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What is Charity Match and Why Does Your Company Need It?

passpacs on August 26, 2024

A charity match is a donation made from Treasury or Foundation dollars to match time or money donated by an employee. There are many variations of these programs, and they are not only an employee incentive, but they can help advance your company’s ESG efforts.

The most common program types include:

 

Gift Match

A Gift Matching program is the most popular match program.

 

Matching an employee’s gift is a popular employee benefit that has been proven to attract applicants as well as reduce employee turnover.

 

With over a million 501(c)(3) organizations, you can structure your program to allow employees to select any charitable organization or just a few.

University Match

University Matching encompasses 2–4-year institutions of higher education. Many employees gravitate to this program as their alma mater is near and dear to them. You can even add in Trade or Technical Schools to help broaden the appeal of the program.

VTO

VTO, known as Volunteered Time Off, is a fun way for your employees to give a physical helping hand in their communities. Rather than a monetary match to the charity, employee PTO is granted in exchange. Combine team-building and charitable giving to promote a positive, philanthropic culture.

PAC Match

PAC Match is proven to incentivize your employees to give or increase their giving to the organization’s PAC, Political Action Committee, and much like Gift Match, matches can go to any 501(c)(3) charity, and you can structure your program to your organization’s goals.

 

Do any of these programs spark your interest? PASS administers match programs of all types and sizes, and we take the administrative burden off your shoulders. Reach out to charity specialists at PASS for help in building and maintaining a successful program.

A PASS Compliance Manager’s Top 3 Most Helpful Disbursement and Receipt Reports in epacInfo® Software

passpacs on July 18, 2024

When logging onto PASS’ epacInfo® software, there are many different features that help our clients more effectively and efficiently manage their PACs.  One of the best features clients can utilize are the Disbursement (DM) and Receipt Management (RM) Reports. These reports show the money going in and out of your PAC.  Let’s take a look at my top 3 most helpful reports:

  1. Candidate/Committee History DM007 – This report allows the user to search for how much your PAC has given to a particular committee or candidate (federal and non-federal). PAC Directors I work with are constantly being asking how much has been given to a candidate in the past.  The DM007 will get you that information in three mouse clicks.
  2. Election Cycle DM008– Yearly giving is one thing, but many clients want to know how much the PAC has given in an election cycle. Some candidates are in two-, four-, or six-year election cycles and it’s hard to keep track.  This report will output your PAC’s giving based on each candidate’s election cycle.
  3. Congressional Member Information DM032- Want to know a Federal Candidate’s Committee and Subcommittee Assignments? Want to know who to contact within their office to schedule a meeting?  This is one of the best tools to give you a comprehensive look at a member’s footprint in Congress and staff contacts and issue areas.
  4. Payroll Comparison RM032– Say you want to compare payrolls to better understand the money lost or added from one pay period to the next. This Receipt report shows you the specific contributions/contributors that were added or stopped giving.  A great way to see the PAC membership turnover each month and year.
  5. Receipts Download RM044- Want a comprehensive look at all your contributors? This report gives you detailed information that allows for data mining to help with targeted PAC solicitations.
  6. Enrollment Summary RM250– Need specific information on who started giving or who stopped giving to the PAC? This report will show the enrollments that have been added, subtracted or changed so you can estimate current and future receipt totals.

 

epacInfo® has over 200 Receipt Management reports and over 200 Disbursement management reports that allow users to pull the data they need with just two or three mouse-clicks.

 

If you are not already using epacInfo® reports to help you more effectively and efficiently run your PAC, reach out to your PASS Compliance Manager and ask for additional one-on-one epacInfo® training.

PAC Website Development Challenges and Solutions

passpacs on June 24, 2024

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, web development is pivotal in shaping a PAC’s online presence and success. However, technologies and user expectations are constantly evolving, and the Web Developers at PASS cannot afford to ignore this evolution as they strive to provide high quality, reliable solutions for PAC websites.

User experience

Great user experience is very important for a successful PAC website. PASS developers create user-centric PAC website templates and offer alternative designs to ensure the design is the best fit for clients.

Browser compatibility

Browser and platform compatibility are typically one of the biggest web application development issues. From mobile devices to tablets and even smart TVs, each browser has a different screen size, which poses a challenge for PASS developers as they attempt to adjust the User Interface for each possible device. Developers make sure the sites work on all the existing internet browsers and different screen sizes.

Performance & speed

According to a recent survey, 47% of users expect a webpage to load in two seconds. This is not an easy feat considering the many elements that render with every click. Ensuring website performance requires optimizing different elements such as content, navigational buttons, interface layers, etc. PASS Developers optimize the code and graphics and plug-ins to ensure PASS-hosted sites are working at the highest level of efficiency to load in the least amount of time.

Security

Website security is essential, as cyberattacks have increased drastically over the past few years. PASS uses HTTPS to send data between a web browser and a website to protect the website and any sensitive data.

Third-party Integrations

Third-party integrations for PAC websites include PayPal and Stripe for credit card and MetaMask for Cryptocurrency along with social media features. Third-party integrations allow PAC professionals to offer a wide range of site capabilities. PASS Developers program PASS-hosted websites so the site architecture is always in sync with changes made by third-party service providers for uninterrupted site performance.

Maintenance & support

Maintaining a website is the “behind the curtain” function of website hosting that no one sees but is always taking place. Once your website is live, users can experience unresponsive pages, browser errors, user login issues, and performance problems. PASS continuously monitors and updates our websites to immediately address issues that arise. Furthermore, PASS has a web architecture with minimal dependencies for higher uptime during the upgrade process.

Conclusion

PAC website development challenges are not limited to those listed in this blog.

Specific client requirements can lead to other technical and non-technical site challenges, and the PASS IT Team is adept at addressing all of these challenges to ensure our clients have the highest functioning websites regardless of the number of visitors or the features offered.

For more information about PASS’ PAC websites, contact Mary O’Reilly at moreilly@pass1.com.

Should My PAC Have Bylaws?

passpacs on May 16, 2024

Whether you are looking at starting a new political action committee (PAC) or have an established PAC, bylaws are a best practice for PACs of all ages, shapes, and sizes. The PAC’s external activity, in the form of receiving contributions from individuals, making contributions to political committees, and reporting all PAC activity, is already heavily regulated.  PAC bylaws establish the internal procedures and policies that will govern how the PAC functions.

Bylaws can serve as an opportunity to formalize the PAC’s fundraising and decision-making processes by addressing topics such as:

  • Does the PAC have a board to determine who can receive disbursements and disbursement budgeting and contribution strategies? A PAC board can bring diversity and transparency to the PAC’s decision-making processes.
  • If the PAC does not have a board, who are the individuals that will be the decision makers and what division will there be between who is responsible for disbursement strategy and actual monetary disbursements? Having a separation between decision making and the checkbook can be crucial to safeguarding the PAC’s resources.
  • Establishing any qualifications that will be used to determine candidate and committee eligibility.
  • Building internal accounting procedures that follow established law, as well as organizational requirements and best practices.
  • Determining who will be responsible for compliance and reporting.

Note: The most successful PACs outsource the day-to-day PAC administration and reporting to firms like PASS.

  • Who is going to pay for PAC administrative and fundraising expenses? The PAC or the sponsoring entity can cover the day-to-day administration and fundraising expenses.
  • Setting fundraising eligibility and expectations.

As I stated earlier, bylaws are not a legal requirement, but they are a best practice and will provide your PAC with a framework for success. If you have questions about drafting PAC bylaws, contact your PASS Compliance Manager or reach out to your PAC Counsel for assistance.

Time To Update Your FEC Registration?

passpacs on April 15, 2024

Your FEC Statement of Organization, also known as FEC Form 1, is a document that must accurately represent your PAC at all times. Oftentimes changes within the connected organization result in the PAC needing to update the FEC Form 1.

As soon as you learn changes are occurring, the FEC requires you to file an amended Form 1 within 10 days of the changes taking place.

Why would I need to update my FEC Form 1, you ask? The most common reason we see at PASS is the appointment of a new PAC Treasurer. A PAC Treasurer is the one position required by the FEC and that position must never be vacant. Other reasons include a change in banks, the committee or the business address has changed, or there is a change to the Custodian of Records.

Another time you will need to update your FEC Form 1 is when your organization merges with another company and either changes the company name or the other company also has a PAC. Once the merger is complete, assuming the two PACs still exist, the two PACs are now affiliated and both PACs will have to amend their FEC Form 1 to show an affiliation with the other PAC. Both PACs will also share limits, but that’s a topic for another blog.

Should you need to amend your FEC Form 1, simply provide your PASS Compliance Manager with the updated information and they will prepare the amended form and send it for your review. If the change is the appointment of a new Treasurer or Custodian of Records, that individual must acquire a new password to electronically file the amended Form 1 and subsequent reports. A committee’s Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer can request or change an electronic password online at www.fec.gov/elecfl/passwords.shtml. (from FEC page 11 of Campaign Guide for Political Party Committees (August 2013)).

If you have any organizational changes or want to discuss upcoming mergers/acquisition changes within your organization, please contact your Compliance Manger and they will make the process seamless.

 

PAC Budgeting

passpacs on March 18, 2024

Have you ever gotten close to election day and found out you don’t have enough money in the bank to make any pre-election disbursements? Or have you found yourself with a surplus of cash following an election? Either way, planning your spending at the start of a new year or new election cycle will help avoid cash-flow issues and reporting mistakes.

The best way to map out contributions is to create a PAC budget and identify intended recipients and contribution amounts. Your Board or Approval Team can “pre-approve” the proposed recipients in the budget list, and PASS can provide you with feedback on whether registration will be required in any new jurisdiction. This allows you to plan your registrations in advance of contributing. When you are ready to make your contributions, PASS can complete the compliance review and check processing for each recipient, to ensure disbursements are compliant with federal and state regulations and delivery is not delayed.

PASS offers a Budget Module as part of our epacInfo® software suite. The beauty of using epacInfoBudgets® is that you can create your disbursement request directly from your budget record, without needing to re-enter information. Your budget is updated as soon as a check is cut so no manual updating of spreadsheets is needed. PASS can load your budget at the beginning of the year or cycle, and you can update budgets as priorities change or retirements are announced.

PASS offers a Budget Module as part of our epacInfo® software suite. The beauty of using epacInfoBudgets® is that you can create your disbursement request directly from your budget record, without needing to re-enter information.

PASS can also give you guidance on how to avoid additional pre-election or 24-hour late contribution reporting, depending on your time-sensitive disbursement needs. Working together, we can help meet your spending goals and reporting obligations in the most efficient way possible.

With over 40 years of experience, our PAC compliance experts can help you budget and track your PAC spending to maximize your impact. Let our Compliance Experts help you during this busy election season!

 

PAC Disbursement Planning and Scheduling

passpacs on February 9, 2024

You have no doubt heard the old adage that in comedy timing is everything. Well, the same could be said of making political contributions.

If you finished out 2023 scrambling to make last minute, year-end contributions before December 31, you may be looking for less hectic ways to plan your political giving. With 40 years of disbursement planning under our belts, we have a few ideas to help you create a giving plan for the new year.

At a minimum, your PAC should have contribution criteria that outlines which candidates/committees are eligible to receive a PAC contribution. A good rule of thumb is to have PAC bylaws which expand on your contribution criteria and detail how money can be raised and spent. Each PAC has its own criteria for giving and this will factor into planning your political spending.  In addition to different giving criteria, many PACs have different individuals requesting contributions to campaigns and committees. Streamlining your process will help to ensure contributions are made in a timely manner and meet all rules and regulations related to giving in a particular jurisdiction.

Consider setting a routine schedule for making your expenditures. Depending on the size of your program, you could create a weekly, monthly, or quarterly schedule. Your PAC may want to consider having a schedule for obtaining Board approval to make expenditures. Having approvers sign off by Tuesday each week, for example, helps Board members plan time to review and approve PAC expenditure requests and avoids any last-minute delays due to a required approver being unavailable.

Another benefit of having a set schedule is to be able to document why a contribution was made on a specific date. Questions from auditors, your eligible class, or a reporter on why a contribution was made to a specific candidate the day before a crucial vote on an important issue, through the PAC, are more easily answered if your organization always write checks on Thursdays, or 10 days before the end of the quarter.

By making some of these small changes, you will set yourself and your PAC up for success during this election season. PASS is here to help implement any and all of these suggestions!

Happy 40th Birthday PASS!

passpacs on January 18, 2024

PASS is 40 years old and we are working harder and smarter than ever to keep PACs around the country compliant with Federal and State campaign finance laws. Last year alone our team of PAC experts prepared and filed over 2,300 compliance reports. They also provided a compliance review, prepared, and sent 21,225 disbursement checks to candidates and committees.

Our team of Charity Match professionals, who administer charity match programs, prepared and sent out 34,000 checks to charities in 2023! Each charity check is prepared and sent with a personalized cover letter. PAC members lucky enough to have a charity match program are able to select their charities via their PAC website. The PASS database of charities contains over a million charities to select from and if a charity is not in the database, PAC members can enter the charity manually. The PASS Charity Match team vets each charity selected to make sure they are recognized by the IRS as 501c3 charitable organizations and meet all company match program criteria.

Our team of PAC experts prepared and filed over 2,300 reports. . . Our team of Charity Match professionals prepared and sent out 34,000 checks to charities. . . Our team of IT professionals hosts and maintains 135 PAC fundraising and PAC match websites. . .in 2023 alone!

Our team of IT professionals hosts and maintains 135 PAC fundraising and PAC match websites. All websites are custom to each client’s PAC or PAC match program and PASS sites meet all corporate branding guidelines. We work with our clients to maintain and update their sites so PAC members have access to the most up to date information when they visit to enroll in the PAC.

PAC professionals, who are PASS clients, have access to our award-winning, proprietary software, epacInfo®. epacInfo users can view PAC information, request disbursements, and dissect PAC data in preparation for a PAC fundraising campaign. epacInfo® is intuitive and packed with useful information that is available to users 24/7. Our team of PAC experts is keeping track of reporting obligations so PAC professionals can focus on fundraising.

We are so grateful to our clients who have supported us for the past 40 years and we look forward to continuing to work with them and meeting many new clients over the next 40 years! We’ve come a long way and we’re not slowing down. We plan to keep innovating and providing the best client experience and software in the industry!

Your Company Approved Your Idea For A PAC Match Program! Now What?

passpacs on January 2, 2024

Getting approval to start a PAC Match program is exciting and overwhelming at the same time. You reached out to your PAC peers and consulted with your in-house team to figure out the best practices for structuring your program, and find you still need that one resource to provide the big picture, expertise, and industry best practices. The Charity Match team at PASS has a broad scale knowledge of industry best practices built on our 15+ years of providing PAC match services. The Team created a PAC match starter kit to assist PAC managers with starting new programs.

The PAC match starter kit contains everything you need to get your program off the ground including a team of Charity Match professionals with a dedicated Charity Match Manager, a Project Manager, and a team of dedicated IT professionals. PASS’ Charity Match Starter Kit is an invaluable tool containing a wide range of useful information including:

  • Websites: Access a variety of website templates that you can mix and match to meet your needs, such as Frequently Asked Questions, Top Charities, Program Qualifications, and more.
  • Communications: Clear and effective communication with donors is key, and our starter kit has templates for emails to donors, cover letters to charities, and how to easily introduce new program rollouts.
  • Program Parameters: PASS knows which program parameters stand the test of time, backed by years of proven success and employee satisfaction. This is arguably the most customizable aspect of any Charity Match Program, and with this key piece of our starter kit, you’ll be able to browse our most commonly used program features. Topics range from payout frequencies and best invoicing practices, employee participation qualifications, to charity selection limitations and more.

PASS’ Charity Match Starter Kit is an invaluable tool containing a wide range of useful information.

At PASS, we take pride in affording clients full flexibility across the board by providing educational and best practices resources from the start. Our Charity Match team works with you to meet your company’s needs, no matter how unique, throughout your tenure as a client.

Interested In Creating or Updating A PAC Website, But Don’t Know Where To Start?

passpacs on November 15, 2023

Whether you are a brand-new PAC and just getting started or have had years of PAC experience, creating or updating your PAC website can seem like a daunting task. There are many factors that need to be considered when developing a PAC website, but when you work with PASS, we help you step-by-step along the way!

One of the many questions I get when starting the website development process with a client is, “Do you have any sample content we can see?”. Being able to see an example of what your website could look like can really help you as you work to develop the site.

We know that with so much on your to-do list, developing website content is not a priority, and this is one of the many areas where PASS can help!

PASS created a PAC Website Development Tool. Users of the tool can see five fully functional sample websites. If you don’t have time to develop pages of content for your PAC site, you can choose a website template from the tool, provide us with updates to page language and enrollment card options, and the PASS IT Team will take care of the rest. The end result is a smart PAC website your PAC members can visit for up to date information and you can use to engage with and solicit PAC members.

Having a PAC website is one of the best solicitation tools and PAC member benefits you can offer. Don’t let the fear of not knowing where to start keep you from launching a PAC website. Contact us today if you want to learn more or see a demo of our PAC websites!