CUNA Political Activities Fund What is it? CUNA’s Political Activities Fund (PAF) is a fund CUNA has established to pool resources from across the credit union system for use in direct electoral advocacy on behalf of pro-credit union candidates for federal office. A robustly-funded PAF ensures that opportunities to elect strong, pro-credit union candidates will not be stymied by a lack of resources among local credit unions and Leagues. Who may contribute to the Political Activities Fund? Contributions may come from state credit union Leagues, CUNA and League-affiliated federal and state chartered credit unions, league or credit union administered “defense funds,” and credit union service organizations (CUSOs) that are wholly or majority owned by Leagues or affiliated state or federal chartered credit unions. In most cases League state PACs may also contribute. How will contributions to the PAF be used? Funds raised for the CUNA PAF will be used only for political campaign activity, primarily in the form of partisan communications to members regarding federal campaigns and/or related activities, such as polling and research. Specifically, funds will be allocated as needed to fund messages directed at credit union members in key opportunity races for Congress encouraging member support for chosen candidates. CUNA senior management will work closely with appropriate state Leagues to identify the opportunity races, as well as consult with an Advisory Committee comprised of AACUL and CUNA Governmental Affairs Committee (GAC) leadership. Of note, PAF funds are not intended to finance partisan communications campaigns in their entirety, but rather to cost-share and supplement funds raised for specific races by the local leagues and credit unions. How is the PAF different from CULAC? As corporate, non-federal funds under federal election law, funds from the PAF (or its donors directly) cannot be used to directly contribute to federal candidates or campaign committees. Thus it is critical that individual (federal) donations continue to be raised and directed to CULAC, as CULAC remains the credit union system’s best means of directly supporting federal candidates. The PAF merely provides a supplemental means of supporting pro-credit union candidates in select priority races with non-federal corporate dollars. Is there a limit on how much an entity may contribute? No, there is no limit on the amount of a donation to the PAF. Are donations to the PAF publicly reported? Contributions to CUNA’s PAF are not publicly reported to the Federal Election Commission; however donation amounts should be included on Schedule C of an organization’s IRS Form 990, if the entity is required to file one. Are donations taxable? No, donations are not taxable under federal tax law. Where can I send a donation? Contributions may be made via check or ACH. Please complete the attached Contribution form; remittance information is included on the Contribution form. Checks should be payable to: CUNA Political Activities Fund Questions? Contact Trey Hawkins, CUNA VP Political Affairs, at 202-508-6712 or thawkins@cuna.com.
Political Activities Fund 2012 Contribution Form
Date: _________________________________________________________________________ Contributor Name: _________________________________________________________________ Contributor Mailing Address: ________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip: _________________________________________________________________ Contact Name: _________________________________________________ Contact Phone Number: (________) __________-___________________________________ Contribution Amount: $__________________________________________________________ Method of Payment:
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Check/share draft enclosed with this Contribution Form (Made payable to CUNA Political Activities Fund) Mail check to:
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Credit Union National Association, Inc. PO Box 78546 Milwaukee, WI 53278-0546
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ACH payment (Please complete ACH information and certification below) – the completed form can be returned to the address listed above – or emailed to sglasgow@cuna.coop or pwilliams@cuna.coop ACH is an electronic transfer of funds from your bank account. Please complete the information below. If you are not sure what your ACH routing/ABA number is, please check with your financial institution or attach a voided check. All record retention and transactions are NACHA compliant. Financial Institution Name: ACH Routing/ABA Number: Name on Bank Account: Bank Account Number: ACH Certification: I/we request donation by ACH to Credit Union National Association, Inc. I/we understand this is a one-time contribution. Check one:
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I am an authorized representative of
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I am an individual or owner whose payments are made in my name.
(Company Name)
Certified by:
Print Name and Title
Signature:
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY: Code – POLACTIVITIESFUND C# __________________________
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(Phone # if different from contact)