PTA & Booster Clubs
Fiscal Services
PTA & Booster Clubs
Parents who want to support a team, a band, or a program their child cares about. Here is how to do it properly, and how to pick the lightest structure that will actually work.
What booster clubs do
Booster clubs are groups of parents who want to support an activity their child cares about — a team, a band, a drama program. They take several forms, from an informal group of volunteers up to a chartered chapter of the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA).
What a booster organisation is there to do
- Build student and adult interest in a specific activity
- Help the community understand how that activity serves the school's goals
- Assist faculty and district staff running the activity
- Provide scholarships so cost never decides who participates
Which structure do you actually need?
This is the decision worth getting right before any paperwork. A separate legal entity means its own bank account, officers, and tax filings — real ongoing work. Plenty of groups do not need one.
| Structure | How money is held | Paperwork | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unorganized parent volunteers | No separate bank account — funds go through the school's ASB or site account | Lightest. Coordinate with your principal. | One-off help: a single event, a snack bar shift, a team dinner. |
| Booster club (auxiliary organization) | Own bank account and own tax filings — a legally separate entity | District application and approval required before operating. | Ongoing support for one program, with its own fundraising and budget. |
| PTA chapter | Own bank account under the state and national PTA structure | Heaviest — chartered through California State PTA, with their bylaws and insurance. | Broad school-wide advocacy and programs, with statewide backing and training. |
Starting a booster club
Five steps, in this order.
Talk to your principal first
Confirm the school actually wants and needs a booster club for that activity, and that it does not duplicate an existing group.
Decide what kind of group you are
Use the comparison above. An informal volunteer group is far less work than a separate legal entity — pick the lightest structure that does the job.
Submit the district application
Complete the Booster Auxiliary Organization Application. A booster club may not operate or fundraise in the district's name until it is approved.
Set up your own finances
An approved booster club is a separate legal entity: its own bank account, its own officers, its own tax filings. Booster money is never mixed with ASB or district funds.
Keep your approval current
Provide the renewal documentation the district asks for each year, and keep your officer list and financial reports up to date.
Forms
Booster organisation requirements
The rules that follow from a booster club being a separate legal entity. Most disputes we see come from one of these being misunderstood.
- A booster club is a separate legal entity from the district. Its funds are its own, and district staff cannot control or spend them.
- Booster funds and ASB funds are never mixed. ASB money belongs to the students; booster money belongs to the organization.
- District employees may support a booster club as volunteers, but may not be paid by it for work that overlaps their district job.
- Fundraising in the district's or a school's name requires an approved application on file.
- Donations of goods or money to the school or district are recorded on the district Gift/Donation Form, not kept as booster property.
This page summarises district requirements for a general audience. For the governing language, see the Board Policy on auxiliary and parent organisations, or call Fiscal Services on (951) 509-5080. Where a question involves your group's own tax or legal status, your organisation should take its own advice — the district cannot give it.
Thinking about a PTA chapter?
What PTA adds
A chartered PTA chapter comes with statewide structure behind it: standard bylaws, insurance, officer training, and advocacy at the state level.
What PTA asks of you
It is the heaviest option. Chartering runs through California State PTA, with their bylaws, dues, reporting, and insurance requirements — on top of anything the district asks for.
Who to call
- Student accounts
- Carolina TheuerAccounting Technician, Student Accounts
- Phone
- (951) 509-5068PTA, booster clubs, and ASB
- Fiscal Services
- (951) 509-5080If you cannot reach student accounts
- Hours
- Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.9 KPC Parkway, Corona, CA 92879
Working with student body funds instead? See Associated Student Body (ASB).