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7 Items for Standards of  Affiliation (SOA)

IRS Form 990 Filing 
Submit proof of 2025 filed and accepted IRS Form 990 tax filing. See the Treasurer's page for details.
Bylaws 
Submit the current Bylaws showing the LAPTA approval stamp and approval date. Bylaws must be updated every three years. See the LAPTA Bylaws Template.
Budget Report
Submit the Approved Annual Budget and enter bank information. The Budget Approval Form is no longer needed. See LAPTA Treasurer Toolkit​ for details.
Audit Report 
Submit the Financial Review Committee Report for the previous year using the Audit Form which includes directions and the worksheet​.
Articles of Incorporation
Submit the updated Annual Report of the Articles of Incorporation from Louisiana Secretary of State at geauxbiz.com.
Watch a quick how to video here.
Insurance
Acquire adequate insurance to protect the PTA and its Board of Directors. Many PTAs use AIM or RV Nuccio & Assoc (they've had better rates lately). 
Membership & Officer Requirements
Confirm submission of membership dues. All officers need to annually register with LAPTA and complete 4 credits of training. 

Standards of Affiliation (SOA)  Report Due October 31, 2026

All PTAs are 501(c)(3) nonprofits. We have a duty and responsibility to follow the laws and regulations of the United States IRS and the State of Louisiana to maintain the tax-exempt status as well as other charter requirements of Louisiana PTA and National PTA. All Local PTA Units in Louisiana have mandatory annual requirements that need to be submitted to LAPTA in order to continue operating as a PTA. A unit must have "Active Affiliation" to be eligible for awards, grants, and student participation contests in LAPTA and National PTA. If your unit is having any problems in completing your Active Affiliation Report, let us know so we can work together! Email us at affiliation@LouisianaPTA.org. 

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​The Active Affiliation Report includes seven items. The files for 2025-26 are now submitted through the Givebacks.com platform under the COMPLIANCE menu item. To upload the files, log into the PTA’s account at npo.Givebacks.com. If you need help creating the account, email Philip Davis at Affiliation@LouisianaPTA.org. Once logged into the dashboard, on the left side menu, select Compliance>Submit Forms. You will then see the 7 required forms. Local PTAs that do not maintain Active Affiliation will be subject to the Retention Plan.

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The LAPTA VP of Affiliation is Philip Davis who can be reached at Affiliation@LouisianaPTA.org.

Create Your Givebacks Account!

LAPTA partnered with Givebacks.com to streamline collection of membership dues and submittal of the Affiliation report. Accounts were initiated for Local PTA Leaders with the personal email that was registered with LAPTA for 2024-25. If you cannot create an account with that email or need to be added as a new leader, contact Philip Davis at President@LouisianaPTA.org to initiate your account. 

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Givebacks is replacing CheddarUp and PTBoard services as well as MoneyMinder for free. Once you create and validate the account and you're logged in, there will be a list of "causes" associated with your email on the main log in page. Select the PTA listed under Causes. PTAs are encouraged to use Givebacks instead of CheddarUp and PTBoard for their online store and website. The PTA is required to use Givebacks to submit dues, the Affiliation Report, and Officer Registration to LAPTA.

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Go through each of the menu items down the left side of the page to review the site. It will walk you through the steps to complete.

*MEMBERSHIPS Menu Item: This is how dues will be submitted to LAPTA for next year.

*COMPLIANCE Menu Item: This is where the 2025-26 Affiliation Report will be submitted.​

*COMPLIANCE Menu Item: The 2025-26 LAPTA Officer Registration will be submitted under "Update Officers."​

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See tips and more details on Givebacks at LouisianaPTA.org/givebacks.

"Well, That Was Easy!" 

Filing the Affiliation Report can be simple and stress-free. Plan ahead to make it easy and perhaps delegate some of the requirements to reliable Board Members. Here is a suggested timeline on how to say, "Well, that was easy!" when you're done filing your report.

✔   In July:

  • All officers register with LAPTA which should be done immediately when the term begins or when they are voted in.

  • Check the Bylaws for its expiration date. If they expire this year, start planning on when and how to renew.

  • Update the Articles of Incorporation with the Louisiana Secretary of State. Cost is $10 if paying with a check.

  • Gather your files and complete the IRS Form 990. For those under $50,000 income, filing Form 990N takes five minutes.

  • Update the annual insurance policy. Check with your insurance provider for the expiration date to know when it needs to be renewed.

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✔   In August:

  • Form the Audit Committee to review the financial records. Ask the committee to complete the report by October 1.

  • Hold the General Membership Meeting to approve the Budget.​

  • Schedule officers to attend the in-person LAPTA Leadership Training Days -OR- receive training by watching or reading the LAPTA classes. 

  • Submit membership dues to LAPTA. Try and meet the Monthly Membership Challenges.

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✔   In October (or September because everything is done!):

  • Gather all of the documents. Log into the PTA's Givebacks.com account.​ Which PTA will be the first to fully file with LAPTA?! 

  • Pat yourself on the back and say, "Well, that was easy!"

501(c)(3) Validation Letter

Your Standards of Affiliation (SOA) 501(c)(3) Letter will be stored directly in your Givebacks account. To access it, log into your account, navigate to Compliance, click Submit Forms, and select SOA Letter. Your official SOA Letter will be available in your Givebacks account under Compliance within two weeks of your unit's Standards of Affiliation (SOA) Report being fully approved by LAPTA. This letter remains valid for one year and serves as official proof to businesses, banks, and other entities that you are a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating in full compliance with the Louisiana PTA umbrella. The document explicitly designates that contributions made to your local unit are fully deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.

Retention Plan

When a Local Unit fails to submit the yearly requirements to maintain its IRS non-profit status and National PTA affiliation, then LAPTA has a “Retention Plan” to get units back on track. The goal of the LAPTA Retention Plan is to support Local Units and to make the process as easy as possible. There are five steps to the Retention Plan.​

  1. Notification: LAPTA notifies the PTA of the missing Active Affiliation Report (due October 31, 2024) and gives the PTA 30 days to submit the report from the date of notification.

  2. Restriction: The Local PTA Unit is given a second 30-day period to submit and is ineligible for awards, programs, or grants administered by LAPTA or National PTA.

  3. Intervention: The PTA signs a Plan of Action which designates new deadlines for the missing items and actively works with LAPTA to gain compliance.

  4. Restructure: If the PTA does not complete the report, LAPTA may choose to restructure the leadership of the PTA or choose to move into the Dissolution Phase early.

  5. Dissolution: Revocation of a charter and loss of LAPTA associated IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit status may occur if: Active Affiliation is not acquired for three consecutive years; PTA leadership refuses to implement the Plan of Action; or the PTA is not in compliance with the Purposes and Principles of PTA as defined in the Bylaws, Articles II and III. 

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