FSPAC

Winter 2014 Newsletter

Fraternity & Sorority Political Action Committee newsletter

Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/272494

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 1 of 7

Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω the Fraternity and Sorority 2 Preserving the Greek experience for • Under current law, an individual may give the FSPAC up to $5,000 per calendar year for candidates and/or an unlimited amount to our Independent Expenditure Account (IEA). • The FSAC may in turn give up to $5,000 to an individual candidate per election cycle. • Contributions to the FSPAC are not tax deductible and may not be reimbursed by your employer or anyone else. • Only individuals and other PACs can contribute to Fraternity and Sorority PAC—corporations and associations cannot make contributions to the candidate funds of FSPAC's candidate account but can contribute to the IEA. • The FSPAC is bipartisan and will give to candidates of both parties. • As part of our $600,000 overall goal, we have four sub-goals: • 3 donors at $20,000 (legal max. per married couple per year) – $60,000 • 8 donors at $10,000 – $80,000 • 10 donors at $5,000 or more – $50,000 • 26 donors at $2,500 or more – $65,000 • The FSPAC has several donor recognition levels: • $20,000 – Honorary FSPAC Chairman • $10,000 to $19,999 – Honorary Board of Directors • $5,000 to $9,999 – Founders Society • $2,500 to $4,999 – Charter Members • $1,000 to $2,499 – Legacy Members • $500 to $999 – Honorary Officers • $201 to $499 – Donors • $1 to $200 – Friends (listed only on website) • Both corporations and individuals can contribute to the IEA. • All fraternal organizations are prohibited from endorsing, campaigning, or advocating for or against political candidates, but individuals are free to provide as much support as they wish to the FSPAC. giving to the fraternity & sorority PaC Donor Profile Bonnie Wunsch, ΑΕΦ B onnie Wunsch attended college at Emory in Atlanta, Ga. She jokes, "I should have majored in extracurricular activities and I would have had a 4.0." Her original career plan was to go into the family retail business, and she worked for Federated Department Stores. Her involvement as a sorority council mentor led to a job offer on the Alpha Epsilon Phi staff, where she has remained for the last 25 years. Bonnie now serves at the Executive Director of Alpha Epsilon Phi. Eighteen years ago, Bonnie and her husband, a former fraternity executive, moved from Ohio to Connecticut and now live within six hours of 85% of every AEPhi chapter in the nation. Her husband introduced her to PAC. She initially felt lobbying was just about CHIA and protecting the investment in chapter housing. Today she sees the wider picture, beyond CHIA. Bonnie has been very successful in raising funds from house corporation boards (HCBs) for the new Independent Expenditure Account. More than 90% of HCBs she solicited donated $50 to $500. They understand that the PAC can help them be more successful and ensure longevity. She said, "You can't turn a blind eye to the importance of advocating in Washington on behalf of our organizations." You can contact Bonnie at bonwunsch@aol.com. Criteria for Candidate support • Specific policy issues the FSPAC currently uses to evaluate candidates includes (but is not limited to): • Support of changes to the federal tax code that promote charitable contributions made to benefit fraternity members and other students • Support of passage of the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act (H.R.1449/S.654), which would allow charitable contributions to be used to make critical infrastructure improvements to existing fraternity housing and construct new fraternity housing • Support of freedom of association rights for students to join fraternal organizations while in colleges and universities • Support of initiatives to improve student housing and safety on college campuses • Support of initiatives to eradicate hazing and other mistreatment of college students • Support of initiatives to improve funding for student loans and other financial aid options The overwhelming majority of the FSPAC-supported candidates have won their elections. Your support made this possible. Thank you!

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of FSPAC - Winter 2014 Newsletter