](/articles/treasurer-basics/990) status intact year over year. Parents rarely ask to see it, but a new coach, a school district compliance officer, or a bank asking for nonprofit documentation might. One detail trips people up constantly: filing a 990-N or 990-EZ does not mean you owe money. Most booster clubs report zero income tax due because their activities fall under their exempt purpose. The form is informational, not a bill.
What does a treasurer do in a club versus a company?
A club treasurer and a corporate treasurer share a title but not much else. A club treasurer, whether for a booster group, PTO, rotary chapter, or homeowners association, is almost always a volunteer handling modest sums (often under $50,000 a year) with informal or semi-formal bookkeeping. A corporate treasurer manages cash flow, debt, investments, and banking relationships for an organization with paid accounting staff behind them. What carries over is the core duty: accurate, current records and honest reporting to the people you answer to. A club treasurer answers to the membership at the booster meeting. A corporate treasurer answers to a CFO or board. The stakes differ too. A club treasurer's biggest realistic risk is losing 501(c)(3) status through a missed 990n filing or losing member trust after an unexplained cash shortfall at a concession stand. Neither ends in a lawsuit for most volunteers, but both can end a booster program's ability to fundraise, since schools and leagues often require proof of good standing before letting a group use the school name or field.
What records should a treasurer bring to every booster meeting?
Bring the bank reconciliation, the budget-to-actual report, and a running list of upcoming deadlines. That's the minimum for a report members can actually follow without asking you to repeat numbers. A reasonable meeting packet: current bank balance with the reconciliation date, income and expenses since the last meeting broken into categories (concessions, spirit wear, dues, donations, equipment, insurance, filing fees), and a short "coming up" list (next 990 deadline, raffle license renewal, insurance renewal). If your club uses receipts and invoices, have them available but don't read them aloud line by line. That's what kills meeting momentum. A lot of clubs skip the deadline list and pay for it later. The IRS deadline for exempt organization returns is the 15th day of the 5th month after the organization's accounting period ends, which for a calendar-year club means May 15 [2]. Put that date on your calendar the day you take the job, not the week before it's due.
How does a new treasurer take over mid-year?
A mid-year handoff needs three things fast: bank access, the last filed tax return, and the check register or bookkeeping file. Without those, a new treasurer is flying blind at the next booster meeting. Ask the outgoing treasurer (or the club president, if the treasurer already left) for: online banking login or a signature card update at the bank, the most recent 990/990-N/990-EZ confirmation, twelve months of bank statements, and any state charitable registration paperwork. If the club can't produce a filed return from the last three years, check the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search tool to see if the exempt status is still active, since auto-revocation happens silently and the club may not have been notified in a way anyone noticed [4]. If you discover the status has lapsed, the IRS offers a retroactive reinstatement process for organizations that apply within 15 months of the revocation date. The IRS describes the requirement this way in its retroactive reinstatement procedures: organizations must show reasonable cause for failing to file for each of the three consecutive years and meet the other criteria in Revenue Procedure 2014-11 to qualify for the streamlined, lower-fee track available to small filers [5]. Confirm current fees and eligibility with the IRS directly, since these figures get updated periodically. This is exactly the gap a state-personalized starter kit is built to close: a one-time reference that lays out the filing calendar, the reconciliation habit, and a bare-bones meeting agenda so a new volunteer isn't reconstructing all of this from scratch during their first booster meeting. If that's where you are, the Treasurer Kit Builder puts together a $99 one-time packet matched to your state.
What should the treasurer's report actually say out loud?
Say the ending balance first, then walk backward. Members remember the bottom line; they don't need the full ledger read aloud. A workable script: "As of [date], we have $X in the bank. Since last meeting we brought in $X from concessions and $X from spirit wear, and we spent $X on [items]. Nothing unusual to flag, and our next filing deadline is [date]." That's under 60 seconds and it's exactly what belongs in the minutes. If there is something unusual, a large expense, a discrepancy, a bounced check, say so plainly and let the group decide next steps together. Burying bad news in a spreadsheet nobody reads is how small problems become the kind that show up in a state attorney general inquiry later.
Frequently asked questions
What does a treasurer do?
A treasurer tracks all money coming in and going out of an organization: recording transactions, reconciling bank statements, preparing budget reports, filing required tax paperwork like Form 990, and reporting regularly to the group's members or board at meetings.
What is a treasurer?
A treasurer is the officer responsible for an organization's finances: cash handling, bookkeeping, reporting, and tax compliance. In a booster club or PTO, it's usually a volunteer parent role, not a paid or credentialed position, though the reporting duties are real.
What does a treasurer do in a club?
In a club setting, the treasurer collects dues or fundraising proceeds, pays approved expenses, keeps the books current, reports the financial position at every meeting, and files any required annual return with the IRS, such as Form 990-N for small nonprofits.
What does a club treasurer do differently from a company treasurer?
A club treasurer usually manages smaller sums with simpler tools (a checkbook or basic software) and reports to volunteer members at regular meetings. A company treasurer manages cash flow, banking relationships, and often debt or investments, backed by professional accounting staff.
What is Form 990?
Form 990 is the annual information return most tax-exempt organizations file with the IRS reporting revenue, expenses, and activities. Which version applies (990-N, 990-EZ, or full 990) depends on the organization's gross receipts and total assets for that year.
What is a 990 tax form used for?
It's used by the IRS, state regulators, and the public to verify a nonprofit's ongoing activities match its exempt purpose. It's a disclosure form, not typically a tax bill, since most exempt organizations owe no income tax on mission-related revenue.
What is the 990-N e-Postcard, and do we qualify?
The 990-N is the shortest IRS filing option, for organizations with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less per year. It's filed online only and asks for basic identifying information, not detailed financials. Confirm your club's eligibility on the IRS website before assuming.
What happens if our booster club never filed a 990?
If a required return goes unfiled for three consecutive years, the IRS automatically revokes the organization's tax-exempt status, effective on the original due date of the third missed return. Reinstatement requires a specific application process, sometimes retroactive if filed within 15 months.
What should be on a booster meeting agenda?
A tight agenda: call to order, approval of prior minutes, treasurer's report (balance, income, expenses, upcoming deadlines), old business, new business, adjournment. Keep the treasurer's report under five minutes and put all spending votes in the written minutes.
How often should a booster club treasurer report to the members?
Most clubs report at every regular meeting, typically monthly during the active season. At minimum, report quarterly and always before and after major fundraisers like concessions season or a raffle, so members see the money tied to specific events.
Do booster clubs need a raffle license to fundraise?
Many states require a separate charitable gaming or raffle license before you can legally sell raffle tickets, distinct from federal tax-exempt status. Rules, fees, and eligibility vary by state, so confirm directly with your state's charity office or attorney general before running one.
What's the fastest way for a new treasurer to check if the club's tax-exempt status is still active?
Search the organization's name or EIN in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search tool. It shows current exempt status and, separately, an Auto-Revocation List for organizations that lost status after missing three consecutive required filings.
Sources
- IRS, About Form 990: Form 990 is the annual information return filed with the IRS by most tax-exempt organizations, and the person who signs it is attesting to its accuracy
- IRS, Annual Exempt Organization Return: Due Date: Filing thresholds for Form 990-N, 990-EZ, and full Form 990 based on gross receipts and assets
- IRS, Automatic Revocation of Exemption: Organizations that don't file for three consecutive years lose tax-exempt status automatically, effective on the original filing due date of the third return
- IRS, Tax Exempt Organization Search: Tool to check current tax-exempt status and the auto-revocation list
- IRS Revenue Procedure 2014-11: Small organizations can apply for streamlined retroactive reinstatement if filed within 15 months of revocation and meeting the reasonable cause and eligibility requirements in Rev. Proc. 2014-11