 BPW/PAC Policies
Business and Professional Women/USA established a political action committee (BPW/PAC) in 1979. The political action committee assists women and pro-women candidates who support BPW's legislative platform by providing campaign contributions and endorsements. Through BPW/PAC, individual members can join together and show the collective force of BPW in the American political process. BPW/PAC serves as the financial muscle behind BPW's national legislative agenda. BPW/PAC is supported solely by voluntary contributions from BPW members. BPW/PAC is a separate legal entity of the organization and must remain so due to federal regulations guiding not-for-profit organizations. BPW/PAC is governed by the Federal Election Commission. BPW/PAC maintains separate bank accounts that are audited by independent CPA firms. BPW/PAC consists of seven members who are appointed by BPW/USA’s National President, and approved by the Executive Committee, to serve on the committee for staggered, two-year terms. The committee is steadfastly bi-partisan and bases its endorsements to a large degree on candidates’ support for the legislative platform. The BPW/PAC Committee takes this responsibility very seriously. Each candidate that is endorsed by BPW/PAC has a record that demonstrates a strong commitment to the issues outlined on the National Legislative Platform. BPW/PAC plays an important role in helping to shape what our Congress looks like and what issues they address. BPW encourages all of its members to become educated on the candidates and issues, and BPW/PAC endorsements are an educational tool for all BPW members. REQUIREMENTS FOR CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENTS BPW/PAC endorses women and men; Democrats, Republicans and Independents; and candidates in every region of the nation. Only candidates for a federal office can be endorsed by BPW/PAC. States wishing to endorse statewide or local candidates are encouraged to form their own state PAC for this purpose. All candidates seeking BPW/PAC's endorsement must complete BPW/PAC's candidate questionnaire and a copy must be sent to the BPW/PAC Committee: 1900 M Street., N.W., Suite 310, Washington, D.C. 20036. BPW/PAC may elect to waive the requirements for the questionnaire for Members of Congress who have been previously endorsed and have demonstrated a strong record of support on BPW issues. In addition to the questionnaire, BPW/PAC requests additional information including: the campaign budget for both primary and general elections; amount of money raised to date; recent polling data on the race; names of staff/key consultants; endorsements from national/local organizations and the issues and themes that the candidate plans to emphasize during the campaign. This information provides a strong indication of a candidate's viability, credibility and campaign organization; therefore helping BPW/PAC make informed decisions. Candidates will receive endorsements for the current election cycle based on a candidate's record of support for the issues and legislation. Lifetime endorsements will no longer be made by BPW/PAC. In addition, BPW/PAC may become involved in primary races where early funding can make a difference. ENDORSEMENT PROCEDURES BPW/PAC needs your help in identifying strong candidates who support BPW's issues. Send a copy of BPW/PAC's Candidate Questionnaire and legislative platform to candidates who have already entered the congressional race, and ask them to complete the questionnaire and return it to BPW/PAC if they wish to be considered for an endorsement. Offer to explain issues on the questionnaire, which the candidate may not be familiar with, or refer them to BPW/USA's Public Policy Department at National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Some Congressional candidates contact BPW/PAC directly through the Public Policy Department at National. All candidates for federal office who request information on BPW/PAC will be sent a questionnaire. Because a state often is more familiar with a candidate from their region, and they will be most affected by election results, BPW/PAC appreciates recommendations from BPW members in the candidate's home state. BPW/PAC strongly believes that BPW members from a candidate's home state must have significant input into the decision-making process. BPW/PAC will encourage state input and incorporate this into its endorsement decisions. FOLLOW-UP ON ENDORSEMENTS BPW/PAC will notify a state federation when BPW/PAC endorses a candidate from that state. BPW/PAC suggests arranging a meeting with the candidate to officially announce BPW/PAC's endorsement. Please contact Public Policy staff at National to coordinate the announcement of the endorsement. Federal law requires that only members of BPW/USA may be solicited by or on behalf of BPW/PAC. Contributions must be made by personal check, travelers check, personal credit card or money order. No corporate checks or credit cards are allowed by federal law. Contributions should be made in a BPW/PAC envelope, available from the National office. If a BPW/PAC envelope is not available, donors must provide their name, address, phone number, and State Federation. (This information is required by the Federal Election Commission.) Checks should be made payable to BPW/PAC and mailed to: Finance Department BPW MEMBERS MAY ALSO DONATE ON-LINE WITH A CREDIT CARD VIA E-SERIES ON BPW/USA’S WEBSITE. |