Your role as a Chapter Executive is paramount in IFAPAC’s success. Executives must cultivate and nurture an ongoing culture of supporting IFAPAC within the association. NAIFA is an advocacy group - make it a point to talk about legislative issues affecting your members in all association meetings. Help your board and the IFAPAC committee overcome their fears of fundraising. Those who fear fundraising the least will be the most successful. Your help can mean the difference between a successful state IFAPAC and a not-so-successful state IFAPAC.
Remember without the industry, there is no NAIFA. Without NAIFA, there are no members. Without members, chapter executives are not needed. There are many opportunities for executives to assist IFAPAC chairs and committees.
Work with your IFAPAC chair to create your chapter’s annual fundraising plan and use it as a road map so that your IFAPAC chair and committee members will understand the big picture.
Break your fundraising year into quarters. First Quarter – Converting zeroes (non-contributors) to heroes (contributors); Second Quarter – Upgrading current contributors (both monthly givers and annual givers); Third Quarter – Scheduling “Back The PAC” activities (e.g. phon-a-thons); Fourth Quarter – Following up on zeroes, upgrades, YAT members, Board members, and annual contributors.
Schedule phone campaigns at least quarterly, especially in your largest local areas.
Send monthly IFAPAC-specific communications to members.
Ask your prominent YAT members to solicit other YATs. They have enthusiasm, talent, new ideas and are eager to help! Give them a fundraising goal – they are goal-oriented and competitive.
Educate yourself on the federal and state laws covering political action committees. Read the Legal Do’s and Don’ts. Be sure that the person in charge of your state’s IFAPAC accounting is educated about IRS Forms 1120- POL and 990.
Make sure no illegal solicitations are on your chapter’s website. IFAPAC information should be behind a “members only” firewall.
Make sure all solicitations contain the legally required contribution disclaimer language.
Forward all contributions that have been entrusted to you to the IFAPAC office in Falls Church, VA within 10 days. It’s the law!
Dedicate space to IFAPAC in all publications and communications for an IFAPAC article or advertisement (minimum twice a year).
Ensure that the IFAPAC administrative monies are budgeted by your chapter and that the funds are actually sent to the IFAPAC office in Falls Church, VA no later than December 1st.
Add IFAPAC to your board meeting agenda as a standing item.
Assign a board member or IFAPAC committee member to be a table captain at all meetings. Ask them to talk about the importance of PAC and supporting the PAC that’s supporting them.
Review the Legal Do’s & Don’ts document with your new state board at their orientation meeting.
Encourage the showing of the Straight Talk video featuring Mike Dunn and the Advocacy at Work DVD by Terry Headley.
Facilitate and participate in state IFAPAC committee meetings and conference calls and participate in the national IFAPAC regional conference calls.
Contact the National IFAPAC Subcommittee Chapter Executive Representative for help with any issues regarding IFAPAC.
Notify the IFAPAC office in Falls Church, VA of local and state IFAPAC chair and co-chair changes ASAP.
Provide administrative services such as:
Work with your state IFAPAC chair to ensure that all contributor reports, call lists, and fundraising campaign fliers sent out by National IFAPAC are distributed to local leaders.
Help provide a facility for phon-a-thon and training meetings.
Keep a supply of IFAPAC materials (e.g. ribbons, pins, contribution forms, envelopes, brochures and give-away items for new contributions) on hand.
Insert IFAPAC flyers into other chapter mailings to NAIFA members.
Thank your contributors on a regular basis; give them recognition at meetings and in publications. Create a PowerPoint presentation to scroll throughout your meeting listing all contributors. Create a poster displaying the lifetime or annual contributions of members. Provide forums for your IFAPAC chair to publicly thank his/her committee members and all contributors.
Ensure that IFAPAC is visible during chapter meetings, legislative days, and conventions by:
Setting aside high-traffic space for an IFAPAC booth – reserve table display and order supplies.
Giving platform time for an IFAPAC presentation.
Displaying the IFAPAC banner.
Working with national IFAPAC to create contributor boards/posters.
Ensure that all state and local board members are PAC contributors. Check that the people appointed as local IFAPAC chairs have contributed to IFAPAC within the last 12 months. If one has not, contact the applicable local chapter executive and/or the local chapter president and inform them that the appointee must either make a contribution to IFAPAC within 30 days or be replaced.
Don’t be afraid to make the ask yourself! Members know and respect you. An ideal time to ask is at meetings when your member's check-in/register.
Encourage your chair to review and follow up on the IFAPAC contribution reports and tell him/her that other customized reports are available from National IFAPAC.
Make sure the current IFAPAC Chair and Treasurer have access to PAC account information.
Use a generic email address as a login for state campaign finance reporting to ensure state PAC leaders are kept up to date on state reporting requirements. All PAC leaders should also have the login and password for the state campaign finance site.
