Welcome back, Saturday Campaign D.I.Y.ers! For those who tune in, welcome to the Nuts & Bolts of a Democratic campaign. Each week we discuss issues that help drive successful campaigns. If you’ve missed prior diaries, please visit our group or follow Nuts & Bolts Guide.
This year we’ve been focused on activism, and how our activists outside of traditional campaigns wage their own campaign to help oust politicians opposed to them on the issues. Every step we make culminates in one action: getting candidates elected.
One of the steps many activists eventually look at is forming a PAC, a state or federal entity designed to help raise and spend money to assist candidates. When organizations start to grow they look at a way to take their energy and put it toward funding efforts, and building a state or federal PAC allows your activism to fund their efforts during a campaign season.
Before we begin, when you say PAC to many, they think of evil entities designed to subvert democracy. Run ethically, however, PACs allow your organization to pool resources and be seen as having an open process in regard to their endorsements and support.
Building a state or federal PAC also means that individuals outside of your organization can know through filings who supported you. A PAC also ensures to your donors that they can see how the money is being spent, avoiding accusations of monetary impropriety.
All of these elements are important, but the fact that a PAC provides an instrument for you to act apart from campaigns and voice your issues can matter—no matter how much or how little money your PAC raises.
There are some benefits to forming a PAC
Many PACs are formed every year and often raise far less money than you’d think. But as a PAC, they are able to do things, legally, that would be difficult to do through traditional activist efforts. One of the most important is creating endorsement slates and providing issue guidance for your membership.
Do you plan on printing voting guides for your membership? Are you looking at putting out public endorsements? Doing so through a state-level PAC is an effective way to advocate for your issues to the public.
PACs are also long-lasting instruments. They exist beyond just a single campaign, and they can work to maintain advocacy around a set of issues. Because of this, a PAC can raise their profile and gain a lot of recognition for their work, which helps them grow.
The final big benefit to a PAC is that once formed, your PAC has operating rules that allow it to become more self-supporting, which can help you grow and get more people involved.
There are also some downsides to forming a PAC
PACs are regulated and you need to understand the requirements. They are regulated in the same way candidates or political party entities are, and as a result, a PAC will require ethical reporting of your finances, revenues, expenditures, and officers.
Because PACs are long-lasting, you need to make sure your PAC leadership is sustainable. You are looking for people who are committed to long-term goals rather than short-term benefit. Even after an election cycle, there will still be paperwork and legal requirements you must complete.
So ... you’ve decided to form a PAC
Develop these items to begin your organization. While not required in every state, these will help your organization succeed.
- Build a mission statement—what will your PAC advocate?
- Build a set of bylaws that provide guidance for how officers are named, their roles, as well as the rules of use of funds.
- Establish the makeup of your PAC board or committee
- Establish the procedure to have a vote within the PAC on endorsements or policies
- Create your guidelines about use of funds—whether they will be used for candidate contribution, independent expenditure, or a mix.
Methods that sustain your PAC
If you want your PAC to be sustainable, you have to come up with sustainable fundraising to keep it going. The most common means of doing so is yearly dues. Members who want to vote or are active within the PAC may be asked to pay yearly or bi-yearly membership dues, usually a small amount.
PACs may also hold fundraising events, from picnics to dinners to balloon fights—whatever works for your organization that can help raise money that will later be used in your PACs effort to elect officers.
Final thought
For many groups, PACs have been the only way to organize very small money into a common pool to help advance their efforts. PACs have formed around issues like school zoning, road safety, disability rights, or trash pickup. Whatever motivates you is fine, and could help make a change in your community.
Next week: Talking about your reputation