Is asking for "pledges" or "donations" an FEC offense?

[surf]

I'm not sure: is seeking donations or pledges for a local project is illegal

Ex: putting a message on a meetup board asking for "pledges" (rather than "donations") to rent a billboard - would this cause meetup to come under FEC, and/or is it a violation of FEC rules?

Is it ok?

Anyone?

 

[kylejack]

A pledge is just a promise. Its only actual donations that would trigger any FEC involvement. The best way to do this is with a PAC. We have several PACs that could probably be used for this if you need some help.

 

[McDermit]

The "pledges" are just promises of a forthcoming donation, should the pledge goal be met.

Nothing AT ALL wrong with pledges.


Donations, however, are more of a grey area. Once you collect $200, I believe you're tehnically required to form a PAC and report donations and expenditures to the FEC. Don't quote me on that though, campaign finance law isn't my forte.

 

[torchbearer]

I'm not sure: is seeking donations or pledges for a local project is illegal

Ex: putting a message on a meetup board asking for "pledges" (rather than "donations") to rent a billboard - would this cause meetup to come under FEC, and/or is it a violation of FEC rules?

Is it ok?

Anyone?

You can do whatever you want as long as you are not sending that money to the campaign and you are not working on behalf of the campaign.

Of course, I must tell you... email the FEC. http://www.fec.gov

If you really want a truthful answer... email the FEC.
If you want to start crap on this forum, ask a legal question. The trolls love feeding on illegalities, especially if it will make us look bad.