PAC Terminology

AO – Advisory Opinion: A formal ruling from the FEC in response to a request for clarification and/or legality of a PAC activity.

Benchmarking – A method for measuring and comparing one company’s structure, operations and resources to those of peer companies.

Democratization – Involving employees or members in the activities of a political program in order to increase ownership.

Disclosure – Refers to reporting and public availability of campaign finance information. Contributions to federal PACs exceeding $200/year must be reported to the FEC.

FEC – Federal Election Commission: Body of the federal government charged with administering and enforcing campaign finance laws.

GOTV – Get out the vote: Organized efforts to ensure that employees/ members are registered to vote and are voting.

Grassroots – Organized efforts by a group to inform, recruit and deploy the political power of constituents, both internal and external.

Hard money – Political contributions raised from individuals or committees that is limited, regulated and subject to disclosure by the FEC.

PAC Match – A benefit offered by a PAC where all or a portion of a person’s PAC contribution is ‘matched’ by a contribution to charity.

Peer-to-Peer – A fundraising technique where employees or members are trained and charged with soliciting their peers for participation in the PAC.

Restricted Class – Those defined by the FEC as eligible for PAC solicitation.

Soft money – Financial contributions by companies, unions, or individuals that are unlimited and unregulated by the FEC. This money cannot be used for federal campaigns, political parties or elections.

Solicitation – Includes requests for contributions, sharing benefits of membership and encouraging support.

SSF – Separate Segregated Fund: The term for PAC used by the FEC.