With four months left in the year, local trade associations are pushing to reach fund-raising goals for their political action committees (PACs) in an unprecedented era of both economic and political pressure.
The local banking and insurance associations have hit between 50 percent and 60 percent of their goals, but are buoyed by the hope that members recognize now more than ever is the time to make friends on Beacon and Capitol hills. With fund-raising events still forthcoming, the associations’ leaderships insist they’re on the right track.
The Massachusetts Association of Realtors seems to be in better shape; it has reached 78 percent of its fund-raising goal, but that mark is 16 percent off the pace it set last year, and it acknowledge sthe difficult market has affected its efforts.
MAR has its goals set annually by the national association based on membership numbers. It has met 78 percent of its 2009 goal of $95,423, as of Aug. 31. Over the same time period in 2008, MAR had met 94 percent of its goal of $101,862.
“It’s a joint fund-raising effort [for MAR and NAR], and it’s a challenging market,” said Stephen Ryan, general counsel for MAR. “[Realtors] have to make tough decisions about their expenditures.”
Ryan said that if every Realtor in Massachusetts donated $4.50 to the national association, and $10.50 to MAR, the goal would be met.
Eric Berman, spokesperson for MAR, said in an e-mail: “While our participation from the membership is down slightly (23 percent in 2008 vs. 22 percent in 2009), we feel confident in our ability to connect with the members and explain the issues that this money supports, like the extension of first-time homebuyer tax credit, to raise the additional funds to make goal.”
Hot Button Issues Abound
Frank Mancini, executive director of the MAIA, said his association raises between $20,000 and $25,000 per year for its state PAC, and $30,000 for the federal PAC. As of the end of August, the MAIA raised $13,000 for the local PAC, and $14,460 for the national committee.
The MAIA has two large pushes at the beginning and end of the calendar year, according to Mancini, and the summer months are traditionally slow.
“Right now, we’re on track to be where we want to be by the end of the year,” he said. “We’re not there yet, but we’re not done with our solicitations.”
Robert Hollis, chairman of the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents’ (MAIA) government affairs committee, said with health care and insurance coverage such hot-button issues on the state and national levels, agents have been donating at the same clip as 2008.
“It hasn’t fallen off from previous years, because there are a lot of important issues that are facing us,” said Hollis. “It’s been a tough year for a lot of agencies, but they understand what it is we’re trying to do, and we haven’t seen that much of a decrease. Because of the tough times, they understand that any issue that is going to impact them makes it even more critical that we need what it takes to support us when we go up to the Legislature.”
The Massachusetts Bankers Association (MBA) has had similar results. With additional banking regulation and financial oversight likely – if not inevitable – bankers have continued to contribute to their PACs.
David Floreen, senior vice president of government affairs for the MBA, said it seeks to raise between $45,000 and $50,000 each year. That sum is split between the state and national PACs, with between 55 percent and 65 percent going to the federal committee. This year, Floreen said there hasn’t been a recent total calculated, but “we’re well over half way there.”
“It’s closer to 60 percent of our goal; we’ve raised more than $30,000,” he said. “You also have to remember it’s an off-election year; a lot of people also got tapped out last year, with the presidential campaign and a lot of big primaries.
“Clearly the economy has an impact on people’s disposable income, but I think there is an awareness that there is a lot going on, and that has a tendency to energize people,” he said. “We’re pretty close to where we were last year. A significant amount of our fund raising takes place in the final two months of the year.”
NAIOP Makes It Personal
At the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), David Begelfer said fund raising for NAIOPs’ state PAC is at $4,200 – down between 10 percent and 15 percent – but expects much of that is made up by members making personal contributions to Boston’s mayoral candidates, and the well-populated U.S. Senate special election.
“I think there is going to be a robust fund-raising season, because the races are so important,” he said. “I don’t think you’re going to see a real lack of fund raising in either case. We’ll keep on doing our work, which is a lot of informing … legislators and the executive branch on issues that are important to us.”
