A PTA or PTO auction is a school auction run by the parent group rather than the school office: the group collects donated items, families bid, and the money goes to the group's budget for the school. The auction itself works the same either way. What's different is everything around it: a board that has to approve it, a tax status that decides what receipts you can give, a treasurer who answers for the money, and a chair who probably won't be the chair next year. For the auction plan itself, see our guide to school auction fundraising.
Parent groups do well at it. In 2025, PTAs and PTOs ran 1,081 auctions on 32auctions, with a median of $4,869 raised (all currencies), the highest of the ten largest types of group on the platform.
PTA or PTO: what changes for an auction
| PTA | PTO | |
|---|---|---|
| Belongs to | National PTA, through its state PTA | Nobody; it's independent |
| Rules it follows | State PTA bylaws plus its own | Its own bylaws |
| The name | Only groups chartered by National PTA can call themselves a PTA | Any name: PTO, PTC, parent council, home and school association |
| Tax status | Many hold 501(c)(3) status, through their state PTA or on their own | Varies: its own 501(c)(3), part of a school foundation, or not tax-exempt at all |
| Where to get help | The state PTA office | The school, the district, or other local PTOs |
Neither kind of group can skip the next three sections, and the treasurer should read them before the chair sets a date.
Getting approval
Most auctions need two yeses before anything is announced.
The board. Check your bylaws for what needs a vote: a new fundraiser, spending on it, the budget line the money goes to. Put the auction, its date, its goal and its purpose on the agenda early, and record the vote in the minutes.
The principal, and sometimes the district. The school owns the building, the name, the logo and the channels you'll use to reach families. Ask before using any of them, and before any item involves teachers, class time or students. Many districts have a fundraising policy with its own form or calendar; the principal will know. If there's an event on school grounds, ask whether your group needs its own event insurance. A state PTA often has an insurance program for its units.
Tax status and receipts
Before anyone tells a donor their gift is tax-deductible, the treasurer should confirm the group's status. Three places to look:
- The group's own records: an IRS determination letter, or a letter from the state PTA confirming the group is covered by its group exemption.
- The IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, searching by the group's name or EIN.
- The state PTA office, for a PTA that isn't sure.
If the group is a 501(c)(3), follow the receipt rules in our guide to donation request letters. If it isn't, you can still run the auction; just don't describe gifts or winning bids as deductible. Some PTOs in that position ask whether the school's foundation can receive the money instead. That's a conversation for the principal and the district.
This is general information, not tax or legal advice.
The treasurer's checklist
- The money goes to the group's account, never a volunteer's personal account.
- Two people see every number. One reconciles, another reviews. It protects the treasurer as much as the group.
- Reconcile the auction report to the deposits, item by item, and account for card fees and any refunds.
- Chase unpaid winners within a few days of the close; see our guide to unpaid auction invoices.
- Report net, not gross, to the board and to families: total raised, minus fees and costs.
- Check whether your state charges sales tax on auction sales. Rules vary by state.
- Keep the records: the auction export, the reconciliation, acknowledgment letters sent, and the board minutes that approved it.
Messages to parents
The school's own channels reach more families than any parent-group account. Clear each message with the principal or school office, then send it through the newsletter, class email lists and the principal's weekly note. Five messages cover most auctions.
1. Announcement (6–8 weeks out)
Our [PTA/PTO] auction is coming [dates]! Every dollar goes to [purpose]. Can you donate an item, an experience or a skill? Tell us here: [form link]. Items due [date].
2. Share the link the day bidding opens
The [school name] auction opens today. Take a look and pick your favorites: [link]. Your child's class project is in there too.
3. Bidding is open
Bidding is open! The [school name] auction runs until [day] at [time]. Bid from your phone here: [link]. Everything raised goes to [purpose].
4. Closing day
The auction closes TONIGHT at [time]. A few favorites still have low bids: [item], [item], [item]. Last chance: [link].
5. Winners and pickup
Thank you! Together we raised $[total] for [purpose]. Winners: check your email for your invoice and pay online. Pickup is [day], [time], at [place]. Just give your name at the table.
For more on promotion, see our guide to promoting an auction.
Handing over to next year's chair
Parent groups turn over. The chair who ran this year's auction may have a child moving to middle school, and the next chair starts from whatever was written down. Before the school year ends, put these in one shared folder the group owns:
- The donor list, with what each gave, what it sold for, and whether they were thanked
- What sold best and what didn't sell
- The volunteer list and who did what
- The dates that worked, and the ones that clashed with other school events
- The approvals needed and who gave them
- Login details for the auction account, held under a group email address rather than a personal one
Our school auction guide has more on making the second auction easier.
Running it on 32auctions
32auctions is built for the way parent groups work: a volunteer can set it up in an evening, families bid from a link without an app, winners are invoiced at close, and the treasurer gets a spreadsheet of every sale. It's free to start.
"I have used it both in my role as PTA auction chair (where we have no budget) and as the Director of Development for a large arts organization… Guests love it, committees love it, and finance loves it!" — Angela Nelson-Heesch, Detroit, MI
See running it on 32auctions for the details.