Tumwater PTO Receives 501(c)3 Status

We are proud and excited to announce that Tumwater PTO has received 501(c)3 status from the IRS, after a months long wait.

Huge thanks to Rachel Arnold, our parent volunteer who did the heavy lifting in submitting the initial IRS application last summer.

What does this mean for TMS PTO? Now that we are officially recognized as a 501(c)3, we will be registering with Benevity and other matching fund programs as soon as possible. Look for more info soon as we complete that process.

Why is this a big deal? Having a 501(c)3 status is necessary in order to take advantage of many nonprofit discounts & programs, such as Benevity and Google for Nonprofits. Additionally, it allows us to take advantage of our donor base’s employee matching fund programs, which is a huge boost in our fundraising process.

What took so long? The IRS receives over 95,000 applications a year. With COVID-19 restrictions & delays, the backlog was especially high this past year.

Is my Rising Tides donation from last fall now tax exempt? Yes. All donations are retroactively tax-exempt. Please email Hannah (tumwaterpto.president@gmail.com) if you are in need of a donation receipt.

Thank you to all our donors for your patience these past months. We are excited for this awesome step in developing this organization.