Other legal requirements

The communications disclaimer

Jurisdictions generally require political communications to carry a statement identifying who paid for them, with specific format requirements. An auction page, an email, a flyer and a social post soliciting bids are all communications.

• Use the exact form your jurisdiction requires, not an approximation
• Check the size, placement and contrast requirements, which are frequently specified
• Apply it to digital as well as printed material
• And keep it distinct from the non-deductibility statement, which is a separate obligation

Venues, discounts and free use

A donated or discounted venue is generally an in-kind contribution of the difference, from whoever owns it — which makes a corporate-owned venue offered free a question rather than a gift.

• A private home has different treatment from a commercial venue in many jurisdictions
• A business providing space below its usual rate is contributing the difference
• Public buildings and government property are generally not available for campaign fundraising
• And a union hall, church or membership club raises its own questions depending on the entity and the jurisdiction

Volunteers and paid staff

Genuine volunteer time is generally not a contribution. Professional services provided free are treated differently, and the line matters.

• A supporter volunteering an evening is ordinarily fine
• An accountant, lawyer or designer providing professional services free may be contributing their commercial value
• A company directing its employees to work on a campaign during paid hours is a different matter again
• And expenses volunteers incur may or may not be treated as contributions depending on type and amount

Raffles and gaming: probably not

The practical warning. Charitable gaming licences are, in most states, available only to qualifying charitable organizations — and a political committee is not one.

Running a raffle alongside a political auction is frequently unlawful rather than merely regulated. Check before, not after, and note that a silent auction generally does not raise the same question.

Coordination between committees

Where more than one committee is involved — a candidate committee and a party committee, or several candidates sharing an event — the arrangements for splitting costs and proceeds are governed, and joint fundraising has its own rules and frequently its own registration.

This is not something to work out informally between campaigns. It has a structure and the structure has to be set up in advance.

Data and privacy

A committee collecting bidder information is collecting personal data, some of it reportable and public. Say what will be collected and that contributions above thresholds are publicly disclosed — a supporter surprised to find their name and employer in a public filing is a supporter you lose.

Solicitation restrictions

Some jurisdictions restrict when and where fundraising may occur — during legislative sessions, from certain regulated parties, on government property, or by certain officeholders.

Where the candidate is a sitting officeholder, those restrictions frequently apply to them personally and are stricter than the campaign finance rules.

Get one review, early

Everything on this page is answerable in a single conversation with the committee's counsel or compliance professional if it happens before the plan is set. The same conversation after an auction has closed is a remediation exercise.

General information, not legal advice, and campaign finance law differs by jurisdiction and by office. Contribution limits, prohibited sources, disclosure and reporting are enforced with real penalties — your committee's own counsel or compliance professional decides how any of this applies before you run anything.