Are you part of a political campaign or committee operating in the United States? Depending on who and what you’re raising money for, you may need to file with the Federal Election Commission (FEC)! Check out our FEC filing checklist and learn how to make filing even easier with Donorbox.
If you’re raising funds as part of a political campaign in the United States, you may be required to file with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). FEC filing can feel overwhelming, with several requirements in place to ensure the integrity of the federal campaign finance process.
In this article, we’ll cover the basics of FEC filing. Plus, we’ll share ways you can make filing easier using Donorbox’s FEC-compliant reporting tools.
The Federal Election Commission (FEC), established in 1975, is an independent regulatory agency with a mission “to protect the integrity of the federal campaign finance process by providing transparency and fairly enforcing and administering federal campaign finance laws.”
The FEC’s jurisdiction covers the financing of campaigns for the U.S. Presidency and Vice Presidency as well as the House of Representatives and the Senate. It does not have jurisdiction over laws relating to voting, voter fraud, ballot access, or election results.
As part of their jurisdiction, the FEC has set forth requirements for various political organizations, committees, and campaigns to file reports and statements of their contributions received and expenditures made in a calendar year.
This FEC filing checklist is a great place to start. We’ll help you determine if, when, and how you may need to file with the FEC. We do recommend that you check out the detailed information available on FEC.gov as well!
You may need to file with the FEC if your campaign is raising or spending funds in support of a federal candidate or party, or if your committee or organization is involved in other Federal Election Activity (FEA).
Here’s an overview of the main types of filers –
Pro tip: Are you part of a Political Action Committee? Find information about fundraising, legalities, and more specific to PACs in this blog.
The filing frequency varies depending on the type of filer as well as the year. In 2024, filing frequencies are as follows –
How you file with the FEC is dependent on how much your committee raises or spends (or expects to raise or spend) in a calendar year.
All organizations or committees that do not meet the threshold for mandatory electronic filing may choose to file by paper or electronic submission. Note that those committees that choose to voluntarily file electronically must continue to do so for the rest of that calendar year.
Committees may choose to file by paper using first-class mail, hand delivery, or overnight mail. FEC forms filed on paper should be typed or printed legibly. They must also be original copies with original signatures.
Committees that receive more than $50,000 in contributions or make expenditures that exceed $50,000 in the current calendar year – or expect to do so – must file electronically.
A committee is expected to exceed the $50,000 threshold if it has raised or spent more than $12,500 in the first quarter or $25,000 by halfway through the year.
Reports may be filed using electronic filing software (like FECFile) or by using one of a limited number of webforms that are available.
Before filing electronically, you do need an FEC ID. Registration requirements change depending on the committee type (so be sure to familiarize yourself here) and only a committee treasurer or assistant treasurer may create an electronic filing password.
Information required when filing with the FEC varies depending on your type of committee. Find all registration and reporting forms – as well as specific instructions for each – on the FEC website here.
Ensuring you have all of this required information for filing with the FEC may feel daunting. Next, let’s take a look at how Donorbox makes this process easier.
Political campaigns and committees operating in the United States can access FEC filing-compliant reports in just a few clicks with Donorbox Reporting Templates.
All of the information required in the Detailed Summary Page and Schedule A of FEC Form 3 is available through these reports. Simply download the CSV from Donorbox, load the file directly to FECFile, and you’re ready to go! The information you need will already be included and formatted properly.
Plus, fundraising for your political campaign is simple with Donorbox. With features like crowdfunding, text-to-give, peer-to-peer, event ticketing, donation kiosks, and more, our easy-to-use tools are built to increase contributions and boost awareness for your candidate, party, or committee.
Start fundraising with Donorbox
Follow these steps to meet FEC filing requirements with ease.
First things first, ensure you are set up as a political campaign or committee on our platform.
1a. New Donorbox Users
New to Donorbox? Signing up is quick and free!
Simply follow the steps to set yourself up as a Political Campaign or Committee. Choose your campaign sub-category. Then, select your campaign type and party affiliation before submitting your EIN, contact details, and other important information.
1b. Current Donorbox Users
Already a Donorbox user? You can easily change your organization type at any time within your account.
Log in to your org account and head to the ‘Organization Info’ page (find it under ‘Account’ in the left-hand navigation). Select ‘Political campaign’ in the ‘Organization Type’ dropdown.
From here, move to the ‘Political Campaign Info’ tab on the same page. On this tab, you can select or input the campaign subcategory, campaign type, party affiliation, multicandidate committee status, and itemization code, along with the rest of the fields you will need for FEC filing.
Before pulling a report, you’ll need to raise some funds for your campaign to fill it up! If you haven’t already brought in contributions using our platform, the Get Started with Donorbox guide can help.
Pro tip: When raising funds for your political campaign, it’s best to employ multiple tactics across various channels to ensure you’re reaching potential voters and supporters from all walks of life. Check out our 23 Creative Political Fundraising Ideas that Work article!
When it comes time to file with the FEC, you can create a new report in just a few clicks by heading to the Reports page of your Donorbox org account (find it under ‘Engage’).
Then, click the orange ‘Create New Report’ button in the upper right corner of your screen.
Next, you’ll see several reporting templates to choose from. For FEC filing purposes, you’ll want to create and download the FEC Donor Template and FEC Donation Template. Remember, you must be registered as a political campaign or committee on Donorbox in order to view these specific templates!
Click the report you wish to produce and click ‘Next: Parameters’.
To learn more about the other reporting templates available on the Donorbox platform, read this article.
Now, set your parameters. Include a timeframe for the data (hint: choose the timeframe you are filing for), a report name/title, and a description of your report.
Finally, click ‘Finish: Create Report’. Your FEC filing-compliant report is generated using the parameters and the donor and donation data you have stored in Donorbox.
Ready to file? Click ‘Download’ to download a CSV of your report. This download will contain all of the appropriate information and formatting for electronic submission with the FEC.
Now, simply check over your CSV and load it to FECFile!
Filing with the FEC is a requirement for many political campaigns and committees in the U.S. But that doesn’t mean it has to be difficult! Using this FEC filing checklist can help guide you through the process.
Create a political campaign with Donorbox to make FEC filing even easier, thanks to reporting templates that comply with FEC regulations! Plus, Donorbox has the fundraising tools you need to bring in critical contributions in support of your candidate, party, or committee.
Looking for more tips and tools covering all things fundraising, nonprofit management, and more? Check out the Nonprofit Blog and sign up for our e-newsletter to receive tips, tools, templates, and more in your inbox.
Disclaimer: This article is not meant to serve as legal advice or as a complete guide to FEC filing. Please refer to FEC.gov for in-depth details, filing information, and more in order to fully understand the legal requirements for your specific organization.
Kara has several years of experience in communications and marketing for nonprofit organizations. Her love for serving others began while fundraising for and attending mission trips. She then worked with multiple local nonprofits through various marketing agencies and volunteer opportunities before becoming a communications manager at Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis for more than four years. Kara now specializes in writing and enjoys sharing her experiences and knowledge with others on this platform.
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Kara Schmid