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FEC Passwords
FEC filing passwords are not provided by Aristotle and we unfortunately have no way of viewing or retrieving your password. If you can't remember your filing password or don't have one yet there are a few options available to you on the FEC's site:
How do I get a FEC password for electronic filing (e-filing)?
You can apply for a password on the FEC's website.
But I already have a password. How do I find out what it is?
You can retrieve your FEC Password by filling out the "Forgotten Password" form on the FEC Website. https://webforms.fec.gov/psa/forgot.htm
The Forgetting Password Won't Find me, or I no longer have access to the previous email on file.
You will have to apply for a new one.
**Due to enhanced security requirements, we do not store third-party passwords in any Aristotle software product.
Some internet browsers or add-on extensions may store your password, however this is independent and Aristotle is not responsible for these functions.
The FEC Form 3 and 3x are still used to report your campaign's final financial activity but you'll want to choose Termination in the Current Period field on the parameters page before generating the report.
Selecting Termination for the Current Period will indicate to the FEC that this is your campaign's final filing.
Aristotle's "Donor Insights" is a powerful tool to automate donor research - using enhanced voter, giving, and consumer data - however many states limit the use of this data to research only, which prohibits fundraising list purposes, which includes directly querying/searching on the data and exporting it as a spreadsheet.
**FEC Data is not used in any way for Aristotle Donor Insights.
We are permitted to use the aggregate of that data however, so in Campaign Manager there is a field called "Suggested Ask Amount" where we provide a suggested amount this donor would be willing to donate. The amount shown here is calculated by us and is based on their donation history to other committees. We cannot provide full committee donation lists however as this would be categorized as fundraising purposes.
The "Suggested Ask Amount" can be viewed on each of your records in the upper left corner. It can also be exported into a spreadsheet using either the Contacts Search tool or the Query Builder search tool. See below screenshots for further clarification on utilizing this feature!
Viewing On the Individual Record
Contacts Search Export
Custom Format Field Gallery (Used When Exporting From Query Builder)
1. If the primary contact does not have a record create a new individual record for the primary contact.
2. Open the record for the Organization/Committee record and click on the Connections tab.
3. Select a connection type from the connection type drop-down and search for the Primary Contact from the field labeled Connect With. Next, mark the connection as primary by marking the checkbox Mark as Primary and click Add.
You can also create this connection from the Primary Contact's record. If you do so search for the Organization/Committee from the Connect With field in Step 3 instead of searching for the Primary Contact.
How to Link Spouses Using an Individual Record
Note that using this method, a spouse's record can be created if one does not already exist.
How to Link Spouses Using Connections
Note that using this method, all individual records that will be linked must already exist.
To Import Intermediary/Conduit Contributions you will use the Advanced Contribution and Memos Import template that is found in Import Manager.
To download the template navigate to Tools >> Import Manager >>Advanced Contribution and Memos Import
Next, select click Download Template
Once the template downloads open it and begin to enter the contribution information. Then in the Intermediary RecordID column, enter the Record ID of the Intermediary/Conduit.
Please note the record must exist in Campaign Manager prior to importing. If the record does not exist in Campaign Manager create it now.
After filling in the Intermediary RecordID column with the appropriate Record ID in each transaction, fill in the Receipt Type column with Contribution.
The file should look something like this. This is only for example purposes only.
When you file is ready for importing, go back to Tools >> Import Manager >> Advanced Contribution and Memos Import and use the upload button to upload your file. Then select any additional parameters you would like applied and select a batch or create a new batch and select Start Import.
Once the import completes the transaction will be imported as Intermediary/Conduit Contributions.
Save the electronic report file from CampaignManager by running the report and then clicking on the link named Click here to view your file in electronic format.
Save the file to your computer. It will have a file name with the extension .FEC
Click the following link http://fecload-update.fec.gov/dl/FECConvertTools.zip
This will open a download session window. Left click once on the "Save" button, select the desired location for saving the file, your Desktop for instance, and start the download.
Once the download has completed, double click on the file to extract the contents.
Converting FEC Filings Delimited from the ASCII 28 delimiter to Comma Separated Variable (CSV)
Drag and drop any Form 3 or Form 3X report .FEC file onto the fs2comma.exe file and a CSV file will be generated.
Command Line Usage:
fs2comma 123.fec [out.csv]
If the second parameter is specified, that will be used as the output. if not, 123.csv will be the output
Open the .csv file in Excel.
Explanation of Rows and Columns
The first line beginning with HDR is header information for the report.
The line beginning with F3 includes filing committee information and totals.
The line beginning with TEXT is a memo that appears just below the summary information on the report.
Rows beginning with SA in column A are income items.
Rows beginning with SB in column B are expense items.
Rows that begin with H, D, SL etc. refer to items listed in Schedules H, D, SL, etc.
The descriptions below pertain to lines that have transactions appearing in various report schedules.
Column A denotes on what schedule the line itme appears.
Column B is the committee's FEC ID.
Column C contains unique transation IDs.
Columns D and E contain misc. transaction information.
Column F denotes the type entity the record represents. Individual, organization, etc.
Columns G, H, I and J contatin entity name information.
Columns M through Q contain address information.
Column R contains additional transaction information.
Columns S and T contain transation Dates.
Column U contains the current amount of the contribution or expense on the report.
Column V contains the year to date or cycle to date amounts.
Column W contains expense details.
Column X contains Employer information.
Column Y contains Occupation information.
Other columns contain various details about the transactions.
If Column AP or Column AQ have an X in them, this denotes that those are memo items whose amounts do not effect the totals on the report.
Contributions
If you would like a spreadsheet with just income items listed, delete any lines that do not begin with SA in the Column A.
Then sort the remaining lines on column AQ to sort the lines that are memo items.
Delete any rows that have an "X" in column AQ.
Column U represents the current contribution amount on the report.
Column V represents the year to date or cycle to date amount.
From here you can sort on column U to compare to your spreadsheet of contributions by amount.
Expenses
If you would like a spreadsheet with just expense items listed, delete any lines that do not begin with SB in the Column A.
Then sort the remaining lines on column AP to sort the lines that are memo items.
Delete any rows that have an "X" in column AP.
Column U represents the current expense amount on the report.
From here you can sort on column U to compare to your spreadsheet of expenses by amount.
-----------------------
Create spreadsheet of just entity names and amounts
After creating a spreadsheet of just income items or expenses as described above, do the following:
Go to cell J1
Type: =(G1&I1&" "&H1)
Press Enter
Copy and paste the contents of cell J1 to the rest of the cells in Column J of rows that contain data.
Highlight Column J
Right click and choose Copy
While Column J is still highlighted, right click again and choose Paste Special
Choose any of the Paste Values options.
Delete columns V though AZ
Delete columns K though T
Delete columns A through I
Highlight columns A and B.
Click on the Data tab in Excel
Click on the Sort button
Sort on Column B (lowest to highest), then Column A (A to Z).
Now you have a two column spreadsheet with all the income items sorted by amount (lowest to highest) and then by entity name (A to Z).
Into columns C and D paste the contents of the spreadsheet you are comparing the data to.
Sort by amount and entity name.
From there you can compare the rows to see which items do not match.
(Before linking committee staff, both the committee and the committee staff records need to be added to the system. See Individual Records or Committee Records for more information about these records.)
1. Find your committee record using the quick search at the top of Campaign Manager or Contacts search
2. While viewing the committee record, select the Connections tab.
3. Select the Connection Type that you want to add from the dropdown menu
4. In the Connect With field type the name of the individual to search for and select their record
5. If this is the primary contact for the committee, click the Mark As Primary button
6. Click the green Add button to save the connection.
This connection will appear on both the committee record as well as the connected individual record.
Once the connection is in place, you can choose to mark it as primary so that letters created within Campaign Manager can be addressed accordingly. The Delete button also appears in case it needs later removed.
Google Chrome is automatically set to view PDF within the browser window.
File names in Campaign Manager are always the exact same every time, and if Chrome already finds that file name in your downloads folder it will just append a (1), (2), (3), etc. on the end of the file name. When this gets to 100, Chrome will force you to rename it because the auto-incrementing naming scheme stops at 99.
To resolve this, go into your downloads folder and delete all the old copies of the file you are trying to download. Then attempt to download it again and it typically will auto-download.
To set the way PDF are handled in Firefox, go to Tools >>> Options >>> Applications and set PDF to "Preview in Firefox".
To view PDF in Microsoft Edge, you must either download the Adobe Reader extension or change your Windows 10 settings to always open PDF in Edge. Note that this will apply to all PDF, not just those created by Campaign Manager.
Reader in Edge:
Windows 10 Default PDF Viewer:
Connecting Your Personal PAC account to your Aristotle Campaign Manager database:
Step 1: Contact Aristotle Support at support@aristotle.com and ask them for your database API token key code so that you can connect Personal PAC to Campaign Manager.
When you receive your key, go to your campaign’s PersonalPAC dashboard and click the “Settings” icon on the lower-left side of the page. Note: If you're unable to complete this process, please contact Personal PAC at AristotleCS@PersonalPAC.us for assistance.
Step 2: Click on the button labeled “Connect Aristotle.”
Step 3: In the box labeled “Aristotle Account,” enter the Campaign Manager key that
you got from Aristotle.
Step 4: Your screen should look something like this. Click on the “Connect Aristotle”
button.
Step 5: If the initial connection was successful, you will see this message. Follow the
instructions and check your Campaign Manager account to see if you have a record from
Personal PAC in your queue. Delete that test record from Campaign Manager and then
click “Yes.”
Step 6: You should now see this message. Congratulations! All the donation information
you collect through Personal PAC will now be entered directly into your Campaign
Manager database. You will also receive a daily summary of those donations by email.
The default Bank Account, Category, and Election Period are assigned with API connections, check each setting to be sure you have the appropriate option flagged as default.
Here’s how it works:
• It runs each morning, roughly around 5:30am EST - the integration is run daily, not ‘real-time’.
• The previous days WinRed receipts will populate into the Import Queue on the Fundraising Menu
• The Import queue will display possible record matches to avoid duplicates.
• Upon Approval/Import, CM will create both the non-directed earmark contribution + the conduit memo LINKED together.
Click Here for instructions on using the Import Queue.
*Please note that this info only pertains to Winred integrations for FEDERAL level campaigns/committees. Winred integrations for state/local level committees will be set up in the same manner as other integrations — using an API token to perform the setup on the Winred side. Also note that Winred's pre-written instructions may advise that you reach out to Aristotle for integration setup — again, this is in reference to Federal level committees. If you are setting up a Winred integration for a state/local committee, Aristotle can provide an API token, which you will then need to bring to Winred for setup.
If you are looking to integrate Anedot using API, send an email to support@aristotle.com requesting an Access Token. There is nothing extra to do on the Campaign Manager side once we send you back the Access Token!
All the setup of the API is on the Anedot side of things. Here is the help file produced by Anedot explaining the process of setting up the API:
https://help.anedot.com/en/articles/9039235-aristotle
Once the set up is complete, the incoming contributions will be tagged with the default election period and default account automatically. As the contributions are pushed from Anedot, they appear in the Campaign Manager Import Queue found in Fundraising > Import Queue. Each contribution will automatically appear in the queue and users can choose to Import, Delete, or Skip processing each transaction.
If you are looking to integrate NationBuilder using API/webhook, send an email to support@aristotle.com requesting an Access Token. There is nothing extra to do on the Campaign Manager side once we send you back the Access Token!
All the setup of the API/webhook is on the NationBuilder side of things. See below for some screenshots and steps on what needs to be entered into your NationBuilder account:
1) Go to Settings > Developer > Webhook Token
2) In the "Webhook Token" field, enter the access token provided by Aristotle Support
3) Click the "Save Webhook Token" button
4) Go to Settings > Developer > Webhooks
5) Set "When to POST" to "Donation Succeeded"
6) Set "Endpoint URL" to "https://vendor.aristotle.com/v1/nationbuilder
7) Click the "Save Webhook" button
Once the set up is complete, the incoming contributions will be tagged with the default election period and default account automatically. As the contributions are pushed from Anedot, they appear in the Campaign Manager Import Queue found in Fundraising > Import Queue. Each contribution will automatically appear in the queue and users can choose to Import, Delete, or Skip processing each transaction.
If you are looking to integrate Targeted Victory using API/webhook, send an email to support@aristotle.com requesting an API Access Token. There is nothing extra to do on the Campaign Manager side once we send you back the Access Token!
All the setup of the API/webhook is on the Targeted Victory side of things. See below for some screenshots and steps on what needs to be entered into your Targeted Victory account:
1) Go to Client Admin > Donation Page > Analytics
2) In the "Aristotle API Token" field, enter the API Access Token provided by Aristotle Support
3) Click the "Save Aristotle API Token" button
That's it! Two important pieces of information to keep in mind when you integrate your Targeted Victory account with your Campaign Manager database:
This HelpFile will walk you through the process of matching names in your Final Export .MDB Excel table to their GUID number. You must first convert your Final Export .MDB file into Excel tables. Once you have converted your file into Excel, you'll notice that the records within the spreadsheets are identified by their GUID number. You can use Excel's VLOOKUP tool to match GUID numbers to the name data on another spreadsheet. In addition to the following step-by-step instructions, here is a link to a short video on how to use Excel's VLOOKUP tool.
The VLOOKUP function looks for a value [lookup_value] in the leftmost column of a table [table_array], and returns a value in the same row from a column you specify [col_index_num]. By default, the columns must be sorted in ascending order. The [range_lookup] returns an approximate match if you type in the word "true," or an exact match if "false."
1 . Find and make note where your tab with all the individual records name information. This will have ind_GUID, ind_FirstName, ind_LastName, etc. as Column headers. This will be the information we'll be using in Step 5 as the [table_array] selection.
2. Now go to the sheet to which you'd like to match the name information. For this example, we'll match names to the individual phone numbers sheet.
3. Scroll to the very end of the table and select the first cell, one row down (in this example Cell G2). Making sure that this cell is highlighted, type "=VLOOKUP(" into the formula bar (type an equal sign, the text VLOOKUP and an open parenthesis symbol), as pictured below:
.
4 . Now select the [lookup_value] by clicking on Cell A2. Type a comma into the formula after you have clicked Cell A2, and move on to the next step where will select the [table_array].
5. The [table_array] is the range of cells to which we are matching, so without clicking anywhere outside of the formula bar, click on the Individuals sheet to select the columns, or table of data, to compare. To select the [table-array], hover your mouse over the tops of the columns, so hover your mouse over "A," and you'll see a down arrow appear (highlighted below). Click and hold down your mouse, and select all the columns with the data you need (Hint: Columns A through F should contain all the name information, see below).
6. After you have highlighted these columns, type another comma in the formula bar, and we will now enter the [col_index_num], or the number of the column that you'd like displayed. For this example, type in the number "4" to display the content of the cells in Column D (or the individual's first name). [Note: to display the last name, move one column to the right and repeat these steps but type in the number "6" to display the contents of the cells in Column F, or the individual's last name.]
7. Type another comma into the formula bar, and now we will enter the [range_lookup]. This requires entering either the word TRUE or FALSE. TRUE will give an approximate match, and typing in FALSE will return an exact match. In this example, we want an exact match, so now type into the formula bar the word "FALSE."
8. Now we will finish the formula with a close parenthesis, so type into the formula bar ")" and hit enter. The first name should now display in the column for all the records on this page.
Your formula should appear similarly to the example below:
Here are the steps for generating an FEC report amendment and e-filing it in Campaign Manager.
This is fully supported in Campaign Manager for all FEC report types (Form 3, Form 3X, Form 1, etc.)!
1. Parameters Page:
Check the Amend box, then Enter the FEC ID of the report being amended on the criteria page where it says Amended Report ID, and enter the Amendment Number (if this is the first amendment- enter a 1)
Be sure there are no spaces or extra characters and that the FEC ID number is entered in the same format as pictured below..
2. Previous Reports List or History
Once the generated report meets your expectations, click E-File This Report
3. E-File Screen
The backdoor password needs to be entered on the final upload page after clicking E-file This Report, immediately after the original report's ID number. See below screenshot.
You'll also need to enter your Committee ID, Password, and Email. Leave connection type as TCP/IP.
If you need any assistance in getting this done please call the Aristotle support team at 888-217-9600 or email support@aristotle.com.
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Frequently Asked Questions!
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Getting Started
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Call Sheet Manager
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Financial - Transactions
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Alabama State Report
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IRS Compliance Reporting
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Troubleshooting
The Import Queue is located on the Fundraising menu and is where contributions that are processed thru the online donation pages or web pages land. WinRed and Anedot API integrations also deliver contribution data to the Import Queue.
Please use recommended browser Google Chrome and limit the number of open Campaign Manager tabs to just 1 tab.
Just 1 user should work in the Import Queue at a given time.
Refer to the below screenshot corresponding to these functions:
Filters: use to limit the contributions displaying for import, maybe you just want to work with one day at a time, notice you can verify your expected total as well
Match Found: first name, last name. and zip code are used to match contributions to existing records. If one of these fields does not match exactly then a new donor record will be created for the contribution.
Search Icon: When there is not a match found on a contribution, you may want to perform a search to see if a typo, nickname, or change of address is preventing the match.
Selection Check Box: Use the header check box to select the entire page if they all are ready for import. Use the individual check boxes to import one or a few at a time.
Optional Fields: Fill in the Intermediary Date if it differs from the contribution date, Select a Batch and/or Deposit to easily group the contributions together for reconciling. Check the Thanked box if the contributions will not need to appear in Thank You Manager to receive a thank you letter
Import Queue: When you have contributions selected and optional fields populated as needed, click this button to perform the import (cannot be undone)
Delete: If for any reason you do not want to continue with the import of selected contributions, click Delete to remove them (cannot be undone)
Download: Export the entire import history of the Import Queue here, also see details like what date something was imported or deleted and which user performed it.
Import Manager Settings: Used to update the election period, category, or account of a WinRed integration (Anedot uses the Default election period, category, or account of your database)
What is an SPF record?
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record is a type of DNS (Domain Name Service) record that identifies which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. In essence it's a way of announcing to other mail servers that the entity sending email on your behalf is trusted.
Why is it important that I create an SPF entry for Aristotle and my Domain?
If you specify a 'sent from' email address from an external mail server without a proper SPF record the likelihood of the recipient's mail server flagging or rejecting the message as spam is increased.
If you attempt to create and send a mass email via Campaign Manager, you may get a message like the one below. If that happens, an SPF entry/record will need to be setup in order to successfully send mass emails.
How can I check my SPF records?
You can use the following tool to check your SPF record: http://www.mxtoolbox.com/spf.aspx
Simply enter your domain name in the field provided (Your domain name is the text that occurs after the @ in your email address.)
If your setup is correct it should show 'include:spf.aristotle.com' in it somewhere when tested with the tool above.
Who can edit my SPF entry?
In order to change your SPF record you will need access to the account that you registered your domain with. For example, if you registered your domain with GoDaddy then you will need to log into your GoDaddy account to manage your SPF records.
What do I need to enter?
The steps to reach the administration area for your SPF records will vary depending on your domain registrar. Consult your registrar directly for step by step instructions.
The SPF record type should be : TXT
The entry that you need to add is: include:spf.aristotle.com
This will allow Aristotle's mail servers to send email on behalf of your domain name without being flagged as suspicious.
What if my email address ends in @yahoo.com, @gmail.com, or some other common free email domain?
Modifying the SPF records for free email accounts such as Yahoo or Google is not possible since these domains are shared by many thousands or sometimes millions of users.
I'm sending email on behalf of a group that uses one of the above services. If I can't set an SPF record what can I do?
You can use any email address in the 'reply to' area of your email, only the 'sender' line needs to use an email address from a domain with the correct SPF record to avoid being marked as spam.
Links to instructions on setting SPF records for the most common domain providers:
1. GoDaddy: http://www.mail-tester.com/spf/godaddy
2. Google Apps: https://support.google.com/a/answer/33786?hl=en
3. YahooDomains: https://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=content&id=SLN22170
4. Tell us who you use for your domain and we'll do our best to include instructions here.
We don't support DKIM, as we do SPF. While they aren't the same, we feel that SPF is more than good enough.
To use this feature in CM, follow these steps:
1. Create an individual record in your database for each fundraiser. It's recommended to create a fundraiser tag and assign it to fundraiser records to easily include/omit them in lists when needed.
2. When a contribution comes in that a fundraiser facilitates, while entering the contribution into CM, click the Linking tab and select Soft Allocation to search for and add the fundraiser plus the amount/date they should be credited for.
3. Once a fundraiser is added to the soft-allocation tab of a contribution, it appears on the fundraiser's record- on the Transactions tab when Show Soft Allocations is selected.
4. Add the Top Bundlers Widget to your Homepage to track fundraiser stats
5. There are also two Standard Reports on the Reports menu for tracking the sift-allocations of fundraisers.
To enable Two Factor Authentication, hover over the settings tab and then select "users" from the options. At the top right of your screen should be an "enable two factor authentication" option, check this box to enable two factor authentication.
Note: This enables two factor for the whole database. This means that if anyone else wants to log into the database, they will need to go through two factor authentication before they can log in themselves.
When the box has been checked for Two Factor, the next time you log in you will confirm how you want to setup your two factor login.
You can verify by mobile phone number or you can verify by email.
If you select the mobile phone option, a new box will pop up where you type in your phone number, and then click the arrow to continue.
Once you verify by one of the two methods, you should see this screen:
You can select to send a code to your phone number, or you can verify by email if you would rather use that option.
If you verify by phone, you will get this screen below. You will receive a text message from us with your 6 digit code to login.
Enter in the code in the box, click on verify, and then you will log into Campaign Manager.
The verify by email option is the same way, except you will receive an email from us with your six digit code.
Click on the verify by email option, and then follow the prompts by email. Set your email, and then the next time you log in you should be able to verify by email by receiving a code.
Open up the email you received, copy your six digit code, and then enter it into the verification box.
Select verify and then you will log into Campaign Manager.
When using our Advanced Contribution and Memos import template, you can import check numbers into Campaign Manager through the import manager!
If you decide to use a custom template, the field you need to map to your custom spreadsheet is the "payment method" field.
In our Advanced Contribution and Memos import template, open it up and then scroll over to column T, "payment method".
Type in your check numbers for each donor contribution.
Save your Excel file, and make sure all other data is entered in.
When you go to import your file, the payment method will default to check and then the check number field will be autofilled in with the check numbers that were entered into the spreadsheet.
See screenshot below of an example: Import manager will import these as checks, and then the first contributor's check number will be 100, the second contributor's check number will be 12, and so on.
There's likely 2 reasons that your undeposited contributions are not showing up for selection on a new deposit:
1) The same Account that was assigned to those contributions needs to be selected in the Account dropdown at the top of the new deposit.
2) The undeposited contributions are outside of the default date range, which is 6 months ago thru today/ the current date. This range updates daily. To adjust the date range select the Filter icon and edit or remove the dates then click Apply to see contributions before or after the default date range.
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Tags and the Tag Management Tool
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Welcome to the documentation of Aristotle Campaign Manager. We hope these help files will assist you in your operations.
You can get started by clicking the "-->" button at the bottom of this page to go on to the next helpfile in this chapter OR you can use one of the Jump Links below.
Help us make instructions that help you. If you find a helpfile particularly useful, let us know by clicking the "Helpful" button on the page. Do you feel more confused than when you started? Click "Not Helpful" to let us know that a file needs review. We're always improving so be sure to check back to see what's new.
Campaign Manager is a browser-based application, and using a compatible web browser is essential to getting the most out of Campaign Manager.
Supported Web Browsers:
(Campaign Manager functions in these browsers and Aristotle Support can provide browser-specific support)
Google Chrome (recommended)
Mozilla Firefox (current version)
Microsoft Edge
Non-Supported Web Browsers:
(Campaign Manager functions in these browsers but Aristotle Support cannot provide browser-specific support)
Internet Explorer (Version 9 or later)
Apple Safari
Navigation of the site is performed using the navigation bar along the top. This bar will persist as you move around and perform operations, giving you a quick way to jump to your next task.
You may find it helpful when first learning to use the navigation bar to think of it as a spectrum.
You can return to the home page of cm.aristotle.com by clicking either the home icon or the words "Campaign Manager" at the top left.
You'll find the menu in light blue text along the top of your Campaign Manager screen. We've designed our menu system to be intuitive and easy to navigate. If you get lost, clicking the home icon will always bring you back to the initial Welcome screen. Here's a brief summary of what you'll find in each menu.
Contacts
The Contacts menu is where you go to search and add Individuals or Organizations.
Financial
The Financial menu is where you will find features to track and maintain financial data.
Fundraising
Compliance
Reports
The Reports menu is where you will find methods for displaying and analyzing sets of information from your database.
Tools
Settings
System
The System menu is where you will control and monitor system users, find help for any questions you may have and log out.
Moving Around in Campaign Manager
Campaign Manager is based on standard Internet technology, so you will find many aspects of the system interface familiar. However, you should note a few general guidelines that will help you use your database more effectively.
Saving!
Anything you enter must be saved before you leave the data entry page or close your browser window. Always click the Add button or the Save Changes button before moving on to another task. If this is not done, the changes will be lost.
Not Using the Browser Navigation Buttons
We strongly encourage you to use the controls built into the database, instead of using your web browser's navigation tools. Using the browser's back button, for example, can lead to viewing outdated information.
Campaign Manager Keyboard Shortcuts
To make your data entry easier, we've built in keyboard shortcuts. All keyboard shortcuts are enacted by pressing the Alt key and a "hot" key. Please note that Internet Explorer does not fully support the use of hotkeys. Throughout the system, the banner at the bottom of the page has a link on the far right that lists all shortcuts available for that page. You can also access the list of shortcuts available on that page by pressing Alt-H. Pressing the appropriate key combination listed in the pop up table will take you to the desired task. The following is an overview of where you will find these shortcuts and how they integrate into the system.
Global Hotkeys:
Use these key combinations on any page to quickly take you to the corresponding locations:
Alt Key I Individual Add/Search
Alt Key O Organization Add/Search
Alt Key Q Custom Reports
Alt Key S Standard Reports
Alt Key R Financial Register
Alt Key Z Deposits
The quick search field at the top of every page also has 2 global hotkeys:
Left/Right arrow Switch between individual and organization search
Alt Key 1 through 5 Go to one of the five records listed in the quick search results
Entity Search Page Hotkeys:
Use these key combinations from the contacts tab to perform the corresponding action :
Alt Key 1 through 9 Go to one of the first nine records listed in the search results
Alt Key A Add a new contact
Entity Page Hotkeys:
Use these key combinations from individual or organization records to perform the corresponding action:
Alt Key A Add a new address
Alt Key P Add a new phone number
Alt Key L Add a new email address
Alt Key K View transactions
Alt Key C Add a new contribution
Alt Key X Add a new expense
Alt Key N Add a new in-kind
Alt Key V Save record/transaction
Alt Key / Process credit card
Financial Register Hotkeys:
Use these key combinations from the register tab to perform the corresponding action:
Alt Key C Add a new contribution
Alt Key X Add a new expense
Alt Key N Add a new in-kind
Alt Key V Save
Alt Key F Save/Next
Alt Key / Process credit card
Alt Key P View entity profile for the active transaction
The Dashboard page is the main menu of your database, which shows important statistics, your notes and tasks, etc., without having to go into your database and search. This page can be personalized by each user, by allowing them to choose what items that they would like to appear on this page.
How to get to The Dashboard Page
You can go back to The Dashboard Page anytime by simply clicking the Home Icon or the name "Campaign Manager."
How to personalize The Dashboard Page
1. On The Dashboard Page click on the Manage Widgets button.
2. A new pop-up box will appear. Here is where a user will choose which items they want to appear on The Dashoboard Page.
3. Some of the Widgets that the user can select are listed below:
4. Each option to its right has a grey slider icon. Click on the slider to change it to blue to enable the widget.
5. Next when done, click "Close" to exit from the Widgets pop-up window
Can I rearrange the boxes on The Dashboard Page?
Certain widgets will have an icon that looks like three parallel lines at the top right of the widget. Click the three parallel lines, and there is an option to move the widget up or down depending on where you want to place it on your dashboard. The option will appear as "Move Row Up" or "Move Row Down" to move the widget to where you want it to be on your dashboard.
Can I suggest new ideas for The Dashboard Page?
Of course! We love hearing ideas from our clients. If you have an idea for something that you think would be helpful to have appear on The Dashboard Page, email your suggestions to support@aristotle.com. We will then pass on your idea to our programmers for future development.
Campaign Manager can be accessed on any mobile device by navigating to cm.aristotle.com on any web browsing app. Functionality is limited on the mobile version of CM, it's recommended mostly just for looking up and noting donor records when you're on the go.
Once at cm.aristotle.com on your web app, you'll click the red menu button in the top-right and use your same login information.
When you login, it opens to your dashboard/home page that contains any widgets you've selected from the Widget Library. The Widget Library can be accessed by clicking the 4 square icon in top-right.
There is a quick search button to find records and a log-out button in the top-right dark colored header that appears on each page of the mobile version.
The next tab at the bottom of the page is for tasks that you generally see on your PC's home page.
The final tab at the bottom of the page is for Contacts so you can search and navigate to donor records or run lists. The Simple search, Filter options, and Saved Filters are available just like on the PC version.
From 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Monday through Friday, Customer Support is available by telephone with any of our client support staff. Support request emails sent to support@aristotle.com shall receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 15 minutes. We strive to resolve all client user and technical problems as quickly as possible.
In off-hours and on Holidays, an immediate response to non-emergency technical support is not guaranteed. Support request e-mails shall receive an acknowledgement of receipt via auto-responder, and will receive a response from live support via e-mail or telephone at or before 8 AM on the next business day.
Emergency requests should be submitted through the emergency support paging extension:
(888-217-9600 x1)
Requests for emergency technical support should be left on x1 of our main office number if the call is not answered by a live support staff member outside of regular business hours. Emergency Support messages page technical support staff at home, and should be used only in critical emergency situations. Such requests will receive a response from support staff via e-mail or telephone within 15 minutes.
Contacts Page — Actions
The Actions menu in the search results consists of different ways you can manipulate or view your search results:
1. Edit Columns: Select this option to add or remove columns. The list on the left are the available columns that you can add, while the list on the right are columns that are already selected. Note that there are some default columns that cannot be removed.
2. Export: This option will allow you to download the search results as a spreadsheet that can be opened in Excel.
3. Mass Update: This option will allow you to update the profiles of all records in the search results
1. Tag: Apply or remove a tag to the records. Note that the tag must already exist in order for it to appear.
2. Note: Apply a note to all records.
3. Event: Add event info to all records.
4. Mass Email: Clicking this option will bring your to the mass email tool, where you can use the results of this search as the recipients of a mass email.
5. Mail Merge: Similar to the previous option, but using the Direct Mail option instead.
6. Map It: This option will bring up a map of the US and mark the address of each record present in the search results.
Contacts Page - Search Results
Once filters have been created, the search results will appear to the right. From here, there are multiple options:
1. Record Info: Info pertaining to the records found in the system based on the filter options selected. Note that the first nine columns are the default columns; additional columns will need to be added by going into Actions > Edit Columns.
If you check the box next to a record (or at the top to check off all the boxes on this page), then an additional Actions menu will appear. From this menu, you can merge the selected records, mass update them, or download call sheets for them.
Also, if you hover your cursor in the name box of a record, you'll see a Preview button appear. Clicking on it will bring up a small snapshot of their profile along the right side, with their contact info and donation history. Clicking the Previous/Next button will allow you to cycle through your various election periods to see the record's donation history for each period.
2. Search for a Contact: typing a record name or part of a record name will pull up any records that match with what is entered.
3. Actions: this menu consists of different actions you can take pertaining to the records that appear in your search results. Please see the help file Updated Contacts Page - Actions for more info.
4. + Create: this option will allow you to create new records.
5. Loading Results: the drop-down menu here will allow you to select how many records appear on each page. Note that the more records you want to display per page, the longer it may take to load. Also, displayed here are the total number of records found by the search.
The updated Contacts Search page will allow you to search for records within the the system based on the filters that you select from the left side of the screen. The filters search can be saved in order to run the search at a later time.
To save a filter, enter a name and description, and then click + Add Filter Options at the bottom to select your search parameters.
When you select a search parameter, you will be presented with options to specify what you are looking for. For example, if you select Record Name, you can then enter values for Starts with, Ends with, Contains, or Does not contain; the system will then search for records based on what you enter. Note that you'll have to click the Add button for each search parameter that you want to add.
The Save button will allow you to save the filter and then run the search, while the Fetch Results button will load search results without saving first. If you do not intend to save the filter, you can use this second option, which will automatically set the name and description to the current time and date.
The Saved Filters tab will bring you to a list of every saved filter. Clicking on one will immediately run the search based on the options selected in that filter.
Contacts can be used to search for records when Quick Search isn't enough.
Contacts is also your go-to for list building, here's how it works:
select Simple search criteria if any (ex: record type, zip)
click Filters for additional criteria (ex: phone is known)
click Add Filter Option in bottom-left to scroll through filters
click Fetch Results and the list appears to the right
see record count and adjust number of records per page if needed
check the boxes to select records or select all in header
use small Actions button in header to print Call Sheets, Merge Records, or Mass Update (applies to selected records on current page only)
use large Actions button in top-right to Add/Edit Columns, Export the list, send a Mass Email, etc. (applies to entire list, all pages)
to save this list, type over the first date/time field and click green Save Filter button, notice the Saved Filters tab to open saved lists.
Contacts will only list a donor record once. Contribution history and statistics can be filtered upon as well as added as columns in Contacts results.
Use Financial Search to build itemized contribution lists in which a donor could appear in the list several times with the data from their contribution records.
Pulling a list of all records in your database is best done via Contacts. Just follow these steps:
Pulling a list of all individual records in your database is best done via Contacts. Just follow these steps:
Pulling a list of all organization records in your database is best done via Contacts. Just follow these steps:
Pulling a list of all records in your database with an address in a specific city is best done via Contacts. Just follow these steps:
Pulling a list of all records in your database with a specific street is best done via Contacts. Just follow these steps:
Pulling a list of all records in your database with an address in a specific zip code is best done via Contacts. Just follow these steps:
Pulling a list of all records in your database with contributions is best done via Contacts. Just follow these steps:
Pulling a list of all records in your database that donated in the last election cycle but not in the current one is best done via Contacts. Just follow these steps:
Your contacts search should now look like the below screenshot. Finally, click Fetch Results. Campaign Manager will now generate a list for you of any record that donated in the previous cycle, but has not yet donated in the current cycle!
Pulling a list of records with an address where USPS standardization was not checked, or has failed standardization, is best done via Query Builder. Just follow these steps:
Pulling a list of all records in your database with an email address is best done via Contacts. Just follow these steps:
Pulling a list of all records in your database that have one tag but not another is best done via Contacts. Just follow these steps:
Call sheets are essentially print-outs of record profiles. By going to Settings > Call Sheet Manager, you can create templates with different levels of detail to tailor call sheets to your desired specifications - you can include as little or as much detail as you want.
Call sheets can be accessed a few different ways:
1. Go to the profile page for the record you would like to view a call sheet for.
2. In the top right-hand corner, click on the Call Sheets button, select the template you want, and then select the method you wish to receive the call sheet (PDF, email, or meeting).
From Contacts:
1. You can also pull multiple call sheets at one once from Custom Reports. Go to Custom Reports, and build a query that searches for all the records that you want a call sheet for.
2. Next, go down to the Export options section. Here, select Call Sheets from the first drop-down, and the desired format from the second drop-down, and click the green View button.
3. (Optional) Make any adjustments to the header and footer that you like.
4. Select an Order by option.
5. Select how many call sheets to pull, based on the order determined by the previous option. Note: due to the high volume of information included in the call sheets, pulling more than 100 will likely cause the system to timeout before the call sheets finish generating.
6. (Optional) You can add or a remove a tag from the records that the call sheets are pulling for. This comes in handy when you are attempting to pull more than 100 call sheets. See the example below for more info.
7. Click the submit button. The system will open the download in a new window, so you can navigate away from the page while the call sheets generate. When they are finished, you will be able to download them from that new window.
Example: if you wanted call sheets for 500 individuals, apply a tag to all of them at the beginning. When you go to pull call sheets for the first 100, remove the tag. When you re-run the query, those first 100 will be excluded since they no longer have the tag, and you will be able to pull the next 100. Repeat the process until you have all 500 call sheets.
This page is where you will be able to create and edit Call Sheet templates. You can find the manager page by going to Settings > Call Sheet Manager. On the left side of the page will be a list of all call sheet templates that exist on the system. You can click on one to edit it, or click the New Template button to create a new one.
1. Section Order: Click on the up or down arrows to the left of a section to move it up or down. This allows you to reorder the sections however you want.
2. Include Section: Click the check mark in the circle to highlight that section. Any section that is highlighted will be included when that template is used. This allows you to add or remove sections as needed and give you call sheets with more or less information. NOTE: the more information is included in a template, the longer the call sheets will take to generate.
3. Template Name
4. Template Preview: Any changes made in the options in this left-hand sidebar will be reflected in the preview of the template on the right-hand side. Some changes, such as uploading a logo, may not be visible in the preview, and will only be visible when a call sheet is downloaded.
5. Save/Delete/Copy: Save and delete the template as necessary. If you want to base a new template off an existing one, but do not want to make any changes to the one that already exists, you can make a copy.
In the Call Sheet manager, the Header and Footer sections will modify the top and bottom of the sheet. The header section has a more robust selection of options, while the footer section just allows for a single line of text to be added.
The numbered items below will modify the boxed portions of the call sheet.
1. Header content
2. Logo upload
This portion of the call sheet contains the record's personal information. This is the only section of the call sheet that is mandatory.
1. Profile picture: if the record has a profile picture, it will be displayed by checking this box.
2. Primary Phone/Email: the contact info that has been marked as primary on the record profile (blue star).
3. Spouse/Org Primary Connection: If the record has been linked to another individual as spouses, or to an organization/committee as the primary connection.
4. Voter & District Info: Based on address, pulled directly from profile.
5. Suggested Ask: a suggested contribution amount, based on data in the system of past contributions, along with a number of other factors, and then calculated by the system.
6. Connections: if the record has been connected to other records.
7. Custom Fields: If any custom fields are being used, they will pull to the call sheet if selected here.
This portion of the call sheet focuses on contact information that has been saved to the record's profile. You can select between Address, Email Address, and Phone Numbers. For each form of contact, you can either select to display all, display just the options marked as preferred on the profile with a blue star, or to display none of that contact method.
1. Address
2. Email Address
3. Phone Number
This section pulls from the Bio section of the profile, located between the Suggested Ask Amount and the social media links on the left side of the page.
1. Character Limit: Enter a number in this field to limit the amount of characters that pull to the call sheets. This can be done to avoid having the full text pull to the call sheet in the event that a record has a lengthy bio.
This portion of the Call Sheet focuses on past donations made by the record.
1. Limit to X Election Periods: Only include data from the the number of election periods indicated here - if you enter 2, only include data from the 2 most recent election periods.
2. Election Periods: Here, you can specify which election periods to include.
3. Total: the total dollar amount of all donations.
4. CTD: Cycle to date - the donation total since the start of the election cycle.
5. YTD: Year to date - donation total since the start of the calendar year.
6. Most Recent: date of the record's most recent donation.
7. Highest: Dollar amount of the record's largest donation.
8. First: Date of the record's first donation.
At the bottom of this section is a break down of the record's contributions by election period, including columns for the record's individual donations, a household column for the total donations from the record and their spouse combined, and a column for donations attributed to the record (donations given by their spouse, but are attributed to them).
This portion of the Call Sheets focuses on the record's most recent donations.
1. Limit to last X of: Limit the amount of data that is pulled to the call sheet. You can limit the call sheet to only include the most recent donations, most recent election periods, or the most recent time range (in years).
2. Election Periods: Limit the the call sheet to only display donations to specific election periods.
3. Filing Committee: If you have multiple filing committees on your database, you can limit the call sheets to only display contributions to the selected filing committee.
This portion of the call sheet includes data from the Donor Insights feature that is present on the record's profile. This feature focuses on the record's contributions to other committees, and that data is pulled from the profile and displayed on the call sheet.
1. Limit # of: limit the number of donations that are included on the spreadsheet, or limit the time range so only donations within that range are displayed.
This portion of the call sheet includes any notes saved to the record's profile.
1. Limit to last #: set the template to only show a specific amount of notes, or only notes within the last few years.
This portion of the call sheet pulls logged activities from the record's profile.
1. Limit to last #: limit the number of activities that appears on the call sheet based on a specified number of activities, or a specified number of years.
2. Include Tasks: Select to include tasks or not.
3. Users: include only activities logged by specific users.
This portion of the call sheets focuses on any tags that may be applied to the record.
1. Limit to # most recent Tags: Limits the call sheet to only include the most recently applied tags.
2. Tag Type: Limits the call sheet to only include tags of the specified type - all other will not be included, regardless of when they were applied.
This portion of the call sheets focuses on the actual call to the record, and thus is best used with hard copies after the fact. Here, the caller can log any information pertaining to the call.
1. Add: This field allows you to add more options to the call results section (see below).
2. Call Results Options: This section determines what appears in section 3 below. Anything added in this setting will be visible on the call sheet. Default options are available, but custom options can be added as well.
3. Call Results: After the call is made to the record, the caller can use this section to keep track of what happened. The caller can mark of the option used on a hard copy and add any additional relevant information.
4. Notes: an empty space for hand writing notes on the hard copy.
This portion of the call sheet is just a miscellaneous field for adding any additional information that you may want, if there is no existing option.
The Online Donation pages in Campaign Manager allows you to create an online donation form, which can be linked to your campaign website via the code provided when you click the "Embed on Site" button.
The following help documents will show you how to:
The numbered items below are found on the Online Donation Page screen.
1. New: New button is used to create a new Online Donation Page.
2. Publish: Indicates whether or not the page is active. Can be clicked to make page inactive.
3. View Page: Lets the user view the page in a website window.
4. Embed on Site: The Online Donation page can be linked to your campaign website via the code provided when you click the "Embed on Site" button.
Once the "Embed on Site" button has been clicked a window will open. You will then copy and paste the code into your website
5. Add to Facebook: Lets the user add the Online Donation Page to Facebook. When clicked a window will pop-up and prompt the user to login to Facebook.
6. Edit: Lets the user edit the Online Donation Page.
7. Copy: Lets the user copy the Online Donation Page to create a new page.
8. Delete: Lets the user delete the Online Donation Page.
9. Import Queue: Send the user to the Import Queue in the Import Manager.
10. Donations by Day: This graph shows the user the amount of donation that have been giving per day.
The Import Queue is used to import donations that are submitted through the Online Donation page.
If there are records to be imported, you will be met with a list recent donations in the Import Queue.
The numbered items below are found in Import Queue.
1. Merge with Matching Record: Lets the user merge recent donation if a matching record exists in the database.
2. Import as New Record: Lets the user to import the recent donation is there are no matching records in the database.
3. Delete/Do Not Import: Lets the user delete the transaction from the Import Queue.
4. Resolve Later: Lets the user leave that recent donation in the Import Queue.
5. Amount: The amount of the donation.
6. Donors Information: Shows the user the donor's contact information. This information is populated from the Online Donation page.
7. Donation Date: The date the donation was made.
8. Record Search: If there the system shows no match, this allows the user to double the check the database by searching for the donor's name. If no match is found after searching, Import as New Record will be used.
9. Matching Record: If there is matching record in the database it will be displayed to the right of the recent donation.
10. Mark as Thanked: When this box is checked the records will be automatically marked as thanked when imported. *Note: A thank you letter will not be sent. The record will only be marked as thanked.*
11. Print: Lets the user print the recent donations in the Import Queue.
When creating an Online Donation page or editing an Online Donation page, you will begin in the "Setup" tab. Here is where you will set the Online Donation page up.
The numbered items below are found in the "Setup" tab.
1. Form Title: The name of the page.
2. URL Slug: The URL (website link) of the Online Donation page.
3. Page Type: There are 3 different types of page layouts. One-page: will show all the information on one page. Three-Page: will show the all the information throughout 3 pages, starting with "Select an Amount". Donor Insight Smart Page: will show the all the information throughout 3 pages, starting with "Contact Information". The Donor Insight Smart Page will give a donation level to the donor so that you can potentially receive the highest donation they are willing to make to the campaign. This feature uses the donor's contribution history to give a suggested amount to them.
4. Fundraising Goal: Allows the user to set a goal they wish to reach with this page.
5. Account: Allows the user to select which account the donations will go to.
6. Election Period: Allows the user to select which election period the donations will go to.
7. Category: Allows the user to add a category to all donations that come through this page.
8. Event: If the page is created for an event. This will allow the user to add all donations that come through this page to a certain event.
9. Batch: Allows the user to send all donations that come through this page to a certain batch.
10. AMP Enabled: If you have an AMP device you can enable it by clicking the "AMP Enabled" button.
11. Next: Will take you to the next tab.
The "Content" tab, in the Online Donation page, is used to add/edit the content on the page.
The numbered items below are found in the "Content" tab.
1. Maximum Donation: Allows the user to set the maximum donation allowed per transaction.
2. Custom Donation: Allows the user to add, remove, and edit donation amounts.
3. Additional Information: When selected, makes the information field a required section before submitting.
4. Tags: Allows the user to add a tag to every donation that is made through this page.
5. Political Statement: Adds a Political Statement at the bottom of the page. Can set an "I have read and understand" check box by selecting Require Confirmation.
6. Legal Statement: Adds a Legal Statement at the bottom of the page. Can set an "I have read and understand" check box by selecting Require Confirmation.
7. Back/Next: Buttons that allow you cycle through the tabs.
The "Design" tab, in the Online Donation page, is used to design the content on the page with saved templated or using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) code.
The numbered items below are found in the "Design" tab.
1. Template: Lets the user select templates that have been created and saved in Campaign Manager.
2. Header: Here if where the header can be added/edited. Images and/or text can be entered here.
3. Footer: Here if where the footer can be added/edited. Images and/or text can be entered here.
4. Custom CSS: Here is where Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) code can be entered to give the donation page a "custom" look.
5. Back/Next: Buttons that allow you cycle through the tabs.
The "Notices" tab, in the Online Donation page, is used to add/edit thank you messages and send email receipts once a donation is submitted.
The numbered items below are found in the "Notices" tab.
1. Post Submit Landing Page: Here you can select what will happen after the donation is submitted. Thank You - will send the donor a thank you message screen. Redirect - will redirect the donor to a different page i.e. campaign home page.
2. Thank You Page Message: Here is where you can add/edit the thank you message that will show after a donation is submitted. Images and/or text can be used here.
3. Receipt Email Message: Here is where you can add/edit the receipt email message that will be sent after a donation is submitted. Images and/or text can be used here.
4. Back/Next: Buttons that allow you cycle through the tabs.
The "Admin Notices" tab, in the Online Donation page, is used to add/edit internal email notification(s) when a donation has been submitted.
The numbered items below are found in the "Admin Notices" tab.
1. Send Internal Notifications: Lets the user decided if they would like to be notified whenever a donation has been submitted.
In order to add a new user account to the database, please take the following steps:
1. From the navigation bar select "Settings", then select "Users".
2. On the users screen click the "New User" button in the top right corner.
3. You must complete the required fields: First Name, Last Name, and Email Address.
4. If you have the "Do not send activation email" option checked towards the top, please also fill in the Password fields.
5. Select the proper permission levels for the new user. This will determine how much access they have to the different features of Campaign Manager.
6. Click the Save button to save the new user.
This option allows you to create usernames without waiting for the user to acknowledge an activation email before the account will be active. This can be used for volunteers who are not required to activate the user account via email. If this box is checked, the system will automatically activate the user account once the Save button is clicked.
Advanced settings relate to areas of the application reserved for:
This feature in Campaign Manager allows you to prevent users in your database from editing or deleting any information on records or transactions that shows up on your compliance reports. (Click Here for full details of this setting)
This feature in Campaign Manager allows you to prevent users in your database from editing or deleting any information on records or transactions that shows up on your compliance reports.
Here is a list of everything it controls:
Individual Records store the data of donors, candidates, or other constituents that you want to manage or track data for.
There are Save Buttons in the several data entry sections that should be used to save changes made, along with clicking the master save button in the top-right of the profile to ensure updates are captured.
The easiest way to add an FEC Candidate record to your database is by selecting FEC ID Lookup on the Tools Menu, then searching for the Candidate, and clicking Add Candidate. This will create their record with their appropriate FEC ID, Office, Jurisdiction, etc.
Plus if they have a Committee that record can be easily created with the proper connection that's needed for FEC reports.
To add Candidate's manually they should be created as an Individual record. Use Quick Search to check for an existing record first to avoid creating a duplicate, if not found choose New Individual.
Only a first and last name are required fields to create an Individual record, however for a Candidate record the Candidate field in the About section of the profile must have a Check-Mark which reveals additional fields. Jurisdiction, Office, District State and Code are required fields when Candidate is checked.
If this Candidate is also an Incumbent, you must check the Incumbent field to reveal the additional fields in conjunction with saving the Candidate fields.
To later mark a Candidate as an Incumbent, choose X in the Candidate field and click the Save button in the About section. Then re-check the Candidate field and this time check Incumbent field and complete the Jurisdiction, Office, District State and Codes for each before Saving.
Be sure to use the Save button in the About section of the profile for those changes to stick.
Click Here for an overview of NEW PROFILE VIEW Individual record fields and features that are also part of a Candidate Record.
Candidate Records are distinguishable in Search by the Capital Building icon.
Committee Records are a special type of Organization Record and are distinguishable by a 3-person icon.
The easiest way to add an FEC committee record to your database is by:
This method most accurately populates the required fields with the appropriate entries.
There are Save Buttons in the several data entry sections that should be used to save changes made, along with clicking the master save button in the top-right of the profile to ensure updates are captured.
There are several areas in Campaign Manager that you can select to create a new record.
1) Quick Search — you should search for the record before creating it to avoid duplicates, the option to make a new record appears with possible results, select the appropriate record type.
2) Contacts — +Create Button, choose record type to create
To delete a phone number from an individual or organization record click the More button in the Phones section. The More button expands the section to reveal a trashcan icon along with creation and update details. Click the trashcan next to the phone number you wish to permanently delete.
The More button is used in the same way to delete Addresses and Emails.
How to Add a New Committee - Quick Search
1. A New Committee can be added through the Quick Search field at the top of every page by entering the name of the organization/committee and selecting New Committee from the dropdown menu:
2. After selecting New Committee, Enter the Contact Information pertaining to the new Committee.
3. Remember to Save before moving on to the next category (ie. About, Addresses, Phones, Emails) of Contact Information
4. Be sure to select Save before you leave this screen to add the committee record to your database.
How to Add a New Committee - Register
1. You can also add a New Organization through the Register. You can access that by clicking the link for Financial found at the top of any page.
2. Select any transaction item under New Receipt, New Disbursement, or Other Transactions on the window on the right.
3. A new window will pop up which will allow you to input Transaction Information.
4. The first field in the new window will allow you to refer to a Record you have on file or create a New Record. Type out the name of the New Committee, then click the New Committee button which is the button with a "+" sign adjacent to 3 people grouped together.
5. Fill in the contact information and then click Save All or Save and Close.
Organization records in Campaign Manager hold all contact info for a specific organization and serve as a location to view related items such as communications or transactions.
The organization profile record can be accessed a number of different ways:
Top-half of Profile
Section 1 (top-left corner)
Status: Active means this record will be included in searches and exports. Inactive means this record will be omitted from Quick Search and Contacts Searches and exports (often used for deceased or do-not-contact records)
ID: unique record ID number assigned during record creation
Profile photo: a unique photo can be uploaded otherwise the default building icon appears
Org name, city, state, phone and email address: pulled up to the top from editable fields in the below sections. (clickable email link opens to your systems default email program enabling you to type a quick email)
Bio Description: for internal use enter any relevant info that might assist users viewing the record (example: "owned by John Doe, this company is a sponsor for many events")
Social media links - copy and paste links to quickly connect with the organization via their social media
Section 2 (About)
Name: assigned during record creation and continuously editable
Description: open text field to briefly describe the company
Org Type: choose from the dropdown table (this can affect how transactions appear on compliance reports)
Industry: choose from the dropdown or type to add new selection
Tax ID: if known and/or needed for expenses, enter their federally assigned tax id number
URL: copy and paste the company website
Section 3 (top-right)
Tags: type to search tag name, if none is found you can choose to add the tag on the fly (also created on the Settings menu, tags are used as identifiers and record groupings for searches and exports)
Call Sheets: click to export a call sheet for this record (created/edited on Settings menu)
Letters: click to export a direct mail letter for this record (created/edited in Template Editor on Settings menu)
Copy Contact Info: click to create a new record with this same contact info
Merge: click to open a Contacts search when you suspect a duplicate record could exist (select found dupes and click little Action button to complete merge in Contacts)
Save: click to save any changes made to the record before exiting page
Delete: click to permanently remove the record from the database (irreversible- use with caution)
Section 4 (Sub-File Tabs)
Section 5 (bottom-left corner)
Addresses: click Add to create a new address, click on an existing address to edit it, click More to reveal the trashcan/delete option plus view the date/time stamp and user who created/updated this info, click Cancel to close the More options. The blue star indicates the company's Preferred Address to be included in searches and exports. (Address type: Other is suggested for organizations which maps to compliance reports)
Phones: click Add to create a new phone number, click on an existing phone number to edit it, click More to reveal the trashcan/delete option plus view the date/time stamp and user who created/updated this info, click Cancel to close the More options. The blue star indicates the company's Preferred Phone Number to be included in searches and exports.
Emails: click Add to create a new email address, click on an existing email to edit it, click More to reveal the trashcan/delete option plus view the date/time stamp and user who created/updated this info, click Cancel to close the More options. The blue star indicates the company's Preferred Email to be included in searches, exports, and mass emails sent through Campaign Manager.
Custom Fields: when pinned by each user on the Custom Fields sub-files tab, they appear here. (create/edited on the Settings menu)
Section 6 (bottom-right)
Setting-up Joint Filing Committees
1. Click the Transactions tab on the right of the profile record to view the transactions assigned to this record
2. You can filter which transactions to view so that if there's many, you can more easily find what you're looking for.
3. The Summary column displays the Date and Amount of the listed transactions and includes a - Pencil icon, click this to Edit existing transactions
4. The Transaction Details chart to the right of the summary column includes sort arrows so that you may view transactions in order of transaction type, election period, category, etc. (listed in date order by default)
5. The Column Options button on the far right allows you to select which transactions fields to view and sort by in the detailed list (category, account, event, etc.)
6. At the bottom of the transaction list you can view the number of transactions and scroll through them as needed
7. Click the New Transaction button to create a new transaction on this record (various transaction types will appear to choose from- contribution, expense, in-kind, etc.)
Pledge Tracking
Pledges are promises to contribute to a committee. Campaign Manager allows for Pledge Tracking so you can see who has promised to make a contribution and who has fulfilled that promise.
How to add a Pledge to an Individual or Organization:
How to enter contributions towards the pledge:
Connections
Use the Connections tab within the individual, organization, or committee record to link an organization or committee record to the individual records of key contacts. An unlimited number of connections can be made.
Note that some connections cannot be made, e.g. an individual record cannot be linked as a candidate to a record that is not marked as a committee, and both the individual and organization/committee records must be created before the linking is attempted.
How to Add a Connection:
How to Delete a Connection:
Primary Contact
If there is more than one affiliated individual within an Organization or Committee record, you can set the primary contact by clicking the radio button next to the search text field. Communications to the Organization or Committee can then be addressed to the attention of the Primary Contact. When running lists, labels, and reports, you also have the option to replace the Organization with its Primary Contact.
Note that the primary contact button can only be accessed from an Organization or Committee record, when creating the initial link. If the link was established from the Individual record, it will have to be deleted and re-established from the Organization or Committee record.
Events are created and managed from the Financial menu, they then are available to add to records on the Event sub-file tab indicating that an invitation occurred that can later be utilized for tracking purposes.
1. The Events tab will display all events that the individual, organization, or committee has been invited to or is hosting
2. To add an event, first choose whether this entity record is an Attendee or a Host
3. Select the Event form the dropdown- only Events created from the Financial menu will appear for selection
4. Choose their current attendance status
5. Click the green Add button to save the event to the record
6. The attendance status is editable, so once a response is received choose Maybe, Yes, or No from the dropdown
7. Click the blue Update button to save the new attendance status (Delete can be selected to remove the entities association which the event)
After an entity has been invited to an event they will appear on the Event Check-in Sheet Standard Report available on the Reports menu.
At the bottom of the profile record- Notes, Log Activities, Tasks, and Schedule Tabs allow you to track key information about your contact with individuals and organizations. Use this feature to record your correspondence and conversations. You can track both inbound and outbound completed communication, in addition to communications that require follow up. You can then use this communications history as criteria for high-quality targeting of your lists.
Notes:
1. click the Notes tab to create a general text notation (Contact Searches can find records based on note keywords)
2. select the Note date
3. in the text box, type the text content to be recorded
4. click Choose File to upload a document that may be relevant to save on this record note
5. click the green Save button
6. the saved note appears below the entry area and forms a timeline
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Log Activity:
1. click the Log Activity tab to record an activity that took place with this entity
2. choose the Activity Type: Email, Call, or Meeting
3. choose the date of the activity
4. choose a user in the system that performed the activity
5. type the activity subject
6. type the activity content in the description box
7. click the green Save button
8. the saved activity appears below the entry area and forms a timeline
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Tasks:
1. click Create Task tab to create a new task that needs to occur with the entity
2. select the Task Type: Call, Email, or To-Do
3. select the entry date/creation date
4. select the Due Date
5. select the Completed Date- or leave blank for a future completed date to occur
6. select the user that this task should be Assigned To- this appears on the user dashboard as reminder for them
7. enter the Task Title
8. enter the Description text of this task
9. click the green Save button
10. the saved Task appears below the entry area and forms a timeline
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Schedules:
1. click the Schedule tab to create a new meeting that will occur with the entity
2. select meeting date
3. enter the Meeting Subject
4. enter the Meeting Description text
5. select any other entities that will be attendees
6. click the green Save button
7. the saved Meeting appears below the entry area and forms a timeline
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Timeline of Communications:
All of these communications form a historical timeline at the bottom of the profile which has filtered viewing options.
1. click Filter Timeline to select what type of communications you'd like to see
2. click Reload to apply the Filter changes
3. on each of the saved communications, an Edit and Delete button is available
Using Attachments
The Notes section allows users to store files on individual or organization records. For example, if your candidate took pictures with many top contributors, you can store those pictures on each contributor's record. Similarly, if you received an electronic invoice or contract from a vendor, you can store it in the Notes section of the vendor's record. There is a file size limit of 20MB.
Adding an Attachment
If you would like to add an attachment to a record:
Viewing a Saved Attachment
If you would like to view an attachment that has been added to a record:
Editing a Saved Attachment
If you would like to modify an attachment that has been added to a record:
Deleting an Attachment
If you would like to delete an attachment that has been added to a record:
There are three ways to manually add an Accrued Misc. Income:
1. From the Register
2. Through a contributor's record
3. From Batches/Deposits
Hover your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then click on Accrued Misc. Income:
This will open up a new Accrued Misc. Income. Fill in all applicable fields. Source, Amount, and Date are required in order for the misc. income to save.
Fields in a new Reportable Pledge
Source* - Name of entity making contribution *Required Fields
Amount* - Monetary amount of contribution
Date* - MM/DD/YYYY format of contribution date
Reporting Code - Select from dropdown if applicable
Reporting Description - Data entered into this field will pull to applicable compliance reports
Transaction Category - Select existing category or add new one by clicking Create Transaction Category
Internal Memo - Internal tracking field
Election Period - Choose election period
Account - Select Account
Allocation - Select Allocation if applicable
Batch - Optional tracking feature used to group together transactions
Force Itemize check box - Check to force the misc. income to pull to compliance report
Force Unitemize check box - Check to force the misc. income not to pull to compliance report
Save - This saves the new contribution and keeps the screen open
Save/Close - Saves the new contribution, closes out the window and returns your screen to the main Register
Save/Next - This saves the contribution, then opens up a subsequent new contribution. Several fields are what we refer to as sticky, so they'll auto-fill into the new contribution so you won't need to re-select them.
Use the Contacts search or Search Records bar to pull up an existing record or create a new record. From the record's profile page, follow the steps in the screenshot below:
1. Click on the Transactions tab.
2. Click New Transaction.
3. Select Accrued Misc. Income.
You'll see a new Accrued Misc. Income open up. Fill in Source, Amount, and Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
See our Help File here on Batches/Deposits. Batches allow you to group together financial transactions. You can easily bulk edit the entire batch of transactions, or easily pull a list of all the transactions in that batch.
To add a new Accrued Misc. Income from a Batch, first pull up the Batches/Deposits screen by hovering your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then by clicking on Batches/Deposits:
To add a new Accrued Misc. Income to an existing batch, follow the steps pictured in the screenshot below:
1. Click the Batch tab.
2. Choose the existing batch from the list on the left-hand side.
3. Click the New Transaction button.
4. Click Accrued Misc. Income.
This will open up a new Accrued Misc. Income. Fill in Source, Amount, and Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
First pull up the Register by hovering your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then click on Register.
Next, filter the display to show all Accrued Misc. Income by clicking on the Transaction Type filter in the top left-hand corner of the Register, then select Accrued Misc. Income:
Now find the Accrued Misc. Income to which you want to add the payment and click the Transaction button:
When the transaction details open on the right-hand side, click the Linking tab, then click Accrued Misc. Income History:
1. Choose the Activity Type (either Repayment or Forgiveness).
2. Enter the Amount and Date.
3. Click the green Add button.
4. Choose a Save button to add the repayment activity.
Which Transaction Type Should I Choose?
Transaction Types
At first, it may be hard to figure out which financial transaction you need. Below are some condensed definitions of the different types of financial transactions in our system.
RECEIPTS
Contribution (Monetary)
A donation received from an individual or organization in a monetary form, including checks, cash, credit cards and electronic transfers. Monetary Contributions are added as undeposited funds.
In-Kind Contribution
A donation received from an individual or organization in a non-monetary form. This would include donations of computers, office furniture and other material goods. In most jurisdictions, personal donations of time are not considered in-kind donations and do not need to be tracked or reported.
Misc. Income
Miscellaneous income is any income that is not a contribution, most commonly bank interest. Like contributions, misc. income is added as undeposited funds.
Memo Contribution
A contribution transaction with a $0 cash impact. Used for memo purposes on campaign statements. This rarely used transaction is most commonly used for reporting donations that are exempt from limits (such as legal services in some jurisdictions).
Reportable Pledge (Accrued Contribution)
An on-going, legally-binding, contribution. Additionally, these rare transactions are reported to various governing agencies, such as the FEC.
Loan Received
A loan received. In most jurisdictions, the loan must be made by the candidate or a financial institution and personally guaranteed by the candidate.
DISBURSEMENTS
Expense
Any expenditure of funds, including such things as operating expenses, voter contact, charitable donations and contributions made to other campaigns.
Unpaid Bill (Accrued Expense)
Any debt owed to a vendor that has not yet been paid.
In-kind Expenditure Made
Used for reporting a donation of goods or services to another political committee, e.g., the donation of a computer or office equipment. This should not be used if there was an expenditure to pay for the donation, instead an expense should be entered with the supported candidate specified.
Loan Made
A cash loan made to another entity. This rare financial transaction most often takes the form of a loan made to another political committee.
OTHER TRANSACTIONS
Internal Transfer
A transfer from one account to another, for example from a checking to saving account.
Contribution to Third Party (Non-Reportable Memo)
This non-reportable transaction is for tracking donations made to other candidates. For example, you may want to track donations made to your competitor.
REVERSALS
Essentially negatives versions of the transaction types. Should be used carefully and jurisdictions reporting requirements should be carefully reviewed. Unless there is a specific line for reversals on your compliance report, they will show up as a negative on the same line as the main transaction.
Reversed Expense
A negative expense (an addition to your cash-on-hand), e.g., a refund from an overpayment would generally be a reversed expenditure. However, some jurisdictions prefer these to be reported as misc. income.
Reversed Unpaid Bill
Generally used for forgiven debts.
Reversed Monetary Contribution Received
A refunded contribution.
Reversed In-Kind Contribution Received
Rare. Used if an in-kind is returned.
Reversed Miscellaneous Income
Extremely rare. Anything that might be this could probably also be reported as an expense.
Reversed In-kind Expenditure Made
Used if your in-kind contribution made is returned/refused.
SPECIAL LOAN RELATED
Loan Repayment
The repayment of a loan received or made.
Loan Interest
A loan interest payment made. Should be entered as it is paid (or payment is received).
Third party repayment
3rd party repayment is for the rare situations when another party repays the loan rather than the original recipient.
Forgiven
The forgiving of a loan by the lender.
SUB-TRANSACTIONS
Sub-Vendors or Partners are sub-itemizations of expenses and contributions respectively. They in no way impact cash but rather are essentially used to provided detailed memos.
Sub-Vendors
Most commonly used for payments to credit cards. The credit card company would be the vendor and each individual transaction would be entered as a subvendor itemization. Subvendors are also often used for reimbursements. Note: In some jurisdictions, credit cards should be treated as a separate account rather than a vendor.
Partners/Splits
Generally used for a payment from a law firm or other partnership. The donation would be entered as from the partnership and each partner's share would be itemized as a partner sub-itemization. Note: Contributions from partnerships are not allowed in all jurisdictions.
There are three ways to manually add a Contribution:
1. From the Register
2. Through the contributor's record
3. From Batches/Deposits
Hover your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then click on Contribution:
This will open up a new Contribution. Fill in all applicable fields. Contributor, Amount, and Date are required in order for the contribution to save.
Contributor* - Name of entity making contribution *Required Fields
Amount* - Monetary amount of contribution
Date* - MM/DD/YYYY format of contribution date
Payment Method - Choose from one of the following options: Cash, CC, Check, Credit Card, EFT, or Other
Check Number - Internal number of check, if applicable
Bank Number - Internal field (similar to Internal Memo) that can be used to track/save any internal info
Reporting Description - Data entered into this field will pull to applicable compliance reports
Transaction Category - Select existing category or add new one by clicking Create Transaction Category
Internal Memo - Internal tracking field
Reporting Code - Select reporting code if needed
Election Period - Choose election period
Batch - Optional tracking feature used to group together transactions
Account - Select Account
Reconciled - Date when transaction was Reconciled
Event - Select Event, if the contribution is associated with Event set up in our event builder
Save - This saves the new contribution and keeps the screen open
Save/Close - Saves the new contribution, closes out the window and returns your screen to the main Register
Save/Next - This saves the contribution, then opens up a subsequent new contribution. Several fields are what we refer to as sticky, so they'll auto-fill into the new contribution so you won't need to re-select them.
Use the Contacts search or Search Records bar to pull up an existing record or create a new record. From the record's profile page, follow the steps in the screenshot below:
1. Click on the Transactions tab.
2. Click New Transaction.
3. Select Contribution.
You'll see a new contribution open up. Fill in Contributor, Amount, and Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
See our Help File here on Batches/Deposits. Batches allow you to group together financial transactions. You can easily bulk edit the entire batch of transactions, or easily pull a list of all the transactions in that batch.
To add a new contribution from a Batch, first pull up the Batches/Deposits screen by hovering your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then by clicking on Batches/Deposits:
To add a new contribution to an existing batch, follow the steps pictured in the screenshot below:
1. Click the Batch tab.
2. Choose the existing from the list on the left-hand side.
3. Click the New Transaction button.
4. Click Contribution.
This will open up a new contribution. Fill in Contributor, Amount, and Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
There are three ways to manually add a Contribution to a Third Party:
1. From the Register
2. From the contributor's record
3. From Batches/Deposits
Hover your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then click on Third Party Contrib.:
This will open up a new Third Party Contribution. Fill in all applicable fields. Contributor, Amount, Date, and Third Party Recipient fields are the minimum required in order for a Third Party Contribution to save.
Contributor* - Name of entity making contribution *Required Fields
Amount* - Monetary amount of contribution
Date* - MM/DD/YYYY format of contribution date
Internal Memo - Internal tracking field
Third Party Recipient* - Name of third-party entity who received the contribution
Election Period - Choose election period
Batch - Optional tracking feature used to group together transactions
Event - Select Event, if the contribution is associated with Event set up in our event builder
Force Itemize check box - Check to force the contribution to pull to compliance report
Force Unitemize check box - Check to force the contribution not to pull to compliance report
Save - This saves the new contribution and keeps the screen open
Save/Close - Saves the new contribution, closes out the window and returns your screen to the main Register
Save/Next - This saves the contribution, then opens up a subsequent new contribution. Several fields are what we refer to as sticky, so they'll auto-fill into the new contribution so you won't need to re-select them.
Use the Contacts search or Search Records bar to pull up an existing record or create a new record. From the record's profile page, follow the steps in the screenshot below:
1. Click on the Transactions tab.
2. Click New Transaction.
3. Select Third Party Contrib.
You'll see a new Third Party Contribution open up. Since you are adding the Third Party Contribution from a record's profile page, the Contributor field will automatically populate that record's name. Fill in the Amount, Date, Third Party Recipient and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
See our Help File here on Batches/Deposits. Batches allow you to group together financial transactions. You can easily bulk edit the entire batch of transactions, or easily pull a list of all the transactions in that batch.
To add a new Third Party Contribution from a Batch, first pull up the Batches/Deposits screen by hovering your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then by clicking on Batches/Deposits:
To add a new contribution to an existing batch, follow the steps pictured in the screenshot below:
1. Click the Batch tab.
2. Choose the existing from the list on the left-hand side.
3. Click the New Transaction button.
4. Click Contribution to Third Party.
This will open up a new Third Party Contribution. Fill in the Contributor name, Amount, and Date, Third Party Recipient and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
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Importing:
*Third Party Contributions cannot be selected as a receipt type in Import Manager, but you can import them as regular contributions into a batch; then email Support at support@aristotle.com and ask that the batch of receipts be converted to Third Party Contributions on the back-end, which we can have our data team perform for you.
There are three ways to manually add an In-Kind Contribution:
1. From the Register
2. Through the contributor's record
3. From Batches/Deposits
Hover your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then click on In-Kind:
This will open up a new In-Kind contribution. Fill in all applicable fields. Contributor, Value, and Date are required in order for the In-Kind contribution to save.
Contributor* - Name of entity making in-kind *Required Fields
Value* - Value of in-kind
Date* - MM/DD/YYYY format of in-kind date
Reporting Description - Data entered into this field will pull to applicable compliance reports
Transaction Category - Select existing category or add new one by clicking Create Transaction Category
Internal Memo - Internal tracking field
Election Period - Choose election period
Batch - Optional tracking feature used to group together transactions
Account - Select Account
Event - Select Event, if the in-kind is associated with Event set up in our event builder
Allocation - Used in specific compliance reporting needs
Thanked - Date in-kind was thanked
Force Itemize check box - Check to force the contribution to pull to compliance report
Force Unitemize check box - Check to force the contribution not to pull to compliance report
Save - This saves the new in-kind and keeps the screen open
Save/Close - Saves the new in-kind, closes out the window and returns your screen to the main Register
Save/Next - This saves the in-kind, then opens up a subsequent new in-kind. Several fields are what we refer to as sticky, so they'll auto-fill into the new in-kind so you won't need to re-select them.
Use the Contacts search or Search Records bar to pull up an existing record or create a new record. From the record's profile page, follow the steps in the screenshot below:
1. Click on the Transactions tab.
2. Click New Transaction.
3. Select Contribution.
You'll see a new in-kind open up. Fill in Contributor, Amount, and Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
See our Help File here on Batches/Deposits. Batches allow you to group together financial transactions. You can easily bulk edit the entire batch of transactions, or easily pull a list of all the transactions in that batch.
To add a new in-kind from a Batch, first pull up the Batches/Deposits screen by hovering your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then by clicking on Batches/Deposits:
To add a new contribution to an existing batch, follow the steps pictured in the screenshot below:
1. Click the Batch tab.
2. Choose the existing from the list on the left-hand side.
3. Click the New Transaction button.
4. Click In-Kind.
This will open up a new in-kind. Fill in Contributor, Value, Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
There are three ways to manually add a Misc. Income transaction:
1. From the Register
2. Through a record profile page
3. From Batches/Deposits
Hover your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then click Misc. Income:
This will open up a new Misc. Income transaction. Fill in all applicable fields. Source, Amount, and Date are required in order for the Misc. Income to save.
Source* - Name of entity from which the Misc. Income was received *Required Fields
Amount* - Monetary amount of income
Date* - MM/DD/YYYY format of Misc. Income date
Payment Method - Choose from one of the following options: Cash, CC, Check, Credit Card, EFT, or Other
Check Number - Internal number of check, if applicable
Bank Number - Internal field (similar to Internal Memo) that can be used to track/save any internal info
Reporting Code - Select reporting code if needed
Transaction Category - Select existing category or add new one by clicking Create Transaction Category
Reporting Description- Data entered into this field will pull to applicable compliance reports
Internal Memo - Internal tracking field
Election Period - Choose election period
Batch - Optional tracking feature used to group together transactions
Account - Select Account
Reconciled - Date when transaction was Reconciled
Allocation - If applicable, choose allocation from this drop-down
Force Itemize check box - Check to force the contribution to pull to compliance report
Force Unitemize check box - Check to force the contribution not to pull to compliance report
Save - This saves the new contribution and keeps the screen open
Save/Close - Saves the new contribution, closes out the window and returns your screen to the main Register
Save/Next - This saves the contribution, then opens up a subsequent new contribution. Several fields are what we refer to as sticky, so they'll auto-fill into the new contribution so you won't need to re-select them.
Use the Contacts search or Search Records bar to pull up an existing record or create a new record. From the record's profile page, follow the steps in the screenshot below:
1. Click on the Transactions tab.
2. Click New Transaction.
3. Select Misc. Income.
You'll see a new Misc. Income transaction open up. Fill in Source, Amount, and Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
See our Help File here on Batches/Deposits. Batches allow you to group together financial transactions. You can easily bulk edit the entire batch of transactions, or easily pull a list of all the transactions in that batch.
To add a new Misc. Income transaction from a Batch, first pull up the Batches/Deposits screen by hovering your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then by clicking Batches/Deposits:
To add a new Misc. Income to an existing batch, follow the steps pictured in the screenshot below:
1. Click the Batch tab.
2. Choose the existing from the list on the left-hand side.
3. Click the New Transaction button.
4. Click Misc. Income.
This will open up a new Misc. Income transaction. Fill in the Source, Amount, Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
There are three ways to manually add a Memo Contribution:
1. From the Register
2. Through a record profile page
3. From Batches/Deposits
Hover your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then click Memo Contribution:
This will open up a new Memo Contribution. Fill in all applicable fields. Contributor, Amount, and Date are required in order for the Memo Contribution to save.
Contributor* - Name of entity from which the Memo Contribution originated *Required Fields
Amount* - Monetary amount of memo
Date* - MM/DD/YYYY format of Memo Contribution date
On the General tab:
Reporting Description- Data entered into this field will pull to applicable compliance reports
Internal Memo - Internal tracking field
Include in Limit Checking - Check to include
Exempt Legal Memo - Check if applicable
Election Period - Choose election period
Account - Select Account
Batch - Optional tracking feature used to group together transactions
Force Itemize check box - Check to force the contribution to pull to compliance report
Force Unitemize check box - Check to force the contribution not to pull to compliance report
New Line of Credit - Check if applicable
On the Intermediary tab:
Intermediary - Search for intermediary transaction
Amount - Monetary amount
Date - MM/DD/YYYY format
On the Linking>Advanced tab:
Link to Receipt
Link to Disbursement
Custom Fields (if applicable)
Save - This saves the new contribution and keeps the screen open
Save/Close - Saves the new contribution, closes out the window and returns your screen to the main Register
Save/Next - This saves the contribution, then opens up a subsequent new contribution. Several fields are what we refer to as sticky, so they'll auto-fill into the new contribution so you won't need to re-select them.
Use the Contacts search or Search Records bar to pull up an existing record or create a new record. From the record's profile page, follow the steps in the screenshot below:
1. Click on the Transactions tab.
2. Click New Transaction.
3. Select Memo Contribution.
You'll see a new Misc. Income transaction open up. Fill in Source, Amount, and Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
See our Help File here on Batches/Deposits. Batches allow you to group together financial transactions. You can easily bulk edit the entire batch of transactions, or easily pull a list of all the transactions in that batch.
To add a new Memo Contribution from a Batch, first pull up the Batches/Deposits screen by hovering your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then by clicking Batches/Deposits:
To add a new Memo Contribution to an existing batch, follow the steps pictured in the screenshot below:
1. Click the Batch tab.
2. Choose the existing from the list on the left-hand side.
3. Click the New Transaction button.
4. Click Memo Contribution.
This will open up a new Memo Contribution transaction. Fill in the Source, Amount, Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
There are three ways to manually add a Reportable Pledge:
1. From the Register
2. Through a contributor's record
3. From Batches/Deposits
Hover your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then click on Reportable Pledge:
This will open up a new Reportable Pledge. Fill in all applicable fields. Contributor, Amount, and Date are required in order for the pledge to save.
Fields in a new Reportable Pledge
Contributor* - Name of entity making contribution *Required Fields
Amount* - Monetary amount of contribution
Date* - MM/DD/YYYY format of contribution date
Reporting Description - Data entered into this field will pull to applicable compliance reports
Transaction Category - Select existing category or add new one by clicking Create Transaction Category
Internal Memo - Internal tracking field
Election Period - Choose election period
Account - Select Account
Allocation - Select Allocation if applicable
Thanked - Date Reportable Pledge was marked as thanked
Batch - Optional tracking feature used to group together transactions
Force Itemize check box - Check to force the contribution to pull to compliance report
Force Unitemize check box - Check to force the contribution not to pull to compliance report
Save - This saves the new contribution and keeps the screen open
Save/Close - Saves the new contribution, closes out the window and returns your screen to the main Register
Save/Next - This saves the contribution, then opens up a subsequent new contribution. Several fields are what we refer to as sticky, so they'll auto-fill into the new contribution so you won't need to re-select them.
Use the Contacts search or Search Records bar to pull up an existing record or create a new record. From the record's profile page, follow the steps in the screenshot below:
1. Click on the Transactions tab.
2. Click New Transaction.
3. Select Reportable Pledge.
You'll see a new Reportable Pledge open up. Fill in Contributor, Amount, and Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
See our Help File here on Batches/Deposits. Batches allow you to group together financial transactions. You can easily bulk edit the entire batch of transactions, or easily pull a list of all the transactions in that batch.
To add a new Reportable Pledge from a Batch, first pull up the Batches/Deposits screen by hovering your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then by clicking on Batches/Deposits:
To add a new Reportable Pledge to an existing batch, follow the steps pictured in the screenshot below:
1. Click the Batch tab.
2. Choose the existing batch from the list on the left-hand side.
3. Click the New Transaction button.
4. Click Reportable Pledge.
This will open up a new Reportable Pledge. Fill in Contributor, Amount, and Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
First pull up the Register by hovering your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then click on Register.
Next, filter the display to show all Reportable Pledges by clicking on the Transaction Type filter in the top left-hand corner of the Register, then select Reportable Pledges:
Now find the Reportable Pledge to which you want to add the payment and click the Transaction button:
When the transaction details open on the right-hand side, click the Linking tab, then click Pledge History:
In the New Pledge Payment section, enter the Amount and Date, then click the green Add button:
Final step, choose a Save button to add the payment.
1. From the "Financial" menu, select "Loan Received".
2. You will be taken to a split screen. On the right, you will see the "Add Loan Received" input screen. Fill in part of the lender committee's name in the "Lender" field and select the correct record from the dropdown. You can toggle between individuals and organizations.
3. Enter the amount and date in the "Amount" and "Date" fields.
4. (Optional) You have the option of entering a reporting description and internal memo if necessary in the "Reporting Description" and "Internal Memo" fields.
5. (Optional) Set the interest rate (if any) in the "Interest Rate" field.
6. Set the Line of Credit if different from the amount above.
7. Set the correct due date from the "Due Date" dropdown. If "Specific Date" is selected, enter the loan's due date in the "Specific Date" field.
8. Select the correct election and batch from the "Election Period" and "Batch" dropdowns.
9. Select the correct account from the "Account" drop-down.
10. (Optional) If this loan has a guarantor, click "Linking" drop-down and select "Loan Guarantor". If collateral needs to be entered, "Loan Collateral) is also in the "Linking" drop down.
10. Finally, save the loan.
There are three ways to manually add a new Expense:
1. From the Register
2. Through a vendor's record
3. From Batches/Deposits
Hover your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then click on Expense:
This will open up a new Expense. Fill in all applicable fields. Vendor, Amount, and Date are required in order for the contribution to save.
On the General tab:
Vendor* - Name of entity to which expense is made *Required Fields
Amount* - Monetary amount of expense
Date* - MM/DD/YYYY format of expense date
Payment Method - Choose from one of the following options: Cash, CC, Check, Credit Card, EFT, or Other
Check Number - Internal number of check, if applicable
Reporting Code - Select reporting code if needed
Reporting Description - Data entered into this field will pull to applicable compliance reports
Transaction Category - Select existing category or add new one by clicking Create Transaction Category
Internal Memo - Internal tracking field
Election Period - Choose election period
Account - Select Account
Event - Select Event, if the contribution is associated with Event set up in our event builder
Allocation - Select Allocation if applicable
Batch - Optional tracking feature used to group together transactions
Reconciled - Date when transaction was Reconciled
Force Itemize check box - Check to force the contribution to pull to compliance report
Force Unitemize check box - Check to force the contribution not to pull to compliance report
Documentation tab:
Optional area to upload any file type to the expense.
Click Browse to open up your computer's file library. Select a file, to upload to expense, then click a Save button.
Check Status tab:
Optional feature. Select Check Status from drop-down:
Linking tab: Click on Linking tab to find two options: Advanced or Sub-Vendor
>Advanced: Optional section to link the expense to a Receipt or link to a Disbursement
>Sub-Vendor: Optional section to add sub-vendor to Expense, if applicable. See our Help File here on how to add a sub-vendor to an expense.
Save - This saves the new contribution and keeps the screen open
Save/Close - Saves the new contribution, closes out the window and returns your screen to the main Register
Save/Next - This saves the contribution, then opens up a subsequent new contribution. Several fields are what we refer to as sticky, so they'll auto-fill into the new contribution so you won't need to re-select them.
Use the Contacts search or Search Records bar to pull up an existing record or create a new record. From the record's profile page, follow the steps in the screenshot below:
1. Click on the Transactions tab.
2. Click New Transaction.
3. Select Expense.
You'll see a new Expense open up. Vendor name should automatically populate. Enter Amount, Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
See our Help File here on Batches/Deposits. Batches allow you to group together financial transactions. You can easily bulk edit the entire batch of transactions, or easily pull a list of all the transactions in that batch.
To add a new expense from a Batch, first pull up the Batches/Deposits screen by hovering your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then by clicking on Batches/Deposits:
To add a new expense to an existing batch, follow the steps pictured in the screenshot below:
1. Click the Batch tab.
2. Choose the existing from the list on the left-hand side.
3. Click the New Transaction button.
4. Click Expense.
This will open up a new expense. Fill in Vendor name, Amount, and Date, and any other applicable fields, then choose a save button.
1. Go to the Financial tab, then locate the Unpaid Bills & Pending option under the Add Disbursement heading.
2. On the right side of the screen, a header with Add Unpaid Bill (Accrued Expense) will appear with fields below for data entry.
3. Begin typing in the name of the Vendor and if the vendor's record already exists in the database, a drop down list will appear showing their name.
4. Complete the rest of the fields to the best of your ability, then click the green Save button. If you have another bill to add, click the Save/Next button to save the current transaction, then open the fields to add a new one.
1. Go to the Financial tab, then click on Register.
2. In the top left, locate and click on the dropdown menu for transaction types, then choose Unpaid Bills.
3. On the next screen, click the Unpaid Bill you intend to apply a payment to.
4. When the loan details appear on the right, click the blue Linking tab near the top of the transaction details, then choose Unpaid Bill History.
5. Towards the bottom will be a New Bill Payment section with three options: Repayment, 3rd Party Repayment, and Forgiveness.
6. Choose your desired option, complete the fields, select Add, then click the Save or Save/Next button.
Adding a Loan Interest, Payment or Forgiven.
1. Find the loan in question from Financial-->Register and drop down to Loans from the most left drop down filter.
2. If the Loan you are adding a repayment for is part of a deposit, you may get a warning about being redirected to the Deposit Manager. Just click OK. If not, skip to Step 4.
3, From the list of loans, choose the one you wish to add a payment to and click it to get a record summary on the right side of the page. Click on the dollar amount (it is actually a link)
.
4. A pop up will show the transaction in question. Use the Linking drop down to get to Loan History. This shows any activity regarding the loan. In New Loan Activity are a list of buttons:
Interest Paid -- to add interest incurred on the loan.
Repayment -- to add a payment to decrease the debt.
Forgiveness -- if the loan has been forgiven.
3rd Party Repayment -- if a loan payment has been made by a third party.
5. Select the button you wish to use.
6. Enter the Amount and Date and press the blue +Add button.
7. Click Save.
Contributions from an Intermediary or Earmarked Contributions
Earmarked contributions indicate that a contribution has come to your committee by way of another committee or Individual, called an Intermediary. These are also sometimes referred to as Conduits. (These are recorded as memo transactions on FECForm 3 Line 11a if the funds were originated by an Individual and 11b or 11c for contributions originating from a Party or PAC, respectively.)
Example
Mary Smith, John Doe and Daniel Fishwhistle gave $1,000 each to the organization People for People earmarked for your campaign. People for People is an Intermediary group that has sent your campaign a check for $3,000 and a list of the three people that made those contributions. These earmarked contributions need to be added into your system but you need to record People for People as an intermediary and record each individual's donation.
Step 1. Add the Intermediary
Via the Add/Search menu, add the intermediary organization record (People for People) if it does not already exist in your database.
Step 2. Add the Individual Contributors
Via the Add/Search menu again, add any related contributing-individual records (e.g. Mary Smith) if they do not already exist in your database.
Step 3. Add a Contribution
In Mary Smith's record, go to the Financials section and select Contribution (Monetary) from the Add Transaction drop-down list. This will bring you to a split screen with contribution fields on the right-hand side. Starting from the top, fill in the information regarding her $1,000 donation:
Lastly, click the green Add button to add the intermediary memo.
Step 4. Save
Complete the other optional fields and click the green Save button at the bottom to save the contribution. Repeat steps 3-4 for any additional contributors.
*Please note that the system will automatically generate the reporting description for the intermediary. (e.g. "Total earmarked through conduit. PAC limit not affected" )
(If the intermediary is another committee whose funds are controlled by your candidate, these are entered on Line 12 as Transfers from Other Authorized Committees)
Receipts from Joint Fundraising Committees
Here are the things you should have before you begin:
Adding a joint fundraising committee transaction:
**NOTE: If the filer is a Party committee, only affiliated PARTY committee transactions will pull to Line 12 per the FEC Party Guide. All other committee types pull to 11c, even if the other instructions (transfer checkbox/Intermediary field) are followed.**
NOTE: Contributions from Partnerships are not allowed in all jurisdictions.
The Organization who the check is from must be set with an Organization Type of "LLC" or "Partnership". No other Org type will support Contribution Splitting.
The JFC/Partnership area allows you to specify several individual transactions that comprise a single larger transaction. For example, your committee may receive one check comprised of contributions from several individual contributors. This is generally used for contributions from a law firm or other partnership. The donation would be entered as from the partnership and each partner's share would be itemized as a partner subitemization.
To add a Partner, first create a Contribution transaction from the organization sending the contribution. After filling out the necessary information for the contribution, select the Linking tab and choose JFC/Partnership.
In the Contributor field, enter the name of a partner and select the correct record from the results. Enter the Date and Amount of the partner's portion, and select the appropriate Election Period. Add a Reporting Description if necessary; then click Add. Repeat for each partner to the check. When you are finished, click Save to save the transaction.
Voids can also be entered by creating a new expense entry, but with a negative amount by placing a minus (-) sign before the digits of the amount. If your reports require a specific reporting code for voids, you'll need to select that as well.
Keep in mind that different filing authorities may require voids to be reported in different ways than this. If you are unsure of how voids need to appear on your reports, please reach out to your FEC or state compliance analyst for more details on their reporting requirements.
The Register page is a convenient place to view and sort transactions as well as enter in new Receipts, Disbursements, or other Transactions.
To access the register, hover the mouse pointer over the Financial menu and then click Register.
The main register screen will display a list of all transactions within your database. Along the top part of the screen, there are a number of filters that can be applied to display only certain transactions:
On the right hand side of the Register, the New Receipt, New Disbursement, and Other Transaction menus provide the option to create transactions from within the Register screen:
After clicking one of these options to add a new transaction, the menu will be replaced with a form. Enter in the details of the new transaction in the appropriate fields:
After entering the transaction information into the form, click Save to save the new transaction or click Save/Next to save the current transaction and add a new one. When finished adding new transactions, click the back arrow to return to the previous menu.
The Transaction List displays all transactions within the register and is effected by the filters that have been applied to the list.
Transactions may be edited by clicking directly on the individual transaction, which will then display the individual transaction screen.
A running total of all transactions currently displayed within the Register is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Also displayed are Outstanding Loans, Undeposited Funds, and Unpaid Bills. Please note that these totals are not dependent on the transactions displayed within the Transaction List and will display the total amounts within the database regardless of which filters are applied to the Transaction List:
Accounts
The financial menu is where you will find features to track and maintain financial data. Located under the other functions category you can find Accounts.
When clicking on "Accounts" under "Other Functions" you have access to the accounts in the database to search, delete, edit and create. As well as set up a default account.
Adding an Account
Click "New" to create a new account. From there you are able to select the filling committee the account would be under.
"Name" would only be the internal name that you would be calling the account. (Not the actual name of the bank itself)
"Bank Name" is the actual name of the bank that would be pulling to different forms, reports and etc.
Checking the "Default" setting would make that the main account.
Checking "Active" allows you to be able to change from default but would not become the new default account.
Any new account and changes to accounts requires you to save the information to update.
The main parts that are required are which filing committee the account is associated with, the name, default/active, and the bank name. The rest would mostly be to help keep personal documentation.
BATCHES and DEPOSITS
BATCHES
Notes on BATCHES:
To create a new BATCH:
DEPOSITS
Notes on DEPOSITS:
To create a new DEPOSIT:
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON BATCHES/DEPOSITS
Budgets can be used to track revenue and expenses for a particular time frame, like a calendar year or election cycle, or for a specific event, like a fundraising dinner.
To use budgets effectively, all receipt and disbursement transactions should be assigned a category during the transaction data entry process. Categories can be accessed through the Settings menu.
Budget reports can be found in Reports >>> Standard Reports.
Budgets can be accessed through the Financial menu. Click New Budget. Enter a name and date range and then Save. If this is for a single event, you can use the date of the event as both the start and end date.
Once the budget is created, you can then add revenue and expense categories to track expected versus actual income and expenses.
To edit a budget, choose the budget from the list on the left. You can edit the name and dates and click Save or you can edit the category amounts using the Edit pencil. If you are only editing category amounts, you do not need to click Save.
To delete a budget, chose the budget from the list on the left and click Delete.
Note that you may see a warning message about transactions being associated with the budget. The transactions themselves WILL NOT be deleted when you delete the budget.
The Events section allows users to keep track of campaign events, attendees, and associated financial activity. Access the Events section by navigating to Financial > Events. A list of events displays on the left-hand side of the screen, with details for the currently selected event on the right-hand side of the screen.
To add a new event, click the + New Event button, then enter an Event Title, Event Description, Start Date and End Date for the event in the spaces provided. Click Save to create the event.
The option to add Allocations and view current Allocations, as well as H1 Ratios, is found under the Financial tab.
On this screen you will see the name of the Allocation, or Event, as well as the Type, Description, Estimated Percent, Federal Expense percentage, and Federal Contribution percentage.
You will also be able to view any H1 Ratios that may be currently in your database. You can do so by clicking the H1 Ratios tab.
On this screen you'll see the Federal Ratio percentage, Description, Start and End Date, and also the Filing Committee this ratio is associated with.
In order to add a new Allocation, click on the New Event button in the upper right corner. A small window will appear and here you can add the following: Name, Federal Percent, and a chosen option from the Type menu.
In the Description dropdown menu, you can choose New Ratio, Revised Ratio as Previously Reported, and Same Ratio as Previously Reported.
Once you have added the details to the New Allocation window, click the Save button.
When adding a new H1 Ratio, click the New H1 Ratio button in the top right corner. A small window will appear and you will then be able to add the Start and End dates, as well as the Ratio percentage.
You will also be able to link the ratio to a specific Filing Committee. Again, once the needed fields are completed, click the Save button.
Before reconciling an account in Campaign Manager it is necessary to make sure all relevant contributions have been deposited.
1. Go to Financial > Reconciliation and select the Bank Account to be reconciled. Fill in the Statement Date and Statement Balance as they appear on the bank statement. then click Find Transactions.
This will take you to the reconciliation screen. The reconciliation screen has two sections, the Records section on the left and the Info section on the right. The Records section displays everything that was deposited on or before the selected Statement Date that have not yet been reconciled as well as all expenses on or before the selected Statement Date that have not yet been reconciled. There is an option to display these deposits and expenses either as separate lists or as one combined list. The Info section displays information about the current reconciliation.
2. Choose which transactions to include in the reconciliation by selecting them from the Records section. Each time a record is selected it will change the difference. When this difference is at $0 the reconciliation is complete and you can click on the "Reconcile" button to finalize the reconciliation.
It is important to note that once a reconciliation is finalized it cannot be opened again. If a record of each reconciliation is needed it is important to print the reconciliation before finalizing it.
Deleting a Transaction from the Record
By deleting a transaction from the record, you will also delete it from the register.
Contribution and In-Kind transactions support Soft Allocations. Soft Allocations are a way for a committee to attribute contributions to Individuals or Organizations that facilitate the contribution.
1. Enter the transaction normally.
2. When the transaction details have been entered, select the Linking tab and choose Soft-Allocation.
3. In the Soft-Allocation entry area, enter the Name of the soft allocation, and select the record from the dropdown list. Enter the Date and Amount of the soft allocation. Then click Add. After all of the Soft-Allocations are saved (if there are multiple) then SAVE the whole contribution as well.
1. Hover your mouse over the Financial tab, then choose Expense under the Add Disbursement heading.
2. The resulting screen will show the Register on the left and the Add Expense pane on the right.
3. In the Vendor field, type in the name of the contributor. You'll notice as you type the name, a list of names will appear for you to choose from, or you can complete typing the name, then click the magnifying glass to search for the record.
4. Once you have located and added the contributor to the transaction, enter the amount and date, and then choose 010 - Refund of Contribution from the Reporting Code drop down.
5. Once you have completed all fields and chosen the appropriate options, select the Save button.
Note: State filers will not be able to use code 010 - Refund of Contribution. Instead, you will need to select the appropriate code designed for your state.
2nd note about the FEC reports: Our FEC reports will itemize all contribution refunds regardless of itemization threshold amount.
Due to variability with how contributions are reported and itemize in previous reporting periods, and with how there is no threshold for refund transactions. It is recommended to force unitemize any refund transactions that should not appear to the FEC report.
When a contributor's donations go over the contribution limit set by the FEC, one of the options to deal with the surplus money is to redesignate it towards the next election (from the primary election to the general election for example).
1. Open the record with the original contribution.
2. Click Transaction tab.
3. Click on the pencil icon next to the contribution transaction to to be redesignated.
4. Click on Linking tab.
5. Choose Redesignation from the dropdown list.
6. Under the New Redesignation section:
7. Enter the Amount to be redesignated.
8. Enter the Date.
9. Choose the new Election Period for the redesignation.
10. Click on the Add button.
11. Click on the Save button.
Two new transactions will appear on the record showing the amount moved from the original election period and the amount moved to the new election period.
When a contributor's donations go over the contribution limit set by the FEC, one of the options to deal with the surplus money is to reattribute it to the contributor's spouse.
1. Open the record for the spouse with the original contribution.
2. Click on Transaction tab.
3. Click on the pencil icon next to the contribution transaction to to be reattributed.
4. Click on Linking tab.
5. Choose Reattribution from the dropdown list.
6. Under the New Reattribution section, search for the spouse record in the Recipient box.
7. Enter the amount to be reattributed.
8. Enter the date.
9. Choose the Election Period.
10. Click on the Done button.
11. Click on the Save button.
A transaction with negative amount will be added to the original record and a transaction with a positive amount will be added to the spouse's record for the amount designated for reattribution.
Adding Subvendors to an Expense
You can add sub-vendors to an expense by entering an expense, saving it and then clicking on the
Linking tab while still in the transaction window. Choose Sub-Vendor.
Add the sub-vendor information and click on the Add button. Then click on Save.
To add sub-vendors to a bill repayment edit the unpaid bill and click on the linking tab, then select Sub-Vendors.
Then, enter the details for the sub-vendor and click Add.
Finally, be sure to save the record by clicking the Save button at the bottom of the screen.
These are contributions to other federal candidates and committees, donations to non-federal candidates and committees.
1. Enter these types of transactions as Expenses or In-Kind Expense Made.
2. Open the candidate/committee's record
3. Click Transaction tab.
4. Select the appropriate Disbursement type (Expense or In-Kind Expense Made).
5. Make sure the Candidate box is checked (and the information for the candidate's office is accurate) in the candidate's Individual record. This record should be linked to the Candidate's Committee record as a Candidate.
6. Make sure the Committee is correctly marked as a Committee, not an Organization, if this transaction is being entered on the Committee's record.
7. Enter the data in the appropriate fields, use Reporting Code 011 - Political Contributions.
8. Be sure to choose the appropriate Support/Oppose button and find and select the Candidate in the Support/Oppose field
(If this expense was made to a Committee that is not a Candidate Committee, find and select the Committee again instead of the Candidate) and save.
1. Search for the Organization/Individual whose expense you wish to reimburse and click on New Transaction > Expense. Enter the details of the expense reversal, Amount Date etc.
2. Click on the Reversal button at the top of the page and then the Save button at the bottom.
Once the transaction is saved it will appear as a Reversed Expense and the refund will appear on Line 14 of FEC reports.
Alternatively, if you don't want the refund to pull to line 14 you can enter it as a negative expense and both the original transaction and the refund will pull to Schedule B. To do this simply create a new expense and put a minus sign in front of the amount entered. As always, be sure to save your changes.
Any standard 3-piece, Top-part check can be used with Campaign Manager.
Checks can be printed two ways:
1) A single check can be printed from the Edit Transaction screen:
Open up the check with the pencil icon.
Click the "check status" option in the expense menu.
Set the check to approved, and save the transaction.
The blue print check button should appear solid, and you can now click on it to print the check.
2) Multiple checks can be printed from the Check Printing Report:
Hover over the reports tab, and then click on "standard reports".
Click on the standard report titled "Check Printing".
Add your parameters to the report.
Check Formats is our preset template of checks that is provided in the report.
Address type is if you want to set the address type to a different one on the record like their home address or their work address.
Account allows you to filter checks by a specific account in your database.
Put the date range in of your checks. From date to to date.
You can add check numbers if you know the range of checks, like check 100 to check 150 if you want to specify the range in the report.
Group checks is for if you want to group together multiple checks of the same vendor, date, and check number together.
Click generate report.
Custom Reports are a powerful tool for pulling lists of individual or organization records based on a combination of criteria. Custom report will also allow you to work with or export those lists in various ways.
The initial screen shows any saved reports in your database. These can be edited or run as-is. To create a new report, click the blue "New Query" button in the top right-hand corner.
There are two sections to the query builder:
1) The clause section. This section is where you will set the criteria that will define who is included in the report. (For example, 'All donors who gave less than $100 and live in California' would be an example of a search that would be entered as criteria in the clause section.)
2) The export section. This section is where you decide what will be done with the list (e.g. generate the list in excel to download, create a phone list for contact, etc.)
Click on the "New Clause" button to add the first clause.
Select a table option from the dropdown in the query line. Here you are selecting the general type of criterion you are making. You could select "Individual" to search for people sharing a name, or "All Contribution" to search by donation information, just to name a few possibilities.
Once you have set a table in the dropdown, click on "Field" to bring up a pop-up. In the pop-up you will select your criterion from the "Field" dropdown, select an operator (such as "Equal To" or "Does Not Contain") and select or enter the value. For example, if your table dropdown was set to "Individual", you could select "Last Name" from the field drop-down, select "Equal To" as the operator, and enter 'Smith' as the value. Your query would now be searching for all people with the last name 'Smith'.
There are three buttons on the right-hand side of each query clause that allow you to add or remove query lines.
1. The '+' button allows you to add a new query line under the same table as the existing line. You will see an "And/Or' selector determining the relationship between the new line and the existing line.
2. The "indent" button will allow you to create a new query level. Clicking that button on the second of two lines will indent it, creating an "And/Or" join between the two and allowing you to select a new table for the second line. You will see a new vertical line on the left-hand side of the query in a new color. These colored lines are a visual reminder that serve just like parentheses in a mathematical equation.
3. The 'x' button allows you to delete a given query line.
4. Alternatively, clicking on the "New Clause" button will add another clause to the query.
The export section allows you to determine what the system will do with the query you've built.
In this section you have the option to include spouses and inactive records.
To select an export setting, first make a selection from the "Option Type" dropdown. This will allow you to set the general type of the export, such as 'Phone Lists.'
Once you have set the "Option Type", you will the set the "Option" from the second dropdown to choose the final export. For example, if 'Phone Lists' was the selected option type, the available options would be "Standard Phone List" or "Compact Phone List".
Export Options
When you are choosing your export method, you are choosing how you want to display your data from a query. There are several different types of prepared reports that fulfill almost every need.
There are three buttons across the top of the Export Options box: Include Inactive Records, Include Spouses, and Combine Spouses.
Note: Include Spouses and Combine Spouses should NOT be used together, as it may lead to inaccurate results.
There are seven Report Option Types in the upper drop down box (#1) that can selected, each with its own list of reports that can then be chosen from the lower drop box (#2).
After you have built the Custom Report query, you have multiple options when it comes to exporting the data. You can view the various options in the Export Options section at the bottom of the Custom Reports page. In order to export the data to an Excel file, please take the following steps.
1. In the Export Options section, change the top dropdown menu from General to Export and next that, change that dropdown menu to Custom Export
2. Click View Custom Export
3. On the resulting screen, open the Custom Format dropdown menu and choose which format you'd like to use
**Please note that the first 10 data fields on the export will appear just below the dropdown menu. If there are more than 10 fields, click in the Order By field and you can scroll down to view other fields included in the export format you've chosen.**
4. Once you have chosen the format you'd like to export the data to, click the Generate CSV button
5. You'll have an option to receive an email once the spreadsheet generates and you'll also see a Download link; click the download link to retrieve the spreadsheet
Financial Search is your go-to for financial lists, financial totals, custom financial reports and exports, plus viewing transactions for any accounting purpose- including compliance report reconciliation.
Search page
1. Find and View transactions in the database with criteria applied
2. Create a Financial Summary with Aggregate Totals for tracking or use for reconciliation purposes including compliance report expected amounts.
3. Create a custom Financial Report with an array of Display Fields that appear as Data Columns
4. Search Actions
Results page
5. Save Financial Search Criteria to later come back to it and open it as a Dynamic report with an array of Data Columns
6. Export a static list of the search results to a csv/excel document
7. Mass Update: assign new field selections to a group of transactions
8. Mass Delete: remove a group of transactions form the database
9. Toggle back and forth between Results and Criteria page
You can build, view, or edit web forms from this page. To edit a previously made web form simply click on the name of the form from the dashboard.
Step #1: To build a new form, click the green New Web Form button.
Step #2: Configure your form to meet your needs. You can set-up donation options, codes, and Facebook integration from this page. On this page you can also configure notifications, disclaimers, and templates for future use.
Step #3: When you are done configuring your web form, save it, then click the embed button to get a direct link or embed code for use on your website.
Customize Web Forms pages. Utilize the sections and their respective settings to customize your page. Once you are satisfied with your settings and previewed your page, you can use the Embed button to connect your page to your site.
The name of the page (needed to save the page)
Shows the WebForm URL and iFrame Code to link the page to the site
Save the form and the settings
Go back to the previous section (Form, Notifications, Options, Template, Preview)
Move to the next section (Form, Notifications, Options, Template, Preview)
Form Title: Enter title of the page
Page Style: Choose Page Style (Style choice is necessary based on which forms are marked "on")
Basic Info: Set what data will be provided by the person filling out the form.
Title: Title for specific Basic Info settings
Form Field: Available fields for selection
Visible: Activates the field to be displayed on the form
Required: Enables a red asterisk next to the field, requiring the field to be filled in
Read Only: Locks the field so it cannot be edited
Label Name: The field name that appears on the form (can be edited if the field needs to be renamed)
Credit Card: Determine account, election period, donation limits, and donation levels.
Title: Allows for a custom name to be entered in the field to be used instead of the default Credit Card Donation
Instructions: Enter text into this field to provide information that will appear below the Section Title
Basic -- Choose the basic credit card settings
Account: Select the Bank Account to be used that is associated with a Filing Committee
Type: Allows for choosing the type for the transaction (i.e. Contribution, In-Kind, Reportable Pledge)
Period: Allows for choosing the election period for the transaction
Transaction Category: Allows for choosing the category for the transaction
Limits -- Set limits for the transaction
Default Donation: Allows for a specific donation amount to set as the default
Donation Limit: Allows for an amount to be set as the donation limit
Read Only: locks the Amount field for the donor so they cannot change the amount that is set as the Default Donation
Enable Billing Zip:
Donation Giving Levels -- Create various donation levels (Saving creates the level)
Label: The label for the donation level being created
Amount (in $): Amount of the donation
Default: If checked, the donation being created is set as the default level
Other Amount: If checked, allows for the donor to enter their donation manually
Other Amount Label: Label for the Other Amount field
Codes: Set which codes are visible for choice (possible uses include volunteer and event signups)
Title: Title for Codes section
Add
Type (top left): Choose the Code Type (group) to be added to the form
Label: Label for the Code Type (can be modified)
Description: Type a description for the codes
Type (bottom right): Choose the user interaction display for the codes (drop down or check box)
Facebook: Link the page to a Facebook app/account.
Upload File: Upload an image for your Facebook image
Facebook App Id: Enter the Facebook App ID
Facebook App Secret: Enter the Facebook App Secret
Facebook Page Link: Enter the link to the Facebook Page
Facebook Post: Check box to post
Post Title: Enter title of post
Post Description: Enter description of post
Email Notifications: Turning this feature on sends alerts when submissions are handled
Email Address: Email address to send the notification
Subject: Title of the notification
Owner Email Text: Body of the notification
Confirmation Message: Turning this feature on allows confirmation emails to be sent to donors
Subject: Title of the notification
From Email: Email of the sender
From Name: Name of the sender
User Email Text: Body of the confirmation
Disclaimer: Turning this feature on shows disclaimer on the page
Disclaimer Text: Body of the disclaimer
Show Border: Adds border to disclaimer
Redirect On URL: Enter URL for the redirect
Designer Tab
Select Header and Footer dropdown: Allows choice from previously created Header and Footer templates
Page: Allows choice of background color for the page
Body: Allows for modification of text size, color and formatting for Title, Section Title, and Label Fields
Advanced Tab
Enter Custom CSS: Allows the ability to enter Cascade Style Sheet (CSS) code
Shows what the page will look like based on settings determined in previous steps
Web form submissions are not automatically imported into CM. Instead, they appear in an import queue from which they can be easily imported into the system. This is done to allow review of form submissions and reduce the creation of duplicate records.
To view and import submissions, navigate to "Fundraising" and select "Import Queue". The page that pops up will be your import queue. Records that have come from API sources, web forms, or online donation pages will appear here.
Each donor will have a blue label which contains the source of the donor. The web form name will appear in this blue label to let you know that individual is from your web form.
1. There is a white check box next to each record to the left of the magnifying glass. Click the check box when ready to import, and then move on to another record.
2. Once all records that you want imported have been checked off, click on the green import queue button to bring the submission into Campaign Manager.
Web forms contain a notification feature that will allow you to receive alerts anytime a user in the database imports a record from the web form, or if you want to send the individual a confirmation email after they submit the web form.
The "Merge" tool can be used to combine duplicate records in the database into a single record. Note that this process is not reversible.
Select whether you want to search for duplicate individuals or organizations.
The Matching & Filter Options section of this page will allow you to select the criteria you want to use to search for possible duplicates. Based on the selections you make here, records have matching information will be pulled to the results of the search.
Section 1 of the merge page consists of various record information such as last name, address, etc. Check the box next to a data point to add it to the criteria to search from.
Section 2 allows you to select a date range. The duplicate search will only search records that were added to the system within the specified date range.
Section 3 allows searching based of specific data; for example, if you know you have multiple records for the same "John Smith", you can enter that name so that only records with the same name are returned in the results.
The results will appear on the right-hand side of the screen in section 4. Click on a line to view the records the system has selected as possible duplicates. To combine, take the following steps:
1. Selecting a name from the list of results will expand to show all potential duplicates found for that name. You can compare information between selected records by checking the box next to 2 or more records and clicking the "Compare" button.
2. Select one record as "Primary". This is the record that will be retained when the merge is complete.
3. Select the records you want to merge and click the blue "Merge Selected With..." button and select "Primary". A pop-up will ask you to confirm your decision by selecting "Continue". You may also merge into the most recent record by selecting "Most Recent" instead of "Primary" as the target of the merge. You may skip step 2 if you do this.
The Import Manager, found under the Tools menu, allows you to import multiple records at a time. This can be a significant time saver if you are importing a list of a few hundred or even thousand records.
There are 2 options for importing:
The Import Screen
When selecting Import Manager, the first screen that shows up is the import manager itself with the templates and the import history if there were any previous imports completed.
If you have already done an import, it will appear below the templates in the box that contains import name, status of the import, and other details of the files that were previously imported into your database.
Some other functions of the import manager include being able to filter by completed, failed, or queued imports. You can also add a date range if you are trying to find a specific import that was completed months ago. Another feature of the import manager is being able to click the file to download it in case you need to review it, just hover over the file name, click on it, and then you can open it after it downloads to view it.
At the top right of the import manager, there is a button labeled "Create New Template". Selecting this option will open a new window where you can start to build out your custom template.
1.) You will begin by typing in a name for the template and a description if applicable.
2.) Next you will check which type of record you want to import. If you are importing both individuals and organizations, check both. If you are only importing individuals, check off individuals.
3.) Below the record type box is where you will select your file for mapping the columns. Click choose file, browse for your file on your computer, and then click open. You can also drag and drop the file into the template editor too.
4.) The final box at the bottom will say "record matching". This option will allow you to set your record matching criteria to merge records that might already exist in Campaign Manager. The import manager will review the criteria you select, determine if a match is found in the database from your spreadsheet, and then automatically merge the donor to the already existing profile if the match exists.
Click the check box next to record matching, click on the drop down, and then select the criteria you want to merge records on.
5) Finally, the fourth section of the Create New Template tool is the actual template rows. This is where you will choose the number and order of the rows that you will be importing. For each row, you will select a category such as Basic Info, Address (Work), etc, and then the Row itself, for example First Name, Address Line1, etc.
** Please Note - A First Name and Last Name are required Fields to complete an import.
Once you have all the rows you want to import mapped out, you can save your template for future use.
Any created templates will automatically appear in the template screen in the import manager. You may have to scroll over to see them on the import manager screen.
The last section in the Import tool is the New Import section, where you can actually use the import templates you have created to import data into your database. There are five steps to importing a new file:
Here you can select either one of the standard template, or a custom template you have created. When you choose your template, the template will automatically open with a few options. One of the options called download template allows you to download a fresh copy so you can add your data to the spreadsheet. Note that your template columns must match the template that you have selected, you cannot remove any columns after you downloaded a template as that will prevent your import from starting properly.
First click on the template that you want to use, and then proceed to the next steps. If you need to get out of the template, click the "cancel" button next to start import and it will take you back to showing all of your templates.
2) Upload
To upload your file, click on the "choose file" button. A new window will appear and you can select your file. After clicking on the file, it will appear at the bottom of the box in the "file to be imported" area with the file name.
To the right of the upload box is the record matching options. Click on the slider to enable record matching, and then click on the criteria that you want to merge records on. You can also leave the slider off to grey if you want to import with no record matching, but this might create duplicates in your database that you will have to merge.
Select whether or not you would like the Address Standardization tool to be automatically run as part of the import process. This shortens addresses so that lane = ln for example. It will also add county and zip4 to the record.
4a) Import Name.
The import name is below the address standardization box. It defaults to import request with the time stamp, but you can click in the box and delete it to give your import a name.
These optional parameters allow you to set the Primary when multiple phones, addresses, or emails are being imported. If you are importing a group of people and they all would prefer to be contacted via their mobile phone, you can select Set Primary Phone: Mobile, and all the imported records will have their Mobile phone set as their Primary Phone.
You can also assign categories, add transactions to a batch, or assign election periods through the optional parameters if you are importing any kind of transaction data.
Assuming that you have not forgotten a step, you should see a message that your import has begun, and you will receive an email when the import is completed. You can now view the progress of your import in the Import History section, which you should be redirected to by default.
Import files need to be in simple raw data form, saving your spreadsheet as a CSV file from excel will strip away Excel formatting that sometimes can get in your way when viewing the data as Import Manager will. Keep your file name short and simple - avoid using punctuation or spaces.
Here are some common data discrepancies that can cause an import failure or record creation failure:
If you are experiencing an unexplainable import failure, send your CSV file to support@aristotle.com and include your campaign/database name, the import template you are using, and the selections you made on the New Import page for matching criteria, address standardization, and optional parameters.
This knowledge book will give you step-by-step instructions on how to import JFC/Partnership Contributions using the Import Manager. By using this method multiple JFC Contributions and their Memo Transactions can accurately be imported at the same time!
In order to import JFC/Partnership Contributions a Standard Aristotle Import Template must be used. At this time, using the "Advanced Contribution and Memos Import" standard import template is the only way to import JFC/Partnerships.
To Download the "Advanced Contribution and Memos Import" standard import template:
Go to Tools > Import Manager > Select Advanced Contribution and Memos Import
Select Download Template:
The Parent Organization that the contributions came from should be entered on the template. List all of the information regarding the Contribution necessary, including Organization Name, Committee ID, Address, Contribution Date, Contribution Amount, Etc...
Once all of the basic information has been entered there are two important columns to be filled out to ensure the JFC/Partnership Contributions import properly. The Receipt Type and Group SEQ are the columns that need to be entered accurately for the transaction grouping to be successful.
The Receipt Type for the Parent Contribution should be: Contribution
Set the Group SEQ to match the Memo Transactions: 1, 2, 3, etc.....
(Please note that there are columns hidden for these examples)
The Individuals that contributed to the JFC/Partnership Contribution should be entered on the template. List all of the information regarding the Contributions necessary, including First Name, Last Name, Employer, Occupation, Address, Contribution Date, Contribution Amount, Etc...
Once all of the basic information has been entered there are two important columns to be filled out to ensure the JFC/Partnership Contributions import properly. The Receipt Type and Group SEQ are the columns that need to be entered accurately for the transaction grouping to be successful.
The Receipt Type for the Memos should be: JFC/Partnership
Set the Group SEQ to match the Parent Transaction: 1, 2, 3, etc.....
(Please note that there are columns hidden for these examples)
Now that the Advanced Contribution and Memos Import Template has been completed, it can be imported to Campaign Manager using the Import Manager! Please note that these templates can have a lot of data to import and possible that it will take a few minutes for the import to complete. You can view the progress on the Import History page with the progress bar.
Go to Tools > Import Manager
You can import Expenses with Sub-Vendors through the Import Manager. It works similarly as to importing JFC/Partnership contributions (take a look at the Help File on importing JFC/Partnership contributions here). You will use the "Advanced Expense and Memos Import" template.
The "Advanced Expense and Memos Import" template is the only way to import expense with sub-vendors. Other templates or custom templates can not be used. Download a copy of the template here, or download it from Import Manager>Manage Templates>then click the download button to the right of "Advanced Expense and Memos Import."
The parent expense will require all the regular information required of successful imports (for organizations be sure to include Organization Name, Committee ID, Address, Contribution Date, Contribution Amount, etc.), but you'll also need to make sure you fill out the Disbursement Type column and the Group SEQ column correctly.
For the parent expense, enter Expense in the Disbursement Type column (Column R), and enter "1" in the Group SEQ column (Column S) for the first group of parent and sub-vendors. The parent expense and all associated sub-vendors should all be grouped with the same number. Enter "1" in the Group SEQ column for the first group, the next set with "2," etc.
For each sub-vendor, enter either Sub-Vendor or Memo Expense in the Disbursement Type column (Column R), and enter the same number as the parent in the Group SEQ column (Column S).
Note: the only expense types that can be imported using this template are Unpaid Bill, Expense, Sub-Vendor, or Memo Expense. Other types are not supported.
Make sure to save the spreadsheet as a .CSV file, then complete the import as normal.
Under "Matching Options" select the criteria you want to use to search for possible spouses.
If you want to search for a specific couple, enter search criteria into the "Filter" section and click "Search". If not, click "Search" without adding information to the "Filter" section.
The results will appear on the right-hand side of the screen. Click on a line to view the two individuals the system has selected as possible spouses. To set them as spouses, take the following steps:
1. Check the boxes next to the names.
2. If desired, enter a mail name and salutation.
3. Click the blue "Create" button.
3a. (optional.) If you are creating many spouse links at once, follow steps one and two for each spouse link on the current results page. When you have completed steps one and two for each result on the current page, click "Create Bulk Links". This will create the spouse links for each pair of records you have selected.
Address Standardization is a powerful tool for improving the mailability and consistency of your contacts address information. Address standardization will fill possible missing information such as Zip+4, City, and County as well as standardizing abbreviations to a single format and correcting some types of errors in address content.
You can click "Standardize Addresses" in order to begin address standardization for your database. After starting this, you do not need to wait for the standardization to finish, you can even log off. Standardization will continue to run in the background.
There are two options available when standardizing addresses:
This option will cause line 1 to be included in the address standardization process. Including this line will include items such as street direction, prefix, and suffix. If abbreviated, these items will be standardized to a common format, uneeded items may be removed.
This option will exclude any address that has already been standardized in the past.
The Mass Email tool allows you to send emails to large groups simultaneously, either immediately or at a scheduled date/time in the future. Depending on your contract, there may be a charge per email, if you want to know more about your specific contract as it relates to Mass Email charges, contact your Sales Rep.
When you first select Mass Email from the Tools menu, you will see a screen showing your previous Mass Emails, their name, status, date sent, and the option to view a report on that email.
Selecting the name of a previous mass email will bring up a popup showing counts, number of emails sent, number of bounces, number opened, etc.
If you are searching for a particular Mass Email, you can use the Filter at the top right to search for it.
If you want to view the content and other information on a previously sent Mass Email, select the opened folder icon in the Open column to see a summary of that email. This will be identical to what you see when creating a new Mass Email, except that all the fields will be locked since this email has already been sent.
When creating a new Mass Email, there are 5 steps. Basic Info, Create Content, Sender's Info, Recipients, and Distribute. You can navigate forwards and backwards through these sections as you complete them using the Previous and Next buttons, or clicking on the step you want to edit at the top of the screen. Also, at any time, you can save your current email as a draft, preview it, or delete it. Once all the steps are complete, you can send it.
The Basic Info section allows you to set a Title and Description. These will only be visible to users of Campaign Manager, and are used to keep track of previously sent emails and their content. Once a Title is entered, you can select Next to move on to Create Content. A description is optional.
There are two ways to build your email which can be found in Create Content. The Stylized/Html content or Plain Text Content tools. Both of these tools can also utilize a previously constructed template.
In order to select a Template, you will need to have previously built a template using the Template Editor under Settings. If you select a Template from the drop down menu, it will override any previously selected template, and clear any text already in the editor. Remember to add your template first, and add other text afterwards.
The Plain Text Content allows you to enter plain text, either typed in manually or copied and pasted into the editor, but does not allow you to format the email with things such as center adjust, inserted images, embedded links, etc.
The Stylized/HTML Content accepts all standard HTML code, and also has a host of options included in the editor, such as Merge Fields, Click Through Tracking, Left, Right, or Center Justified text, etc.
Once you have entered an Email Subject, and added your content using one of these two tools, you can select Next to move on to Sender's Info.
The Sender's Info section allows to you set the Email address and Name of the sender, as well as specify a reply to an email address, where replies to your mass email will go. You can also assign this email to either yourself or another user or individual in your system.
Once you have set these options, you can select Next to move on to the Recipients tab.
The Recipients tab allows you to select the individuals that you wish to send your email to. You can select either a user constructed query, or a system query, from the drop down list. If the list you want is not here, you will need to create it under Reports > Custom Reports.
You will also need to specify the email type, this tells the system what email to use from the records in question. You can select Personal, Home, Work, or Other, as well as Preferred Email, and All Email Types if you do not want to restrict your email to a single email type.
If you wish to send emails to addresses that had previously responded with a "Soft Bounce", check the "Include Soft Bounce Email Addresses" Option.
Finally, select Next to move on to the last tab, Distribute.
The Distribute tab gives you a last chance to review your selected options from the previous step, as well as choose to send your email either immediately or at a scheduled time in the future.
If you want to preview your email before sending it, you can select the Test Email option, and enter a single email address to send a test to, usually you will send this test to yourself so that you can review the email as it will be received by the individuals you have selected.
Once you have reviewed your options, and viewed your preview if you chose to, you can choose your delivery options. If the "Send all emails immediately" option is selected, your Mass Email will immediately be added to the queue and sent as soon as possible, Depending on the number of mass emails in the queue, and the size of your recipient list, this may take some time.
If you would rather send your email at some time in the future, select the "Schedule Delivery" option, and enter the date you wish to send this email out in the field below. Note: Dates and Times are based on Eastern Time.
If you wish to review any particular step of the Mass Email, you can select the Previous button, or simply click on the step you wish to review at the top of the screen. If you need to save the email as a draft to review at a later time, you can choose "Save As Draft".
Finally, when you are ready to begin, select Send and your email will be queued for delivery.
You can view, edit and organize previous thank you efforts from this page. Click on the folder icon to edit the names and groups of previous thank you efforts. To select individuals to be thanked, select the Filter button and enter any desired filters. The filters you set determine who shows up in the Records to be Thanked section. Records in this section will be included in any mass email or direct mail Thank You job.
To send out thank you messages to your selected individuals click the blue new mass email or new direct mail button in the upper right hand corner.
Step #1: Enter the title of your email, give your email a description, click next.
Step #2: Give your email a subject line, use the editor to format your email.
Step #3: Enter the "Send From" email address, enter the sender's name, enter your "Reply to" address. Assign an owner to the project.
Step #4: Select a previously stored query, choose which email address to send the email to.
Step #5: Review your number counts, schedule your email for delivery, click the green send button.
Step #1: Enter a title and description for your direct mailing.
Step #2: Enter a subject line and format your email.
Step #3: Assign the project to a member of you organization.
Step #4: Select a previously saved search query.
Step #5: Review your information and click send. On the next page click the download icon and print off your letters.
If you are having trouble accessing Thank You Manager, this is likely due to the permissions that your username is assigned.
To use Thank You Manager you must have:
1. Settings set to Edit
2. Tools set to Edit
3. Mass Email set to Edit
Please note if you do not have these User permissions, you will need to contact the admin user in your office to change these permissions. Once changed it may take 15 minutes for permissions to go into effect and you'll need to log out, then log back in capture the change.
Categories allow for adding additional descriptions to financial transactions. Using Categories when running reports allows users to keep better track of where money is coming in and where money is going out, allowing for better budgetary control. Categories will not appear on any FEC or state compliance reports and they are an optional tool available to all clients.
Categories are a way of describing financial transactions and can therefore be used to track items such as Office Expenses, Rent, Salaries or postage. They can also be used to track Fundraising events, tracking both contributions during the event and costs associated with holding the event, as well as mass communications including mailers, emails or phone banks.
Financial transactions are that already marked by the system do not need Categories. These include Contributions, Expenses, In-Kind Contributions or Expenses and the Election Period.
Category Types allow users to link and track similar categories. The most common uses are fundraisers and volunteering. For example, a user might have a Category Type called Volunteer, with several categories detailing types of volunteering such as yard signs, hosting events, phone banking, among others. For fundraising, a user can create a Category Type called Fundraising and use categories detailing the different types of fundraisers such as BBQ, Pancake Dinner, Fourth of July, among others. By using a category type, a user can create a report for Volunteers in a single search, rather than having to include all volunteering types in a standard report.
Adding Categories and Category Types in Campaign Manager is simple. To find the category submenu, simply go to the Settings option along the dark blue navigation bar.
Once inside the Categories submenu, if you look to the right side of the page, you will see the area for creating new Categories. There is also an option to make a particular Category the default option. Users can choose what Category Type the new Category will be associated with as well as the Transaction Type (Receipt, Disbursement or both) associated with the Category.
Directly below New Category, you will find where you can create a new Category Type. Be sure to hit the Add button after creating your Category or Category Type.
To Change or Delete an Existing Category or Category Type, first click on the corresponding tab. In both of these submenus, you will see a pencil icon and an X. Clicking on the pencil icon will allow you to make changes to an existing Category or Category Type, while the X will allow you to delete that Code or Code Type. You can change or delete both Categories and Category Types in this area.
Yes, after clicking on the pencil icon in the Category List, there is a checkbox option to make a category inactive.
Tutorial: Letter Templates
In this tutorial, you will learn how to:
Lesson 1: Modify an existing template.
Lesson 2: Create a new template
Lesson 3: Add Merge Fields
Lesson 4: Use Letter Templates with the custom report generator
Lesson 1: How to Modify an Existing Template
To find your letter templates, go to Settings and Template Editor.
Click Modify next to the letter you wish to modify.
Once you click modify, you will see your letter.
Once you have completed your changes. Click Save.
Lesson 2: Create a new template.
Go to Settings and select Template Editor, click +New.
You will see the +Create New Template Screen.
At the top of this screen you can set the Title, Description (optional), and what this Template can be used for. You can set this Template to be available in Direct Mail, Mass Email, Online Pages (Donation Pages, Web Forms, etc), or any combination of the three.
The next box is Page Style, which allows you to enter HTML formatting for things like background color, font, themes, etc.
Once you have typed your letter into the textbox, click on Save Changes.
Now that we understand how to put most of our message into the letter, let's see how using Merge Fields can personalize our letters and make our jobs easier.
Lesson 3: Merge Fields
Merge Fields allow us to add personal information onto our letter. This is how we can merge the name and addresses or the user's name and title onto a group of letters.
Below is the text for a letter we want to send out to verify the information we have on file and to request for missing information:
Thank you for your contribution to the Karen Gomez Campaign. California Law requires that we obtain a contributor's name, address, occupation and employer. Please provide this information below and return this letter in the enclosed envelope.
We are missing your Occupation and Employers information. Please complete the following so we can comply with California State law.
Occupation: Employer's Name:
Very truly yours,
|
We want to add the current date, the name and address, the salutation, and the most recent contribution. Since all this information exists in the database, we know that these are merge fields.
To insert a merge field:
Put your cursor where in the letter you wish to insert the merge field. For current date, put your cursor at the top of the letter.
Click on the Add Merge Field dropdown from the toolbar above Template Content.
From the Available fields, select Current Date (Long) (note that fields are sorted alphabetically).
Now our letter should have a merge field for the current date at the top.
Go ahead and put the remaining fields in the letter. Remember to put your cursor where you want the fields to appear.
Find the field Individual Full Name.
Find the field Individual Salutation.
Find all the lines for the address under Preferred Address.
Find the latest contribution under Latest Receipt Amount and Latest Receipt Date.
Makes sure you click Save Changes.
Lesson 4: Use Letter Templates with the Custom Report Generator
To print a letter based on a Custom Report, you will need to create your query under Reports > Custom Reports, and make sure the query is saved. Once the query is saved, you can go to Direct Mail, and while creating your letter, select the Template you previously created in the Content step, and the Saved Query you created in Custom Reports under Recipients. This will print a letter based on the Template you built only for those records in the query you saved.
An unsubscribe link appears on all emails delivered thru Mass Email, though it's not included on test emails or the email preview.
Unsubscribe Manager is located on the Settings menu, this is where anyone who clicks the link from one of your emails will appear.
You can choose to Add new email addresses if a donor calls in requesting to be removed from your email list.
You can search for and delete email addresses of those that are unsubscribed for example if the link was clicked by mistake or a donor complains about never getting your emails.
To create a Custom Format for a spreadsheet export, go to Settings > Custom Formats.
Click on the New button.
Enter a name for the format in the Name field such as Mailing list.
From there add the fields you want to pull by clicking on a Field Gallery section such as Individual.
Click on the field name such as Salutation, First Name, Last Name, etc. to add them to the list on the left.
Click on Save.
Campaign Manager's Data Integrity Report is an incredibly powerful tool that searches through your data and looks for the common scenarios that will cause validation errors or warnings on your FEC report. And it gets even better — the Data Integrity Report allows you to fix every single one of these issues right there on the screen!
The below screenshot shows the report inputs and the results it gives you. You can see that at the top you will enter in the same parameters you will be using for the FEC report you're working on. So make sure to enter the same start/end date, threshold date, and threshold amount. Then click the "Run Check" button on the right.
There are a ton of other things this report will check for as well! It will identify missing occupation or missing employer on your individual donors, missing reporting descriptions on your transactions, missing candidate ID on your candidate records, and a candidate committee not having its candidate record linked to it — just to name a few!
Before you can file your first electronic report from the Campaign Manager application you must first provide some basic information to the system regarding your committee, candidate, and bank information. This information is included in every report and will not need to be re-entered unless it changes.
The database must contain a committee record for your filing committee. This record should hold the legal committee name, address, and registration ID. Filing Committee Records are created by Aristotle Staff, please contact support with the information listed in the preceding sentence in order to have your record created.
After this record has been created you can update information by searching for your committee and editing the record. Be careful not to delete your committee record as you will not be able to re-create it without assistance from Aristotle Technicians.
If your committee is a candidate committee, the database should contain a candidate record representing this. After creating a candidate record and entering the correct office information, you can link this record to your committee using the "Connections" tab. You can access this tab while viewing either your committee record OR candidate Record.
Information related to your primary and supporting bank accounts should be entered from "Financial" --> "Accounts".
Example: FEC Form 3
In order to follow this process, your filing committee and candidate records need to be set up.
1. Find the candidate's individual record. Edit the "Basic Information" section. The following needs to be selected:
a. The "Candidate" box must be checked.
b. Select the appropriate "Jurisdiction" and "Office" settings.
c. Enter the "District Code" and select the correct district code. If the correct district code is not available, type it in and select "Add as new District".
d. Enter the candidate's ID number into the "Candidate ID" field.
e. Save your changes.
2. Find the filing committee's record. Select the "Connections" tab and add a the candidate as a "Candidate" connection. (A walkthrough for adding connections is available here.)
The candidate's district information will now pull to your reports.
Compliance reports for both Federal and State are located in this section of the system. Depending on your organization determine if you are a monthly or quarterly filer. If you are unsure of the reports that you must file, you will need to contact your analyst.
Within this section you will have the ability to create and file FEC federal and State specific reports. All generated and filed reports done through Campaign Manager are available for view on this page.
To access any compliance reports you may need, hover over the compliance tab and then click on "government reports".
The "File New Report" section on the left hand side of your screen is where you select the filing authority (Federal, or State), and the specific report you would like to file. To select the desired report you simply just click on the Report itself and it will load a new page which allows you to select your "Filing Committee". Past forms that have been generated as well as start a new blank form.
If the report to be filed is a state report you will be presented with a dropdown for your state to select. After selecting desired state you will be presented with the various forms you may need to file.
Once the needed report appears, hover over the report and then click on it to open up the parameters screen.
On the right portion of your screen all previous reports will be listed. Here you have the ability to Edit report name and details, delete report, open or download the report.
The FEC Post-General (30 Day Following) report can be a tricky one, especially for anyone who has never generated one before. Campaign Manager requires very specific settings in the report parameters in order to get Column C to show up on the summary pages:
Most FEC report filers like to double check their column B totals on each report that they file. This is something we always highly recommend! However, the way that column B totals are calculated on the Post-General report is distinctly different versus any other FEC Form 3 report.
On every other Form 3 report filed throughout the year (Q1, Q2, Q3, etc.), the way to double check your column B totals is to first pull up the report that was filed prior to the one you're currently working on. Then you will do the following calculation for any summary line:
(Previous report column B total) + (Current report column A total) = (Current report column B total)
As mentioned above, the Post-General does NOT work this way, thanks to the presence of column C. Instead, for the Post-General, the equation would be this:
(Pre-General report column B total) + (Post-General report column A total) - (Post-General report column C total) = (Post-General column B total)
For the Post-General report, you ALWAYS have to subtract column C in order for your Post-General column B totals to make sense.
For Status By Qualification (Section 5a) to populate of your FEC Form 1M, you will first need to be sure you've set up a Candidate record and linked it to the Committee record.
To fill out Section 5a of the Form 1M, enter an expense on the committee record and select the Reporting Code of "11 — Political Contributions," then save.
Also, in order for these Qualifying Contributions to pull to the report, you will need to select Qualification from the "Status By" dropdown in the report parameters screen, and make sure the date range you select includes the dates of these transactions:
Contribution Limits Manager
Select Contrib. Limits from the Compliance menu. Entering Contribution Limits helps to provide an extra safeguard in financial reporting. Using options provided, you can specify whether contributions are limited for any Condition of contributor, and for those with limits, what the limits are and whether the limits are per election period, per cycle, or per calendar year.
By default, Contribution Limits fields are available for Individuals and Organizations. You can add any one of the following conditions, and proceed to designate Contribution Limits, by selecting the condition from the drop-down menu.
For example in 2016, for a Federal Candidate Committee - the following are possible limit settings:
Committees should check with their local election agency for information about legal contribution limits. Aristotle International is not responsible for providing legal advice about campaign finance matters.
Allowing Over the Limit Check box, in the upper right corner, allows you to choose if users can override the "Over the Limit" alert notification when entering transactions. If this is not checked, the transaction won't be saved.
Once contribution limits have been set, the Campaign Manager system will alert the user upon the addition of a contribution that is over the donor's contribution limit.
Add a new election period by going to Compliance > Election Periods.
On the right side of the page, assign the election cycle (Primary, General, etc.), election date and office sought/purpose.
Click on the Add button to add the new election period.
This helpfile relates to the Best Efforts Manager, found in the Compliance Menu. You can view, edit and organize previous best efforts messages from this page. Click on the folder icon to edit the names and groups of previous best efforts messages. To send out best effort messages via email click the blue new mass email or new direct mail button in the upper right hand corner.
Step #1: Enter the title of your email, give your email a description, click next.
Step #2: Give your email a subject line, use the editor to format your email.
Step #3: Enter the "Send From" email address, the sender's name and your "Reply to" address. Assign an owner to the project.
Step #4: Select a previously stored query and choose which email address to send the email to.
Step #5: Review your number counts, schedule your email for delivery and click the green send button.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Step #1: Enter a title and description for your direct mailing.
Step #2: Enter a subject line and format your direct mail.
Step #3: Assign the project to a member of your organization.
Step #4: Select a previously saved search query.
Step #5: Review your information and click send. On the next page click the download icon and print off your letters.
ALLOCATIONS
The first thing to confirm when beginning a transfer is that all of the allocations are correct and up to date. Users do not have access to update the splits/allocations. Users will have to reach out to Support with a request to update the allocations and provide exact details of how the allocations should be set.
The splits/allocations do not calculate for each contribution until you select the Search button after starting a new transfer.
If a transaction needs the splits/allocations to be different that what the JFC tool is calculating, then the contribution must be updated using the override options in the JFC Splits tab of the contribution, before completing the transfer.
Once all of the transactions for the transfer have been entered into the JFC account and updated accordingly, you will be able to search for them and review the splits/allocations before completing the transfer.
EDITING A TRANSFER
After a transfer takes place the only way to edit those transactions is within the JFC tool. You will not be able to open one of the expenses or contributions that were created during a transfer unless you use the JFC tool.
Once the transfer is completed you will also NOT be able to use Mass Update or Mass Delete in the Financial Search to make changes to the distributed transactions.
If a transfer is completed and you need to make a change to remove a contributor, the transfer will need to be deleted by Support and completed again.
PARTNERSHIPS
If there happens to be a partnership contribution included in the transfer, only the contributors will appear in the memos. The partnership will be listed as memo text on the report for each of the partnership contributors.
HOW TO COMPLETE A TRANSFER
Confirm that the allocations are correct and select New Transfer
Select the date range of contributions to be included in the transfer (apply other filters as needed) then select "Search". This is when the calculations will take place, so you will want to edit any splits using the override before this.
On the Pending Transfer screen you can review the splits/allocations in the page, or you can also download to a spreadsheet and review. You can toggle on transactions you do not want to be included in the transfer. Another option to exclude a contributor from the transfer is to override their splits to $0 in the JFC Splits tab of the original contribution. Once everything has been reviewed and confirmed you can select Finalize
Transfer ID and Name are required to complete the transfer. If you do not use Transfer ID then you can just enter the same name as the Transfer Name if you prefer. The area at the top will be the settings such as date and election period for the expenses created during the transfer.
The bottom section will be all the settings for the amount of the contributions created. The bank account, election period, and reporting description selected here will all be applied to the contributions.
Once everything is set correctly then select Complete.
After the transfer is complete the only way to edit the expenses or contributions created by the transfer is to edit them here in the JFC tool. You will not be able to open the expenses or contributions and make changes because there will not be a save button. It will redirect you here instead. Once the changes have been made select Update Transfer.
You will be able to review completed transfers on the JFC tool page by selecting the name of the transfer. You will also be able to download spreadsheets that have all the memos on them for each level or for the whole transfer.
If there are any concerns or questions about the JFC Tool please do not hesitate to reach out to Support for clarification before completing the transfer.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Page 1 of the FEC Form 1 Statement of Organization in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee record. The lettered items are populated using fields on the Form 1 criteria page.
For instructions on how to connect staff records to the committee record, see 1.2 Committee Records - Linking Committee Staff.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Page 2 of the FEC Form 1 Statement of Organization in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the candidate's record. The lettered items are populated using fields on the Form 1 criteria page.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Page 3 of the FEC Form 1 Statement of Organization in Campaign Manager.
Additional information on adding Joint Fundraising Committees to the system can be found in 5.8 Setting up Joint Fundraising Committees.
For the steps on how to connect other committees and staff to your filing committee record, please see 1.2 Committee Records - Linking Committee Staff.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Page 4 of the FEC Form 1 Statement of Organization in Campaign Manager.
Banks and other depositories are populated using the fields located in Financial >>> Accounts, as seen below. Additional information on adding accounts to the system can be found in 7.2 Accounts.
When you pull the new Form 1 report, be sure to go to Compliance > Governement Reports > FEC Form 1 > Start Blank Form to get the new bank information to pull to the report.
This Help File will provide you with the proper data entry to get the address of a Leadership PAC Sponsor to pull to your FEC Form 1 report if you find that Line 6 is only pulling the name and not the address of the record.
Campaign Manager does not allow you to link an Individual record to a committee using the "Leadership PAC Sponsor" connection type, but when you link the Candidate record to their Candidate Committee record using the "Candidate" connection type, then link this committee to your filing committee record using the "Leadership PAC Sponsor" connection type, the name and address from the Candidate record will populate on your Form 1 Line 6.
This help file will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the FEC Form 2 Statement of Candidacy in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the candidate's record or on the record of the appropriate committee. The lettered items are populated using fields on the Form 2 criteria page.
Fields 1-6 are populated from the Candidate's record.
Fields 7-8 are populated from the record of the committee to which the above candidate is connected as candidate. For instructions on how to connect a candidate to a committee click here.
Fields 9-10 are populated from the record of every committee which is connected to the principal campaign committee as either an "Authorized Committee" or as a "Joint Fundraising REP". For instructions on how to connect committees click here.
Fields A-C are populated from the criteria page for the Form 2.
To add additional text to the Form 2 follow the steps outlined below:
1. On the criteria page for the Form 2 click the "Settings" tab.
2. Check the "Print Text to Report" checkbox.
3. Enter the additional text in the space for the report text.
Everything that is entered in the report text box will appear on the report as an additional page of text as seen below.
Independent Expenditures are entered as an Expense transaction with all the typical data entry for expenses: Vendor, Amount, Date, Election Period, Account, and Reporting Description for purpose. (in addition to any internal tracking fields like batch, category, memo)
There are 3 field specifications needed to distinguish these IE's from other expenses:
1. Reporting Code: select IE - Independent Expenditures
2. Date of Disbursement or Obligation: this field only appears for entry when the IE reporting code is selected
**Make sure that your dataset has a Custom Field titled "FEC IE Payment Date" - to trigger the Date of Disbursement/Obligation to appear.
3. Support/Oppose: The name of the federal candidate to appear with this transaction on your form 24 will need to be saved to this field indicating whether the IE is to support or oppose them. This candidate will need to have an individual record in your database with the Candidate field checked and the Jurisdiction, Office, and District fields completed.
Each independant expenditure itemized on the Form 24 has a field for the date of public distribution/dissemination.
To populate the field Date of Public Distribution/Dissemination edit the independant expenditure and enter the date of dissemination into the main date field found near the top of the transaction then click Save.
Each independent expenditure itemized on the Form 24 has a field for the date of disbursement or obligation.
Make sure that your dataset has a Custom Field titled "FEC IE Payment Date" - this will trigger the Date of Disbursement/Obligation to appear when the "IE" reporting code is selected.
To populate this field, edit the independent expenditure, and type in the date of disbursement/obligation from the general tab.
Save the transaction.
This will automatically pull it to the Form 24, and fill in the date of disbursement.
The field for the candidates name and office sought can be found at the bottom of each independent expenditure entry on the Form 24. To populate these fields follow the below steps.
1. To fill the name of the candidate being either supported or opposed edit the transaction in question and scroll to the Support/Oppose section at the bottom of the transaction and search for the candidate in question.
2. Select the candidate from the drop-down list that appears. If they do not appear in a drop-down list you will need to create a new candidate record for them before connecting them to your transaction.
3. Select the thumbs up if you support this candidate and the thumbs down if you oppose them, then click Save
1. Go to the record of the candidate in question and edit the basic information section. Near the bottom of this section there is a checkbox to note that this record is a candidate record. Make sure to mark this checkbox.
2. Once the Candidate checkbox is marked a field will appear for the office sought. Select the correct office sought from the drop-down here and save the record.
This is where your contributions and in-kind contributions will show up.
11(a)(i): This line reflects all itemized contributions.
11(a)(ii): This line reflects all unitemized contributions.
11(a)(iii): This line reflects the total of contributions from Individuals.
Earmarked contributions indicate that a contribution has come to your committee by way of another committee or Individual, called an Intermediary. These are also sometimes referred to as Conduits. These are recorded as memo transactions on Line 11a if the funds were originated by an Individual and 11b or 11c for contributions originating from a Party or PAC, respectively.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
Any contributions made by a party committee should appear in this section.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
Any contributions made by another committee besides party committee should appear in this section.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
This line is where contributions from your candidate will appear.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
The sum of lines 11(a)-(e).
This line is hardly used. It is for transfers from other authorized committees. An authorized committee is the principal campaign committee or any other political committee authorized by a candidate to received contributions or make expenditures on behalf of that candidate. Please note, this is DIFFERENT from an Earmarked Contribution.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
This line is where all loans from the candidate to the committee will appear.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
This line is where all other loans will show up. You can enter these loan transactions into the system through the Financial tab, then choosing Loans.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
The sum of lines 13(a) and 13(b).
This line is for refunds or rebates.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
Other miscellaneous receipts pull to this line.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
The sum of Lines 11(e), 12, 13(c), 14 and 15.
This is where your expenses will show up. Subvendors will show up as expenses on line 17. They will appear as memos to the original expense if they are above the reporting threshold. Some examples of Operating Expenditures are media advertising, newspaper advertising, salaries, travel, rent and telephones.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
This line is hardly used. It is for transfers to other authorized committees. An authorized committee is the principal campaign committee or any other political committee authorized by a candidate to received contributions or make expenditures on behalf of such candidate. If you do not have any other committees controlled by your candidate, you will NOT be using this line.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
This is where payments on loans from your candidate will appear.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
This is where payments on loans that are not from your candidate will appear.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
The sum of all loan repayments.
This is where refunds of contributions from line 11(a) will appear.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
This is where refunds of contributions from line 11(b) will appear.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
This is where refunds of contributions from line 11(c) will appear.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
The sum of Lines 20(a), 20(b) and 20(c)
Miscellaneous expenses will pull to this line.
See here for information on getting transactions to pull to this line.
The sum of Lines 17, 18, 19(c), 20(d) and 21.
This line automatically populates with the total amount of cash on hand at the beginning of the reporting period.
This line contains the sum total amount of receipts (taken from Line 16).
The sum of Lines 23 and 24.
This line contains the sum total amount of disbursements (taken from Line 22).
The difference between Lines 26 and 25 (Line 26 subtracted from Line 25).
Schedule | Line | Record Type | Transaction Type/Details |
Sch A | Line 11ai | Individual, Organization | Contribution: Any Payment Type |
Individual | Contribution: Any Payment Type, Reversal Box Checked | ||
Individual, Organization | Contribution: Intermediary | ||
Individual, Organization | In-kind | ||
Individual | Contribution: Partner | ||
Individual | Contribution: Reattribution From OR Reattribution To | ||
Individual, Organization | Contribution: Redesignation From OR Redesignation To | ||
Line 11b | Committee: Party | Contribution: Any Payment Type | |
Committee: Party | In-kind | ||
Committee: Party | Contribution: Redesignation From OR Redesignation To | ||
Line 11c | Committee: Committee of Continuous Existence, Electioneering Communication Organization, General Candidate Committee, Multicandidate Federal PAC | Contribution: Any Payment Type | |
Committee: Committee of Continuous Existence, Electioneering Communication Organization, General Candidate Committee, Multicandidate Federal PAC | Contribution: Intermediary | ||
Committee: Committee of Continuous Existence, Electioneering Communication Organization, General Candidate Committee, Multicandidate Federal PAC | In-kind | ||
Committee: Committee of Continuous Existence, Electioneering Communication Organization, General Candidate Committee, Multicandidate Federal PAC | Contribution: Redesignation From OR Redesignation To | ||
Line 11d | Individual | Contribution: Reattribution To | |
Individual: Candidate | Contribution: Cash, Check, Credit Card, Debit Card | ||
Individual: Candidate | In-kind | ||
Individual: Candidate | Memo Contribution | ||
Individual: Candidate | Contribution: Reattribution From | ||
Individual: Candidate | Contribution: Redesignation From OR Redesignation To | ||
Line 12 | Committee: Authorized Committee, Joint Fundraising Participant, Joint Fundraising REP | Contribution: Transfer Box Checked | |
Individual, Organization, Committee: Committee of Continuous Existence, Committee: Electioneering Communication Organization, Committee: General Candidate Committee, Committee: Multicandidate Federal PAC | Contribution: Transfer Box Checked, Partner | ||
Line 13a | Individual: Candidate | Loan Received | |
Organization: Bank | Loan Received: Loan Guarantor Is Candidate | ||
Line 13b | Any Record Type | Loan Received: Loan Guarantor Is Not Candidate | |
Line 14 | Any Record Type | Expense: Reversal Box Checked, Reporting Code {001, 002, 003, 004, 005, 006, 007, 008, OTH} | |
Line 15 | Any Record Type | Accrued Misc. Income Payment | |
Any Record Type | Memo Contribution: Exempt Legal Memo | ||
Any Record Type | Misc. Income | ||
Sch B | Line 17 | Individual | Bill Payment |
Any Record Type | Expense | ||
Any Record Type | Expense: Reporting Code {001, 002, 003, 004, 005, 006, 007, 008, TTA} | ||
Any Record Type | Expense: Sub-Vendor | ||
Line 18 | Any Record Type | Expense: Sub-Vendor, Reporting Code {TTA} | |
Line 19a | Individual: Candidate | Loan Received: Repayment | |
Organization: Bank/Lender | Loan Received: Repayment, Loan Guarantor Is Candidate | ||
Line 19b | Any Record Type | Loan Received: Repayment, Loan Guarantor Is Not Candidate | |
Line 20a | Individual, Organization | Unpaid Bill: Bill Payment, Reporting Code {010} | |
Individual, Organization | Expense: Reporting Code {010} | ||
Individual, Organization | Expense: Sub-Vendor, Reporting Code {010} | ||
Line 20b | Committee: Party | Unpaid Bill: Bill Payment, Reporting Code {010} | |
Committee: Party | Expense: Reporting Code {010} | ||
Committee: Party | Expense: Sub-Vendor, Reporting Code {010} | ||
Line 20c | Committee: Committee of Continuous Existence, Electioneering Communication Organization, General Candidate Committee, Multicandidate Federal PAC | Unpaid Bill: Bill Payment, Reporting Code {010} | |
Committee: Committee of Continuous Existence, Electioneering Communication Organization, General Candidate Committee, Multicandidate Federal PAC | Expense: Reporting Code {010} | ||
Committee: Committee of Continuous Existence, Electioneering Communication Organization, General Candidate Committee, Multicandidate Federal PAC | Expense: Sub-Vendor, Reporting Code {010} | ||
Line 21 | Any Record Type | Expense: Reporting Code {011, 012, 012E} | |
Committee | In-kind Expenditure Made: Reporting Code {011} | ||
Sch C | Any Record Type | Loan Received | |
Any Record Type | Loan Received: Repayment | ||
Any Record Type | Loan Received: Forgiveness | ||
Any Record Type | Loan Received: Guarantor | ||
Any Record Type | Loan Received: Interest | ||
Sch C-1 | Any Record Type | Loan Received: Collateral | |
Individual: Candidate | Loan Received: Existing Loan Funds | ||
Organization: Bank/Lender |
Loan Received: Existing Loan Funds |
||
Sch D | Line 9 | Any Record Type | Unpaid Bill: 3rd Party Bill Payment |
Any Record Type | Accrued Misc. Income | ||
Any Record Type | Accrued Misc. Income: Repayment | ||
Line 10 | Any Record Type | Unpaid Bill | |
Any Record Type | Unpaid Bill: Bill Payment | ||
Any Record Type | Unpaid Bill: Forgiveness |
The following fields in an individual record are reportable to the FEC in government reporting:
Full Name.
Mailing Address: City, State, Zip Code.
If contributions exceed $200.00 the FEC requires the following to be reported:
Name of Employer.
Occupation.
Go to Contacts > Click the "create" button to the very right side, and click on individual.
In an effort to prevent records from being duplicated, you must first search the name. If the record does not exist, "No search results found" and an option to "+ New Individual" will appear. Click and enter the individual information.
Alternatively, you can use the quick search bar at the top of Campaign Manager. Type in the name of the individual, and if they don't exist, click on the new individual button to create a new individual.
Full Name.
Mailing Address: City, State, Zip Code.
Type of Organization: "Bank", "Corporation", "LLC", "Non-Profit", "Partnership", "or Union".
Committee ID: for PACs and Campaign Committees, this field must contain their valid FEC ID number.
At the top of Campaign Manager is the quick search bar. Type in the name of the organization or committee. If it appears, click on the record and then edit the fields that need to be edited from the record profile.
Otherwise, if it does not exist, click on the "new organization" or "new committee" button to start creating a new record.
To create a new contribution, press "+ Transaction" in the specific individual/organization record's list of transactions, or select "Contribution" under the Financial tab. Fill in the following information, and click "Save."
The following fields in a recorded contribution are reportable to the FEC in government reporting:
Bold is the name on Campaign Manager 7. (Italicized) is the name on the FEC form.
Date (Date of Receipt)
Amount (Amount of Each Receipt this Period)
Election Period (Receipt For:)
[when required] Reporting Description
All of the above fields will appear in the FEC Form 3 as pictured below:
To create a new expense, press "+ Transaction" in the specific individual/organization record's list of transactions, or select "Expense" under the Financial tab. Fill in the following information, and click "Save."
The following fields in a recorded expense are reportable to the FEC in government reporting:
Bold is the name on Campaign Manager 7. (Italicized) is the name on the FEC form.
Amount (Amount of Each Disbursement this Period)
Date (Date of Disbursement)
Reporting Description (Purpose of Disbursement)
Reporting Code (Category/Type)
Election Period (Disbursement for)
Account: this is the budget account number with which the transaction is associated. This field is only important for FEC filing when the disbursement is associated with a Loan.
All of the above fields will appear in the FEC Form 3 as pictured below:
Line 11a - Contributions from Individuals/Non-Political Committees Record Types: Individual Transaction Types: Contribution |
1. In the individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Create a new Contribution from the Transactions tab of the individual's record. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
1. In the organization's record, make sure the Organization Type is set as "Partnership" in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Each Partner on the check must also have information. In the individuals' record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
3. Create a new Contribution from the Transactions tab of the organization's record. Set the correct Date, Amount, and Election Period. Set the Payment Method to "Check" and fill out the Check Number.
4. Select the Linking tab of the contribution and select Partnership to enter each Partner's memo. Fill out the Contributor, Date, Amount, Election Period, and Reporting Description sections and click the +Add button. Do the same for each partner.
1. In the individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. The Conduit's record must also have information. The conduit can be any committee record with a valid committee type. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
3. Create a new Contribution from the Transactions tab of the individual's record. Set the correct Date, Amount, Election Period, and Payment Method.
4. Select the Intermediary tab of the contribution to enter the Conduit's memo. Fill out the Intermediary Name, Date, and Amount sections and click the +Add button.
1. In the individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Create a new In-Kind from the Transactions tab of the individual's record. Set the correct Date, Value, and Election Period.
1. Both parties to a reattribution must have completed records. In both individual records, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Create a new Contribution from the Transactions tab of the original donor's individual record. Set the correct Date, Amount, Election Period, and Payment Method.
3. Select the Linking tab of the contribution and select Reattribution to enter the reattribution memo. Fill out the Recipient, Date, Amount, and Election Period sections and click the +Add button.
1. In the individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Create a new Contribution from the Transactions tab of the individual's record. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
3. Select the Linking tab of the contribution and select Redesignation to enter the redesignation memo. Fill out the Date, Amount, and Election Period sections and click the +Add button.
Line 11b - Contrbutions from Political Party CommitteesRecord Types: Committee (Political Party Committee) Transaction Types: Contribution |
All transaction types for Line 11b are entered the same way as for Line 11a, except that Committee records with a Committee Type of "Political Party Committee" are used instead of Individual records.
Line 11c - Contributions from Other Political CommitteesRecord Types: Committee Transaction Types: Contribution |
All transaction types for Line 11c are entered the same way as for Line 11b, except that Committee records with a Committee Type other than "Political Party Committee" are used.
Line 11d - Contributions from the CandidateRecord Types: Individual (Candidate) Transaction Types: Contribution |
All transaction types for Line 11d are entered the same way as for Line 11a, except that the individual record must be marked as the candidate for your filing committee. This is done as follows: in the Basic Information section of the individual's record check the Candidate box and fill out the District Code. Then select the Connections tab of the individual's record and add a new Candidate connection with the filing committee.
Line 12 - Transfers from Other Authorized CommitteesRecord Types: Committee (Authorized Committee) Transaction Types: Contribution (Transfer) |
Transfers for Line 12 are entered the same way as contributions for Line 11a, except that Committee records with a Committee Type of Authorized Committee are used instead of Individual records. These Committee records must also be linked to the Filing Committee as a Joint Fundraising Rep. This can be done in the Connections tab of the record by following the instructions found here.
Lastly, the Transfer box must also be checked on the contribution. See below for where that box is located.
Line 13a - Loans Made/Guaranteed by the Candidate |
Record Types: Candidate Contribution Types: Loans Made/Guaranteed by the Candidate Transactions: Loans Made by the Candidate Loans Guaranteed by the Candidate |
Loans Made by the Candidate
Loans made by the Candidate are the easiest loans to enter into Campaign Manager, as they are the only loans that do not require a supplementary Form C1. A loan made by the Candidate is also the only loan type that does not require a Loan Number when applied to loans. However, a loan number will be required for each loan if the Candidate makes multiple loans to the committee.
For instructions on repaying this loan, see Schedule B Line 19a.
Enter a new Loan Received transaction. Enter the date the loan was given in the Date field then enter Amount and Period. The Reporting Description should be entered as "Loan from Candidate." In the Internal Memo field, you can enter "Personal Funds." If there is a specific due date be sure to choose Specific Date from the drop down and enter the date due in the box below.
Make sure candidate record has FEC ID added to it in order to mark the box next to Personal Funds of the Candidate on Form 3.
The Loan will appear on the Form 3 like this:
Loans Guaranteed by the Candidate
To establish the candidate as the guarantor of a loan made to the campaign, first enter the information following the above instructions for Loans made by the Candidate. Once entered, click on the pencil to the right of the transaction entry and then choose Linking. Within the pull-down that appears choose Loan Guarantor. Search for the name of the candidate and click Add. The loan guarantee will appear as it does in the example below.
The Loan will appear on the Form 3 like this:
Line 13b - All Other Loans |
Record Types: Bank/Lender Contribution Types: Other Loans Transactions: All Non-Candidate Loans |
All Non-Candidate Loans
All non-candidate loans have to have a supplementary Form C1 to show the loan's origin and will also need a Loan Number.
Enter a New Loan Received transaction. Enter the date the loan was given in the Date field then enter Amount and Period. The Reporting Description can be entered as "Loan from non-candidate" or "Bank Loan," depending on the lender. In the Internal Memo field, you can enter "Personal Funds." If there is a specific due date be sure to choose Specific Date from the drop down and enter the date due in the box below.
For instructions on repaying this loan, see Schedule B Line 19a.
The Loan will appear on the Form 3 like this:
Line 14 - Offsets to Operating Expenditures |
Record Types: All Record Types Contribution Types: Offsets to Operating Expenditures Transactions: Refunds, Rebates, Etc. |
Line 14: Offsets to Operating Expenditures (Refunds, Rebates, etc)
Any offsets to operating expenditures, such as refunds or rebates, should be reported on Line 14. Here are the steps required to enter this type of transaction:
To get a prior Memo transaction to appear underneath an Offset of Operating Expenditure on Line 14 of the FEC Form 3:
Line 15 - Other Receipts (Dividends, Interest, etc.) |
Record Types: All Record Types Transaction Types: Accrued Misc. Income Repayment Memo Contribution: Exempt Legal Memo Misc. Income |
Dividends and interest earned are entered as Accrued Misc. Income. Payments of Accrued Misc. Income pull to line 15.
To enter a payment to an Accrued Misc. Income transaction, find and open the Accrued Misc. Income transaction that is receiving a payment, either in the Register or the Source's record. Click the Linking tab and select Accrued Misc. Income History. Under New Payment, select Repayment and enter the Amount and Date of the payment. Click Add to record the payment.
Repayment of loans your committee made to other committees needs to show up here as well as
on Schedule C.
Repayment of loans can be entered in the Loan Made. Find and open the Loan Made transaction that is receiving a repayment, either from the Register or from the Recipient's record. Choose the Linking tab and drop down to Loan History.
Press the Repayment button, enter the data in the appropriate fields, click the Done button, then Save.
Miscellaneous Income can be entered starting from the Financial drop down and choosing Misc. Income.
Then, enter your data in the appropriate fields and Save.
To enter an Exempt Legal Memo, use the Financial drop down and choose Memo Contribution.
Then, be sure to check the Exempt Legal Memo box, enter your data in the appropriate fields and Save.
Schedule B details all of your itemized disbursements. On the detailed summary page, Schedule B supports lines 17 through 21. Below, listed line by line, are the types of disbursements that can be made. The following codes are found in the Reporting Code dropdown menu within the expense transaction details.
001 Administrative/Salary/Overhead Expenses (e.g., rent, staff salaries, postage, office supplies, equipment, furniture, ballot access fees, petition drives, party fees and legal and accounting expenses)
002 Travel Expenses - including travel reimbursement expenses (e.g., costs of commercial carrier tickets; reimbursements for use of private vehicles, advance payments for use of corporate aircraft; lodging and meal expenses incurred during travel)
003 Solicitation and Fundraising Expenses (e.g., costs for direct mail solicitations and fundraising events including printing, mailing lists, consultant fees, call lists, invitations, catering costs and room rental)
004 Advertising Expenses - including general public political advertising (e.g., purchases of radio/television broadcast/cable time, print advertisements and related production costs)
005 Polling Expenses
006 Campaign Materials (e.g., buttons, bumper stickers, brochures, mass mailings, pens, posters, balloons)
007 Campaign Event Expenses (e.g., costs associated with candidate appearances, campaign rallies, town meetings, phone banks, including catering costs, door to door get-out-the-vote efforts and driving voters to the polls)
008 Transfers (e.g., to other authorized committees of the same candidate)
009 Loan Repayments (e.g., repayments of loans made or guaranteed by the candidate or any other person)
010 Refunds of Contributions (e.g., contribution refunds to individuals/ persons, political party committees or other political committees)
011 Political Contributions (e.g., contributions to other federal candidates and committees, donations to nonfederal candidates and committees)
012 Donations (e.g., donations to charitable or civic organizations)
Record Types: All Record Types (Committee's need a Reporting Code)
Disbursement Kinds: Operating Expenditures
Transactions: Expense- Operating Expenditure
There are two ways to create expenses, either through the Vendor's record or via the Financial tab.
Vendor:
1. When in the Vendor's Organization record, choose the Transactions tab
2. Click New Transaction, then Expense
3. Complete all applicable fields- Committee expenses must have a Reporting Code selected
4. If you are including Sub-vendors, click the Linking tab in the middle of the transaction details, then Sub-vendors
**NOTE: This is typically used when you are adding a credit card expense or other similar transactions**
5. Click Save at the bottom of the transaction window when you are done
Financial Tab:
1. Place your mouse over the Financial tab, then choose Expense
2. On the resulting screen will be both the Register on the left and fields to add the expense on the right
3. Complete all applicable fields, including any Sub-vendors, then click Save or Save/Next to move to a blank expense transaction screen. Committee Expenses must have a Reporting Code selected.
NOTE: Committee expenses will default to Line 21 unless a Reporting code like "001 Administrative/Salary/Overhead Expenses" is selected which directs it to Line 17.
Create the record for the authorized committee and make sure it's marked as a committee record and the committee type is "Authorized Committee".
Open the authorized committee record and click on Transactions
Click on New Transaction.
Choose Expense.
Enter the transaction amount, date, etc.
Choose the Reporting code: "TTA - Transfer to Authorized".
Save the transaction.
If the loan is guaranteed by the candidate:
Open the record where the loan appears. This must be an organization record with the Organization Type "Bank/Lender".
Click on Transactions.
Find the original loan transaction and click on the edit icon next to it.
Click on the Linking tab.
Choose Loan Guarantor.
Under New Loan Guarantor, enter the name of the candidate who guaranteed the loan.
After you've found the candidate's name listed, click on it and click on the Add button.
Click on the Save button to save the information.
To record the payment:
In the loan transaction, click on the Linking tab.
Choose Loan History.
Click on the Repayment button.
Enter the amount and date of the payment.
Click on the Add button.
Open the record where the loan appears. This is unusually a bank record.
Click on Transactions.
Find the original loan transaction and click on the edit icon next to it.
Click on the Linking tab.
Choose Loan History.
Click on the Repayment tab.
Enter the amount and date of the payment.
Click on the Add button.
Line 20a - Refunds to Individuals |
Record Types: Individual Disbursement Kinds: Refund of contribution Transactions: Refund of contribution |
Refund of Contribution
To enter a refund of contribution for an individual, go to the Individual's record's Transaction tab and select Expense from the blue +New Transactions drop down.
Then enter data in the appropriate fields, make sure the Reporting code is 010 - Refunds of Contributions, and save.
Refund of a Contribution — Memo
Alternatively, if you need the refund to appear as a memo, you can do so by repeating the steps above, but selecting the transaction type Memo Expense instead of a regular Expense. From there, you'll then have to use the same reporting code (010 - Refunds of Contributions).
Line 20b - Refunds to Political Party Committees |
Record Types: Political Party Committee Disbursement Kinds: Refund of contribution Transactions: Refund of contribution |
Refund of Contribution
For Political Party Committees, you can use the same steps as 20a except you will be accessing the Transactions tab from the Committee's record.
Line 20c - Refunds to Other Political Committees (PACs) |
Record Types: Authorized committee Disbursement Kinds: Refund of contribution Transactions: Refund of contribution |
Refund of Contribution
For Committees other than Political Parties, you can use the same steps as 20a except you will be accessing the Transactions tab from the Non- Party Committee's record.
Line 21 - Other Disbursements |
Record Types: All Record Types Disbursement Kinds: Other Disbursements Transactions: Contributions to Candidates In-Kind Contributions to Candidates |
Political Contributions
Political Contributions (e.g., contributions to other federal candidates and committees, donations to non-federal candidates and committees) can be entered as Expenses or In-Kind Expense Made. When the type of transaction is determined, go to the candidate/committee record's Transaction tab and select the appropriate Disbursement type (Expense or In-Kind Expense Made). Make sure the Candidate box is checked (and the information for the candidate's office is accurate) in the candidate's Individual record. If originating the transaction from the committee's record, make sure the Committee's record was created as a committee with a valid committee type and that the Candidate is connected to the committee with the Candidate connection.
Enter the data in the appropriate fields, use Reporting Code 011 - Political Contributions, be sure to choose the appropriate Support/Oppose button and find and select the Candidate in the Support/Oppose field (If this expense was not made to a candidate committee, you may find and select the committee again) and save.
Donations
Charitable donations will also show up on line 21. Just enter the data in the appropriate fields, use the reporting code 012 - Donations when creating the Disbursement and save. This reporting code should only be used for charitable donations.
NOTE: Committee expenses will default to Line 21 unless a Reporting code like "001 Administrative/Salary/Overhead Expenses" is selected which directs it to Line 17.
Schedule C shows continuous reporting of all loans, whether from the Candidate, Bank, or other
Lending Institution. It is automatically created and filled out using the Loan Received and
Loan Made records completed for Line 13 and Line 19.
Schedule C is also automatically filled out for loans you make to other committees, for the Loan
Received and Loan Made records for Line 15 and Line 21.
NOTE: PER FEC SPECIFICATIONS, WHEN A LOAN MADE BY THE CANDIDATE IS FORGIVEN BY THE CANDIDATE, THE ONLY EVIDENCE OF THE FORGIVENESS ON THE REPORT IS THAT THE BALANCE OF THE LOAN BEING FORGIVEN GETS PAID DOWN ACCORDINGLY. NO SEPARATE TRANSACTION FOR THE FORGIVENESS WILL DISPLAY ON THE REPORT.
Schedule C1 is used to report detailed information on any Bank or Lending Institution from
which your Committee has received a Loan. Schedule C1 is required for any Loan except a
Loan from the Candidate's personal funds.
To fill out Schedule C1 information, click on Connections in the Committee record to find and open the Bank's record.
Click on New Transaction.
Choose Loan Received.
Enter amount, date, interest rate, due date, etc.
Next, select the Linking tab and choose Loan Collateral.
Fill out all information relating to the loan's collateral and click +Add.
Click on Save.
To file a Schedule C and a C-1 when the campaign's candidate has guaranteed the line of credit, follow the instructions outlined in the steps below.
Record Types: All Record Types
Contribution Types: Debt/Obligation, Other Receipt Transactions: Unpaid Bill: 3rd Party Bill Repayment |
1. When viewing the transaction details, click the Linking tab then Unpaid Bill History.
2. In the lower half of the transaction details window, click the 3rd Party Repayment option.
3. Complete all applicable fields and click Save.
1. To create an Accrued Misc. Income transaction, go to the Financial tab then to Accrued Misc. Income.
2. On the resulting screen will be the Register on the left and the transaction details on the right. Search for the Individual or Organization in the Source field, then complete all applicable fields.
3. Click the Save button or the Save/Next to create a new Accrued Misc. Income transaction.
This transaction type is rare. It is meant for interest that is added onto a loan owed to the committee. The payment is made specifically on the interest. In many cases these transaction types are recorded differently.
Line 10 - Debts Owed by the Committee |
Record Types: All Record Types Disbursement Kinds: Debt/Obligation Operating Expenditure Transactions: Debt Owed by the Committee Increase of Previous Debt Payment of Debt Owed by the Committee |
Debts Owed by the Committee are linked to their payments in the Transaction Links of the Record of the Debtee.
If multiple debts and obligations exist within the same master record, each debt and obligation will need its own transaction entry.
To enter a debt owed by the committee, one that is not a loan, select Unpaid Bills & Pending from the Financial submenu. Search for the vendor or create a new record if necessary. Reporting Code is important to notate, but Reporting Description will act a memo line of sorts for reporting detail and show on the Purpose line of the Form 3 detail.
The unpaid expense will appear on the Form 3 like this:
Within the transaction record for the recorded Debt, choosing the Linking tab located in the middle of the entry detail. Next, choose Loan History. Look for New Loan Activity at the bottom of the detail and select the Repayment tab. Once you enter the necessary information for Amount, Date and Lender, hit Add and the information will then show in the middle of the detail screen with the remaining loan balance highlighted in green as shown below.
For Loans, the transaction detail will look like this:
For Unpaid Expenses, the transaction detail will look like this:
Totals from Schedule C will also pull to this line. For information on how to enter transactions to appear on Schedule C, view the helpfile "Form 3 - Schedule C".
1. Process to generate FEC Form 3
To file an FEC Form 3 Report of Receipts and Disbursements For An Authorized Committee go to Compliance > Government Reports.
Here you can open, download, edit, delete or e-file a previously generated report (see 1d below), and create or file a new report (see 1a below).
1a. How to get to parameters
To generate a new form with new criteria, under the File New Report menu bar for FEC reports, scroll down to FEC Form 3. Click on this hyperlink which will take you to a page that lists all of the previous FEC form 3 reports that users within your database have generated.
Select the appropriate Filing Committee. Select the box next to the appropriate account. Then, to the right of this Filing Committee box, click the blue "Start Blank Form +" window.
Once a filing committee and account are selected, you may click "Start Blank Form."
1b. Definition of each parameter field in 'Form Information' tab
To set the parameters for the form, go to the Form Information tab (default).
1b.i. Basic
Under "Schedule," select the reporting period for which you are filing.
The current period will be either Primary, General, Special, Runoff, Convention, or Termination.
Select the period "Termination" when running the last report. This will create an FEC Termination report for the dataset.
Note: If you are generating a Termination report that is amending a previously filed report, please be aware that the Termination box on the cover page of the .pdf version of the report will not be checked. This is due to how the FEC's Print Engine handles this type of situation. However, the report will be marked as a Termination (TER) report in the .fec file version, so it will still be acceptable for filing.
Select the Election State
Election Date will be the actual date of the current election for which you are reporting
Report Start: this date will be the first date of the reporting period. For instance, 01/01/2015.
Report End: this date will be the last date of the reporting period. For instance, 01/31/2015.
1b.ii. Amend a Previous Report:
Check the "Amend" box if this is an amendment to a previously filed report.
Amended Schedule ID: Enter this number as "FEC-..." do not enter FEC as lower case. This number can be found by searching for your committee/candidate on the fec.gov website here: http://fec.gov/finance/disclosure/candcmte_info.shtml. This number will consist of one letter and 8 numbers (example: C12345678).
Amendment Number: this is to keep track of how many times you have amended this report. For instance, say that you have already filed an original filing. Therefore, this amendment number will be 1.
1b.iii. Itemization Threshold:
Start Amount: suggested start amount would be $200.01. Anything above $200.00 is required by the FEC to be reported. Anything below, is not required by the FEC to be itemized.
End Amount: suggested end amount: $99999.
Start Date: Please enter the date which is one date after the previous election date. For example, is the previous election was on 11/04/2014, than please enter 11/05/2014.
1b.iv. Other:
Cash On Hand at Beginning of Period: enter the cash on hand at the beginning of this reporting period. This value should match the reported value of line 27 (cash on hand at close of reporting period) from your previous report, if any.
Auto Generate Line 11a: this allows the CM7 system to pull the totals from the previous cycle, based on what information has been entered in the database.
11ai Cycle Total Before This Period: this allows the user to manually enter the 11ai total into the report.
11aii Cycle Total Before This Period: this allows the user to manually enter the 11aii total into the report.
1b.v. Sorting:
Natural Order: sorts randomly.
Name: Sorting by Name will cause MEMO transactions to not appear directly below its parent.
Receipt Date: Sorting by Date will cause MEMO transactions to not appear directly below its parent.
1c. Definition of each parameter field in 'Report Options' tab
Next to the Form Information tab, click the Report Options tab.
Here you may enter a report text which will be recorded on an extra page of the report (page 5--in between period summary and itemized receipts).
You may also select any of the following options: Fill in Empty Occupation with 'Information Requested,' Fill in Empty Employer with 'Information Request,' Change of Address, or Ignore Election Code on Line 17.
Now, you can click "Generate Report." Within a few seconds, your report should generate and bring you to a page where you can rename your report for future reference (first type in new name, then click "Rename Report to save), or view your report in PDF or electronic format, or as a validation file. You can also e-file on this page.
1d. Explanation of the 'Previous Reports' section
Go to Compliance > Government Reports > here there is a box title "Previous Reports." In this window, you can open, download, edit, delete, or e-file the report.
Open: opens criteria of report, allowing the user to update any important information and regenerate the report.
Download: a drop-down menu allows the user to download the report into a printable PDF, Electronic Format, or in Validation Text.
Edit: here you can edit the Name of the report, the Filed Date, and the Confirmation ID. Then slick Save to apply changes, or Cancel to discard changes.
Delete: this allows the user to delete this generated report. Please note that once a report is deleted, it cannot be retrieved, even on Support's end.
E-File The Report: selecting this option will bring the user to the window that allows the user to enter in the required information to upload the report to the FEC (see 12.d).
2. Process to file FEC Form 3
To e-file FEC Form 3, you will need your Committee ID and FEC Password. Aristotle does not store your password. Hence, if lost, contact your FEC analyst or go to the FEC's website to apply for a new password.
2a. What happens after clicking generate (PDF, validation and .fec file provided)
After clicking generate, the Campaign Manager system will pull the required records in accordance with the specified dates to create a draft of the FEC Form 3 for you to inspect before actually filing.
"Click here to view your file in PDF format" will download a PDF of your report.
"Click here to view your validation file" will download a validation text of your report into Notepad (which will feature the report without the designed formatting) or another default program.
"Click here to view your file in electronic format" will download an electronic format of your report. This is the format that you want to submit to the FEC.
2b. How to check for validation errors/warnings
Be sure to enter the correct Committee ID, Password, Email, Connection Type and Amendment. If any of this crucial information is incorrect, a warning pop-up will appear giving you the reason as to why your report is not able to upload. Note that while an error must be fixed before filing, a warning should be fixed for best results. The FEC will accept filings with warnings although they may follow up with an RFAI.
2c. Common validation errors/warnings and how to fix (missing address, employer, etc.)
Is the Committee set-up correctly?
Make sure that the candidate's committee is entered into the database. Additionally, the contributions should be associated with the committee (organization), and not with the candidate (individual).
Is the Candidate set-up correctly?
Check that the candidate record is in your database, via Add/Search Individual > select record > Basic Information > is the Candidate option under Candidate Info marked? And if so, is information in Jurisdiction, Office, District Code, and Candidate ID filled out properly?
Is the Candidate associated with the Contribution?
The candidate's name should be associated with the expense via Support/Oppose icons. To check this:
Locate the expense in your database > click pencil icon to edit expense > scroll down to the bottom of pop-up expense-entry window to the thumbs up and thumbs down icons > click the appropriate icon >Type the candidate name that the committee supports or opposes by typing the candidate name and clicking Find > search results will appear, select the appropriate candidate > click Save.
2d. How to fill out fields and successfully file report
To successfully file the report, fill in your Committee ID, FEC Password, Email, Fax (optional), and Connection (the default is TCP/IP). If this is an amendment enter the number of the original report you are amending in the Amendment field using the format FEC-1001234.
Then click "Upload FEC File." Shortly, you will receive an email from the FEC notifying you that the report was successfully filed!
We've added a feature to the FEC Form 3 report parameters that will automatically populate some of the "beginning balance" type fields for you!
There are a few requirements for this button to successfully load your balance however! When this button is clicked, the system takes the "Period From" date that you have entered in the parameters, and looks through the reports that were filed within Campaign Manager for the following:
1. It looks for reports marked as filed with the end date closest to the "Period From" date
2. If it finds multiple reports with the same "Period From" date, it will look for the report with the highest amendment number
In effect, the tool looks for the last filed report before the report you're currently generating, and uses information from that filed report to automatically populate your Form 3 "Period Start Balance". This tool can be used as many times as necessary before generating the report!
NOTE 1: If the function is used, and then the "Period From" date is changed, the button needs to be clicked again to refresh the values in the applicable fields.
NOTE 2: This function WILL NOT WORK if you filed your last report outside of Campaign Manager, either through another software product or a manually edited report. If that is the case then a message saying "Previous balance not found" will appear.
How to Reattribute and Redesignate a Single Contribution
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This will show how to reattribute and redesignate a single transaction between the donor and their spouse. A single contribution (ex. $10,000 for 2016 Primary) can be reattributed to the spouse between two separate Election Periods (ex. $2,500 for 2016 Primary and $2,500 for 2018 Primary). The remaining of donor's contribution can then be redesignated towards the next Election Period (ex. $2,500 for 2018 Primary).
Here are the steps to do this:
(letters correspond to sections on the images)
1. Open the record with the original contribution.
2. Click Transaction tab.
3. Click on the blue pencil icon next to the contribution transaction to be redesignated.
4. Click on Linking tab.
5. Choose Reattribution from the drop-down list.
Under the New Reattribution section:
6. Under the New Reattribution section, search for the spouse record in the Recipient box. (a)
7. Enter the Date. (b)
8. Enter the Amount to be reattributed. (c)
9. Choose the Election Period. (d)
10. Click on the Add button. (e)
You can Reattribute towards different Election Periods. To do this simply follow the same steps but select a different Election Period.
After you reattribution half of the contribution to the spouse, the donor will need to have their half redesignated.
Here are the steps to do this:
(letters correspond to sections on the images)
1. Click on Reattribution tab.
2. Choose Redesignation from the drop-down list.
Under the New Redesignation section:
3. Enter the Date. (a)
4. Enter the Amount to be redesignated. (b)
5. Choose the new Election Period for the redesignation. (c)
6. Click on the Add button. (d)
7. Click on the Save button. (e)
Once this is saved the donor's transactions will look like this.
The spouse's Reattribution will show $5,000 on the donor's transactions, but when you go into the spouse's transactions you will see the Reattributions.
When a report is run you will see that the Reattribution and Redistribution are printed to the report.
If you need to report a scenario in which you need a redesignation from one election period FROM another election period, you'll just need to follow the steps outlined above, but add one last "Redesignation" memo and make sure the amount you enter is a negative with the (-) sign in front of it. That'll cause it to pull to your FEC reports and will ensure the ECTD totals are correct.
NOTE:
Please consult your FEC analyst for confirmation as to how your report should display. If your analyst has directed you to have your report pull one negative contribution from the donor, one positive to the spouse (instead of one +/- from the donor to the spouse per election period), you will need to manually create all the memo contributions. First, create the negatives and positives following the step outlined above. Next, go to the spouse record, add a Memo Contribution transaction, make sure "Include in Limit Checking" is checked, then click Linking>Advanced and link to the contribution.
There is only one scenario we are aware of where a contribution refund will NOT affect your current report's "Election Cycle To Date" (ECTD) totals - if the refund is related to a contribution you received in the previous cycle then it should not be counted in the current cycle ECTD for that donor.
Here is how you enter that into Campaign Manager:
From here, you need to search for and locate the other transaction and then they can be linked up.
4. If the transaction from step 1 was the refund expense, enter the individual's name in "Link to Receipt". If you initially opened the original contribution, enter the name in "Link to Disbursement".
5. When the record appears in the window below, click it to select it
6. A "Records Found" dropdown will open to the right - open the dropdown, find the correct transaction and click it to link them
7. Click "Save" at the bottom
What you've done by linking them together, is you've told Campaign Manager that this refund actually is related to the contribution you received in the previous cycle. Now Campaign Manager knows to not calculate this refund for any contributions this donor may give you in the current cycle.
Here is a link to the FEC's guidelines on this topic (document pg. 99):
http://www.fec.gov/pdf/candgui.pdf
Report the reimbursement, once made, as an operating expenditure and, if reimbursements to that person exceed $200 in the election cycle, itemize it on Schedule B (with a cross-reference to the memo entry on Schedule A for the advanceif the advance was itemized). See AO 1992-01.
As mentioned above, if an individual's payment on behalf of the committee exceeds $200 in an election cycle to any single vendor, then the committee must identify the ultimate payee (the vendor) in a separate memo entry on Schedule B.
To enter this in Campaign Manager you will need to do the following:
1) Enter a memo contribution transaction which will itemize on Schedule A
2) Enter an unpaid bill transaction which will itemize on Schedule D
3) On the unpaid bill transaction, select "Linking > Unpaid Bill History" and add a repayment to pay down the debt
4) On the unpaid bill transaction, select "Linking > Sub-Vendor" and add a sub-vendor memo which will pull as a memo on Schedule B with the bill payment
To accommodate this scenario you just need to enter a negative payment amount on a loan that has been closed out. Then the loan will re-appear on the FEC Form 3 report, and the "Amount Paid" and "Outstanding Balance" totals will be adjusted to accommodate the negative loan payment.
After you have done this data entry the FEC recommends you file a Form 99 as well explaining what happened and why you are reporting in this fashion. This is a very rare scenario and your analyst will want to know exactly what happened on the report.
If you have any questions about this please give your analyst a call.
Typically, when sub-vendor memos are dated outside the date range of the report period, they are not itemized with the parent transaction. If you would like them to itemize, check the Force Itemize box on the parent transaction as seen below.
This can also be used if you want a sub-vendor memo to itemize when the sub-vendor has not yet crossed the Itemization Threshold.
The FEC's published documentation says the committee ID is not needed:
https://www.fec.gov/updates/earmarked-contributions/
Specifically, the section titled "Reporting Example #4", which explains that the filer must show the following:
"...The recipient candidate committee should also include a memo entry (Line B [below]) that discloses the name of the conduit (XYZ PAC here), the total amount forwarded by the PAC, and the candidate committee’s date of receipt of the earmarked contributions from the PAC."
If you notice your loan repayments are not calculating into your Line 17 totals, check the record's Organization Type. Make sure that it is set to "Bank/Lender." If the organization type is set to another type, it will not properly calculate into your Line 17 report totals.
Our Form 3 is built to handle a committee's Election Cycle to Date total the same way that FECFile does, with both intermediary and regular contributions calculated together. We've had clients filing this way for years without any issues.
If you want to have a committee record's intermediary and regular contributions aggregate separately, then you can create two different records: one used for intermediary contributions, and the other for regular contributions. This will allow the two different types of contributions to aggregate separately.
1) Enter your email address to get a confirmation email once the report has been generated.
2) Choose the appropriate report schedule.
3) If the dates do not fill in automatically, enter the appropriate reporting period start and end dates.
4) Enter the date that itemization aggregation should begin.
5) Enter the date of the election that is chosen in #14.
6) Enter the aggregate amount that needs to be met for contributions to itemize and pull to Line 11ai.
7) If you want all JFC contribution memos to pull whether they cross the threshold or not, check this box.
8) If this is an amendment, check the box. Enter the report ID of the original filing that is being amended in the field labeled Original FEC Report ID. This can be found at the FEC website here: http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/candcmte_info.shtml. Enter the number of the amendment in the box labeled Amendment Sequence Number. If this is the first time this report is being amended, enter a 1. If it is the second time this report is being amended, enter a 2. Third, 3. Etc.
9) To let the system calculate Line 11a totals automatically, check this box. If you need to manually enter your previous Line 11ai and 11aii totals, leave the box unchecked and enter your previous totals in the boxes provided.
10) Enter your cash on hand at the beginning of the calendar year. This can be obtained from the Cash on Hand report located in Reports >>> Standard Reports. Do not use the register balance on December 31.
11) Enter your cash on hand as of the report start date in #3. This can be obtained from the Cash on Hand report located in Reports >>> Standard Reports or it can be obtained from Line 8 of the prior report from the FEC website here http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/candcmte_info.shtml. Do not use the register balance from the day prior to the report start date.
12) If you are a Party Committee and have a separate Levin account, enter your cash on hand in that account at the beginning of the calendar year. Do not use the register balance on December 31.
13) If you are a Party Committee and have a separate Levin account, enter your cash on hand in that account as of the report start date in #3. Do not use the register balance from the day prior to the report start date.
14) Select the Election Period.
15) Select the State.
16) Choosing None will sort transactions in natural order, putting Memo transactions directly after their Parent. If you rather, you can sort by Name, Date, or State.
17) If you would like to see a PDF copy of the report after it has generated, check this box.
18) If you do not want individuals' name Titles to appear (Mr., Mrs., Dr., etc.), check this box.
19) If you would like the FEC Reporting Codes printed on your report, check this box. This is not required by the FEC.
20) If you are filing a report for a committee that is registered with the FEC as a Multi-Candidate Committee, check this box.
21) By default, the report itemizes transactions based on the conduit's threshold per the FEC efile specs. If you want transactions to itemize based on the individual's threshold instead, check this box.
22) If the committee address has changed since the last filing, check this box.
23) If you would like the software to enter "Information Requested" into empty Occupation and Employer fields, check these boxes.
24) This text field can be used to explain a transaction in further detail or provide an explanation for an amendment. The character limit for this field is 4,000. Note: This field cannot contain any kind of formatting whatsoever, including using the Tab and Return/Enter buttons. Do not type up your statement in Word or Notepad and then copy/paste the text into this field either, as they may create hidden formatting that will cause the report to fail.
25) Rather than showing all payroll deduction transactions, the check box will force the report to lump these together for each individual based on the timeline selected in the drop down.
26) The software automatically calculates Column B totals, but if for some reason you need to manually adjust any of them, you can enter the PREVIOUS Column B total here and the software will use that as the starting number. Note that this is NOT a required step!
Note the text at the bottom of the criteria page. Line 23 transactions require both a Committee record and a Candidate record and those records need to be connected together through the Connections tab.
The following fields in an individual record are reportable to the FEC in government reporting:
Full Name.
Mailing Address: City, State, Zip Code.
If contributions exceed $200.00 the FEC requires the following to be reported:
Name of Employer.
Occupation.
Go to the Search Records bar at the top of the page
In an effort to prevent records from being duplicated, you must first search the name. If the record does not exist, "No search results found" and an option to "+ New Individual" will appear. Click and enter the individual information.
Full Name.
Mailing Address: City, State, Zip Code.
Type of Organization: "Bank", "Corporation", "LLC", "Non-Profit", "Partnership", "or Union".
Tax ID: for PACs and Campaign Committees, this field must contain their valid FEC ID number.
Go to the Search Records Bar at the Top of the Screen
In an effort to prevent records from being duplicated, you must first search the name. If the record does not exist, "No search results found" and an option to "+ New Organization" will appear. Click and enter the organization's information.
To create a new contribution, press "+ Transaction" in the specific individual/organization record's list of transactions, or select "Contribution" under the Financial tab. Fill in the following information, and click "Save."
The following fields in a recorded contribution are reportable to the FEC in government reporting:
Bold is the name on Campaign Manager 7. (Italicized) is the name on the FEC form.
Date (Date of Receipt)
Amount (Amount of Each Receipt this Period)
Election Period (Receipt For:)
[when required] Reporting Description
All of the above fields will appear in the FEC Form 3 as pictured below:
To create a new expense, press "+ Transaction" in the specific individual/organization record's list of transactions, or select "Expense" under the Financial tab. Fill in the following information, and click "Save."
The following fields in a recorded expense are reportable to the FEC in government reporting:
Bold is the name on Campaign Manager 7. (Italicized) is the name on the FEC form.
Amount (Amount of Each Disbursement this Period)
Date (Date of Disbursement)
Reporting Description (Purpose of Disbursement)
Reporting Code (Category/Type)
Election Period (Disbursement for)
Account: this is the budget account number with which the transaction is associated. This field is only important for FEC filing when the disbursement is associated with a Loan.
All of the above fields will appear in the FEC Form 3 as pictured below:
State parties raise and spend both Federal and State money. This money must be kept separate.
To keep the separation in the database, a field for bank account is provided for every transaction. For example, below an account can be designated here in the New Contribution window:
A state party should always have at least the following bank accounts: Federal, State, FEA, FEA Shared, Levin. It is possible to have more accounts than these. Please remember that a bank account in the software does not necessarily need to have a "physical" or "real life" equivalent.
1. Setting up an Account
1a. Location
To set up these bank accounts, go to Financial > Accounts
To open a new account click "+ New."
1b. Create a New Account
1b.i. Basic Info
Assign a Filing Committee to your account in the drop-down menu, then give the account a name.
We suggest that the account name be given something along the lines of Federal, for this will help keep the accounts and the funds you deposit into the accounts clearly separate.
1b.ii. Account Info
If this is your default account, than select the box under "Default?"
By default, "Active?" is already selected. To deactivate an account, you would uncheck the box here.
Bank Name, Account Number, Contact Person, and Bank Address fields are useful, yet option.
Please be sure to assign an Account Type, as this will affect whether or not the account's information pulls to your reports.
Click Save.
2. Assigning an Account when Filing Reports
Go to Compliance > Government Reports > under File New Report, select the Form that you need to file.
Step 1. Select Filing Committee > select a committee.
Once a committee is selected, the appropriate accounts will be displayed. Select the appropriate account.
For further information as to how to file your reports, go to the Generating and Filing the Form 3X Helpfile.
Line 11a - Contributions from Individuals/Non-Political Committees Record Types: Individual Transaction Types: Contribution |
1. In the individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Create a new Contribution from the Transactions tab of the individual's record. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
1. In the organization's record, make sure the Organization Type is set as "Partnership" in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Each Partner on the check must also have information. In the individuals' record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
3. Create a new Contribution from the Transactions tab of the organization's record. Set the correct Date, Amount, and Election Period. Set the Payment Method to "Check" and fill out the Check Number.
4. Select the Linking tab of the contribution and select Partnership to enter each Partner's memo. Fill out the Contributor, Date, Amount, Election Period, and Reporting Description sections and click the +Add button. Do the same for each partner.
1. In the individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. The Conduit's record must also have information. The conduit can be any committee record with a valid committee type. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
3. Create a new Contribution from the Transactions tab of the individual's record. Set the correct Date, Amount, Election Period, and Payment Method.
4. Select the Intermediary tab of the contribution to enter the Conduit's memo. Fill out the Intermediary Name, Date, and Amount sections and click the +Add button.
1. In the individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Create a new In-Kind from the Transactions tab of the individual's record. Set the correct Date, Value, and Election Period.
1. Both parties to a reattribution must have completed records. In both individual records, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Create a new Contribution from the Transactions tab of the original donor's individual record. Set the correct Date, Amount, Election Period, and Payment Method.
3. Select the Linking tab of the contribution and select Reattribution to enter the reattribution memo. Fill out the Recipient, Date, Amount, and Election Period sections and click the +Add button.
Line 11b - Contrbutions from Political Party CommitteesRecord Types: Committee (Political Party Committee) Transaction Types: Contribution |
All transaction types for Line 11b are entered the same way as for Line 11a, except that Committee records with a Committee Type of "Political Party Committee" are used instead of Individual records.
Line 11c - Contributions from Other Political CommitteesRecord Types: Committee Transaction Types: Contribution |
All transaction types for Line 11c are entered the same way as for Line 11b, except that Committee records with a Committee Type other than "Political Party Committee" are used.
Line 12 - Transfers From Affiliated/Other Party Committees Record Types: Committee (PAC) Transaction Types: Contribution (Transfer) |
There are a few things that must be in place for a transaction to itemize on line 12:
1) The Contributor must be a Committee record.
2) The committee record must also be linked to the Filing Committee as an "Affiliated Committee" or "Joint Fundraising Rep" by a connection in the Connections tab of the record.
3) Additionally, the Transfer box must be checked on the contribution record.
Here is the data entry required to get a transaction onto this line:
1) The Contributor must be a Committee record.
2) The "Committee Type" must be set to "Political Party Committee".
3) Additionally, the Transfer box must be checked on the contribution record.
Line 13 - Loans Received Record Types: Committees / Banks |
Any loans received by the committee will appear on Line 13 of the Form 3X. In order to get this transaction type on this specific line, please take the following steps:
1. Go to the Financial tab, then to Loans Received
2. The Register will appear on the left and on the right will be the Add Loan Received panel
3. Complete all pertinent fields, including Lender, Amount, and Date.
4. Click the Linking tab to complete other options for Collateral and Guarantor if necessary.
5. Once you have entered in all the information for the loan received, click the Save button, or Save/Next to save the loan received and create a new loan received.
Another way to create the loan received transaction is to access the lender's organization record (usually a Bank), click the Transactions tab at the top of the record, then click the blue New Transaction button and select Loan Received. Complete the transaction by following steps 3, 4, and 5 listed above.
Line 14 - Loan Repayments Received Record Types: All Record Types Transaction Types: Loan Made (Repayment) |
Loan Repayments
Repayment of loans your committee made to other entities needs to show up on line 14 as well as on Schedule C. Here is the data entry required to get a transaction onto this line:
Line 15 - Offsets to Operating Expenditures Record Types: All Record Types Transaction Types: Expense (with "Reversal" box selected) |
Refunds, Rebates, Etc.
Any offsets to operating expenditures, such as refunds or rebates, should be reported on Line 15. Here is the data entry required to get a transaction onto this line:
Create a new expense and fill out as normal. Click the "Reversal" button to mark the expense as a reversal.
Line 16 Refunds of Contributions Made to Others
Record Types: All Record Types
Transaction Types: Expense
Expenses can be entered starting from the Financial drop down and choosing Expense. To get the transaction onto line 16 you must then set the below two fields as such:
1) Click the "Reversal" box in the upper right to mark the expense as a reversal
2) Set Reporting Code to 011 - Political Contribution
Then, enter your data in the appropriate fields and Save.
Line 17 - Other Receipts (Dividends, Interest, etc.) |
Record Types: All Record Types Contribution Types: Other Receipt Transactions: Accrued Misc. Income Memo Contribution: Exempt Legal Memo Misc. Income |
Dividends and interest earned are entered as Accrued Misc. Income.
To enter Accrued Misc. Income, go to the Financial drop down and choose Accrued Misc. Income
Then, enter the Source, Amount, Date, Reporting Code(if applicable), Account, Election Period,
and click Linking > Accrued Misc. Income History.
From here fill out the Amount. Date, and then Add. Make sure to Save the transaction when done.
Miscellaneous Income can be entered starting from the Financial drop down and choosing Misc. Income.
Then, enter the Source, Amount, Date, Reporting Code(if applicable), Account, Election Period, and Save.
To enter an Exempt Legal Memo, use the Financial drop down and choose Memo Contribution.
Then, be sure to check the Exempt Legal Memo box and enter the Contributor, Amount, Date, Reporting Code(if applicable), Account, Election Period, and Save.
Schedule H3 - Transfers From Non-Federal Accounts For Allocated Federal/Non-Federal Activity Record Types: Committee (Authorized Committee) Transaction Types: Contribution (Transfer) |
To be used to show transfers from Non-Federal accounts to Federal accounts for the purpose of paying allocable expenses.
Schedule H3 takes care of transfers in from Non-Federal. Follow the below steps to enter a transfer from a Non-Federal (State) account to a Federal account:
1) go to Financial > Internal Transfer
2) enter in all the necessary information, making sure to set the "Source" field to your Non-Federal account and the "Destination" field to your Federal account
3) set the appropriate "Allocation"
4) click "Save"
Line 18b - Transfers from Levin Funds (H5) |
Record Types: All Record Types Contribution Types: Transfers of Levin Funds Transactions: Transfers of Levin Funds |
Transfers from Levin Account to Federal Account
Any internal transfers from a Levin account to a federal account will show on line 18b.
When creating an internal transfer, remember to drop down to the appropriate allocation (necessary to pull to line 18b).
Schedule B details all of your itemized disbursements. On the detailed summary page, Schedule B supports lines 21b through 29 and line 30b. Below, listed line by line, are the types of disbursements that can be made. The following codes are found in the Reporting Code dropdown menu within the expense transaction details.
001 Administrative/Salary/Overhead Expenses (e.g., rent, staff salaries, postage, office supplies, equipment, furniture, ballot access fees, petition drives, party fees and legal and accounting expenses)
002 Travel Expenses - including travel reimbursement expenses (e.g., costs of commercial carrier tickets; reimbursements for use of private vehicles, advance payments for use of corporate aircraft; lodging and meal expenses incurred during travel)
003 Solicitation and Fundraising Expenses (e.g., costs for direct mail solicitations and fundraising events including printing, mailing lists, consultant fees, call lists, invitations, catering costs and room rental)
004 Advertising Expenses - including general public political advertising (e.g., purchases of radio/television broadcast/cable time, print advertisements and related production costs)
005 Polling Expenses
006 Campaign Materials (e.g., buttons, bumper stickers, brochures, mass mailings, pens, posters, balloons)
007 Campaign Event Expenses (e.g., costs associated with candidate appearances, campaign rallies, town meetings, phone banks, including catering costs, door to door get-out-the-vote efforts and driving voters to the polls)
008 Transfers (e.g., to other authorized committees of the same candidate)
009 Loan (e.g., loans made or repayments of loans made or guaranteed by the candidate or any other person)
010 Refunds of Contributions (e.g., contribution refunds to individuals/ persons, political party committees or other political committees)
011 Political Contributions (e.g., contributions to other federal candidates and committees, donations to nonfederal candidates and committees)
012 Donations (e.g., donations to charitable or civic organizations)
NOTE; ANY NON-ALLOCABLE FEA DISBURSEMENT MUST BE REPORTED TO YOUR FEA BANK ACCOUNT, AND HAVE THE WORD FEA IN ITS PURPOSE FIELD.
Line 21a - Joint Activity (H4) Record Types: All Record Types Disbursement Kinds: Joint Activity Transaction Types: Joint Activity |
To complete the data entry for Joint Activity, simply choose the correct Account associated with Shared or Joint Activities. In the transaction detail, be sure to choose the correct Allocation and verify that the appropriate Event appears once the Allocation is chosen. For more information on Shared Activities and Allocations, please see the Schedule H4 HelpFile.
Line 21b - Operating Expenditures
Record Types: All Record Types
Transaction Types: Operating Expenditures
Transaction Types: Operating Expenditures
|
Operating Expenditures
Standard federal operating expenses show up on Line 21.
Create a new Expense transaction and enter the Date, Amount, Period, and Reporting Description. Make sure that the Reporting Code is set to 001 — Administrative/Salary or one of the related administrative expense codes. Be sure to select the appropriate Account as well.
Credit Card Expenditures
Credit Card disbursements need to show both the disbursement, or payment, to the credit card Vendor as well as the disbursements to parties paid by the credit card, or the credit card charges. This is done by creating an expense in the credit card Vendor's record a using the Linking tab and Sub-Vendor option to create memos for each of the credit card charges. A Reporting Code and Reporting Description, or purpose, will also need to be entered.
Credit Card Vendor
Create a new Expense transaction and enter the Date, Amount, Period, Reporting Code, and Reporting Description. Make sure that the Payment Method is set to Credit Card. Be sure to select the appropriate Account as well.
Party Paid By Credit Card
Within the transaction created for the Credit Card payment, click on Linking and choose Sub-Vendor. For each credit card transaction memo necessary, fill-in the Sub-Vendor name, Amount, and Date as well as Reporting Code and Reporting Description and click Add.
Once the memo transactions for Sub-Vendors are entered, the payment and its related memo items will appear on the Form 3X like this:
Reimbursements
Reimbursements are entered in a very similar way as Credit Card Expenditures. Instead of having a Credit Card Vendor and a Vendor Paid Via Credit Card, you have a Reimbursed Employee and a Vendor Paid By Employee.
Reimbursed Employee
Create a new Expense transaction with the Employee as the Vendor and enter the Date, Amount, Period, and Reporting Description. Make sure that the Reporting Code is set to Administrative/Salary/Overhead Expense. Be sure to select the appropriate Account as well.
Vendor Paid By Employee
Within the transaction created for the Expenses being reimbursed, click on Linking and choose Sub-Vendor. For each credit card transaction memo necessary, fill-in the Sub-Vendor name, Amount, and Date as well as the Reporting Code Administrative/Salary/Overhead Expense and Reporting Description and click Add.
The Expenses being reimbursed and the related memo items will appear on the Form 3X in a very similar fashion to the Credit Card Expenditures shown above.
Line 22 - Transfers to Other Affiliated CommitteesRecord Types: Committees with Affiliated Committee Connection with filer committee Transaction Types: Transfers to Affiliations Transaction Types: Transfers to Authorized Committees |
Transfers to Affiliated Committees
There are a couple data points that must be in place in order for an expense to show on line 22:
Setting-up Affiliated Committee
Creating the Line 22 Transaction:
Create the new expense on the new "Affiliated Committee" committee record you just created. Set the "Reporting Code" field to "008 - Transfers".
Line 23 - Contributions to Federal Candidates/CommitteesRecord Types: Committee Records Disbursement Kinds: Contribution to Federal Committee In-Kind Transaction Types: Expense |
For Candidate Committees:
For Committees:
For Expenses:
Contributions reporting to Line 23 can utilize the resignation tab available on contribution records.
Expenses, when re-designated during a later reporting period will require 2 Memo Expenses to be manually created and linked to the original expense with reporting codes by following the steps below:
1. Create a the 1st Memo Expense on the committee record
2. Select Reporting Code: "RDFR - Redesignation From Memo" is for the positive Memo Expense.
3. Select the Election Period that should be credited for the change (what was originally reported)
4. click the Linking tab, select Advanced
5. On the Advanced tab, search for the original committee Recent Records to Link to Disbursement
Save and Close the memo
Next, Create the 2nd Memo following the same steps as above Except for the following changes:
step 2) select "RDTO - Redesignation to Memo" for the negative Memo Expense, and in
step 3) select the New Election Period this is being reported in. Complete all remaining steps the same as above
All 3 Expenses- the original and the memo's should Itemize, so if they do not meet the $200.01 threshold, check the box Force Itemize to force them onto schedule B of your 3X report.
If the re-designation took place within the same reporting period please contact your FEC analyst who can advise on IF or HOW it should be reported as re-designated and if an amendment of a previous report is necessary.
About Independent Expenditures
An independent expenditure is an expenditure for a communication that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate but which is made independently of any candidate's campaign or of a political party. Independent expenditures are special because, unlike contributions, they are not subject to any limits. However, an expenditure is "independent" only if it meets certain conditions: It must not be made in cooperation, consultation or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of a candidate, party or their agents. (As always, check with the FEC - CFR 100.16 and 109.20a or the FEC's Candidate Guide).
1. Go to the vendor's record.
2. Select Add Transaction > Expense.
3. Enter the Date and Amount of the expense.
4. Under Reporting Code, select "IE - Independent Expenditure". If the expense has a different date of disbursement or obligation, enter this date in the field directly beneath the Reporting Code field.
5. Enter the Reporting Description of the expense.
6. Click the Support button and enter the name of the supported Candidate in the support text box, then select the Candidate's record.
7. Each independent expenditure itemized on the Form 24 has a field for the date of disbursement or obligation. To populate this field, edit the independent expenditure, and then type in the date of disbursement or obligation in the provided field in the general tab.
8. Finish by clicking Save.
Coordinated Party Expenditures (2 U.S.C. §441a(d)) (use Schedule F)
For a transaction to itemize on line 25, a few steps must be taken:
1. Create a new expense.
2. On that new expense, make sure the Reporting Code is set to "COR - Coordinated Expenditure."
3. Finally, look towards the bottom of the transaction and locate the "Support/Oppose" field. Begin typing the supported candidate's name into this field, and when the candidate record appears in the window below, click it to select it. Then make sure to click the thumbs up button.
This expense should now pull to line 25, and should show the supported candidate's name and district/office sought information.
To report a coordinated expenditure that is paying down debt (very uncommon):
When you generate the report, you should now see the expense pulling to line 25, and you should also see the expense paying down the outstanding debt on Schedule D.
Contact support if your database does not have Reporting Code: "COR - Coordinated Expenditure" available for selection. Support@aristotle.com
To get the "Yes" box marked, add a sub-vendor memo to the parent expense transaction, using the name of the designating committee in the Vendor field and use the reporting code "DES - Designating Committee". This will then cause the report to check "Yes" and show the proper designating committee.
Note: The Committee entered in the sub-vendor memo MUST have the Committee Type of Political Party Committee and the parent expense transaction MUST have the Support/Oppose field filled in.
This is how it will appear on the report:
To populate this section of Schedule F, create a new Subvendor Memo transaction on the parent expense, saved to the desired Subordinate Committee. Then make sure to set the reporting code to "SUB - Subordinate Committee".
Doing this will populate the Subordinate Committee fields on Schedule F.
To get a coordinated expenditure's sub-vendor memos to pull to a Form 3X Schedule F, follow the steps outlined in the Form 3X - Line 25: Coordinated Party Expenditures Help File here. This will also work for a coordinated expenditure that was made in one reporting period but the vendor was paid in a subsequent period. For example, the reporting period in which the coordinated expenditure occurred needs a memo entry on Schedule F due to the debt to the vendor being disclosed and paid in the later period.
Add a sub-vendor to the expense by clicking on the Linking>Sub-Vendor tab and select the Reporting Code "COR — Coordinated Expenditure" for the sub-vendor.
Open the record where the loan appears. This is usually a bank record.
Click on Transactions.
Find the original loan transaction and click on the edit icon next to it.
Click on the Linking tab.
Choose Loan History.
Click on the Repayment tab.
Enter the Amount and Date of the payment.
Click on the Add button.
Loans Made
If your committee chooses to make loans to other entities, those loans need to show up here as
well as on Schedule C. To see how to repay this loan, see Schedule A, line 14.
When creating a Loans Made transaction, be sure to fill in all pertinent fields (Recipient, Date, Amount, etc).
Line 28a - Refunds to Individuals |
Record Types: Individual Expense Type: Refund of Contribution |
Refund of Contribution
When a contributor's donations go over the contribution limit set by the FEC, one of the options to deal with the surplus money is to refund it. This is done by creating an expense for the contributor:
1) Go to the contributor's individual record and click New Transaction > Expense
2) Enter the "Date", "Amount", "Reporting Description", "Election Period", and "Account"
3) Set the "Reporting Code" field to 010 - Refunds of Contributions
4) Click "Save" at the bottom
This will cause this expense to itemize on line 28a.
Line 28b - Refunds to Political Party Committees |
Record Types: Political Party Committee Expense Type: Refund of Contribution |
Refunds to Political Party Committees are entered exactly the same as refunds to individuals, except that the record should be a committee record and this record's "Political Committee Type" must be set to "Political Party Committee". If this is set correctly the expense will itemize on line 28b.
Line 28c - Refunds to Other Political Committees |
Record Types: Authorized Committee Multi-Candidate Federal PAC Expense Type: Refund of Contribution |
Refunds to other political committees are entered exactly the same as refunds to political party committees except that the "Political Committee Type" of the committee record needs to be either "Authorized Committee" or "Multi-Candidate Federal PAC". If this is set correctly the expense will itemize on line 28c.
Line 29 - Other Disbursements |
Record Types: All Record Types Disbursement Kinds: Contribution to State/Local Committee Other Disbursement Transactions: Contribution to a State or Local Committee All Other Disbursements |
Contribution to a State or Local Committee
Go to Committee's record and open the Transactions tab window. Click the "New Transaction" button and then select the "Expense" transaction.
Enter in the Vendor's name, the Disbursement's Amount and Date.
Then designate a Reporting Code of 011 - Political Contributions.
Designate an Account, then Save.
Note: If you see transactions pulling to Line 23, be sure that the record's Registration Authority is something other than "FEC."
All Other Disbursements
Line 29 will cover all miscellaneous disbursements as well.
Click the "New Transaction" button, then select the "Expense" transaction and fill in appropriate fields.
For Reporting Code, select 012 - Donations.
Once again, designate an Account and Save.
Line 30a - Shared Federal Election Activity (H6) |
Record Types: All Record Types Expense Types: Joint Activity Joint Fundraising Memo |
To get a transaction onto line 30a (Schedule H6) there are three data entry requirements:
1) You must have an account in the database associated with the state filing committee and marked as a "Levin" account
2) The transaction needing to appear on Schedule H6 must be saved in your "STATE" account
3) The transaction must also have a levin allocation saved to it
If these three things are in place correctly your transaction(s) will appear on Schedule H6.
Line 30b - Shared Federal Election Activity (H6) |
Record Types: All Record Types Expense Types: Operating Expenditure Memo |
Line 30b is for non-shared, 100% FEA funds disbursements. Data entry for this line is almost identical to data entry for Line 21b, except that the transaction must have its "Reporting Code" set to "100 - FEA 100% Federal". If this is set correctly the expense will itemize on line 30b.
Schedule C Loans
Schedule C shows continuous reporting of all loans to and by the committee, whether from the Candidate, Bank, or other Lending Institution. It is automatically created and filled out using the Loan Contribution and Loan Disbursement records completed for Line 13 and Line 26.
Schedule C-1 is used to report detailed information on any Bank or Lending Institution from which your Committee has received a Loan. Schedule C-1 is required for all Loans.
First, ensure that the Bank or Lending Institution's Mailing Address, and Organization Type are filed out correctly. The Organization Type should be Bank/Lender.
To enter in a loan from your Lending Institution go to Financial > Loan Received
Enter the Lender, Amount, and Date.
If you are linking this loan from an existing loan, select the box for "Funds from existing loan," search for the Bank or Lending Institution. Once the Institution has been selected and found, enter in the Source Rate, and the Date Established.
Assign a Due Date.
If there is none, select "None."
If it is due now, select "On Demand."
If the due date is a specific date, select "Specific Date" and then enter in the date in the drop-down calendar.
Assign an Election Period, and an Account.
Click Save.
Line 9 - Debts Owed to the CommitteeRecord Types: Committees / Vendors Transaction Types: Accrued Misc. Income |
Any debts owed to the committee will appear on Line 9 of the Form 3X. This typically takes the form of an Accrued Misc. Income. In order to get this transaction to pull to Line 9, please take the following steps:
1. Go to the Financial tab, then to Accrued Misc. Income
2. On the left will be the Register and on the right will be the Accrued Misc. Income pane
3. Complete all pertinent fields, including Source, Amount, and Date
4. Use the Linking tab to view the history of the transaction or void it
5. Once you have completed adding all the details, click the Save button or the Save/Next to create a new Accrued Misc. Income transaction
Line 10 - Debts Owed by the CommitteeRecord Types: Committees / Vendors Transactions: Unpaid Bills |
Any debts or obligations created in the system within the report's date range will appear on Line 10. The report will also reflect any payments made during the period and the outstanding balance at the close of the reporting period.
Please take the following steps in order to create a new debt:
1. Go to the Financial tab, then to the Unpaid Bills & Pending option
2. On the next screen the Register will appear on the left and the Add Unpaid Bill (Accrued Expense) panel on the right
3. Complete all pertinent fields, including Vendor, Amount, and Date
4. Use the Linking tab to add any sub-vendors to the transaction or view the history of the unpaid bill
5. Once the fields are complete, click the Save button or the Save/Next button to add another debt
If a committee has more than one unpaid bill to the same entity they can link those bills together so that they pull as one unpaid bill by using the following steps:
1) Go to the record with multiple unpaid bills and edit the first of the bills that need to be linked together.
2) Click on the Advanced Linking tab and search for the record in question under disbursements, then click on the record from the drop-down list. This will cause a blue Records Found button to appear. Click on the Records Found button and select the second unpaid bill that needs to be linked. Repeat for each unpaid bill that needs to be linked.
3) When you enter the payment transaction for these credit cards, you do NOT enter them as bill payments in Linking > Unpaid Bill History like you normally do for unpaid bills. Rather, you need to enter them as expense transactions, and then follow step 2 above to link the payment to the unpaid bill. This will pay down the debt on your FEC report and reduce the outstanding debt amount by the amount of the linked expense transaction.
4) If there are memos that need to go along with the payment, those memos can NOT be entered as sub-vendors. Rather, they need to be entered as memo expense transactions (hover over the "Financial" tab at the top, and then select "Memo Expense"). Then you need to follow step 2 above to link each memo expense to the expense transaction acting as the bill payment.
5) Lastly, for each expense transaction acting as a bill payment, it is also necessary to ensure that the Compliance field "Memo Group ID" has the exact same value entered in the expense, as well as in each of the memo expense transactions that go along with the bill payment expense. To do this, open the expense transaction and click on Linking > Advanced. Then click on "Show Custom Fields" to reveal the compliance field "Memo Group ID". Enter whatever value you want in there (1, 2, A, B, C, etc.) — you simply need to make sure that it is a Memo Group ID value that has not been used yet. Save the expense. Then you need to open EACH of the memo expense transactions that go along with this bill payment expense and enter the exact same value into the Memo Group ID field. Save each memo expense transaction after you do this.
If all of that is in place properly, your debt transactions will be paid down by those linked expenses, and each expense's corresponding memos will pull to your FEC report properly.
NOTE: If the Memo Group ID field is not in your database, please email support@aristotle.com to request that it be added.
For example, these 2 Unpaid Bills are linked to show as only 1 debt on the FEC report:
Schedule H1 and H2 defines the Federal/Non-Federal ratios for your Administrative (H1) and other (H2) allocations. These allocations are present on expenses in Campaign Manager in the "Allocations" dropdown menu.
To get an allocation onto Schedule H1, you need to:
1) Go to Financial > Allocations and click the "New H1 Ratio" button in the upper right
2) Set the appropriate ratio percentage (28%, 36%, 21%, 15%) and enter the correct "Start Date" and "End Date"
3) Click "Save"
If this is all entered correctly, Schedule H1 will appear on your report and will look similar to the below screenshots.
NOTE: If your filing committee's "Committee Type" is set to "Separate Segregated Fund", Schedule H1 will not pull to your report. This is in line with the below guidance from the FEC:
"Under EMILY's List v. FEC, 581 F3d 1 (D.C. Cir. 2009), SSFs need not allocate administrative expenses, costs of generic voter drives and generic public communications. Nor do they need to report these allocations to the FEC."
To get an allocation onto Schedule H2, you need to:
1) Go to Financial > Allocations and click the "New Event" button in the upper right
2) Fill out the "Name", "Type", "Federal Percent", and "Description" fields appropriately
3) Check the "Joint Allocable Event" box
4) Set the Type to "Fundraising"
5) Click "Save"
By checking the "Joint Allocable Event" box, an event directly linked to this allocation has been automatically created in Financial > Events! This is how you will control the date range being used for this allocation.
5) Go to Financial > Events and make sure the dates on the allocation event are correct
6) Click "Save" to save the event
If the date range on the allocation event encompasses the H4 transactions itemizing on the report, the event allocation will show on H2.
Per FEC requirements, the H1 is only needed on the first report of the calendar year where there are Schedule H4 expenses, so by default, our reports will not include it on any subsequent reports. However, if you, for any reason, want to force a Schedule H1 to appear on your report, you can do so by checking the box for the option "Schedule H1 Override" on the report's criteria page prior to generating.
1. Go to Financial > Allocations and click the +New Event button in the top right corner.
2. Fill in the Name, type, and federal percentage of the revised ratio. Set the Description drop-down to "Revised Ratio as Previously Reported", mark the Joint Allocable Event box and click Save.
3. Go to the new event and set the date range on the event so that it matches the dates for the revised ratio.
4. Go to Financial > Events and select the event for the new revised ratio from the list on the left side of the screen. Enter the start and end dates of the revised ratio and click Save.
Form 3X -- About the Schedule H4
This is a guide to assist you in using Campaign Manager to handle the Schedule H4 of your FEC Form 3X. This is NOT a substitute for the FEC's Campaign Guide for Political Party Committees -- be sure to check the FEC's website for resources on any legal questions you have.
What is the Schedule H4?
The Schedule H4 lists ALL disbursementsregardless of dollar amountfor allocated federal and non-federal activity. Because In-Kind Contributions are required to be reported as disbursements, they may also appear here if they are allocated as federal and non-federal funds. Transactions listed here correspond with Line 21a of your summary page.
How do I get something to appear on the Schedule H4 instead of on the Schedule B?
How do I change the information in "Activity or Event Identifier"?
If you see something in the Event Identifier box, then this is the name of the Allocation Group the transaction is associated with. These are managed in Financial > Allocations. Bear in mind that this will change the name for all other transactions related to this allocation group.
This is a guide to assist you in using Campaign Manager to handle the Schedule H4 of your FEC Form 3X. This is NOT a substitute for the FEC's Campaign Guide for Political Party Committees -- be sure to check the FEC's website for resources on any legal questions you have.
How do I get the balancing expense portion of my in-kind contribution to appear on the Schedule H4 instead of on Schedule B?
Once these two data entry steps have been completed, the balancing expense portion of the in-kind will appear on schedule H4 as shown below:
A previous year's ratio can be pulled in the event that the current year allocations cannot be used, such as when a refund is received. You'll need to reach out to Support if you find yourself needing to pull previous year ratios, as doing so is not currently possible without specific settings that will have to be set on our end.
To pull a previous year's ratio, use the following steps:
1. Set existing expense with the current year's allocation and then set the Reporting Code to "PREV - Admin Previous Year Rate."
2. Create a new expense for $0.00 dated in the previous year, set the allocation to the previous year's ratio, and then set the Reporting Code to "PREV - Admin Previous Year Rate."
3. Link the new $0.00 expense to the existing expense by opening the regular expense > Linking > Advanced and then save the transaction.
4. Be sure not to delete, edit, or re-save the previous year's ratio, as that can remove any settings that are manually set from the Aristotle side.
Note: Ensure that the transactions are all in the same bank account that will pull to the report.
Typically, expenses will pull to Schedule H4 with a federal and non-federal share based on the ratio of the allocation saved to it. However, if you want a transaction to pull with either 100% Federal or 100% Non-Federal, you can use one of the reporting codes below to override the ratio of the allocation.
100% Federal: 100F - 100% Federal Allocation
100% Non-Federal: 100NF - 100% Non-Federal Allocation (see example below)
To get an internal transfer transaction onto Schedule H5 there are three data entry requirements:
1) You must have an account in the database associated with the state filing committee and marked as a "Levin" account
2) The internal transfer transaction must have the following accounts selected:
Source = your Levin account
Destination = your Federal account
3) The internal transfer transaction must have a levin allocation saved to it
If these three things are in place correctly your internal transfer transaction(s) will appear on Schedule H5.
To get a transaction onto Schedule H6 (line 30a), there are three data entry requirements:
1) The transaction must be saved in your Federal bank account
2) The transaction must have the "NLH6 - Non Levin Account H6" reporting code saved to it
3) The transaction must also have a levin allocation saved to it (new allocations can be added in Financial > Allocations)
If these three things are in place correctly your transaction(s) will appear on Schedule H6.
To get a transaction onto Schedule H6 (line 30a) and saved in your Levin bank account, there are three data entry requirements:
1) You must have a bank account in the database associated with the state filing committee and marked as a "Levin" account
2) The transaction needing to appear on Schedule H6 must be saved in your "Levin" bank account
3) The transaction must also have a levin allocation saved to it, which can be added in Financial > Allocations
If these three things are in place correctly your transaction(s) will appear on Schedule H6.
To get an unpaid bill repayment onto schedule H6 there is some specific data entry required:
1) You will need to create a new expense transaction on the record. Fill out all the required fields, put it in the levin account, select a levin allocation, then click "Save".
2) Then click the "Linking" tab and select "Advanced".
3) On this screen, enter the record's name into the "Link to Disbursement" field. When it appears in the window below, click it to select it.
4) Click open the "Use Recent" dropdown and select the original unpaid bill transaction.
Now you've got the new expense transaction linked to the original unpaid bill transaction. If all of these things are in place correctly your expense (repayment) transaction(s) will appear on Schedule H6.
Schedule L is a summary page for your Levin funds. These transactions must come from an account that has the following options chosen in the Account details screen:
1) Your state committee must be selected as the "Filing Committee"
2) The Levin Funds box must be checked
To get a transaction onto line 5 of Schedule L (levin funds) you will need to do the following:
1) Enter an expense transaction
2) In the "Account" field of the expense, select your levin account
If the above are true, the transaction will appear on line 5 of Schedule L. See below for a screenshot of the data entry and how it will appear on your FEC Form 3X report.
To get an internal transfer transaction onto this line, the following must be true:
1) The "Source" account must be your levin account
2) The "Destination" account must be your state account
If these things are set correctly the transfer will appear on line 5 of Schedule L.
We have added functionality for the Form 3X so that Campaign Manager will only give you the summary pages in the PDF if the e-file (.fec file) is larger than 5 Megabytes. This was done in an effort to try and limit the amount of time the user needs to wait for the report to fully generate.
If you need a full PDF, you can get one from the FEC's site at the below link, simply download the e-file (.fec file) and upload it here:
https://efoservices.fec.gov/webprint/
If you have a Candidate linked to a Candidate Committee, any expenses with that Candidate in the Support/Oppose box will pull the Candidate Info to your report. Occasionally, you may see a Candidate pull with no District Info. This will usually be because the Candidate in question is running for Senate, and since Senate is a statewide office, there is no District.
If you see a Candidate pulling no District info and the Senate box is NOT checked, please contact Support.
There is only one scenario we are aware of where a contribution refund will NOT affect your current report's "Election Cycle To Date" (ECTD) totals - if the refund is related to a contribution you received in the previous cycle then it should not be counted in the current cycle ECTD for that donor.
Here is how you enter that into Campaign Manager:
1. Go to the individual's record and enter both the original contribution as well as the refund expense
2. Click the pencil icon to open either the refund expense or the original contribution (doesn't matter which)
3. At the top of the transaction, click the "Linking" tab and select "Advanced"
From here, you need to search for and locate the other transaction and then they can be linked up.
4. If the transaction from step 1 was the refund expense, enter the individual's name in "Link to Receipt". If you initially opened the original contribution, enter the name in "Link to Disbursement".
5. When the record appears in the window below, click it to select it
6. A "Records Found" dropdown will open to the right - open the dropdown, find the correct transaction and click it to link them
7. Click "Save" at the bottom
What you've done by linking them together, is you've told Campaign Manager that this refund actually is related to the contribution you received in the previous cycle. Now Campaign Manager knows to not calculate this refund for any contributions this donor may give you in the current cycle.
We've added a feature to the FEC Form 3X report parameters that will automatically populate some of the "beginning balance" type fields for you!
There are a few requirements for this button to successfully load your balance however! When this button is clicked, the system takes the "Period From" date that you have entered in the parameters, and looks through the reports that were filed within Campaign Manager for the following:
1. It looks for reports marked as filed with the end date closest to the "Period From" date
2. If it finds multiple reports with the same "Period From" date, it will look for the report with the highest amendment number
In effect, the tool looks for the last filed report before the report you're currently generating, and uses information from that filed report to automatically populate the below fields:
1. Period Start Balance
2. Cycle Beginning Balance
3. Levin Period Start Balance
4. Levin Cycle Start Balance
This tool can be used as many times as necessary before generating the report!
NOTE 1: If the function is used, and then the "Period From" date is changed, the button needs to be clicked again to refresh the values in the applicable fields.
NOTE 2: This function WILL NOT WORK if you filed your last report outside of Campaign Manager, either through another software product or a manually edited report. If that is the case then a message saying "Previous balance not found" will appear.
For disbursements appearing on Schedule H4 with an Administrative Allocation TType wil use the saved H1 ratio for the year. However, you can override this by using specific reporting codes on the transaction entries: namely code 100F and 100NF.
Using reporting code 100F will override the H1 ratio and pull as a 100% Federal allocation. Alternatively, using code 100NF will pull as a 0% Federal allocation.
For In-Kind Memos to appear on Line 17 — Link a Memo Expense
1. Create the In-Kind contribution if it has not already been created. Enter all the necessary data/make the appropriate selections in the proper fields.
2. Create a Memo Contribution: Enter all the necessary data/make the appropriate selections in the proper fields. Be sure that the "Contributor" field shows the proper entity you want to attribute the memo to.
3. With the Memo Contribution entry open, click on the Linking tab and click on the Advanced option. Here, type the name of the record that the parent In-Kind is saved to in the search box, and select that record when it appears. Once the record has selected, you will see a drop-down menu appear to the right; from here, select the parent In-Kind.
4. Once the transaction is selected, the linking will be completed and appear on Linking > Advanced as seen below.
5. When you generate your FEC Form 3X, the parent In-Kind and its memo should appear as below, with the memo item immediately following the parent.
- On the criteria page for the report, simply check the box labeled "Schedule H1 Override". This will force the schedule to pull to the report.
For an Allocation to populate your H1B - "Separate Segregated Funds and Nonconnected Committees" you'll need to create the appropriate allocation in Campaign Manager. To do this you will need to do the following:
Once these settings are verified, remember to save your new allocation.
NOTE: The Filing Committee DOES NOT need to be set to a Separate Segregated Funds committee but does need to be set as a Multi-Candidate Federal PAC
The FEC's published documentation says the committee ID is not needed:
https://www.fec.gov/updates/earmarked-contributions/
Specifically, the section titled "Reporting Example #4", which explains that the filer must show the following:
"...The recipient candidate committee should also include a memo entry (Line B [below]) that discloses the name of the conduit (XYZ PAC here), the total amount forwarded by the PAC, and the candidate committee’s date of receipt of the earmarked contributions from the PAC."
Independent Expenditure Estimates
To enter this into Campaign Manager, simply follow the below steps:
This memo expense will pull to your FEC Reports as cash-impact until it is officially paid, and then will automatically change to memo.
To officially pay it, follow the below steps:
By using the advanced linking feature, you're telling Campaign Manager that this expense is acting as the payment for the memo expense IE estimate you already entered. Now this new transaction will take over as cash-impact on your FEC reports and the estimate will become a memo.
In order to enter an IE that is paid after dissemination, you will need to enter the following:
The way these will pull to the reports is as follows:
On the first report, which reports the original IE, a memo item will appear on schedule E with a dissemination date and no disbursement date. The unpaid bill will also pull to schedule D.
On the subsequent reports that include payments, the IE payment will pull to schedule E with its disbursement date and the prior dissemination date. It will also pay down the debt on schedule D.
To accomplish this, please take the following steps:
In order to properly report the allocated transfer of in-kind contributions from the state to the federal committee, you'll need to follow the steps below. This will report the transaction as the FEC guide dictates: an H3 transfer for the amount of the in-kind, an H4 transaction to the vendor for the amount of the in-kind with the full amount in the Non-Federal share field, and an H4 transaction to the state committee for their share of the in-kind with the full amount in the Federal field while not impacting the event total.
Here are the instructions for doing this in Campaign Manager:
1. Create a normal H3 transfer for the amount of the in-kind, from the state to federal, with a fundraising allocation selected.
2. Create an expense on the vendor record from which the in-kind was purchased for the full amount of the in-kind. Needs the same fundraising allocation as the H3, and the reporting code 100NF.
3. Create an expense on the state committee record for the amount of value being claimed by the state committee. This needs the same fundraising allocation as the H3, and the reporting code 100F.
4. Link the above two expenses.
When you are on the parameter screen for the FEC Form 3X and you make a selection from the Report Schedule drop-down, the system should automatically fill in the Report Date range as well as the Threshold Start Date. When you do so while working on reports covering financial activity taking place in the first quarter (Jan through Mar), you may see that the dates loading in are from the previous calendar year. This is because those auto-loading dates are updated on the backend by our Compliance team at the beginning of every calendar year.
However, due to filing deadlines for both FEC and state reports, the process of updating these auto-loading dates can take some time to complete, so for the first few reporting periods of a new calendar year, you may need to manually edit the dates to make sure they are accurate.
Also, even once that update process has been completed, we strongly recommend that you review all of your report's parameters before generating a draft to make sure they are correct. If you are ever unsure if your reporting parameters are correct or not, please reach out to your committee's FEC analyst for more guidance.
In a case where an Independent Expenditure is paid before the dissemination date, the data entry is a little different. It will require to enter in a regular expense on the first report, and then create an independent expenditure and negative offset on the second report.
The data entry steps are outlined below:
1. Create a regular Operating Expenditure to the IE Payment Vendor on the payment date. (Do not use the IE reporting code). For this example, in the screenshots, it is entered in with the payment date that would appear on the first report.
2. Create an Independent Expenditure with the IE reporting code, dissemination date, and payment date. This transaction will appear on the second report.
3. To avoid inflating your operating expenditure totals, create a negative normal expense. Do not use the IE reporting code. Also, use the same date as the IE date of dissemination for the negative expense. This transaction will also appear on the second report.
In the example below, the committee paid $50,000 for an IE to Organization. This was paid before the dissemination date. So a regular expense is entered in that would be reported on report 1 (the November Monthly) in this example.
An independent expenditure is created with all of the normal data entry except this will appear on report 2 (the December monthly).
Alongside that Independent Expenditure, a negative offset is created so the totals are not inflated. This is a regular negative expense with no IE reporting code that will appear on report 2.
To get a contribution to pull to Schedule A, just follow the steps below:
1) Enter a regular contribution saved to the contributor.
2) Go to Linking > Soft-Allocation, and enter the fundraiser, amount, and date into the New Soft-Allocation fields.
3) Click Add.
4) Save the entire contribution.
That's all! When you go to pull the report, you should see the transaction appear on Schedule A.
To to pull correctly, they must have:
1) Contribution saved to the individual record
2) From the individual contribution, an Intermediary link to the PAC record
3) From the individual contribution, a Soft-Allocation link to the PAC record
If you have entered both an "Intermediary" and a "Soft-Allocation" on a contribution and need this contribution to show on your FEC Form 3L report, there are just a couple more steps to accomplish this:
1) Open the committee record that you've entered as the "Soft-Allocation" on your contribution
2) Scroll down, click "Show Custom Fields", and check the box next to the "Lobbyist Org" field
3) Click the "Save" button to save the committee record
4) Go to Reports > Standard Reports and select the report called "Update transactions earmarked through lobbyist PACS"
5) Enter a date range that encompasses the contribution(s) you need to appear on your FEC Form 3L report
6) Click the "Generate" button
Running this standard report for any FEC Form 3L contributions that have both an "Intermediary" and a "Soft-Allocation" is a required step!
We suggest running this standard report shortly before running either the Form 3 or Form 3L. Clicking "Generate" will cause the transactions to show properly on both reports!
To begin, the record for the JFC must be set up with its committee type set as Authorized Committee. It must also be linked to the filing committee as a Joint Fundraising Rep. This can be done in the Connections tab of the record by following the instructions found here.
Once that has been complete, you'll need to take the following steps to ensure that the memos pull to the Form 6:
When you then go to generate the Form 6, it should pull the memos as needed.
Note: The Form 6 start date and end date should differ, sometimes transactions will be omitted from the transaction list if the start date and end date are the same day. For example- if you're filing for transactions dated 10/31, make the start date 10/31 and the end date 11/1.
FEC Form 6 is to be used to report all contributions (including loans) of $1000 or more, received within 20 days of the election.
Click here for more information from the FEC on Form 6 filing guidelines.
The information that pulls to the cover page is mostly determined by the info that is entered into the Criteria page (see below). This can include info such as the starting cash balance, date range covered by this report, etc.
In addition to the criteria page, information about the campaign/committee itself will pull from the Filing Committee's record on the system.
Below are screenshots of the criteria that was used to generate the report that is being used for the examples present in this Help File as well as those for each section of the report. In order to be certain of what criteria to use when generating your reports, you may need to consult with your compliance analyst and/or review past reports for any numbers that may carry over, such as the Ending Cash on Hand of a previous period's report.
This portion of the AL state report includes all monetary contributions received by the campaign/committee. Below is the data entry for a standard contribution, as well as how it will pull to the report. To perform the data entry, create a new Contribution entry and enter the following:
1. Name of contributor.
2. Amount of contribution.
3. Date of contribution.
Note: the Source of Contribution column refers to what type of entity gave the contribution: an organization, individual, PAC, etc. This section will be marked based on what type of record the contributor is saved as in CM - AL Business is saved in CM as an organization, so the "Business or Corporation" column is marked for that record's contribution.
This portion of the AL state report organizes In-Kind contributions. To perform the data entry, create a new in-kind entry, and enter the following:
1. Name of contributor.
2. Amount of contribution.
3. Date of contribution.
4. Reporting code / Nature of contribution: this refers to what of good or service was provided by the contribution - AL Individual's $612 In-Kind consisted of providing transportation for the campaign/committee. The nature of the contribution can be specified by selecting the appropriate reporting code on the In-Kind entry.
This portion of the Al state report includes other forms of receipts that the campaign/committee can receive, but is not a direct contribution or in-kind. Other sources can include but is not limited to: interest from loans made, loans received, misc. income. To know for sure if a receipt should be reported on this line, please consult with your compliance analyst. To perform the data entry, select the appropriate transaction type and enter the following:
1. Name of contributor/Source of the receipt.
2. Amount of receipt.
3. Date of receipt.
4. Guarantors: populating this column is only necessary if the receipt is a loan. In the data entry, click the Linking tab and select Loan Guarantor. On this tab, search for the record who will serve as Guarantor, enter the amount and date of the guarantee, and then click Add. That record's info will now pull to the Guarantor column.
Note: This line also includes any expenses that were refunded. Above you'll see that the Reversal button must be pressed to indicate that this expense came back to the campaign/committee as a refund.
This final portion of the AL state report covers expenses/expenditures. To perform the data entry, create a new expense entry, and enter the following:
1. Name of the vendor/record that is being paid.
2. The amount of the expense.
3. The date of the expense.
4. Reporting code / Purpose of Expenditure: Similar to the nature of contribution from line 3, CM uses reporting codes to indicate what the purpose of an expenditure is.
Aristotle currently offers complete and "ready to file" e-files for the Alabama State Report!
Unfortunately, the state does not currently allow third-party vendors to e-file directly into their system from other software products. That said, all you need to do is download the e-file output and then upload it into the state's system! The easiest way to do this is right click on the link for the e-file output, select "Save As", give it a suitable file name while leaving the file extension as it is, and save the file.
Before you can file ANY reports, you will need to register your committee with the Alabama Electronic FCPA Reporting System. The Alabama Electronic FCPA Reporting System can be accessed via their online portal. Access to the online portal is available on their website in the Campaign Finance section, as well as instructions on how to obtain the desktop software. Here's a link directly to it:
https://fcpa.alabamavotes.gov/CampaignFinance/UserLogin.aspx
You will then need to follow these steps:
1) Go to the above link and you'll be taken to the online filing portal page where you will need to log in using your state-provided username and password
2) Click "Administration"
3) Click "Import New File"
4) After the file has successfully Uploaded, you may proceed to filing your report under the "File Reports" tab
We advise clients to never open the efile output before uploading unless it's strictly necessary. Often times various programs like Excel, Notepad, etc, will auto-format files in ways that renders them non-compliant with state requirements. For example, Excel will drop the leading zeros on values in cells, which can be problematic when dealing with NE zip codes.
Some states have invented file extensions for their efiles that need to be preserved, or they use older file extensions than what is generally used and can be overwritten. For example, many states have the file extension .csv for their efiles, which Excel will try to override when saving since it's generally not used. Please ensure to keep the file extension as it is so the state's system will accept the file.
Information that pulls to the cover page primarily comes from two sources: the report's criteria page, and the Filing Committee record page. Some information, such as a candidate's office or district, will pull from the candidate's record, which must be connected to the Filing Committee record via the Connections tab.
This portion of the AK state report includes all contributions and income the campaign/committee receives. This includes, but is not limited to contributions, loans received, miscellaneous income, etc.
Each numbered field in the Campaign Manager entry will pull to the area on the report with the same number. To enter contributions, you need to enter:
1. Name of contributor.
2. Amount of the contribution.
3. Date of contribution.
4. Reporting code: the Payment Method column on the report pulls from the reporting code that was selected on the transaction.
This portion of the AK state report includes all expenses.
Each numbered field in the Campaign Manager entry will pull to the area on the report with the same number. To enter contributions, you need to enter:
1. Name of vendor who is being paid.
2. Amount of the expense.
3. Date of expense.
4. Reporting code: the Payment Method column on the report pulls from the reporting code that was selected on the transaction.
5. Reporting Description: This field on the transaction will pull to the Purpose of Expenditure column on the report.
This portion of the AK state report includes all outstanding debts that the campaign/committee may have. One of the most common debts that this section keeps track of are loans received that have not yet been paid off.
Each numbered field in the Campaign Manager entry will pull to the area on the report with the same number. To enter contributions, you need to enter:
1. Name of lender.
2. Original amount of the loan.
3. Date of loan.
4. Description of Loan Received: This field pulls to the Description or Purpose column of the report.
5/6. Linking Tab > Loan History: This section in the transaction keeps track of any payments that are made towards paying off a loan. New payments can be added at the bottom, and every payment that is made towards this specific loan will be present on this tab. The Balance remaining column on the report will display the original amount of the loan, minus the total of all payments that have been made.
This last section of the AK state report is fairly straight forward - the Election and Report options will be marked based on selections made on the report's criteria page, while all of the totals in the This Period column are calculated based on the transactions that pull to the other sections of the report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the AR State report cover page in Campaign Manager.
1 - Name of the Committee / Address / Zip. All information can be edited from the Record itself.
2 - Type of the Report. This is generated from the parameters. All the options are First, Second, Third and Forth Quarter.
3 - Amendment. If you are amending this report you will have to click the check box from the parameters screen. After checking this and generating the report, the box will be checked on the PDF.
This Help Documentation will help with the data entry for Schedule 9 "Contributors of more than $50". For the contributions to pull to the report it will just have to be over the threshold of $50 and fall within the date range of the parameters. It will pull to the report.
1 - Name of Contributor
2 - Date of Contributor
3 - Amount of contribution
This Help Documentation will help pull transactions to Schedule 14. In order for a transaction to pull to this schedule it needs to be an In-Kind Contribution. Screen shots of what it would look like on the report.
1 - Name / Address of Contributor. This would all be changeable from the record.
2 - Value of the Non Money Item / Description of the Non Money Item. This transaction information would be created from the Financial Register or the record itself. From there you can put in the Value of the Non money Item as well as a Description if you would like.
This help documentation will show how the transactions look on schedule 19. Also it will show the data entry for the transaction that needs to pull to the report. The transaction needs to be a expense transaction and the date of the transaction needs to fall within the range that is put on the parameters when generating the report.
1 - Name / address of the person whom made the disbursement
2 - Date of the Transaction
3 - Amount of the Disbursement. Both the date and amount of the disbursement can be edited from the transaction record itself.
Aristotle currently offers complete and "ready to file" e-files for the Arkansas State Report!
Unfortunately, the state does not currently allow third-party vendors to e-file directly into their system from other software products. That said, all you need to do is download the e-file output and then upload it into the state's system! The easiest way to do this is right click on the link for the e-file output, select "Save As", give it a suitable file name while leaving the file extension as it is, and save the file.
Before you can file ANY reports, you will need to register your committee with the Arkansas Secretary of State Financial Disclosure system. The Arkansas Financial Disclosure System can be accessed through their online portal. Access to the online portal is available on their website in the Campaign Finance section. Here's a link directly to it:
http://financial-disclosures.sos.arkansas.gov/#/index
You will then need to follow these steps:
Go to the above link, and login to the Financial Disclosure System
1) Select Import Manager
2) Select Import File
3) Select the File and click the Import button
4) After the file has completed Importing, select the menu button to Review, Accept or Reject the Import
We advise clients to never open the efile output before uploading unless it's strictly necessary. Often times various programs like Excel, Notepad, etc, will auto-format files in ways that renders them non-compliant with state requirements. For example, Excel will drop the leading zeros on values in cells, which can be problematic when dealing with LA zip codes.
Some states have invented file extensions for their efiles that need to be preserved, or they use older file extensions than what is generally used and can be overwritten. For example, many states have the file extension .csv for their efiles, which Excel will try to override when saving since it's generally not used. Please ensure to keep the file extension as it is so the state's system will accept the file.
Louisiana's e-filing system accepts full reports, with one e-file formatted as a .pdp text file. This means that the electronic format has all of the information already formatted for how the state wants these reports to appear. There's no additional steps required for preparing the report for submission beyond uploading the report. This also means that it is more difficult to make small changes to the report once it's submitted, if it's possible at all.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Page 1 of the CA Form 410 Statement of Organization in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee and individual records. The lettered items are populated using fields on the CA 410 criteria page.
For instructions on how to connect staff records to the committee record, see 1.2 Committee Records - Linking Committee Staff.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Page 2 of the CA 410 Statement of Organization in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the candidate's record and the bank account info listed in Financial >>> Accounts. The lettered items are populated using fields on the CA 410 criteria page.
For committees that file both FEC and CA reports, the "Default" account for the appropriate committee must be selected before running the report. So, when filing a CA 410, the "Default" checkbox should be checked for the state account, as seen below. The "Default" account can then be changed back to the appropriate Federal account. It is also necessary to fill in ALL highlighted fields seen below. If any highlighted field is left blank, none of the bank information will be pulled to the report.
For instructions on how to connect staff records to the committee record, see 1.2 Committee Records - Linking Committee Staff.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Page 3 of the CA 410 Statement of Organization in Campaign Manager.
The lettered items are populated using fields on the CA 410 criteria page.
We've added a feature to the CA Form 460 report parameters that will automatically populate some of the "beginning balance" type fields for you!
There are a few requirements for this button to successfully load your balance however! When this button is clicked, the system takes the "Period From" date that you have entered in the parameters, and looks through the reports that were filed within Campaign Manager for the following:
1. It looks for reports marked as filed with the end date closest to the "Period From" date
2. If it finds multiple reports with the same "Period From" date, it will look for the report with the highest amendment number
In effect, the tool looks for the last filed report before the report you're currently generating, and uses information from that filed report to automatically populate your CA Form 460 "Period Start Balance". This tool can be used as many times as necessary before generating the report!
NOTE 1: If the function is used, and then the "Period From" date is changed, the button needs to be clicked again to refresh the values in the applicable fields.
NOTE 2: This function WILL NOT WORK if you filed your last report outside of Campaign Manager, either through another software product or a manually edited report. If that is the case then a message saying "Previous balance not found" will appear.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 460 report cover page in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the 460. The cover page information begins on page 2.
These dates are entered on the report parameters page in the Period From: and Period To: fields. Please see below for a screenshot of where these fields are located in Campaign Manager.
This date is entered on the report parameters page in the Election Date: field. See below for a screenshot.
These boxes are marked by the selections you make on the parameters page in the Statement Type: dropdown menu. See below for a screenshot.
This box is marked by the selections made on the parameters page in the Report Schedule: dropdown menu. See below for a screenshot.
The information in this section is saved to your filing committee record. Please see below for a list of all the fields that need to be entered to fully populate this section, along with a screenshot showing where each of those fields are on your filing committee record:
a: ID Number
b: Committee Name
c: Address
d: Phone Number
e: Mailing Address
f: Fax Number
g: Email Address
The information in these fields is saved to the individual record for your treasurer. Please see below for a list of all the fields that need to be populated for this information to show up along with a screenshot of where these fields are located in Campaign Manager:
a: Name
b: Address
c: Phone Number
d: Fax Number
e: Email Address
The information in these fields is saved to the individual record for your assistant treasurer. Please see below for a full list of the fields along with a screenshot of each field's location in Campaign Manager:
a: Name
b: Address
c: Phone Number
In order for the treasurer and assistant treasurer information to show correctly on your 460 report, you must also link the treasurer's record and the assistant treasurer's record to the filing committee record. This is done in the "Connections" tab of the filing committee, and you need to specify the appropriate connection type. Please see the below screenshot for how this looks when it has been correctly entered:
In order for any information to pull to this section the Statement Type selected on the report parameters page must be one of the following:
- Officeholder/Candidate Controlled Local
- Officeholder/Candidate Controlled Recall
- Officeholder/Candidate Controlled State
The information in this section is found in the record of the Officeholder or Candidate. In order for any of this information to pull to the report the officeholder/candidate must be connected to the filing committee as Candidate. Please see below for a list of the fields used in this section of the report as well as a screenshot showing where these fields can be found in Campaign Manager.
a) Name of Officeholder or Candidate
b) Office Sought or Held
c) Residential/Business Address
The information in this section is saved in the record of the Affiliated/Controlled Committee. In order for any of this information to pull to the report the Affiliated/Controlled Committee must be connected to the filing committee as either an Affiliated or a Controlled Committee. Please see below for a full list of fields included in this section as well as a screenshot of where they can be found.
a) Committee Name
b) ID Number
c) Committee Address
d) Name of Treasurer
For any information to pull to this section of the Form 460 the Statement Type selected on the report parameters page must be one of the following:
- Ballot Measure Controlled
- Ballot Measure Primarily Formed
- Ballot Measure Primarily Formed and Controlled
- Ballot Measure Sponsored
The information in this section is saved to your filing committee record in the Custom Fields section under Compliance Fields. Please see below for a list of all the fields that need to be entered to fully populate this section:
a) Name of Ballot Measure
b) Ballot No. or Letter
c) Jurisdiction
d) Support or Oppose
The information in this section is saved to the record of the controlling officeholder, candidate, or state measure proponent. Please see below for a list of all the fields that need to be entered to fully populate this section, along with a screenshot showing where each of those fields are on the controlling officeholder, candidate, or state measure proponent record:
a) Name of Officeholder, Candidate, or Proponent
b) Office Sought or Held
c) District No. if any
Note that fields b) and c) will only appear as options if the candidate checkbox is selected in the record.
In Addition, in order for any of this information to pull to the form 460 the controlling officeholder, candidate, or state measure proponent must be connected to the filing committee record as a candidate using the Connections tab.
To get information to pull to this section the Statement Type selected on the report parameters page must be set to Primarily Formed Candidate/Officeholder.
The information in this section is saved in each officeholder/candidate's record. Each officeholder/candidate must be connected to the filing committee as a Candidate through the connections tab for their information to pull to the report. Below is a list of included fields as well as a screenshot of where they can be found.
a) Name of Officeholder or Candidate
b) Office Sought or Held
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 460 report summary page in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the 460. The summary page information begins on page 4.
For each summary line, this column displays totals for the period covered by the report. The period of the report is entered in the Period From and Period To fields in the report criteria screen. See below for a screenshot of the report criteria screen.
For each summary line, this column displays totals for the period between the dates entered in the Aggregate From and Period To fields in the report criteria screen. See below for a screenshot.
1 - Monetary Contributions. This line lists summary totals for Schedule A. These totals are automatically generated based on the information entered on the schedule. For more information about this schedule, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule A (Monetary Contributions Received).
2 - Loans Received. This line lists summary totals for Schedule B Part 1. These totals are automatically generated based on the information entered on the schedule. For more information about this schedule, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule B, Part 1 (Loans Received).
3 - Subtotal Cash Contributions. This line is automatically generated and lists the total of line 1 - Monetary Contributions and line 2 - Loans Received.
4 - Nonmonetary Contributions. This line lists summary totals for Schedule C. These totals are automatically generated based on the information entered on the schedule. For more information about this schedule, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule C (Nonmonetary Contributions Received).
5 - Total Contributions Received. This line is automatically generated and lists the total of line 3 - Subtotal Cash Contributions and line 4 - Nonmonetary Contributions.
6 - Payments Made. This line lists summary totals for Schedule E. These totals are automatically generated based on the information entered on the schedule. For more information about this schedule, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule E (Payments Made).
7 - Loans Made. This line lists summary totals for Schedule H. These totals are automatically generated based on the information entered on the schedule. For more information about this schedule, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule H (Loans Made to Others).
8 - Subtotal Cash Payments. This line is automatically generated and lists the total of line 6 - Payments Made and line 7 - Loans Made.
9 - Accrued Expenses (Unpaid Bills). This line lists summary totals for Schedule F. These totals are automatically generated based on the information entered on the schedule. For more information about this schedule, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule F (Accrued Expenses/Unpaid Bills).
10 Nonmonetary Adjustment. This line is automatically generated and lists the total of line 4 - Nonmonetary Contributions in order to prevent line 4 - Nonmonetary Contributions from having an impact on the ending cash balance for the report.
11 - Total Expenditures Made. This line is automatically generated and lists the total of line 8 - Subtotal Cash Payments, line 9 - Accrued Expenses (Unpaid Bills), and line 10 - Nonmonetary Adjustment.
12 - Beginning Cash Balance. This line displays the value entered in the Start Balance field of the report criteria screen. See below for a screenshot.
13 - Cash Receipts. This line is automatically generated and equals line 3 - Subtotal Cash Contributions.
14 - Miscellaneous Increases to Cash. This line lists summary totals for Schedule I. These totals are automatically generated based on the information entered on the schedule. For more information about this schedule, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule I (Miscellaneous Increases to Cash).
15 - Cash Payments. This line is automatically generated and equals line 8 - Subtotal Cash Payments.
16 - Ending Cash Balance. This line is automatically generated and lists the total of line 12 - Beginning Cash Balance, line 13 - Cash Receipts, and line 14 - Miscellaneous Increases to Cash, less the total of line 15 - Cash Payments.
17 - Loan Guarantees Received. This line lists summary totals for Schedule B, Part 2. These totals are automatically generated based on the information entered on the schedule. For more information about this schedule, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule B, Part 2 (Loan Guarantors).
18 - Cash Equivalents. This line is automatically generated and equals the Column B total for line 7 - Loans Made.
19 - Outstanding Debts. This line is automatically generated and lists the Column B total of line 2 - Loans Received and line 9 - Accrued Expenses (Unpaid Bills).
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 460 report Schedule A in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the Form 460. The Schedule A information begins on page 13.
Add a transaction to Schedule A by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule A are: Contribution.
The date the contribution was received is entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot of this field.
The name of the contributor is entered in the Contributor field of the transaction record. The contributor's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the contributor's record. See below for a screenshot.
The contributor code is selected based on the record type of the contributor selected (i.e., "Individual," "Organization," or "Committee") and the type of committee, if applicable.
When the contributor is an individual, the contributor's occupation and employer pull based on the information entered in the selected contributor's record. See below for a screenshot.
The amount of the contribution is entered in the Amount field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
This field gives the total of all contributions from the contributor since the aggregation start date. The aggregation start date is entered in the Aggregate From field in the report's criteria screen.
This field gives the total of all contributions from the contributor since the aggregation start date, broken down by designated election. The election is selected in the Election Period drop-down menu in the transaction record. The aggregation start date is entered in the Aggregate From field in the report's criteria screen. This column can be suppressed by checking the Suppress Contribution Election Totals checkbox in the report's criteria screen. See below for a screenshot of the Election Period drop-down menu.
This is a summary of all transactions in the Schedule. It generates automatically.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 460 report Schedule B - Part 1 in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the Form 460. The Schedule B Part 1 information begins on page 17.
Add a transaction to Schedule B by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule B are: Loan Received.
The name of the lender is entered in the Lender field of the transaction record. The lender's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the lender's record. See below for a screenshot.
When the lender is an individual, the lender's occupation and employer pull based on the information entered in the selected lender's record.
If the date entered in the Date field of the transaction record is before the start of the report period, this column will display the amount entered in the Amount field of the transaction record, less any loan payments made or forgiveness received before the start of the report period. See below for a screenshot.
If the date entered in the Date field of the transaction record is during the report period, this column will display the amount entered in the Amount field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
The total amount of the loan that was repaid or forgiven during the report period displays here. To enter a loan repayment or forgiveness, take the following steps:
c-1: In the transaction record, click Linking.
c-2: Select Loan History.
c-3: Select either Repayment, Forgiveness, or 3rd Party Repayment.
c-4: Enter the Amount, Date, and 3rd Party Name (if applicable) in the fields provided, then click Add.
See below for a screenshot of these steps.
This column displays the amount entered in the Amount field of the transaction record, less any loan payments made or forgiveness received. This column also displays the due date of the loan, if any. The loan's due date is selected from the Due Date drop-down menu in the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
Any interest that was paid during the report period displays here. The interest rate on the loan is entered in the Interest Rate field of the transaction record. To enter an interest payment, take the following steps:
e-1: In the transaction record, click Linking.
e-2: Select Loan History.
e-3: Select Interest Paid.
e-4: Enter the Amount and Date of the interest payment in the fields provided, then click Add.
See below for a screenshot of these steps.
This column displays the amount entered in the Amount field of the transaction record, as well as the date entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
This field gives the total of all contributions and loans from the lender since the aggregation start date as the Calendar Year total. It also gives the total of all contributions and loans from the lender since the aggregation start date broken down by designated election as Per Election totals. The election is selected in the Election Period drop-down menu in the transaction record. The aggregation start date is entered in the Aggregate From field in the report's criteria screen. See below for a screenshot of the Election Period drop-down menu.
This is a summary of all transactions in the Schedule. It generates automatically.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 460 report Schedule B - Part 2 in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the Form 460. The Schedule B Part 2 information begins on page 20.
Add a Loan Guarantor to Schedule B by taking the following steps:
a. Find and edit the loan transaction that is being guaranteed.
b. In the transaction record, click Linking.
c. Select Loan Guarantor.
d. Enter the name of the guarantor in the Name field of the Loan Guarantor sub-section, then click Add.
See below for a screenshot of these steps.
The name of the guarantor is entered in the Name field of the Loan Guarantor sub-section (see step d above). The guarantor's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the guarantor's record. See below for a screenshot.
The contributor code is selected based on the record type of the guarantor selected (i.e., "Individual," "Organization," or "Committee") and the type of committee, if applicable.
When the guarantor is an individual, the guarantor's occupation and employer pull based on the information entered in the selected guarantor's record. See below for a screenshot.
Summary information of the loan being guaranteed populates here. For more information on entering the loan transaction, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule B, Part 1 (Loans Received).
The amount entered in the Amount field of the loan transaction displays in this column. For more information on entering the loan transaction, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule B, Part 1 (Loans Received).
This field gives the total of all contributions and loans from the lender since the aggregation start date as the Calendar Year total. It also gives the total of all contributions and loans from the lender since the aggregation start date broken down by designated election as Per Election totals. For more information on entering the loan transaction, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule B, Part 1 (Loans Received).
This column displays the original amount of the loan, less any loan payments made or forgiveness received. For more information on entering the loan transaction, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule B, Part 1 (Loans Received).
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 460 report Schedule C in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the Form 460. The Schedule C information begins on page 24.
Add a transaction to Schedule C by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule C are: In-Kind.
The date the contribution was received is entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot of this field.
The name of the contributor is entered in the Contributor field of the transaction record. The contributor's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the contributor's record. See below for a screenshot.
The contributor code is selected based on the record type of the contributor selected (i.e., "Individual," "Organization," or "Committee") and the type of committee, if applicable.
When the contributor is an individual, the contributor's occupation and employer pull based on the information entered in the selected contributor's record.
The description of goods or services provided is entered in the Reporting Description field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
The amount of the contribution is entered in the Amount field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
This field gives the total of all contributions from the contributor since the aggregation start date. The aggregation start date is entered in the Aggregate From field in the report's criteria screen.
This field gives the total of all contributions from the contributor since the aggregation start date, broken down by designated election. The election is selected in the Election Period drop-down menu in the transaction record. The aggregation start date is entered in the Aggregate From field in the report's criteria screen. This column can be suppressed by checking the Suppress Contribution Election Totals checkbox in the report's criteria screen. See below for a screenshot of the Election Period drop-down menu.
This is a summary of all transactions in the Schedule. It generates automatically.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 460 report Schedule D in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the Form 460. The Schedule D information begins on page 27.
Add a transaction to Schedule D by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule D are: Expense, Unpaid Bill (Accrued Expense).
(Note: Expense transactions also display on Schedule E. For more information about Schedule E, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule E (Payments Made). Unpaid Bill (Accrued Expense) transactions also display on Schedule F. For more information about Schedule F, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule F (Accrued Expenses/Unpaid Bills).)
The date the expenditure was made is entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot of this field.
The candidate or committee being supported is entered in the Support/Oppose field of the transaction record. Either the Support or the Oppose button must also be selected. The name of the candidate and their office and district, or the ballot measure number or letter and jurisdiction, or the name of the committee, pull to the report as they are entered in the selected record. See below for a screenshot of the Support/Oppose section of the transaction record.
The type of payment is selected from the Reporting Code drop-down menu in the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
If a description of the payment needs to be entered, it should be entered in the Reporting Description field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
The amount of the payment is entered in the Amount field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
This field gives the total of all payments made supporting or opposing the candidate, measure or committee since the aggregation start date. The aggregation start date is entered in the Aggregate From field in the report's criteria screen.
This field gives the total of all payments made supporting or opposing the candidate broken down by designated election. The election is selected in the Election Period drop-down menu in the transaction record. See below for a screenshot of the Election Period drop-down menu.
This is a summary of all transactions in the Schedule. It generates automatically.
The transactions on schedule D can be marked as "Monetary" or "Non-Monetary" by following the below steps:
1) Pull up the vendor record and open a new expense
2) Fill out all the required info such as amount, date, etc.
3) Set the "Reporting Code" as follows:
Monetary: select "CTB"
Non-Monetary: select "IKD"
4) Set the appropriate candidate record in the "Support/Oppose" field at the bottom
5) click "Save"
This will get the expense onto schedule D with either the "Monetary" or the "Non-Monetary" box checked. Please see below for screenshots further illustrating this process.
MONETARY
NON-MONETARY
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 460 report Schedule E in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the Form 460. The Schedule E information begins on page 36.
Add a transaction to Schedule A by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the payee's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule E are: Expense, Bill Payment.
(Note: Bill Payments are not added independently. Instead, they are added through Unpaid Bills. Find and edit the unpaid bill transaction that is being paid off, select Linking, then Unpaid Bill History, then complete the New Bill Payment sub-section. For more information on Unpaid Bills, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule F (Accrued Expenses/Unpaid Bills).)
The name of the payee is entered in the Vendor field of the transaction record. The payee's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the payee's record. See below for a screenshot.
The payment code is selected from the Reporting Code drop-down menu in the transaction record. If a description of the payment needs to be entered, it should be entered in the Reporting Description field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
The amount of the payment is entered in the Amount field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
This is a summary of all transactions in the Schedule. It generates automatically.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 460 report Schedule F in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the Form 460. The Schedule F information begins on page 38.
Add a transaction to Schedule F by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule F are: Unpaid Bill (Accrued Expense).
The name of the creditor is entered in the Vendor field of the transaction record. The creditor*'s name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the creditor's record. See below for a screenshot.
The payment code is selected from the Reporting Code drop-down menu in the transaction record. If a description of the payment needs to be entered, it should be entered in the Reporting Description field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
If the date entered in the Date field of the transaction record is before the start of the report period, this column will display the amount entered in the Amount field of the transaction record, less any repayments made or forgiveness received before the start of the report period. See below for a screenshot.
If the date entered in the Date field of the transaction record is during the report period, this column will display the amount entered in the Amount field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
The total amount of the accrued expense that was repaid or forgiven during the report period displays here as well as on Schedule E. To enter a repayment or forgiveness, take the following steps:
c-1: In the transaction record, click Linking.
c-2: Select Unpaid Bill History.
c-3: Select either Repayment, Forgiveness, or 3rd Party Repayment.
c-4: Complete the Amount and Date fields, as well as the 3rd Party Name and Reporting Description fields if applicable, then click Add.
See below for a screenshot of these steps.
This column displays the amount entered in the Amount field of the transaction record, less any repayments made or forgiveness received.
This is a summary of all transactions in the Schedule. It generates automatically.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 460 report Schedule G in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the Form 460. The Schedule G information begins on page 43.
Schedule G displays payments made on behalf of the filing committee by an agent or independent contractor. These payments are entered as Memo Expense (Sub-Vendor) transactions linked to an existing Expense or Unpaid Bill made to the agent or contractor. To add a Memo Expense to this schedule, take the following steps:
a. Find and edit the expense or unpaid bill transaction made to the agent or contractor.
b. In the transaction record, click Linking.
c. Select Sub-Vendor.
d. Enter the name of the payee or creditor in the Name field of the New Sub-Vendor sub-section.
e: Complete the Amount and Original Date fields, as well as the Reporting Code and Reporting Description fields if applicable, then click Add.
See below for a screenshot of these steps.
(Note: For more information on adding Expenses, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule E (Payments Made). For more information on adding Unpaid Bills, see Completing the Form 460 Schedule F (Accrued Expenses/Unpaid Bills).)
The name of the payee is entered in the Name field of the New Sub-Vendor sub-section. The payee's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the payee's record.
The payment code is selected from the Reporting Code drop-down menu in the New Sub-Vendor sub-section. If a description of the payment needs to be entered, it should be entered in the Reporting Description field of the New Sub-Vendor sub-section.
The amount of the payment is entered in the Amount field of the New Sub-Vendor sub-section.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 460 report Schedule H in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the Form 460. The Schedule H information begins on page 45.
Add a transaction to Schedule H by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule B are: Loan Made.
The name of the recipient is entered in the Recipient field of the transaction record. The recipient's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the recipient's record. See below for a screenshot.
When the recipient is an individual, the recipient's occupation and employer pull based on the information entered in the selected recipient's record.
If the date entered in the Date field of the transaction record is before the start of the report period, this column will display the amount entered in the Amount field of the transaction record, less any loan payments received or forgiveness made before the start of the report period. See below for a screenshot.
If the date entered in the Date field of the transaction record is during the report period, this column will display the amount entered in the Amount field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
The total amount of the loan that was repaid or forgiven during the report period displays here. To enter a loan repayment or forgiveness, take the following steps:
c-1: In the transaction record, click Linking.
c-2: Select Loan History.
c-3: Select either Repayment, Forgiveness, or 3rd Party Repayment.
c-4: Enter the Amount, Date, and 3rd Party Name (if applicable) in the fields provided, then click Add.
See below for a screenshot of these steps.
This column displays the amount entered in the Amount field of the transaction record, less any loan payments received or forgiveness made. This column also displays the due date of the loan, if any. The loan's due date is selected from the Due Date drop-down menu in the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
Any interest that was received during the report period displays here. The interest rate on the loan is entered in the Interest Rate field of the transaction record. To enter an interest payment, take the following steps:
e-1: In the transaction record, click Linking.
e-2: Select Loan History.
e-3: Select Interest Paid.
e-4: Enter the Amount and Date of the interest payment in the fields provided, then click Add.
See below for a screenshot of these steps.
This column displays the amount entered in the Amount field of the transaction record, as well as the date entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
This field gives the total of all contributions and loans made to the recipient since the aggregation start date as the Calendar Year total. It also gives the total of all contributions and loans made to the recipient since the aggregation start date broken down by designated election as Per Election totals. The election is selected in the Election Period drop-down menu in the transaction record. The aggregation start date is entered in the Aggregate From field in the report's criteria screen. See below for a screenshot of the Election Period drop-down menu.
This is a summary of all transactions in the Schedule. It generates automatically.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 460 report Schedule I in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the Form 460. The Schedule I information begins on page 48.
Add a transaction to Schedule I by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule I are: Misc Income.
The date the receipt was received is entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot of this field.
The name of the source is entered in the Source field of the transaction record. The source's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the source's record. See below for a screenshot.
Enter a description of the receipt in the Reporting Description field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
The amount of the receipt is entered in the Amount field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
This is a summary of all transactions in the Schedule. It generates automatically.
1. Navigate to "Tools" > "Tag Management".
2. In the "New Tag" section, enter the desired name for the aggregation group in the "Tag Name" field. If desired, enter a memo in the "Description" field.
3. Set the "Type" dropdown to "CA Aggregate". (If "CA Aggregate" is not available in the dropdown menu, follow step 3a).
3a. Select "New Type" enter "CA Aggregate" as the new type, CA Aggregate must be entered accurately in order to function properly. Ensure that "Active" Selected. Select "Save".
4. Click "Save".
5. For each member of the aggregation group, open the member's record. In the "Tags" section, check the box for the tag you just created, then save the record. This record is now a member of the aggregation group.
There are two types of IKEM (In Kind Expenditure Made) transactions that can appear on the report, one that does not have a cash impact and another that does. The following will be steps to create both.
Non-Monetary (no cash impact)
1. If you are not already in an entity's record, hover your mouse over the Financial tab and choose In-Kind Expense Made beneath the Add Disbursement heading
2. A split screen will appear with the Register on the left and the transaction details on the right
3. In the Recipient field, search for the entity this transaction belongs to
4. Complete the remaining fields and options
5. When you have entered the information needed, click the Save button
If you are already in an entity's record, click the blue New Transaction button, then choose In-Kind Expense Made and take steps 4 and 5 listed above.
Monetary (cash impact)
1. If you are not already in an entity's record, hover your mouse over the Financial tab and choose Expense beneath the Add Disbursement heading
2. A split screen will appear with the Register on the left and the transaction details on the right
3. In the Recipient field, search for the entity this transaction belongs to
4. In the Reporting Code dropdown, choose IKD
5. Complete the remaining fields and options
5. When you have entered the information needed, click the Save button
If you are already in an entity's record, click the blue New Transaction button, then choose Expense and take steps 4 and 5 listed above.
Installment Payments
Contributions may be received as installment payments made at regular intervals over a period of time via credit card, debit card, wire
transfer, or similar electronic means. When a contributor authorizes a series of installment payments, the contribution is reported as received when the committee, or an agent of the committee, obtains possession or control of the funds for each installment payment.
Click here to review the FPPC's guidelines for more information about reporting installment payments on the 460.
Ex: Sandra Nickel informed your committee that she wanted to contribute a total of $500, in five payments of $100 each month from June through October. On the committee's statement due July 31 covering the period January 1 through June 30, the campaign statement must itemize Sandra and report receipt of $100 on June 1. The statement would not include the future contributions.
Sponsor's Contributions
If the sponsor of a committee collects contributions for the committee by means of employee payroll deductions or membership dues, the committee must disclose the sponsor as an intermediary for the contributions. If an employee or member contributes $100 or more to the committee in a calendar year, the employee or member must be itemized on the campaign reports.
In most cases, if the sponsor makes contributions from its general fund to other committees or candidates, the sponsored committee may report the contributions as if they were received and made by the committee. The sponsored committee's report must identify the donors that account for the political expenditures using the "last in, first out" (LIFO) accounting method. If any member made payments totaling $1,000 or more, the member's name, address, occupation and employer must be disclosed. If these contributors do not account for the full balance of the expenditures, the sponsoring organization must identify itself as the contributor of the remaining balance. These committee reports must be signed by both the committee treasurer and a responsible officer of the sponsoring organization. (See Regulation 18419 for additional information.)
Click here to review the FPPC's guidelines about exactly how this behavior needs to be reported on the 460.
1. On the criteria page for the Form 460 there is a tab called Report Options. Click on this tab.
2. Enter the text of the memo in the Report Text box.
3. Go back to the Form Information tab and ensure all other criteria are entered correctly, then click Generate. The report memo will appear on its own page between the 2nd page of the cover page and the summary.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 497 report Filer Information section in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the 497. The Filer Information section begins on page 7.
The information in this section is saved to your filing committee record. Please see below for a list of all the fields that need to be entered to fully populate this section, along with a screenshot showing where each of those fields are on your filing committee record:
a: Name of Filer
b: Area Code/Phone Number
c: I.D. Number
d: Street Address, City, State, Zip Code
The information in this section pulls based on the report criteria or automatically.
a. Date of This Filing (Automatically pulls the current date when the report is generated)
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 497 Contribution(s) Received section in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the 497. The Contribution(s) Received section begins on page 7.
Add a transaction to the Contribution(s) Received section by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule A are: Contribution, In-Kind, Loan Received, and Loan Received Forgiveness.
The date the contribution was received is entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot of this field.
The name of the contributor is entered in the Contributor field of the transaction record. The contributor's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the contributor's record. See below for a screenshot.
The contributor code is selected based on the record type of the contributor selected (i.e., "Individual," "Organization," or "Committee") and the type of committee, if applicable.
When the contributor is an individual, the contributor's occupation and employer pull based on the information entered in the selected contributor's record.
The amount of the contribution is entered in the Amount field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the CA 497 report Contribution(s) Made section in Campaign Manager. If you'd like some additional information about this report please take a look at the FPPC's guidelines for the 497. The Contribution(s) Made section begins on page 8.
Add a transaction to the Contribution(s) Made by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for the Contribution(s) Made are: Expense. Valid reporting codes for the transaction are: CTB, IKD, IND, and MBR.
The date the contribution was made is entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot of this field.
The name of the recipient is entered in the Vendor field of the transaction record. The recipient's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the recipient's record. See below for a screenshot.
The candidate or committee being supported is entered in the Support/Oppose field of the transaction record. Either the Support or the Oppose button must also be selected. The name of the candidate and their office and district, or the ballot measure number or letter and jurisdiction, or the name of the committee, pull to the report as they are entered in the selected record. See below for a screenshot of the Support/Oppose section of the transaction record.
The amount of the contribution is entered in the Amount field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
The date of the election pulls based on the election period selected from the Election Period drop-down menu of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot.
The Form 497 must be followed in each of the following situations:
1) A state or local primarily formed ballot measure committee receives contributions totaling $1,000 or more from a single source within 90 days before the election (state committees must also report contributions received on the day of the election).
2) A state or local primarily formed or general purpose ballot measure committee makes contributions totaling $1,000 or more to a primarily formed committee or a candidate election committee within 90 days of the measure's or candidate's election, or to a state or county political party committee within 90 days of any state election. All state and local ballot measure committees must file if the committee makes contributions of $1,000 or more to a primarily formed committee or candidate election committee during the 90 days before an election.
3) A state primarily formed ballot measure committee (including a group circulating a petition to qualify a state measure) that files electronically receives a contribution of $5,000 or more at any time other than during the 90-day election cycle.
4) A state general purpose ballot measure committee that files electronically makes contributions totaling $5,000 or more to a state primarily formed ballot measure committee or to a state general purpose committee that will use the funds to support or oppose a state ballot measure outside of the 90-day election cycle.
By default, the 497 report includes all transactions covered by the reporting requirements and the report criteria used. If a transactions pulls to the report that does not need to be included (for instance, a transaction that has been previously reported), it can be manually deselected before generating the report. To manually select or deselect transactions, take the following steps:
1. After selecting the report criteria but before clicking "Generate Report," select the "Transaction List" tab on the criteria page.
2. Click the blue "Transaction List" button. This will generate a preview of the transactions that will be included on the report.
3. Uncheck the box next to any transactions that do not need to be included. Alternatively, uncheck the box at the top of the list to uncheck all transactions, then check the box next to any transactions that need to be included.
4. Once all selections have been made, click "Generate Report."
Aristotle software has the ability to both generate 100% complete "ready to file" e-files, as well as the ability to transmit those e-files to the state directly from our software! Once the report is generated it can be filed directly from the "Results" screen. This is available for all California reports!
In the "Electronic filing options" section, there are three fields:
1. In the Filer ID field, enter the CA-assigned ID for the filling committee
2. In the Password field, enter the password registered for the committee with CA's system.
3. In the Email field, enter the email address to which the filing confirmation email should be sent.
Once all that information is entered, all you need to do is click the "Efile" button and your report will be submitted to the state! The state will email you a notification of whether the report was rejected or accepted.
There's an additional check-box on CM labeled "Save ID and Password". If you've checked this box when e-filing a report, the ID and Password fields will be automatically populated for future generations of the report.
To submit an e-filing by uploading a CAL file to Netfile you need:
1. Filer ID - The Filer ID for the NetFile account.
2. Filer Password - The password associated with the Filer ID.
3. Response E-Mail - The e-mail address you want to use to receive status about the CAL upload.
4. CAL File - A valid CAL file.
5. Amendment Information - When you are uploading a CAL file that is amending a previous filing you may override the values in the CAL file by entering the following:
6. Amendment Number - The system requires an amendment sequence number. If the CAL file you are uploading is the first amendment of the original filing, the amendment number is "1". Increase the amendment number with each subsequent amendment.
7. Superceded Filing ID - The system requires the Filing ID of the filing you are amending. See the agency's public site to find the Filing ID for the filing you are amending.
Netfile filers usually need to enter a Netfile ID in the Signature ID field in the report criteria after selecting the report signer.
More information on this ID is here: https://netfile.com/Filer/Content/docs/CAL_Upload_SignatureVerification.pdf
Go here to enter the information and upload the .cal file: https://netfile.com/Filer/Vendor/Api/v10/UploadCal
When entering a Forgiveness transaction on a Loan Made, there are two steps required.
1) You must enter a standard Forgiveness transaction by going to the Loan Made transaction, selecting Loan History, and then Forgiveness from the bottom of the screen.
2) However, in addition to the Loan Made being reduced, California wants to see another transaction on the report to balance out the cash. Depending on the nature of the Loan Made, there are different ways to enter this transaction.
If the filer makes a loan out to a candidate committee, and then forgives that loan, technically the expense needs to pull as a contribution to that committee since in effect it is a contribution, so you will need to create a contribution for the amount of the Forgiveness on the date the Loan was forgiven.
If you made a loan to say, a campaign staffer to pay for housing, and forgave that loan, that loan would need to show as an operating expense. Enter is at a normal expense to that staffer, and enter the explanation (forgiveness of Loan Made etc) in the Reporting Description field.
1. Enter the candidate's record and edit the Basic Information section.
2. Check the Candidate checkbox. Set the Jurisdiction dropdown to "Local", and select the appropriate office sought from the Office dropdown. If no available option matches the office sought by the candidate, select "Other".
3. Enter "00" for the District Code. Enter the Candidate ID, and check the Incumbent checkbox if appropriate.
4. Click Save. Next, find the Custom Fields section and click Show Fields.
5. Enter the name of the local jurisdiction (e.g., "City of San Diego") in the CA Jurisdiction field. If you selected "Other" as the Office in Step 3, enter the name of the office sought in the CA Other Office field.
6. Click Save.
1. Create a new organization for the ballot measure committee. Make sure the following items are entered:
- Enter the name of the committee.
- Check the Committee checkbox.
- Set the Committee Type to "Ballot Measure Committee".
- Enter the committee ID number in the Registration ID field and select "CA" from the dropdown.
- Enter the committee's address.
2. Click Save. Next, find the Custom Fields section and click Show Fields.
3. Complete the following fields:
- Enter the name of the ballot measure in the CA Ballot Measure field.
- Enter the ballot measure number in the CA Ballot No. field.
- Enter the ballot measure's jurisdiction in the Ballot Jurisdiction field.
- Select whether the ballot measure committee is supporting or opposing the ballot measure from the Ballot Supp/Opp field.
4. Click Save.
1. Click on the Transactions tab, then click New Transaction and select Expense.
2. Complete the following fields:
- Amount
- Date
- Payment Method
- Reporting Code (usually "CTB")
- Reporting Description (if necessary)
- Election Period
- Account
3. Under Support/Oppose, click 'Support'. Search for and select the ballot measure committee in the field provided.
4. Finally, click Save.
When filing your California Form 460, you may see an error that says:
**********************************************************************
This filing will be rejected because of an error at line: 4
Form/Schedule: F460 Record Type: CVR3
Field number 3 contains a duplicate or invalid transaction ID.
If you see this error, check your Criteria page. There is a section on the Criteria page for Report Signer, with two dropdowns. Many campaigns with only one Report Signer (such as a Treasurer) will enter the Treasurer in both dropdowns, but because this pulls an ID for that record to the report, selecting the same record in both drop downs will cause a duplicate ID, which results in an error.
To resolve this error, all you need to do is leave the Second Report Signer dropdown blank, this will result in the Report Signer pulling only once to the report, and avoid the Duplicate ID error.
If you file your California compliance reports to San Diego County office and not the FPPC, then you are uploading your reports to a software application built by the company SouthTech Systems. Their software functions a bit differently than how the FPPC guidelines would prefer. It will sometimes place sub-vendor memos onto schedule E when, for state level filers, the FPPC prefers to see them on schedule G. The software finds the two fields at the end of the transaction that shows what schedule this Schedule G transaction corresponds to, as well as the exact trans ID of the transaction on that schedule, and elects to pull them there.
Essentially, both methods are permissible but since the FPPC prefers that state level filers report transactions like these on Schedule G we have built our report to correspond exactly with what the state of California says they prefer. The SouthTech Systems software elects to pull these transactions to Schedule E and that's not technically wrong, but the FPPC would just prefer they show on Schedule G which is why Campaign Manager's report behaves in this fashion.
This Help-doc will help you with the data entry for the Colorado State Report Cover Page. The Numbered items correspond with the the Committee record and the criteria page when generating the report.
1 - Committee Name
2 - The type of the Committee
3 - SOS ID Number
4 - Type of Report / Report Date Range / Termination / Amendment. All of these options are inputted on the criteria page when generating the report.
This Help Documentation will help with the Data entry for Schedule A of the Colorado State Report.
1 - Name / Address / Employer information. All of this information can be edited from the individual Record.
2 - Contribution Information. Date / Amount
This Help Documentation will help with the Data entry for Schedule B of the Colorado State Report.
1 - Name / Address / Employer information. All of this information can be edited from the individual Record.
2 - Contribution Information. Date / Amount
This Help Documentation will help with the Data entry for Schedule C of the Colorado State Report.
1 - Loan Source Basic Information. Name / Address / Zip
2 - Amount of the Loan. Also where you can set the Interest rate of the loan. Below 2 it gives you a summary of the loan amount received, amount paid for the period, and other loan information etc.
3 - Term of the Loan Date
4 - List of All endorsers or guarantors of the loans that you would have on the schedule.
Note: Schedule A is computed by the system and requires no further user input
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule B of the Connecticut State Report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule C1 of the Connecticut State Report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule C2 of the Connecticut State Report
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule D of the Connecticut State Report
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule H of the Connecticut State Report
Note: You will need to input this information in the Candidates Record
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule J of the Connecticut State Report
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule K of the Connecticut State Report
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule L1 of the Connecticut State Report
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Section L4 of the Connecticut State Report
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Section L5 of the Connecticut State Report
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule M of the Connecticut State Report
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule P of the Connecticut State Report
The Type of Expenditure can be toggled using the Linking tab of your transaction window and selecting the option "Advanced" as illustrated in number 7.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule S of the Connecticut State Report
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule T of the Connecticut State Report
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Section P Addendum Page of the Connecticut State Report
Unfortunately, the state of Florida does not allow for compliance reports to be filed directly through third-party software like Campaign Manager, but the process of doing so is still a fairly simple task. In order to file a state report for Florida, two steps must be taken:
1. Generate a report e-file in Campaign Manager
2. Submit the report through Florida's Electronic Filing System (EFS).
From the Compliance Reports page in Campaign Manager, either start a new report, or open an existing one. Once you have filled out all of the proper criteria for the report and click the Generate button, you will see a page resembling the one below. Once your report has generated successfully, you will want to download the filed from the Electronic Reports section. You can do this by right clicking on the link, and clicking Save Link As. Once you have that file, you will be ready to upload to the Florida EFS.
In order to upload your report, you will need your Candidate ID number and password to log into the EFS. Once you have been able to do so, follow the steps below to get your report filed.
1. At the top of the page, click on Filings and then Open New Report.
2. Click on the arrows next to Election Cycle and Report Type, and make the appropriate selections for the report you are trying to file.
3. Click on the Browse button, navigate to your report, and select and open it. The name of the file will appear in the text box next to the Browse button. Next, click on the Open Report button.
4. Click on View Report.
5. You will then be brought to the report summary. The Complete Status box in the upper right hand corner will indicate when the report upload process is completed. Once it indicates that the upload is complete, the report is filed and the process is complete. Note: you may need to refresh the page if the complete status does not change.
Within the Itemized Contributions section of the report, there is a column (Column 8) which pulls Contributor Type and Occupation.
Contributor Type pulls from Record Type, either I for Individual or B for Organization (Business).
Occupation pulls from Occupation for Individuals, and the Description Field for Organizations.
The catch with FL amendments is that each transaction on an amended filing needs to be marked as newly reported, amended, or removed. The state then inserts, overrides, or removes those entries, as directed, from its register. What this means for reporting purposes is that you can NOT just add or remove transactions from the system. You will need to correctly identify the change first before filing.
By default, when the amendment box is checked on a Florida report, all transactions are marked as amended. This just means that the current data entry overrides any past entry.
If you add a new transaction to the report, you will need to set the "FL Update Code" custom compliance field to "ADD." You can find this field on the "Linking" tab of the transaction, under "Advanced." This will direct the state to add the transaction to their records.
If you need to remove a transaction that's already been reported, you MUST NOT DELETE the transaction. Instead, set the "FL Update Code" custom compliance field to "Remove," which can be found on the "Linking" tab of the transaction, under "Advanced." This will direct the state to remove the transaction from their records.
After filing the amended report, DO NOT delete any transactions with the Remove code, and remove the ADD code from any transactions that have it to prevent these transactions from being double-reported on future reports.
In order to get a negative contribution to pull to your FL state report with the REF code, you'll just need to include the REF - Refund reporting code in the transaction entry.
This Help Documentation will show you the data entry to populate the Cover page of the Georgia State Report.
1 - The First box of the Cover page contains the Name of the Filing Committee. Also it contains which office is being Sought or held. The office sought field comes from the Candidate Record linked to the committee, not the Committee record its self.
2 - Box Number two is just the type of the report. There is only two types, Original or Amended Report. You can change this from the parameter screen before generating the report.
3 - Full Name of the Candidate. The candidate that is linked to the committee will pull to the report.
4 - Address of the Committee. This line of the cover page comes from the committee, not the Candidate.
5 - Box 5 One or more persons to make campaign transactions, keep the financial records campaign or file reports. And Box 6 (If so, is the committee registered with the State Ethics Commission) on the cover Page of the Georgia State Report. To mark these boxed it can be found on the criteria screen before generating the report. To have the name of the treasure pull to the report he or she has to be linked to the committee through the connections tab of the record.
6 - Period of reporting. All of this information comes from the criteria page before generating the report.
7 - Sate and county simply comes from the county of the Committee record.
This help Documentation will help show how a contribution will look on the report as well as the data entry for the contribution. This section of the report must list Contributions received by a single contributor for which the aggregate total is more than $100.00.
1- Name / Address of the Contributor.
2 - Date of the transaction / Type of transaction.
3 - Election Cycle the transaction is associated with.
4 - Cash amount of the Transaction.
This Help Documentation will help show what an Itemized Expenditure will look like on the report as well as the data entry and where each field pulls to the report. To start off this section of the report must list all expenditures made to a single recipient for which the aggregate total is more then $100.00.
1 - Name and Address of the Recipient. This information can be changed through the record itself.
2 - Expenditure Date and Type. The date can be edited on the transaction.
3 - Expenditure purpose. When opening up the transaction this field can be found under Reporting Description. Whatever you populate within that box will pull to the report under Expenditure Purpose.
4 - Amount paid. This is the Amount of the transaction. It can be created and changed through the transaction record.
When entering usage statements for in-kinds for the GA state report, enter them as In-Kind Expenses Made and set the reporting code to IKCON - In-Kind Consumable Usage.
This will get these in-kind consumption entries to pull to the GA report as needed.
You will need to create a new Expense transaction for this. See below screenshots for each required field, as well as how it will appear on the GA Investment Schedule. Fill in each of those fields, and you also must make sure you set the "Reporting Code" to "TRNS-P".
You can add multiple purchase transactions for the same investment by making sure to enter the exact same "Investment Name" into the "Reporting Description" field of the expense. For the example shown in the below screenshot, you could add an additional purchase transaction by creating a new expense and entering "Georgia Investment Name" into the "Reporting Code" field of that expense. Campaign Manager will see that the "Reporting Description" is the same for both expenses and will include them both under the same investment.
FINAL STEP: You must also always make sure you click the "Linking" tab within the expense, select "Advanced", and use the advanced linking feature to link this purchase transaction to any other existing purchase, interest, or dividend transactions. The transactions must all be linked together for them to pull properly to the Georgia Investment Schedule.
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You will need to create a new Contribution transaction for this. Fill in each field shown in the below screenshots and that info will pull to your report as you need it to.
Make sure you enter the exact same text into the "Reporting Description" field of this contribution that you entered for the "Purchase" transaction you created above. You also must make sure you set the "Reporting Code" section of this contribution to "INT".
FINAL STEP: You need to click the "Linking" tab within the contribution, select "Advanced", and use the advanced linking feature to link this new contribution to the existing "Purchase" transaction you created while following the above "Purchase" transaction steps.
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You will need to enter a new Expense transaction for this. Fill in all the required fields and this info will show on your report as you need it to.
Make sure you enter the exact same text into the "Reporting Code" field of this expense that you entered for any "Purchase" or "Interest" transactions you created above. You must also make sure you set the "Reporting Code" field within the expense to "DVND".
FINAL STEP: You need to click the "Linking" tab within the contribution, select "Advanced", and use the advanced linking feature to link this new expense to any existing "Purchase" and "Interest" transactions you created while following the above steps.
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To generate an amendment for your Georgia State Report, you will need to get a confirmation code that is given to the first report that was filed.
1. Open up the Georgia Ethics filing site here: https://media.ethics.ga.gov/search/Campaign/Campaign_ByName.aspx
2. Search for your campaign or candidate and then click on the "search for candidate button".
3. Under the action column, click the view button next to your committee.
4. In the "Campaign Disclosure Report" tab, click the drop down to expand it, and then find your original report. You will want to click on "View Report" to open it up.
5. When the report loads, scroll all the way down and look to the bottom of the last page. There is a confirmation ID that you will need to get. Write or copy this confirmation ID down.
6. It should say Confirmation #(ID Number). ID number is the number and letter in parenthesis.
7. Go back to Campaign Manager, hover over the compliance tab, and then select government reports.
8. Open a new copy of the Georgia State Form that you are amending, and in the amendment box, put in the confirmation ID.
9. Generate your amendment, and then you should be able to file it through the Georgia site.
How to use the GA State Report Transaction List:
The transaction list on the GA State Report only pulls contributions and loans received whose individual transaction amount is equal to or greater than $1,000 (Aggregation does not apply. (Example: Aggregate over $1000 will not pull. But a single contribution of $1000 will show on the transaction list.). Users can easily include/exclude these large transactions from their GA State Report using the “Generate with Transaction List” checkbox. The purpose of this checkbox is to help users who use the GA 48 Hour Report to not “double report” transactions when importing contributions into the GA system.
Users can easily include/exclude these large transactions from their GA State Report using the “Generate with Transaction List” checkbox in addition to the “Generate with Transaction List” checkbox.
Example:
You receive a $1500 contribution on 5/20/2022 from GA LargeContribution
If you DO NOT check the “Generate With Transaction List” checkbox: the $1500 will pull to the report. The report will not look at what transactions are selected/unselected in the Transaction List tab.
If you CHECK the “Generate With Transaction List” checkbox and SELECT the $1500 contribution in the transaction list: The $1500 will show to the report because it’s selected on the transaction list
If you CHECK the “Generate With Transaction List” checkbox and UNSELECT the $1500 contribution in the transaction list: The $1500 contribution will NOT pull to the report
Aristotle software has the ability to both generate 100% complete "ready to file" e-files, as well as the ability to transmit those e-files to the state directly from our software! Once the report is generated it can be filed directly from the "Results" screen. This is available for all Georgia reports!
For proper filing, there are two fields that need to be filled in on the parameters screen before generating the report:
1. Efiling Password: this is for the state-assigned password Georgia has given the committee for filings.
2. Efiling Email: this needs to be populated with the email address the committee registered when signing up for electronic report filing. Using a different email will cause the upload to fail.
Once the report is generated, in the "Electronic filing options' section, there are two options:
1. "Validate" will run the XML efile through the state-hosted validation software, which will then return a message describing any errors or warnings that may prevent proper filing.
2. "File" will submit the XML into Georgia's system, filing the report. The state will email you a notification of whether the report was rejected or accepted.
This help document will show you how to check off box 5 (If a Campaign Committee (one or more persons) to make campaign transactions, keep the financial records campaign, or file the reports?) and box 6 (If so, is the committee registered with the State Ethics Commission) on the cover Page of the Georgia State Report. The numbered items below are populated by marking fields on the Georgia State Report criteria page.
These are the fields to mark on the criteria page so that it appears on the state report cover page.
To get a reversed expense to pull to the Georgia state report, enter the transaction as a negative expense. To enter a negative expense, enter a normal expense with a (-)negative symbol in front of the dollar amount, i.e. $-20,00.00.
Note: Do NOT select the 'Reverse' button in the expense. On the back end, reversed expenses are classified as miscellaneous receipts, which don't pull to the GA report.
This Help Documentation will help with that data entry for the Idaho State Report Cover Page. The numbered items below are populated using data from the record of the filing committee, the Treasurer, and the options for the criteria page.
1 - Name of Filing Committee / Address. Name Of Treasure / Address
2 - Change of address box that can be found on the criteria page when generating report.
3 - Type of report. The type of report can be determined on the criteria page. Options including Annual Report / 30 Post General Report.
4 - Termination Report. This option can be checked on the Criteria Page.
5 - Statement of No Contributions or Expenditures. If there are no contributions or expenditures during this reporting periods, you should check the box found on the criteria page listed as "No Activity"
This help Documentation will show the data entry for Schedule A. The Schedule A of the Idaho state report records Itemized Contributions of more than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) this period.
1 - Name and Address of Contributor. This comes from the record and can be changed to pull differently on the report.
2 - Date of Contribution. The date of the contribution can be edited when opening up the transaction record.
3 - Election period of the Transaction. The period is edited when opening up the transaction record.
4 - Amount of the transaction. The amount of the transaction can be created on a new transaction or opening a current transaction.
This help documentation will help with the data entry for itemized expenditures that will pull to Schedule B on the Idaho State Report. To start off for an expenditure to pull to this report the transaction will have to be $25 dollars or more.
1- Name and Address of Recipient. This can be edited from the record.
2 - Date of the transaction.
3 - Amount of the expenditure. This can be edited by creating a transaction or editing a current transaction.
4. Reporting Purpose code. Depending on what the exact purpose of the transaction you can edit the reporting code by opening up the transaction. See screenshot below for purpose codes available.
Unfortunately, the State of Idaho does not allow for compliance reports to be filed directly through third-part software like Campaign Manager - reports must be filed through the Secretary of State's (SoS) Online Campaign Finance Reporting Application. Despite having to go outside of CM to file a report, the process of doing so is till a fairly simple task. In order to file a state report for Idaho, two steps must be taken:
1. Generate a list of transactions for each schedule on the report. Schedule A contains standard contributions, Schedule B contains standard expenses, and Schedule C contains in-kind contributions and expenses. Generating a report through CM will allow you to download a spreadsheet for each schedule.
2. Log into the SoS's application to upload the transactions and submit the report.
For the first step, simply go into Compliance > Government Reports and select the report you wish to file. On the criteria page of the report, fill out all the necessary fields, and click the Generate button. Once you have done that, you should be on a screen like the one below. From the Electronic Report(s) section, you will find the download links of the transaction lists you need to upload to the SoS application.
1. Log into the SoS application using your login credentials. Navigate to the Treasurer Record page, and click Select to the left of the Candidate/PAC.
2. You will then see the next reporting period. Click on the New Report button to begin a new report, or click Select next to a report in the table if you have one already in progress.
3. Now that you have the report open, click on the tab for Schedule A to upload your contribution spreadsheet from CM. Note that the spreadsheet must have headers that exactly match the list below.
4. Click on the Browse button and navigate to where you have the spreadsheet of contributions saved. Select it, click on Open, and then the file name should appear in the Upload Field on the Schedule A tab.
5. Click the Upload button and the system will begin uploading the contributions. Once the file has been processed and uploaded to the database, the data is displayed in the entry list at the bottom of the Schedule A tab - Itemized Contributions as if it had been data entered individually through the online application.
You are now done uploading contributions! To upload expenses to Schedule B, and in-kind contributions and expenses to Schedule C, the step-by-step process is essentially the same - the only difference would be to navigate to the appropriate tab of the report - Schedule B or C, and then navigate to and select the corresponding spreadsheet for that schedule. Also, the headers of each spreadsheet, and these, like Schedule A, must match exactly as they appear in the tables below.
Headers for Schedule B
Headers for Schedule C
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the cover page of the Illinois State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee record. The lettered items below are populated in the Report Criteria Page.
1 - Candidate Name
2 - Candidate Address
3 - Candidate Registration ID number
4 - Treasure Phone Number
5 - Treasure Name
A - Marked if the Report is an Amendment
B - Report Schedule
C - Termination Report (Final Report)
D - Starting Cash-on-Hand Balance
A - Marked if the Report is an Amendment
B - Report Schedule
C - Termination Report (Final Report)
D - Starting Cash-on-Hand Balance
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the cover page of the Illinois State Report Schedule A - Part 1 - Individual Contributions in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee record.
1 - Contributors Name
2 - Transaction Date
3 - Transaction Amount
NOTE: The IL report requires that we pull transactions based on deposit date, not on transaction date. Add transactions to a deposit and give it a deposit date within the period if you notice transactions not pulling to your report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the cover page of the Illinois State Report Schedule A - Part 2 - Transfers In in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee record.
1 - Political Committee's Name
2 - Transaction Date
3 - Transaction Amount
To get receipts from committees to pull to Part 4 of your IL state report, enter the receipt as a "Misc. Income" receipt type by hovering your mouse over the Financial tab and selecting the Misc. Income receipt type.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the cover page of the Illinois State Report Schedule B - Part 6 - Transfers Out
in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee record.
1 - Political Committees Name
2 - Transaction Date
3 - Transaction Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the cover page of the Illinois State Report Schedule B - Part 8 - Expenditures
in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee record.
1 - Name of Expenditure
2 - Transaction Date
3 - Transaction Amount
According to IL Elections, in-kind contributions above $150 need to have both the Contributor and Vendor Paid information filled out (even if they're the same entity). This includes all individuals, companies, etc.
If the In-Kind Contribution does not have a memo linked to it, the Contributor name and information will automatically duplicate into the Vendor Paid section.
To get an In-Kind Contribution to pull to the Il State report (as pictured in the screenshot above), follow the data entry steps outlined below.
1. Add a new In-Kind Contribution by hovering your mouse cursor over the Financial tab, then click In-Kind.
2. Fill in all applicable fields including Contributor, Value, and Date of the in-kind.
3. Click a Save button.
In order to get a memo to pull with an in-kind contribution (as pictured in the screenshot above), you will need to add an In-Kind Contribution and a Memo Contribution, then link them together. Follow the steps below for the proper data entry.
1. First add an In-Kind Contribution, as outlined in the steps above. This will be the parent transaction. (See Item #1 in the screenshot above.)
2. Second, add a Memo Contribution. This will be the memo item. (See Item #2 in the screenshot above.)
3. Third, link the In-Kind to the Memo. To link them, edit the parent In-Kind Contribution. Click the Linking tab>Advanced>Link to Receipt. In Search field, type the name of the record for the Memo Contribution.
Showcasing investments on the IL State Report requires a few steps of data entry, and will be broken down into three sections for showing the original investment, showing an increase or decrease in value, and liquidating the investment. This data entry requires a few reporting codes, and some linking for any investments that may lose value or increase in value.
For the initial purchase, or showing the original investment.
1. Create a disbursement with the reporting code "INV-P - Investment Purchased".
2. Go to the disbursement's Linking tab, click Advanced. Add stock amount and price in the Compliance Fields UDF section if applicable.
3. Note that whenever an investment is purchased within the reporting period, the purchase price will appear on Schedule B8 as an expenditure.
Adding Value – Sometimes investments will increase or decrease in value. To show these changes, follow these steps:
1. Create a receipt with the reporting code "INV-INT."
2. Link to original purchase transaction.
3. This extra amount will be calculated into the “Value at End of Reporting Period” amount.
A number of recent records should appear after entering in the original investment. Click records record, and then click on the one that is the original investment.
This will add it as a link.
Click on save to make the changes.
Liquidating Investment – When a committee has sold all or part of the investment, follow these steps:
1. Create a receipt with "INV-S" as the reporting code.
2. Link to original purchase transaction. Following the same steps above just for this receipt. Click linking > click advanced. Then link this receipt to the original investment.
3. The receipt transaction’s amount and date will show in “Date and Value Upon Liquidation.”
4. Note that whenever an investment is sold, that amount will also show on Schedule A4 as “Other Receipts.”
Filing an IL state report can be done using the software provided to us by the Illinois State Board of Elections. The software can be downloaded directly from Campaign Manager once your report has been generated. You will need to obtain a filing password from the IL BoE by calling the Board at (217)-782-4141 or (312)-814-6440 during business hours, and after the political committee has filed a D-1 Statement of Organization.
Note: The D-1 Statement of Organization cannot be filed electronically, but our software can generate a PDF version that can be printed and mailed, faxed, or scanned and emailed to the Board.
State Board of Elections
2329 S. MacArthur Blvd.
Springfield, IL 62704
Fax (217) 557-5630
D1@elections.il.gov
Go to Compliance >>> Government Reports, choose "Illinois" from the left hand side, and then choose the report you need to file.
If you have multiple filing committees in your dataset, choose the appropriate filing committee using the blue button. Then, select any bank accounts you need to include in your report. Finally, choose "Start Blank Form".
Fill in the appropriate report criteria and then "Generate" the report. Additional instructions on what each criteria field does can be found here.
Once the file has generated, you can review a copy of the report using the PDF link.
If everything is in order, download and save the electronic report file named "Illinois EFile (XML)". In most browsers this can be done by right-clicking with your mouse and choosing "Save as...". This is the file that will be uploaded to the state using their software. The file should be saved to somewhere convenient to access, like your desktop or documents folder.
The first time you electronically file, you will also need to download the IL filing software, titled "IL IDIS file for Clients". This can also be done by using right-click and "Save as...". This is a zip file that contains the software. After it has been downloaded, unzip the file, which can typically be done using another right-click and choosing "Extract" or "Extract All". This will create a new folder titled something like "ILIDISforClients". Inside this folder you will find a program titled "IDISFile.exe". This is the program you will use to upload your report to the BoE.
Double-click the "IDISFile.exe" program file to start the software. Use the "Browse" button to go to the location that you saved the "Illinois EFile (XML)" file. Select the file and "Open". Once you've chosen the appropriate file, enter the IL BoE filing password and use "File Now" to file the report.
If you are getting an error on the IL state report that states a receipt's date is missing, it is likely due to the transaction not being deposited. This report pulls the deposit date, so any transactions that need to be reported must be added to a deposit.
For more info on deposits, please refer to our help file found here.
If your IL report failed to file due to an error that reads "Membership Error: There is no account in the database for user name [enter value here]," it is likely due to an incorrect value being entered. Enter your Filer ID (starts with FID) number into the Registration ID field on your filing committee record:
NOTE: "A Filer Account consists of a user name and password, and can be obtained by an officer or candidate of the committee calling the Campaign Disclosure division of the Board. The user name and password serve as an electronic signature for filing reports. A report may be filed only if the password matches the security information on file with the Board, so it is important to keep the password and user name secure."
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Indiana State Report Cover Page.
The numbered items below are populated using data from the record of the filing committee and the record of the candidate. The lettered items are populated using fields on the Indiana State Report - State Office Report criteria page.
Note: The candidate must be connected to the filing committee as candidate for any of the candidate's information to pull to the report. For instructions on how to connect a record to the filing committee click here.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Indiana State Report Schedule A-1. Any receipt entered on an individual record will pull to this schedule.The below screenshots show where to find the date, name, address, occupation, type of receipt, amount, and date of receipt on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
The Occupation pulls from the Employer's Industry. An Employer must be entered on the Individual's record. Then go to the record for the Employer and select an Industry from the dropdown menu. This will enter a code on the report as the State requires. There are exceptions for the occupations "Retired", "Student", "Unemployed", and "Homemaker". These occupations do not have an employer and will pull directly from the occupation field in the individual's record if they are entered as they show above without the quotation marks. You must also have the Include Occupation box checked in the compliance report parameters page. The occupation will pull to the PDF as it is listed with the state and a number code will pull to the Efile.
To get a receipt to pull to Schedule A-1 with the Misc box checked and the description area populated, just go through these steps:
1. Create a new Misc. Income entry through the Financial tab, the register, or the record profile.
2. Set the Reporting Code to Misc. - Other Receipts Misc.
3. Enter the desired text for the description into the Reporting Description field.
4. Enter all other relevant data/select all other desired options
5. Save the transaction.
When you go to generate a new draft of your IN State Report, you should see the transaction populate on Schedule A-1 with the Misc. box checked and the description pulling below it.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Indiana State Report Schedule A-2. Any receipt entered on an organization record with the organization type set to "Corporation" will pull to this schedule.The below screenshots show where to find the date, name, address, type of receipt, amount, and date of receipt on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Indiana State Report Schedule A-4. Any receipt entered on the record of a political action committee will pull to this schedule.The below screenshots show where to find the name, address, type of receipt, amount, and date of receipt on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Indiana State Report Schedule A-2. Any receipt entered on an organization record with the organization type set to either "Partnership" or "Anonymous Organization" will pull to this schedule. The below screenshots show where to find the date, name, address, type of receipt, amount, and date of receipt on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Indiana State Report Schedule B. All expenditures will pull to this schedule. The below screenshots show where to find the name, address, type of receipt, purpose, amount, and date of the expenditure on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the IA - Schedule A: Monetary Receipts.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the IA - Schedule B: Monetary Expenditures
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the IA - Schedule D: Incurred Indebtedness.
*The date marked is the date when the bill was first posted
**This field is computed by the system and will take into account when the bill was first posted and calculate payments made since.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the IA - Schedule E: In-Kind Contributions
**This information is input by using the Linking Tab in the Loan Transaction window
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the IA - Schedule F1: Loans Received
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the IA - Schedule F2: Loans Repaid
Aristotle software has the ability to generate a 100% complete "ready to file" e-file directly from our software! Once the report is generated you can download a zip file containing the XML version of your report.
You can then upload the XML files into the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board (IECDB) website by logging at here.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Kansas State Office Report Cover Page.
The numbered items below are populated using data from the record of the candidate. The lettered items are populated using fields on the Kansas State Report - State Office Report criteria page.
Note: To ensure this information pulls to the report it is important to connect the candidate to the committee record as candidate. Help documentation on how to connect records to a committee can be found here.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Kansas State Office Report Schedule A. The below screenshots show where to find the date, name, address, occupation, industry, type and amount of receipt on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Kansas State Office Report Schedule B. The below screenshots show where to find the date, name, address, occupation, industry, description and amount of the in-kind contribution on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Kansas State Office Report Schedule C. The below screenshots show where to find the date, name, address, purpose and amount of the expenditure on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Kansas State Office Report Schedule D. The below screenshots show where to find the date, name, address, nature of the account or loan, and the balance at the close of period on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
Aristotle currently offers complete and "ready to file" e-files for the Kansas State Report!
Unfortunately, the state does not currently allow third-party vendors to e-file directly into their system from other software products. That said, all you need to do is download the e-file output and then upload it into the state's system! The easiest way to do this is to generate the report and right click on the link for the e-file output for each of the schedules and select "Save link as", give it a suitable file name while leaving the file extension as it is, and save the file.
Per the KS SoS Office, before you can file ANY reports, you will need to register your campaign or committee:
Before filing finance reports, candidates must first file an Appointment of Treasurer form and PACs/Party Committees must first file a Statement of Organization to start an online account. If either form has been previously filed on paper, an electronic form must be re-submitted to obtain usernames and passwords for electronic filings.
Once you've received your filing username and password, you will need to go to the following link and log in:
https://www.kssos.org/elections/campaign_finance/entry.aspx
1) Select the option to "File This Report" for the report you would like to file
2) Choose the "e-upload" option for the schedule you want to upload your e-file to
3) Indicate whether you are appending or replacing the schedule and then selecting the file to upload from your computer through the browse function
4) Click the "Upload CSV Schedule..." button
5) Click the "Import CSV Data" button
6) Once you've repeated the process for each of your schedules, you will need to click the "Submit Completed Report" button to submit your Campaign Finance Report.
We advise clients to never open the efile output before uploading unless it's strictly necessary. Often times various programs like Excel, Notepad, etc, will auto-format files in ways that renders them non-compliant with state requirements. For example, Excel will drop the leading zeros on values in cells, which can be problematic when dealing with KS zip codes.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the LA State Report Cover Page.
The numbered items below are populated using data from the record of the filing committee, the committee officer, the candidate, or ballot measure. The lettered items are populated using fields on the LA State Report criteria page.
NOTE: Although it does not appear on the PDF report, the FilerID needs to be entered in
the Filing Committee's record Registration ID field and LA listed as the state.
Note: This information will only pull if the Officer is connected to the filing committee as a committee officer such as a treasurer or chairman. For instructions on how to connect a record to the filing committee please click here.
Note that this information will only pull if the record is connected to the filing committee as "Custodian of Records". For instructions on how to connect a record to the filing committee please click here.
In order to get a supported candidate to pull to a supplemental page following the report's summary pages, please follow the steps below:
1. Create a record for the candidate. In the About section along the left side, you will see a Candidate option - make sure this is checked, and the candidate's info is all entered at the bottom of this section.
2. Create a record for the candidate's campaign committee. If the committee in question is the filing committee, then the record should already have been created during the database setup. On the committee record, please be aware of the Political Committee Type selected in the About section along the left side of the committee's profile.
3. Create a candidate connection between the two records. This can be done from the Connections on either record profile; set the connection type to candidate, and then search for the other record in the connect with box. Once the connection has been made, it will appear on the connections tab, with the name and address of the other record in the Connected Entity column.
4. Create custom user-defined fields (UDFs) by going to Settings > Custom Fields. In the Add New section at the bottom of the page, enter the name of the field, and set the Custom Field Types to Compliance Fields. Set the Field Type to Text Area, and leave the Order By setting as is. You'll need to repeat this for each custom fields:
A. LA Office Sought
B. LA District
C. LA Jurisdiction
Note: This step will only need to be taken once; if these custom fields already exist on the Custom Fields screen, then you can skip straight to step 5.
5. Once the UDFs have been created, go back to the candidate's record page, and go to the Custom Fields tab. From here, you should see all of the fields created in the previous step. Enter the appropriate info for each and then click the Save Custom Fields button.
6. If there are any expenses on either the committee or candidate record, you'll also want to be sure that you select to support the candidate, and also search for the record on the expense transaction.
7. Once you have completed these, steps, go to Compliance > Government Report, and generate a draft of your report. You should see a supplemental page following the summary pages that includes the info of the candidate.
NOTE: the first option on the criteria page for the report is the Statement Type; please be aware that some statement types may not be compatible with the Committee Type selected for the committee record, which can result in an error preventing the report from generating. For example, if the committee record is saved as a non-candidate PAC, then setting the statement type on the report to Candidate will cause a conflict that prevents the report from generating.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the LA State Report Schedule A-1. To enter a contribution on schedule A-1 simply enter it as a contribution in your database. If the record is a committee in your database they will be marked as a Political Committee on your report. The below screenshots show where to find the name, address, date, and amount of the contribution on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the LA State Report Schedule A-2. To get a contribution to pull to Schedule A-2 create it as an In-Kind Contribution in your database. If the contributor is a committee record in your database the contribution will be marked on schedule A-2 as from a political committee. The below screenshots show where to find the name, address, description, date, and amount of the in-kind contribution on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the LA State Report Schedule A-3. To get a receipt to pull to Schedule A-3 create it as Misc. Income in your database. The below screenshots show where to find the name, address, date, explanation and amount of the receipt on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
To get a debt transaction to pull to the Louisiana State Report, the data entry requires a certain transaction type.
1. Hover over the financial tab, and then select "unpaid bill & pending".
2. Fill out the vendor, the amount, and date of the unpaid bill.
3. Click on the save button to save the unpaid bill to the record.
4. Hover over compliance, click on government reports, and then generate your Louisiana report. The debt will pull to Schedule C.
To get an expense to pull to LA state report Schedule D, enter a new expense using the reporting code set to "D - Automated Calls."
Your report will pull as pictured below:
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the LA State Report Schedule E-1. To enter an expense on schedule E-1 simply create it as an expense in your database.The below screenshots show where to find the name, address, date, purpose, and amount of the expense on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
Depending on which report type you are generating will depend on the data entry for pulling a transaction to E-2.
If you are using generating a Louisiana State Report with a statement type of Candidate and filing as a candidate: you will create an expense and use the E-2 reporting code. "E-2 - Candidate Other Disbursements".
Once the transaction is saved with the E-2 reporting code, it will pull to schedule E2 on the Louisiana State report.
If you are generating a Louisiana State report with a statement type of PAC:
To get a transaction to appear on Schedule E-2 of the Louisiana State Report, you will first need to create an In-Kind Expense made and use the "IKCON - In-kind Consumable Usage" reporting code.
Once the transaction is saved. It will pull to Schedule E-2 as shown below when the PAC statement type is selected:
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the LA State Report Schedule E-3. To enter an contribution to a candidate on schedule E-3 create an expense to the candidate committee in your database. Make sure that the committee has the committee type "Candidate Committee".
Enter the transaction with the reporting code "E-3 - Contributions to Candidates."
The below screenshots show where to find the name, address, date, and amount of the contribution to a candidate on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the LA State Report Schedule E-4. To enter a disbursement on schedule E-4 simply create it as an expense in your database and set the reporting code to "E-4 - Other Disbursement".The below screenshots show where to find the name, address, date, explanation, and amount of the disbursement on your report as well as where to enter that information in your database.
Aristotle currently offers complete and "ready to file" e-files for the Louisiana State Report!
Unfortunately, the state does not currently allow third-party vendors to e-file directly into their system from other software products. That said, all you need to do is download the e-file output and then upload it into the state's system! The easiest way to do this is right click on the link for the e-file output, select "Save As", give it a suitable file name while leaving the file extension as it is, and save the file.
Before you can file ANY reports, you will need to register your committee with the Louisiana Ethics Administration's LEADERS program. The LEADERS program can be accessed via desktop software or through their online portal. Access to the online portal is available on their website in the Campaign Finance section, as well as instructions on how to obtain the desktop software. Here's a link directly to it:
http://ethics.la.gov/CampFinanLeadersDownload.aspx
You will then need to follow these steps:
1) Go to the above link, and click the hyperlink called "LEADERS PDP - Web-based LaLoad and LaPrint"
2) You'll be taken to the online filing portal page where you will need to log in using your state-provided username and password
3) Click "Select" to search for the previously downloaded and saved .PDP file
4) Click "Validate File"
5) After the file has successfully be validated, click the "Upload" button
We advise clients to never open the efile output before uploading unless it's strictly necessary. Often times various programs like Excel, Notepad, etc, will auto-format files in ways that renders them non-compliant with state requirements. For example, Excel will drop the leading zeros on values in cells, which can be problematic when dealing with LA zip codes.
Some states have invented file extensions for their efiles that need to be preserved, or they use older file extensions than what is generally used and can be overwritten. For example, many states have the file extension .csv for their efiles, which Excel will try to override when saving since it's generally not used. Please ensure to keep the file extension as it is so the state's system will accept the file.
Louisiana's e-filing system accepts full reports, with one e-file formatted as a .pdp text file. This means that the electronic format has all of the information already formatted for how the state wants these reports to appear. There's no additional steps required for preparing the report for submission beyond uploading the report. This also means that it is more difficult to make small changes to the report once it's submitted, if it's possible at all.
For databases that file LA state reports, there are three different "C" reporting codes for expenses:
Please note that the reason why these are not labeled as C-1, C-2, etc. is because each one is only valid for a specific form:
So, for example, if you are filing a Form 102 and do not want an expense to appear as a petty cash entry, it should be entered with the regular E-1 reporting code instead.
To add the "Name of Person Preparing Report" on the coverpage of the Louisiana State Report, add a connection to the filing committee record for Custodian of Records.
1. Open the organization record for the campaign's filing committee.
2. Click on the Connections tab.
3. Under "Add New," select Custodian of Records.
4. Type the name of the individual whose record is in the database.
5. Click on the Add button.
6. Save the record.
Coverpage with the Name of Person Preparing Report populated.
37.1 Maryland State Report Schedule 1
This help file will show you how to populate all necessary data on Schedule 1 - Contributions. The numbered items are pulled from the committee record. The lettered items populate into the report by fields on the criteria page.
1. Committee Name
2. Committee Registration ID to find the Entity number, go to the committee record and search for the Registration ID, if it is empty simply type in the ID and click save. The entity number will now appear on your report
A. Contribution Dates
In the criteria page, you can select the date range of the contributions that will appear on the report. The Criteria page also allows you to double check and ensure the correct Committee will be listed in your report.
37.2 Maryland State Report Schedule 1B
Schedule B pulls any contributions that were not monetary, such as in-kinds. In order to have these appear on your report, the transactions must be within the date range and include "in-kind" as the Transaction Type.
If the transaction is not appearing on your report, go to the individual record and change the Transaction Type to "in-kind" then save your changes.
37.3 Maryland State Report Schedule 2
This help file will demonstrate how to populate data into Schedule 2 - Expenditures. The numbered items are fields you can populate by going to the transaction record. The total for specific codes is included at the bottom of Schedule 2 (number 3).
1. Transaction Type: Expenditures
2. Reporting Code
3. Amount Type
In order for your transaction to appear on Schedule 2, ensure that the transaction type is listed as Expense (1). You can choose your code by scrolling down on the Reporting Code menu (2).
37.4 Maryland State Report Schedule 3
This help document will give a brief overview of the necessary fields required to have a loan appear on Schedule 3.
1.Name of Creditor: name of individual or organization that provided the loan
2.Date of Loan
3.Loan Amount
In order to pull the loans received into this report the lender information, amount and date must be included. A received loan can be entered by going to "Financial" > "Loan Received"
37.5 Maryland State Report -Summary Sheet
This file will give a brief walkthrough to populate the necessary fields on the Summary page. These fields are determined by your criteria page.
1. & 2. Report Date Range
3. Start Balance
4. Report Type final report or amendment
The Treasurer and Chairman dates are determined by the date you generate the Report.
The filing process for Maryland requires you to generate two MS Excel files using Campaign Manager and then upload those files to the Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System (MDCRIS) at https://campaignfinancemd.us/.
Go to Compliance >>> Government Reports.
Choose the "Maryland State Report" link from the left side of the screen.
Fill in the appropriate criteria for your report and click "Generate Report".
Once the report has been generated, you will be presented with multiple links to view a PDF copy of the report and the two files that are used to upload to the MDCRIS system. Once you have reviewed the PDF version and are ready to file, download each of the EFiles and save them to your computer somewhere easy to access, like your Documents folder or Desktop.
1) Login to MDCRIS with a valid username and password.
2) Click on the "Upload Transactions" link on the left side of the screen. Fields marked with * are required.
3) Click on the "Browse" button, next to the "Select a File" field, on the far right-hand side of the Upload File section. This will open a "Choose File" box from which you are able to locate the saved Excel file you downloaded from Campaign Manager.
4) From this "Choose File" box, locate the saved Excel file you want to upload and then click "Open." This will result in the file location being populated into the "Select a File" field.
5) Before you can upload a file, a value must be selected from the "Filing Period Name" drop-down menu and from the "Transaction Type" drop-down menu. These values must agree with the information on the Excel file you are attempting to upload. This can be done at any point before you click the "Upload" button. After you have populated both of these fields, and you have selected an Excel file to upload and that file location appears in the "Select a File" field, click the "Upload" button.
6) A successful upload will result in a message stating, "File Uploaded Successfully," and the file appearing in the "Upload Status" section with a Status of "Uploaded." If the file was not uploaded successfully, a message stating, "Invalid Template: XXX," with a description of the error where the three X's appear, will be displayed. The file will not appear in the "Upload Status" section if it was not successfully uploaded. These, "Invalid Template," errors result from a problem with the overall file itself, not from errors with the data in the file. An example of this type of error is attempting to upload a "Contributions" template when the Transaction Type selected is "Expenditures."
7) After a file has been successfully uploaded, it now must be checked for errors. To do this, click the "Check Status" button. This will result in the Status of this file changing to either "Processed No Errors," in green lettering, or to "Processed With Errors," in red lettering. You are allowed to upload any number of files before you click "Check Status." This way you can check the statuses of multiple uploads at once instead of checking them one at a time.
7a) If, after clicking "Check Status," the file you uploaded has a Status of "Processed No Errors," in green lettering, the file is okay. You do not need to make any changes to it.
7b) If, after clicking "Check Status," the file you uploaded has a Status of "Processed Errors," in red lettering, there are errors on the uploaded file that need to be corrected. These kinds of errors result from incorrect data in the file, not from the file itself. Examples of this kind of error are "Invalid Contribution Date" or "Invalid Contribution Type." To see what errors need to be corrected, click on the File Name of the uploaded file that contains the errors. This is in blue lettering in the Upload Status section. Clicking on this will result in a File Download prompt. Click "Open" in this prompt to open the Excel document. Column W, "Errors," lists the errors that caused the system to label it with a Status of "Processed Errors." Correct all the errors from within Campaign Manager, generate a new set of files from the Compliance menu, and then upload the new files to the MDCRIS system.
1) Click on the "Edit/File Pending Transactions" link on the left side of the screen.
2) Click "Search" to display all outstanding transactions for the filing period, selected by default. The results will include all outstanding obligations and will be listed in the grid below.
3) To file all of the transactions in your search results to the Maryland State Board of Elections, click the "File All To State" button. This will result in a dialogue box that shows the filing period your transactions are in and has the following required fields:
Start Date (the beginning of the filing period)
Reported Beginning Bank Balance (the balance at the beginning of the filing period)
Bank Account Balance (the balance at the end of the filing period)
Reported Ending Bank Balance (automatically generated sum of bank balances)
4) To complete your filing, you must e-sign. If the logged in user is an officer (Chairperson or Treasurer), then they must check the checkbox to confirm the information is correct. The remaining officer may enter their password at this time. If the remaining officer is not available to enter their password, the system will accept the filing and send an email asking the officer to verify/e-sign the filing.
The specifics of Maryland reporting require data to be entered in the Custom Fields section of some records. The Custom Fields related to MD reporting are:
Emp/Occ Requested
Used to record whether employer and occupation information has been requested.
- When "N/A," will leave field blank on efile (this is the default setting);
- when "True," will populate field on efile with True;
- when "False," will populate field on efile with False.
Emp/Occ Req Date
Used to record the date employer and occupation information was requested, if that info has been requested.
MD Payee ID
Used on Individual and Organization records to record the MD Payee ID when applicable.
MD Contributor ID
Used on Individual and Organization records to record the MD Contributor ID when applicable.
MD CCFID
Used on Committee records to record the MD CCFID when applicable.
To set employer and occupation information for the purpose of pulling to Maryland state reports, take the following steps:
To set Employer information:
1. In the Basic Info section of the individual, enter the employer's name in the Employer field, then select Add as new Employer before saving the record.
To set Occupation information:
1. Search for the employer record that was created above.
2. In the Basic Info section of the employer's record, enter a generic description of the occupation in the Industry field. Select the best match from the list of options that appears, then save the record. This will ensure that the correct occupation code pulls to the Maryland state report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Cover Page of the Michigan State Report.
The numbered items below are populated using fields from records. The lettered items are populated using fields from the report criteria screen.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Summary Page of the Michigan State Report.
The numbered items below are populated using fields from the committee record and the criteria screen. All other information is generated from the schedules in the Michigan State Report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Schedule 1A of the Michigan State Report.
The numbered items below are populated using fields from records.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Schedule 1A1 of the Michigan State Report.
The numbered items below are populated using fields from records.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Schedule 1B of the Michigan State Report.
The numbered items below are populated using fields from records.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Schedule 1B-IK of the Michigan State Report.
The numbered items below are populated using fields from records.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Schedule 1C of the Michigan State Report.
The numbered items below are populated using fields from records.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Schedule 1E - By of the Michigan State Report.
The numbered items below are populated using fields from records.
Please Note: In order to pull transaction to Schedule 1E, "Loan Received" Transaction Type must be selected.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Schedule 1E-To of the Michigan State Report.
The numbered items below are populated using fields from records.
Please Note: In order to pull transaction to Schedule 1E, "Loan Received" Transaction Type must be selected.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Schedule 1F of the Michigan State Report.
The numbered items below are populated using fields from Events in the Financial menu.
An Event must be created to populate this information. To set up an Event please see section 8.4 in the Help Files.
(If this field is left blank, or with a 0 in it, the report will look for the event attendees marked as "Yes")
(To trigger the checkbox for Private Residence on the 1F schedule, clients need to put the text "Private Residence Event" in the Notes field on an expense.)
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Schedule 1-IK of the Michigan State Report.
The numbered items below are populated using fields from records.
Please Note: To pull transactions to Schedule 1-IK, the Transaction Type must be an In-Kind or a Loan Forgiveness
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Page 1 of the MI State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee record. The lettered items are populated using fields on the cover page.
For instructions on how to connect staff records to the committee record, see 1.2 Committee Records - Linking Committee Staff.
Schedule 2A - Contributions from Individuals/Organizations
Record Types: Individual Transaction Types: Contribution |
1. If an individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Create a new Contribution from the Transactions tab of the individual's record. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
3. Click on the Save button.
Record Types: Individual
Organization
Transaction Types: Misc Income
1. In the individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Click on the Transactions tab of the record. Click on New Transaction and choose Misc. Income.
3. Enter the date and amount in the transaction window. From the Reporting Code list, choose Interest, Other, Refund, etc.
4. Click on Save.
Record Types: Individual
Organization
Transaction Types: In-KindContribution
1. If an individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Click on the Transactions tab of the record. Click on New Transaction and choose In-Kind.
3. Enter the date and amount in the transaction window.
4. Click on Save.
Record Types: Individual
Organization
Transaction Type: Expense
1. If an individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Click on the Transactions tab of the record. Click on New Transaction and choose Expense.
3. Enter the date and amount in the transaction window.
4. Click on Save.
Record Types: Individual
Organization
Transaction Types: Expense
1. If it is an individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Click on the Transactions tab of the record. Click on New Transaction and choose Expense.
3. From the Reporting code list choose IE-Independent Expenditure.
3. Enter the date and amount in the transaction window.
4. Click on the thumbs up or thumbs down icon under Support/Oppose. Enter the name of the candidate in the field to the right and search for the record in your database.
5. Click on Save.
Record Types: Individual
Organization
Transaction Types: Loan Received
Loan Made
1. Open the record of the lender or entity the loan was made to.
2. Click on the Transactions tab and choose Loan Received or Loan Made.
3. Enter the date and amount of the loan.
4. Click on the Save button.
Unfortunately the Michigan BOE has ruled that any outside solutions such as Campaign Manager should not have the ability to e-file reports. So there is a bit of a manual process required to get your report successfully transmitted to the state of Michigan.
But not to worry! The process isn't too complicated - here is every step you'll need to take to get filed:
1) In Campaign Manager, go to Compliance > Government Reports and generate your MI state report
2) On the report results screen, right-click on the "Michigan Party Electronic Report (CSV)" hyperlink
3) Choose "Save Link As" and save this file to your desktop
4) On that same screen, you'll see a link to download the MI MiLoad application — if you don't already have this on your machine, you'll need to download it here.
5) Once you've downloaded the file from the above link, unzip this file, and double-click the "Michigan MERTS Vendor Package" folder to open it
6) Double-click the "miload" folder to open it, then double click the "MIload" application file
7) When the "MIload" application opens, go to File > Upload
8) A window will open where you need to locate the file you downloaded from Campaign Manager and saved to your desktop in step 3 above
9) A "Settings" window will open where you need to enter three pieces of information into the "Upload" tab:
10) In the "Configure" tab, enter the following information:
11) Click the "OK" button to send your report to the state of Michigan!
Why Do I Get BAD FORMAT Errors When E-Filing My MI Report?
We have sometimes seen BAD FORMAT errors returned by the state's filing software and have figured out a trick that may work for you! Follow these steps:
Take a look at the second below screenshot. We've seen this little trick allow for a successful upload a number of different times. If you still have any issues please contact Aristotle's Support Team at support@aristotle.com or by phone at 888-217-9600.
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In order to get sub-vendor information to pull to the 1-1K schedule, you must create a stand-alone Memo Contribution, then choose one of the MI In-Kind receipt codes (G, P, PL, or S), and finally link it to the parent in-kind receipt on the Linking>Advanced tab of the memo.
The steps to get this section filled out for an event on your report are as follows:
1) Go to Financial > Events
2) Click the name of the appropriate event to open the settings
3) In the "No. of Attendees" field, enter in the total amount of the attendees for the event
Once you've done that, the "Number of Individuals Attending or Participating" section on Schedule 1F of your Michigan state report will be filled out with the number you entered into Campaign Manager!
The steps to get this box checked for an event on your report are as follows:
1) Go to Financial > Events
2) Click the name of the appropriate event to open the settings
3) In the "Notes" field, enter the text "Private Residence Event"
Once you've done that the "Private Residence" box will be checked for that event on Schedule 1F of your Michigan state report!
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Page 1 of the MN State Report in Campaign Manager.
Numbers 1-6 are pulled from records of the filing committee and treasurer on the database.
Numbers 7-12 are pulled from the criteria page.
In cases where multiple instances of contact information, the file will pull the instance marked as primary.
Add a transaction to Schedule A1 CR by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule A1 CR are: Contribution, In-Kind
To get a transaction to show up to the B2B CAN on the Minnesota report, follow the data entry instructions below:
1. Create an expense to the vendor of the expenditure.
2. Assign the reporting code of B2B - Approved Expenditure.
3. Support/Oppose the transaction with the thumbs up or down.
Save the transaction, and then generate your Minnesota report. The expense should pull to the B2B CAN after it finishes generating.
NOTE: One other piece of data entry must be completed before the candidate ID will appear for the independent expenditure. The candidate profile must be linked to the candidate's committee record. Please review our helpfile here on how to link candidates to their committees: https://aristotle.helpspot.com/admin?pg=kb.page&page=801
A Loan will pull to Schedule C if it falls outside of the date ranged specified in your criteria when first generating the report
When A loan is linked to the loan, you will see a record of it in the Loan History tab within the record transaction.
Getting individual receipts to pull as lobbyist receipts on the Minnesota report requires a few steps of data entry.
The first thing is to verify if you have a custom field for "Lobbyist ID" in your database. You can hover over the settings tab, and then click on custom fields to see the ones you have in your database. Click individual, and then click on custom fields. One of the fields should be called Lobbyist ID. If this custom field is not present, you can contact Aristotle Support to see about adding it.
1. Open up the individual record that is the lobbyist.
2. Click on the custom fields heading to open up the custom fields.
3. Go to the lobbyist ID field, click on it, and then type in the lobbyist ID.
4. Click save custom fields to save the changes.
5. The receipts that are associated with this individual will now pull as lobbyist receipts on the Minnesota report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the cover page of the Mississippi State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee record. The lettered items below are populated in the Report Criteria Page.
1 - Candidate Information
A - Reporting Period
1 - Candidate Information
A - Reporting Period
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the cover page of the Mississippi State Report Itemized Receipts
in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee record.
1 - Contributors Name
2 - Transaction Date
3 - Transaction Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the cover page of the Illinois State Report Schedule A - Part 1 - Individual Contributions in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee record.
1 - Contributors Name
2 - Transaction Date
3 - Transaction Amount
Download the Contributions and Expenditures Templates using these links:
http://cfportal.sos.ms.gov/online/MSOSContributionsTemplate.xlsx
http://cfportal.sos.ms.gov/online/MSOSDisbursementsTemplate.xlsx
These templates are Excel spreadsheets designed for you to record your contribution and expenditure information and then upload the spreadsheet into the required Report. This is an alternate way of entering the data into the Campaign Finance system. It allows the user to record contributions and expenditures over a period of time and then when it is time to file a required report, you can upload the spreadsheets into the system.
When the spreadsheets are completed, log in here to begin uploading:
https://cfportal.sos.ms.gov/online/portal/cf/page/cf-online-filing/Portal.aspx
If you have started entering information on a report, you may click "Save Changes" at any time so you may save your work and access that report to complete and file at a later date. On the Required Filings screen, the status of this report will show "In Progress". When you are ready to work on the report again, you click the box next to the report and click on "Start/Resume/View Report" to open the report to continue entering information.
The system will provide a "preview report" for you to review prior to submission. You may also print out the report; however, you cannot submit a "preview" report. If a "preview" report is filed to meet a deadline, it will not be compliant and therefore you may be subject to the imposition of a civil penalty.
You can find out more about law about Mississippi Campaign Finance here:
http://www.sos.ms.gov/Elections-Voting/Pages/Campaign-Finance-Lobbying.aspx
For itemized receipts pulling to MS reports, CM will use the "Industry" field from the contributing record if it is an Organization, and will use Committee Type if it is a Committee. This will allow you to control what appears in that part of the report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Cover Page of the MO Committee Disclosure Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee and candidate records. The lettered items are populated using fields on the MO CD Report criteria page.
For instructions on how to connect staff records to the committee record, see 1.2 Committee Records - Linking Committee Staff.
This box is marked automatically using the transaction type that is entered. Use Contribution for Monetary and In-kind for In-kind.
This box is marked automatically when the record type for the transaction is set as Committee.
The system automatically calculates the figures on this schedule, based on the transaction type, record used, and dollar amounts.
This will need to be established the the Linking Tab on the transaction window
This field will default to "On Demand" if no specific date is indicated. If a specific date is selected, it does a calculation between the date assigned to the loan, and loan due date to determine amount of time between both fields.
10 - Amount of Loan
To get a transaction to pull to the CD2 section A portion of the MO State Report, please take the following steps:
1. Create a new expense entry.
2. Enter the name of the vendor, amount, date, and reporting description. Also, enter any other relevant info.
3. Set the Reporting code to "INV - Investment" - this step is crucial, as it differentiates investments from standard expenses.
4. Save the transaction. When you go to generate the report, you should see the investment appear in that part of the report.
To get a transaction to pull to the CD2 section B portion of the MO State Report, please take the following steps:
1. Create a new Misc. Income entry.
2. Enter the source, amount, and date, as well as any other relevant info.
3. Set the reporting code to either "INV INT - Investment Interest" or "INV PRI - Investment Principal" based on what you need to enter.
4. Go to Linking > Advanced, and search for the original expense.
5. Save the transaction. When you generate your report, you should see the entry appear on CD2.
If you need to report a Certificate of Deposit on you MO report's Section CD2B that has matured and no longer exists, follow the steps outlined below. If you follow this data entry, it will appear on CD2B in column #10 as Principal Received.
NOTE: The Misc. Income receipt with the INV PRI reporting code will NOT increase your cash on hand, just as the expense with the INV reporting code does not decrease your cash on hand. Misc. Income receipts with the INV PRI reporting code represent principal received back.
This field is populated by the system based on the type of transaction that is entered. Use Expense for Paid and Unpaid Bill for Incurred.
In order to get a sub-vendor entry pulling to CD8 of the MO state report, you'll need to take the following steps:
Unfortunately, the state of Missouri does not allow for compliance reports to be filed directly through third-party software like Campaign Manager, but the process of doing so is still a fairly simple task. In order to file a state report for Missouri, two steps must be taken:
1. Create the report e-file in Campaign Manager.
2. Submit the report through the Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) Campaign Finance Reporting System.
From the Compliance Reports page in Campaign Manager, either start a new report, or open an existing one. Once you have filled out all of the proper criteria for the report and click the Generate button, you will see a page resembling the one below. Once your report has generated successfully, you will want to download the file from the "ZippedEfiles" link at the bottom of the Electronic report(s) section. Once you have that, you will be free to move onto the MEC Campaign Finance Reporting System.
In order to upload your report e-file to the MEC system, you will need your MECID, password, and email address to log in. Once you are logged, you will be immediately brought to the Report Upload page, as seen below. To upload the report e-file, please follow the steps below:
1. Enter your mail address in order to receive confirmation.
2. Click the "Choose File" button, and then navigate to your e-file, select it, and click "Open". Note: The MEC requires that the full .zip folder be uploaded, so there is no need to extract any files - the .zip file that is generated by and downloaded from Campaign Manager will be uploaded as is.
3. Click the "Submit Draft" button.
The MEC system will then validate the report - if there are any error messages, they will appear in the Messages box. If not, you can then view a PDF of the report by clicking the "View Draft" button, submit the report by clicking the "Final Submit" button, or delete it by clicking the "Delete Draft" button. Once you are satisfied with the report and have submitted via the "Final Submit" button, then you are finished!
In order to generate a CD8 schedule to your report, please be sure the Expense transaction with memos has the INDCON Reporting Code chosen.
When this code is used, please note the following:
- The transaction description of the parent transaction on the expense schedule will be suppressed and replaced with "Independent Contractor Expense"
- All memo expenses linked to the parent transaction with the INDCON code will pull to the CD8 schedule
- The CD8 schedule will not factor into any summary totals
In order for an Addendum schedule to generate, the refunds must be received by the filing committee. Please be aware the Summary totals will not change.
Yes, it can. When you go to enter/edit a transaction in CM, you can use the "Amendment Code" custom field can be used to mark specific transactions as "Added" or "Removed," where as all other transactions where that code is not used will automatically pull as "Updated."
You can find that custom field by going into a transaction entry, clicking on Linking, and then Advanced. From there, scroll down, and you'll see the Amendment Code field.
If you are trying to file a MO State report amendment and seeing an error message that a particular transaction(s) does not exist on a previous report, it is likely caused by a transaction(s) that was not on the original filed report or on the most recent amendment.
Adding A Transaction To An Amendment
If you need to include new transactions in your amendment, it will need to be included as an added contribution or expense. This can be accomplished using the Amendment Code Custom Field found in the transaction details under the "Advanced Linking" tab. If you are adding a transaction to an amended report, you will need to save the transaction with the "Add" code.
Removing a Transaction From An Amendment
If you are removing a transaction from an amended report, instead of deleting the transaction, you will need to save it with the "Remove" code in the Amendment Code Custom Field found in the transaction details under the "Advanced Linking" tab under "Custom Fields." After filing the amendment, the transaction can be deleted if it was to be removed, otherwise the transaction needs to be re-saved with the "N/A" code.
Enter the transaction as an Expense and set the Reporting Code to MISC - Miscellaneous Disbrusement Not Reported Anywhere Else, then Save.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Cover Page of the MT C-5 Candidate Campaign Finance Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee and candidate records. The lettered items are populated using fields on the MT C-5 criteria page.
For instructions on how to connect staff records to the committee record, see 1.2 Committee Records - Linking Committee Staff.
Check the box to mark the report as an Amendment. Leave it unchecked to mark it as an Original filing.
Enter the start and end date of the period being reported.
Enter the Primary Period ending balance from the prior report.
Enter the General Period ending balance from the prior report.
Enter the Candidate's or Treasurer's name.
Enter "Candidate" or "Treasurer" based on the above.
The fields on this schedule are calculated by the system. There is no additional data entry required to get these fields to populate.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Schedule A3 - Loans.
Items on this schedule are entered using the transaction type "Miscellaneous Income" with the Reporting Code "INT - Interest".
To get items to pull to this schedule, the transaction must be entered on a record with the "Multi-Candidate Federal PAC" committee type. This goes for both in-kind and monetary contributions.
To get items to pull to this schedule, the transaction must be entered on a record with the "Political Party Committee" committee type. This goes for both in-kind and monetary contributions.
To get items to pull to this schedule, the transaction must be entered on a record with the "Candidate Committee" committee type. This goes for both in-kind and monetary contributions.
Items on this schedule are entered using the transaction type "Expense" with the Reporting Code "Petty - Petty Case". The total amount on this schedule represents a total of the Petty Cash expenditures for the date range of this report as a total. The expenses are not listed individually.
Aristotle currently offers complete and "ready to file" e-files for the Montana State Report as well as the Montana Candidate State Report!
Unfortunately, the state does not currently allow third-party vendors to e-file directly into their system from other software products. That said, all you need to do is download the e-file output and then upload it into the state's system! The easiest way to do this is right click on the link for the e-file output, select "Save As", give it a suitable file name while leaving the file extension as it is, and save the file.
Montana's efiling system is a bulk transaction upload, with three efiles in .csv format: one for Schedule A transactions, one for Schedule B transactions, and one for Schedule C transactions. This means that the electronic format generally only has transaction information: summary totals, committee information, and other details are calculated/stored within the state's system. Generally after uploading the bulk transaction files the report still needs to be "built" within the efiling system. Once the transactions are in the efiling system, they can be fairly easily edited or removed if necessary.
Before you're given the ability to file ANY reports, your committee will first need be registered with the Montana Campaign Electronic Reporting System (CERS). The CERS program can be accessed via their online portal once a committee has registered. Access to the online portal is available on Montana's Commissioner of Political Practices website, under the Campaign Finance Disclosure section:
https://politicalpractices.mt.gov/campaignfinance
We advise clients to never open the efile output before uploading unless it's strictly necessary. Often times various programs like Excel, Notepad, etc, will auto-format files in ways that renders them non-compliant with state requirements. For example, Excel will drop the leading zeros on values in cells, which can be problematic when dealing with NE zip codes.
Some states have invented file extensions for their efiles that need to be preserved, or they use older file extensions than what is generally used and can be overwritten. For example, many states have the file extension .csv for their efiles, which Excel will try to override when saving since it's generally not used. Please ensure to keep the file extension as it is so the state's system will accept the file.
Clients can enter dates and thresholds into the parameters and click "Generate Report" to produce a Pre-Election C7 report with all applicable contributions within those parameters listed on the report.
Clients also have the option of entering these parameters and clicking through to the Transaction List to pull a list of applicable contributions and manually check which ones they want to appear on the report.
Given that there are many different thresholds for this report based on filer type and proximity to election, it's important to keep the Aggregate Threshold amount field in mind when generating these reports.
This report produces PDF output only and there is no e-file option.
This Help Documentation will show you the data entry to populate the Nebraska State Report.
Below you can see the page of the report, as well as the page in the database you can go to edit each of the sections on that page of the report.
Item 1) Name of Committee and Treasurer. This information, including the address, home address, and work address, can be edited by updating that information on the Committee and Treasurer record respectively.
Item 2) Date of Election for which Statement is Filed. This information is set with a date field on the report criteria page labeled "Election Date"
Item 3) Nature of Filing. The box which is checked on the report is determined by the criteria selected when generating the report, specifically the dropdown labeled Report Schedule.
Item 4) Reporting Period. This is also set on the criteria page, see the boxes for Period From and Period To.
Item 5) Nature of Committee. This is also set on the criteria page, see dropdown for Statement Type.
Add a transaction to Schedule A by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule A are: Contribution, In-Kind, Reportable Pledge.
The name of the contributor is entered in the Contributor field of the transaction record. The contributor's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the contributor's record. See below for a screenshot.
The date the contribution was received is entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot of this field.
This field will be generated automatically based on other transactions that exist within the record.
Contributions with the type set to "Contribution" will pull here. The report will automatically total all transactions of similar type for the election period.
Contributions with the type set to "In-Kind" will pull here. The report will automatically total all transactions of similar type for the election period.
Contributions with the type set to "Reportable Pledge" will pull here. The report will automatically total all transactions of similar type for the election period.
This field gives the total of all contributions from the contributor since the aggregation start date. The aggregation start date is entered in the Aggregate From field in the report's criteria screen.
Add a transaction to Schedule A by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule A are: Contribution, In-Kind, Reportable Pledge.
The name of the contributor is entered in the Contributor field of the transaction record. The contributor's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the contributor's record. See below for a screenshot.
The date the contribution was received is entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot of this field.
This field will be generated automatically based on other transactions that exist within the record.
Contributions with the type set to "Contribution" will pull here. The report will automatically total all transactions of similar type for the election period.
Contributions with the type set to "In-Kind" will pull here. The report will automatically total all transactions of similar type for the election period.
Contributions with the type set to "Reportable Pledge" will pull here. The report will automatically total all transactions of similar type for the election period.
This field gives the total of all contributions from the contributor since the aggregation start date. The aggregation start date is entered in the Aggregate From field in the report's criteria screen.
Add a transaction to Schedule C by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the bank/lender record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule C are:Loan Received, Loan Received Forgiveness, Loan Received Repayment.
The name of the bank/lender's is entered in the Lender field of the transaction record. The Lender's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the Lenders's record. See below for a screenshot.
The date the original loan was received is entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot of this field.
This field is automatically calculated based on past loan balances and repayments/forgivenesses.
Total loan amount received this period is pulled based on loan transactions entered in the Lender record.
Total loan amount repaid this period is pulled based on loan repayment transactions entered in the Lender record. See screenshot below for example transaction.
Total loan amount forgiven this period is pulled based on loan forgiveness transactions entered in the Lender record. See screenshot below for example transaction.
Total loan amount paid by third party this period is pulled based on loan repayment from third party transactions entered in the Lender record.
This amount is calculated automatically based on loan repayments or forgiveness being applied to the original loan amount with the record.
Add a transaction to Schedule C2 by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule C2 are: Contribution.
The date of the transaction is entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot of this field.
Amount of the transaction. See below for a screenshot.
KEY: A - Adjustment to Cash Balance B- Anonymous Contributions* C - Other
This text will be pulled from the transaction record's Reporting Description field. See below for a screenshot.
Add a transaction to Schedule D1 by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule D1 are: Expenditure.
The name of the contributor is entered in the Contributor field of the transaction record. The contributor's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the contributor's record. See below for a screenshot.
This will pull the text from the Reporting Description field of the transaction. See below for screenshot.
The date the expenditure was made is entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot of this field.
Expenditures with the type set to "Expense" will pull here. The report will automatically total all transactions of similar type for the election period.
Expenditures with the type set to "Expense" and designated as supporting or opposing a candidate will pull here. The report will automatically total all transactions of similar type for the election period. See below for screenshot.
This field will automatically total all Cash and In-Kind expenditures for the current reporting period.
Add a transaction to Schedule D2 by creating a new transaction, either from the Register, the donor's record, or the Financial drop-down menu. Valid transaction types for Schedule D2 are: Unpaid Bill.
The date the bill or account was incurred is entered in the Date field of the transaction record. See below for a screenshot of this field.
The name of the contributor is entered in the Contributor field of the transaction record. The contributor's name and address pull to the report as they are entered in the contributor's record. See below for a screenshot.
This text will be pulled from the transaction record's Reporting Description field. See below for a screenshot.
This will be pulled from the Amount field of the transaction. See below for a screenshot.
This Help Documentation will show you the data entry to populate the Nebraska State Report.
Below you can see the page of the report, as well as the page in the database you can go to edit each of the sections on that page of the report.
Item 1) Name of Committee and Committee Treasurer. The information in this section, including name, address, and phone numbers, can be updated by editing the Committee and Treasurer records in your database. Any changes made there will be reflected in this section.
Item 2) Date of Election for which Statement is Filed. This is set by a field on the criteria page labeled "Election Date".
Item 3) Nature of Filing. This is also set on the Criteria page, using the dropdown for Report Schedule.
Item 4) Reporting Period. This is determined by the dates entered on the criteria page in the Period From and Period To fields.
Item 5) Verification Statement. The Verification Statement prints with the today's date and the name of the linked Treasurer, and is used for physically filed reports. The signature must be entered by hand, and is not stored in or generated by the database.
Political party committees must paper file their Form B-2 to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Committee.
You can email your .pdf report to any staff member of the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Committee.
http://www.nadc.nebraska.gov/staff.html
Candidates and independent committees can apply for access to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Committee efiling system using the form below:
http://www.nadc.nebraska.gov/pdf/e-filing-all-purpose-application-form.pdf
Log into the efiling system here:
https://www.nebraska.gov/nadc_filing/index.cgi
Each transactions must be entered manually through the system. There is not an option for electronically uploading information.
Instructions for filing various forms can be found here:
http://www.nadc.nebraska.gov/cf/publications.html
This Help Documentation will help show what an Itemized Expenditure will look like on the report as well as the data entry and where each field pulls to the report.
This Help Documentation will help show what an Itemized Receipt will look like on the report as well as the data entry and where each field pulls to the report.
47.1 New Jersey State Report C3
The C3 report gives a list of all contributions that exceed $1,400. The numbered items are populated using fields on the criteria page. The lettered items are populated using fields on the contribution record.
1. Report Schedule
2.Indicates if the Report is an Amendment
3. Date Report is Generated
A. Name and Address of Contributor
B. Date of Transaction
C. Amount of Transaction
D. Employer Name
E. Donor's Occupation
This helpfile will show you how to fill out the New Jersey E3 report. Below is a screenshot of the report, along with a description of how to edit or update each of the fields on this report.
Filing Period: There are checkboxes on the criteria page for the April 1st and October 1st options, select the one you want checked on the criteria page and it will be reflected on the report.
Amendment: If this is an amendment, check the Amendment checkbox on the criteria page, and the Yes box will be checked on the report. If no box is checked on the criteria page, the No box is checked on the report.
Committee Name: The Committee Name, address, phone number, and ELEC ID number all pull from the Committee record in your database. If any information in this section is missing or incorrect, you can update it on that Committee record.
All the financial information on the report pulls automatically from transactions within the selected date range that meet the criteria specified on the report, that is, expenditures in excess of $1,400 in aggregate made incurred or authorized from either the April 1st or October 1st dates.
This helpfile will show you how to fill out the New Jersey R3 report. Below is a screenshot of the report, along with a description of how to edit or update each of the fields on this report.
1) Committee Name and Address are set in the record for the Filing Committee used on this report.
2) Committee Type is also set on the Filing Committee record.
3) The Amendment box will be checked if you select the Amendment checkbox on the criteria page.
4) ELEC ID number will pull from the Committee record, if no ID is entered, this field will be blank.
5) The report quarter is determined by the Report Schedule dropdown on the criteria page. The Year is based on the Election Year field.
6) Period Covered is also determined by the criteria page, specifically the Period From and Period To fields. These fields also determine which transactions pull to the report.
7) The Cash on Hand, January 1, is based on the Aggregate from date selected on the criteria page. The database will pull the Cash on Hand as of the date selected to Line 1 Column B. The Cash on Hand Beginning of Reporting Period pulls from the Start Balance field.
8) The Treasurer's Certification will automatically populate with the information for the record connected as Treasurer, if one exists. Note that the signature field will always be blank, as it is intended to be hand signed for paper/physical filings.
Aristotle currently offers complete and "ready to file" files for the New Jersey State Report!
Unfortunately, the state does not currently allow third-party vendors to e-file directly into their system from other software products. That said, all you need to do is download the file output and then mail it to the state! The easiest way to do this is right click on the link for the file output, select "Save As", give it a suitable file name while leaving the file extension as it is, and save the file.
Filing a report means depositing the report at the Commission's office. To be filed on time, the report must be physically received at the Commission's office by 5:00 P.M. on the filing due date. Postmarks are not relevant to the consideration of the date a report is filed.
When using the United States Postal Service (regular mail) to deliver reports, the following address must be used:
New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission
P.O. Box 185, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0185
When using a commercial delivery service such as FedEx, UPS, or any other delivery service, please use the following address:
New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission
25 South Stockton Street, 5th Floor, Trenton, New Jersey 08608
Normally, commercial delivery services provide a shipping or mailing receipt with a tracking or reference number. Keep the receipt as part of your records.
The NJ ELEC has switched over to mandatory electronic filing, and the system they've implemented only accepts certain occupations, as well as certain reporting descriptions on in-kind and expense transactions. Please see the list below for all of the acceptable options.
Also, please take note of a few items:
Occupations:
ACCOUNTANT/AUDITOR
AGRICULTURAL
ARCHITECT/SURVEYOR/PLANNER
ARMED SERVICES
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
ATHLETICS
ATTORNEY
BUSINESS OWNER
CONSTRUCTION TRADE/LABOR TRADE
CONSULTANT
ECONOMIST
EDUCATION/PROFESSOR/TEACHER
ENGINEER
FACTORY WORKER/MANUAL WORKER
FINANCIAL SERVICES/BANKING
FIREFIGHTER
HOMEMAKER
HOSPITALITY/HOTEL/FOOD/BEVERAGE
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/COMPUTER SCIENCE
INSURANCE
LAW ENFORCEMENT
LEGAL PROFESSIONAL
LOBBYIST/GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
MANAGEMENT/ADMINISTRATOR/EXECUTIVE
MANUFACTURING
MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS
MECHANIC/REPAIRER
MEDIA
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL (NOT PHYSICIAN)
OFFICE WORKER
PHYSICIAN
POLITICIAN
PUBLIC SECTOR
REAL ESTATE
RELIGION
RETAIL SALES
RETIRED
SERVICES OCCUPATION
SOCIAL WORKER
STUDENT
TRANSPORTATION
TRAVEL/TOURISM
UNEMPLOYED
Reporting Descriptions:
BANK CHARGES
CAMPAIGN CREDIT CARD
CANDIDATE TRAVEL
COMPLIANCE/ LEGAL/ACCOUNTING
CONSULTING - POLITICAL
CONTRIBUTIONS (CHARITABLE)
CONTRIBUTIONS (POLITICAL, I.E. TICKETS TO EVENTS)
DIRECT MAIL (PRINTING AND POSTAGE)
ELECTION NIGHT EVENT
FOOD AND BEVERAGE (STAFF)
FUNDRAISING CONSULTANT
FUNDRAISING ENTERTAINMENT
FUNDRAISING FOOD AND BEVERAGE
FUNDRAISING PRINTING-MAILING
FUNDRAISING RENTAL (HALL/FURNITURE/TENTS)
FUNDS TRANSFERRED TO NEXT ELECTION
GOVT-POLLWORKERS-ELECTION DAY ACTIVITIES
MEDIA - CABLE TV
MEDIA - CONSULTING
MEDIA - HANDOUTS/FLYERS/PALM CARDS
MEDIA - INTERNET
MEDIA - NETWORK TV
MEDIA - NEWSPAPER
MEDIA - RADIO
MEDIA - TELEMARKETING/ROBO CALLS
MEDIA- BILLBOARDS / LAWN SIGNS
MEDIA- MIXED
MEDIA- PRODUCTION
OFFICE EQUIPMENT
OFFICE RENTAL-UTILITIES-CABLE/INTERNET SERVICES
OFFICE SUPPLIES
PETTY CASH
PO BOX-SUBSCRIPTIONS-DUES-MEMBERSHIPS
RESEARCH AND POLLING
SALARY-TAXES-FEES
TELEPHONE-CELL PHONES
TRAVEL (AIR/TRAIN/CABS/FEES/MEETINGS/MILEAGE)
WEBSITE-COMPUTER CONSULTING
To check the Schedule-A box for Reimbursements/Refunds of Disbursements on a refund being issued, you'll enter your expense as usual on the vendor/payee record, then click the Reversal button in the upper-right of the expense screen.
1. If an individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Click on the Transactions tab.
3. Choose Contribution.
4. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
1. If an individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Click on the Transactions tab of the record.
3. Choose In-Kind.
4. Set the correct Date, Amount, Election Period.
5. Click on the Save button.
1. If an individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Click on the Transactions tab of the record.
3. Choose Loan Received or Loan Made.
4. Set the correct Date, Amount, and Election Period.
5. Click on the Save button.
1. If an individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Click on the Transactions tab.
3. Choose Expense.
4. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
1. Create an individual record with the first name Anonymous and last name Anonymous.
2. Click on the Transactions tab.
3. Choose Contribution.
4. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
Campaign Manager offers a complete and "ready to import" xlsx transaction file for the New Mexico State Report!
New Mexico does not currently allow third-party vendors to e-file directly into their system from other software products. That said, all you need to do after generating the report from the Compliance menu is click the E-File Report link to download and save it to your computer, then import it into the state's system!
Before you're given the ability to file ANY reports, your committee will first need be registered with the New Mexico Campaign Finance Information System (CFIS). The CFIS program can be accessed via their online portal once a committee has registered. Access to the online portal is available on New Mexico's Secretary of State website, under the Candidates, Lobbyists, Political Committees section:
https://login.cfis.sos.state.nm.us/
From the Dashboard Navigational Menu, click on the Import Manager option. The Import
Manager Screen will be displayed.
To upload a new file:
For further review of your transactions and to complete the actual filing of your report, please proceed to section 4.5 of this instruction manual provided by the NM State site: https://www.sos.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CFIS-User-Guide.pdf
We advise clients to never open the efile output before uploading unless it's strictly necessary. Often times various programs like Excel, Notepad, etc, will auto-format files in ways that renders them non-compliant with state requirements. For example, Excel will drop the leading zeros on values in cells, which can be problematic when dealing with zip codes.
Here is what the Cover page will look like when generating the NY State Report. Fields are pulled from the criteria page as well as records in the database.
1 - Name and address of the Filing Committee. The Record name, address can be changed by using the search tool to find the name in the database.
2 - Criteria of the report. Information comes from the parameters before generating the report. Filer ID can be found when searching for the committee.
3 - Treasures First and last / Authorized committee. This can be found in the connection tabs of the committee. It will pull the treasures first and last name. Also if the committee is authorized by the candidate this box will check "yes".
4 - Statement the report is being filed by. The statement type can be changed when looking at the parameters when generating the report. Selectable options like Candidate, Political Committee, Party Committee, etc.
5 - Type of report. - This information comes from the parameter page when generating the report.
To get a contribution onto Schedule A, the only requirement is that you save the contribution to an individual record. If you save it to an organization or a committee record it will pull to other schedules of the report.
Here are the requirements to get a contribution onto Schedule B:
1) The contribution must be saved to an organization record
2) The "Organization Type" must be set to "Corporation"
Schedule C on the New York State Report Covers Monetary Contributions/All Other.
This is for all other contributions that are not Corporate(Schedule B) or Individual & Partnerships (Schedule A). Below is an example of how the transaction will pull to the report as well as the record information that pulls with it.
1 - Name and address of the record. This can be changed by searching for the record using the search bar and editing the information.
2 - Date and Amount. This transaction can be changed by searching for the Record the transaction is associated with then going to the transaction tab. Here you can open up the transaction and edit the information.
3 - Election year / Filer ID / Statement Period Dates. The Election year and Statement Periods are generated from the criteria page before generating the report. The Filer ID comes from the filing committee record.
Here are the requirements to get an in-kind contribution onto Schedule D:
1) The transaction must be an "In-Kind" type transaction
2) If it is saved to a committee record, the "Committee Type" must be either "PAC" or "Candidate Committee"
Schedule E on the New York covers Other Receipts. Below will show you what it looks like on the report as well as where the information is pulling from.
1 - Name and address of the record. This can be changed by searching for the record using the search bar and editing the information.
2 - Date and Amount. This transaction can be changed by searching for the Record the transaction is associated with then going to the transaction tab. Here you can open up the transaction and edit the information.
Use the Reporting Codes outlined below to check off specific box in this section:
INTEREST/DIVIDEND — use Reporting Code "INT/DIV — Interest/Dividends"
PROCEEDS SALE/LEASE — use Reporting Code "OTHER — Other"
OTHER — use Reporting Code "PROC — Proceeds Sale/Lease"
3 - Election year / Filer ID / Statement Period Dates. The Election year and Statement Periods are generated from the criteria page before generating the report. The Filer ID comes from the filing committee record.
Schedule F on the New York State Report Covers Expenditure/Payments.
1 - Name and address of the record. This can be changed by searching for the record using the search bar and editing the information.
2 - Date / Amount / Purpose Code / Transaction Description. This transaction can be changed by searching for the Record the transaction is associated with then going to the transaction tab. Here you can open up the transaction and edit the information.
3 - Election year / Filer ID / Statement Period Dates. The Election year and Statement Periods are generated from the criteria page before generating the report. The Filer ID comes from the filing committee record.
4 - Memo for the parent transaction. This can be found by opening the parent transaction then using the Sub-Vendor Tab to Edit the memo transaction.
5 - Expenditure Purpose Codes. Key for the purpose code that shows on the transaction. This can be changed by going into the transaction and using the drop down to select the correct code.
Here are the requirements to get a contribution onto Schedule G:
1) The contribution must be saved to a committee record
2) The committee record must have "Committee Type" set to "Political Party Committee"
3) The contribution must have the "Transfer" box checked
If all of these things are true then the contribution will itemize on Schedule G.
For transfers to show up on Schedule G, see the above and check the box next to "State Reportable" under the Transfer box.
This data entry applies to internal transfers too. Just check the box next to "state reportable", and the internal transfer will show up to Schedule G.
Schedule H on the New York State report is for Transfers Out. Below will give you an example of how it will look on the report as well as where the information will pull on the record.
1 - Election Year / Filer ID / Statement Period Dates. Election period and Statement Period dates are found on the Criteria page before generating a report. Filer ID for the committee is actually found on the filing committee record its self. To change that you can just use the search tool to search for the filing committee and edit the information there.
2 - Name of the Committee record. To change this all you will have to do is use the search function to change the name of the record. There you can edit any information that may pull on the report.
3 - Transaction information. To edit the transaction information you will have to search for the record that the transaction is associated with using the search tool. From there you can open the transactions tab to edit the transaction itself.
Schedule I on the New York State report is for Loans Received. Below will be an example of how it will look on the report as well as the record fields that will pull to the report.
1 - Name of the record that the loan was recorded on. This can be edited by searching for the name of the transaction with the search tool. From there you can edit the name and address on the record.
2 - Election year / Filer ID / Statement Period Dates. The Election year and Statement Periods are generated from the criteria page before generating the report. The Filer ID comes from the filing committee record.
3 - Date and amount of loan. This can be found by searching for the record the loan is associated with. From there you can use to transaction tab to open up the transaction and edit all of the information.
Schedule J on the New York State report is for Loans Repayments. Below will be an example of how it will look on the report as well as the record fields that will pull to the report.
1 - Name of the record that the loan was recorded on. This can be edited by searching for the name of the transaction with the search tool. From there you can edit the name and address on the record.
2 - Election year / Filer ID / Statement Period Dates. The Election year and Statement Periods are generated from the criteria page before generating the report. The Filer ID comes from the filing committee record.
3 - Date and amount of loan repayment. This can be found by searching for the record the loan is associated with. From there you can use to transaction tab to open up the transaction and edit all of the information.
Schedule K on the New York State report is meant for Loan Liabilities/Loans Forgiven. Below there will be examples of how it will look on the report as well as the data points that it pulls from the record.
1 - Name of the record that the loan was recorded on. This can be edited by searching for the name of the transaction with the search tool. From there you can edit the name and address on the record.
2 - Date and amount of loan forgiveness. This can be found by searching for the record the loan is associated with. From there you can use to transaction tab to open up the transaction and edit all of the information.
This Help File will show how to get an Expenditure Refund onto Schedule L.
This example will start with an original $500 expense with the Reporting
The refund needs to be a New Expense for a negative dollar amount (not a Reversal), with Reporting Code of "OTHER - Other" and linked to the original expense via Advanced Linking.
When these transactions are entered correctly they will show up on Schedule L of the New York State Report.
Here are the steps to get a transaction onto Schedule M of the NY State Disclosure Report:
1) On the donor's record, open a new contribution
2) In the "Amount" field, enter a negative amount
3) Click the "Linking" tab and select "Advanced"
4) In the "Link to Receipt" field, enter the name of the donor
5) Open the "Use Recent" dropdown, locate the original contribution, and click it to select it
6) Click the green "Save" button at the bottom of the contribution
After following these steps, you will have linked the new negative contribution to the original contribution. This will cause the refund to populate correctly on Schedule M of the report.
Schedule N1 on the New York State Report is where Outstanding Liabilities go. Below is how it pulls to the report as well as the fields on the record.
1 - Name and address of the record that the outstanding liability is recorded on. This can be edited by searching for the name of the transaction with the search tool. From there you can edit the name and address on the record.
2 - Date and amount of outstanding liability. This can be found by searching for the record the loan is associated with. From there you can use to transaction tab to open up the transaction and edit all of the information.
3 - Purpose codes for the transaction.
Schedule N on the New York State report captures Outstanding loans. Below will show how it looks on the report and where the data point are on the record.
1 - Name of the record that the outstanding loan was recorded on. This can be edited by searching for the name of the transaction with the search tool. From there you can edit the name and address on the record.
2 - Date and amount of loan. This can be found by searching for the record the loan is associated with. From there you can use to transaction tab to open up the transaction and edit all of the information.
3 - Purpose Codes for Liabilities/loan codes
Schedule O on the New York State Report records Partners. Below will show the fields that pull to the report as well as the partnership organization that is connected to the Individuals.
1 - Name and address of the Partnership. This organization can be searched using the search tool to edit the information of the record.
2 - Amount of the partnership contribution. You can open the transaction from the organization record to edit the amount/date of the transaction.
3 - Partner Name. This is the individual that is connected to the Organization name. To get to this information from the organization you will have to open up the transaction and use Linking>JFC/Partnership tab to see the individuals. Here you can add a new partner or edit current partners.
4 - Amount of the memo the individual has linked to the partnership. This information can be found by searching the individual record and opening up the transaction tab, or it can be found by opening up the partnership parent transaction and using the Linking>JFC tab.
Contractor entries:
For Contractors, the primary contractor should be entered as an expense with the CONSL reporting code.
Any subcontractors associated with the expense
should be entered as sub-vendors on the primary contractor's expense.
Schedule Q on the New York State Report records Non-Campaign Housekeeping Expenses. Below will show you what it looks like on the report as well as which fields pull to the report.
1 - Name and address of the record. This can be searched by using the search tool to edit any information.
2 - Date / Amount / Purpose Code. Any transaction information can be edited by opening the transaction entity associated with the record.
3 - Purpose Codes. To get the expense to pull to this schedule you will need to use one of the below reporting codes.
Here are the steps to get a transaction onto schedule R:
1) On the vendor record, open the expense you need to allocate on schedule R for a specific candidate
2) Set the "Reporting Code" field to "IE - Independent Expenditure"
3) Click the thumbs up button in the "Support/Oppose" fields to select it, and then enter in the candidate name that you need to allocate this expense to
4) Click the green "Save" button at the bottom to save the transaction
See below for a screenshot of where all of these fields are located.
These instructions will show you how to report an Office Type on Schedule R that is not listed in the options when entering an Office for a Local Jurisdiction.
In the Office dropdown menu, you will select the "Other" option. Then go to Custom Fields and type in the office type into the Custom Field Named "NY Other Office". This method will use what is typed into the "NY Other Office" field to pull the office to the report.
Here are the steps to allocate one expense to multiple different candidates on Schedule R:
1) On the vendor record, open up the expense
2) Make sure the "Support/Oppose" field has the thumbs up button clicked and there is a candidate saved there
3) Click the "Linking" tab and choose "Sub-Vendor"
4) Add a new sub-vendor memo for the same candidate showing in the "Support/Oppose" field, step 2 above, making sure to set the reporting code to "IE - Independent Expenditure"
5) Add a sub-vendor memo for each additional candidate you need to allocate the expense to, making sure to set the reporting code to "IE - Independent Expenditure"
6) Click the green "Save" button at the bottom to save the transaction
See below for a few screenshots further explaining this process.
Please take the following steps to link a refund to the original expense date:
1. Navigate to the vendor record, then to the Transactions tab
2. Click the blue New Transaction button and choose Expense
3. Complete the basic details of the refund, then click the Linking tab
4. From the two options in the linking tab, choose Advanced
5. From there, use the Link To options and search for the original Receipt or original Disbursement
6. After the details have been added, click the Save button in the bottom right corner
7. The date should pull to Schedule L, in the "Orig. Payment Date" field.
The state does not currently allow third-party vendors to e-file directly into their system from other software products. That said, all you need to do is download the CSV file from CM and import it into the NY Electronic Filing System (EFS).
How to import NY CSV file into NY Electronic Filing System (EFS):
Step 1: Generate your report from either CM and download the CSV file to your computer
Step 2: Log into your EFS account and locate the “Import Disclosure Report” at the top right-hand corner of the dashboard
Step 3: Locate the “Import Button”
Step 4: Select “Aristotle” as the Vendor Name
Step 5: choose the CSV file that you generated from either CM or 360 and click “Upload”
Step 6: One of two pop-up screens will appear here: Either that the transactions were uploaded
successfully OR that there were issues with the transactions that need to be addressed before the
transactions can be uploaded
Option 1: Transactions were uploaded successfully:
Option 2: Example of transactions with issues (message will differ depending on the issue):
Step 7: Click “view” to view your transactions and to submit your report
Step 8: Under “View All Disclosure Reports”, you can view, delete, and submit uploaded transactions. To
continue with submitting your report, click “Submit”
Step 9: Once your report looks good, click “Submit Disclosure Report” in the top right corner
Step 10: Please read all legal information associated with filing your disclosure report and click “OK”
Step 11: Your disclosure report has been submitted successfully
Step 12: Under “View All Disclosure Reports” all submitted reports can be seen along with associated transactions
Click Here for additional information about this new filing process from the NY State BOE
This help document cover why some record names in Schedule F appear as unitemized.
The Threshold for sub-vendor memos linked to expenses on Schedule F is $50.00, and anything under that will be summed together and displayed as an "Unitemized" memo listing.
For example, If we look at the CitiBank sub-vendors we see three transactions below the $50.00 threshold. If we add up all three transactions ($45.01, $29.63, and $26.23) we get a total of $100.87.
All three transactions appear as one with the name "Unitemized" and the total amount a memo.
1) On the state committee's record, save a new contribution transaction with an amount of the transfer, and make sure you enter a negative amount. It also needs to go into the federal committee's account, the "Transfer" box on the contribution needs to be checked, and a fundraising allocation needs to be set. This transaction will pull to the H3 on the FEC report as a negative.
2) On the federal committee's record, save a contribution transaction for the amount of the transfer, and make sure you enter a positive amount. It also needs to go into the state committee's account and have the "Transfer" box checked. This transaction will pull on the NY report on Schedule G.
3) Then, from either one of the above transactions, click the "Linking" tab and select "Advanced". Use the search fields to find the other contribution from above, and select it to link the two together.
Once that is all in place, you're done! This data entry will get the transactions appearing correctly on both the NY and FEC reports, and have the proper impact on the register for balance purposes.
The following chart outlines each contribution type ID for the NY State Report, along with a description of each one.
Contribution Type ID (cntrbn_type_id) | Contribution Type description (cntrbn_type_desc) |
1 | Services/Facilities Provided |
2 | Property Given |
3 | Campaign Expenses Paid |
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Cover Page of the North Carolina State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee and candidate records. The lettered items are populated using fields on the NC State Report criteria page.
For instructions on how to connect staff records to the committee record, see 1.2 Committee Records - Linking Committee Staff.
Check the box to mark the report as an Amendment. Leave it unchecked to mark it as an Original filing.
The numbers found in the "Totals this Election Cycle" column are calculated using the "Aggregate From" date that is input on the NC State Report criteria page.
The system will automatically pull transactions to this schedule if the donor has contributed a combined $50 or less since the "Aggregate From" date entered on the NC State Report criteria page.
Bank Account code numbers are assigned in Financial >>> Accounts.
To get transactions to pull to this schedule, the donor record must be set as a Political Party Committee as seen below.
Example 1 in red is an in-kind donation. Example 2 in blue is a monetary contribution.
In order to ensure that a transaction pulls to this line of the NC state report, you'll need to mark the Force Itemize box on the transaction entry:
The system will automatically pull transactions to this schedule if the vendor has been paid a combined $50 or less since the "Aggregate From" date entered on the NC State Report criteria page.
In order to ensure that a transaction pulls to this line of the NC state report, you'll need to mark the Force Unitemize box on the transaction entry:
Note that refunds and reimbursements from the committee are entered as contributions with a NEGATIVE dollar amount, rather than expenses.
The data entry for this schedule is very simple - you'll just need two things:
That's it! Once you save that entry, it should pull to that schedule.
This is determined by the record type, and in the case of a committee, the committee type.
Aristotle currently offers complete and "ready to file" e-files for the North Carolina State Report! Unfortunately we don't currently offer e-files for the North Carolina 48 Hour Report.
Unfortunately, the state does not currently allow third-party vendors to e-file directly into their system from other software products. That said, all you need to do is download the e-file output and then upload it into the state's system! The easiest way to do this is right click on the link for the e-file output, select "Save As", give it a suitable file name while leaving the file extension as it is, and save the file.
Before you're given the ability to file ANY reports, your committee will first need be registered with the North Carolina State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement "CF Remote" program. The CF Remote program is desktop software the filer will need to download and install. CF Remote can be downloaded from the below link:
https://www.ncsbe.gov/Campaign-Finance/reporting-software
Helpfiles and other documentation for the software is available as well at the same location.
We advise clients to never open the efile output before uploading unless it's strictly necessary. Often times various programs like Excel, Notepad, etc, will auto-format files in ways that renders them non-compliant with state requirements. For example, Excel will drop the leading zeros on values in cells, which can be problematic when dealing with NE zip codes.
Some states have invented file extensions for their efiles that need to be preserved, or they use older file extensions than what is generally used and can be overwritten. For example, many states have the file extension .csv for their efiles, which Excel will try to override when saving since it's generally not used. Please ensure to keep the file extension as it is so the state's system will accept the file.
North Carolina's efiling system accepts full reports, with one efile formatted as a .cfd text file. This means that the electronic format has all of the information already formatted for how the state wants these reports to appear. There's no additional steps required for preparing the report for submission beyond uploading the report. This also means that it is more difficult to make small changes to the report once it's submitted, if it's possible at all.
State and Federal Committees: Send the export file via email to
Campaign.Reporting@ncsbe.gov
Municipal and County Committees file with their County Board of Elections.
County Office email and physical addresses can be found here:
https://vt.ncsbe.gov/BOEInfo
ALAMANCE County:
ALAMANCE.boe@ncsbe.gov
ALEXANDER County:
ALEXANDER.boe@ncsbe.gov
ALLEGHANY County:
ALLEGHANY.boe@ncsbe.gov
ANSON County:
ANSON.boe@ncsbe.gov
ASHE County:
ashe.boe@gmail.com
AVERY County:
sheila.ollis@averycountync.gov
BEAUFORT County:
BEAUFORT.boe@co.beaufort.nc.us
BERTI CountyE:
BERTIE.boe@ncsbe.gov
BLADEN County:
elections@bladenco.org
BRUNSWICK County:
BRUNSWICK.boe@ncsbe.gov
BUNCOMBE County:
BUNCOMBE.boe@ncsbe.gov
BURKE County:
BURKE.boe@ncsbe.gov
CABARRUS County:
CABARRUS.boe@ncsbe.gov
CALDWELL County:
CALDWELL.boe@ncsbe.gov
CAMDEN County:
CAMDEN.boe@ncsbe.gov
CARTERET County:
CARTERET.boe@ncsbe.gov
CASWELL County:
CASWELL.boe@ncsbe.gov
CATAWBA County:
CATAWBA.boe@ncsbe.gov
CHATHAM County:
CHATHAM.boe@ncsbe.gov
CHEROKEE County:
cherokee.boe@gmail.com
CHOWAN County:
CHOWAN.boe@ncsbe.gov
CLAY County:
CLAY.boe@ncsbe.gov
CLEVELAND County:
CLEVELAND.boe@ncsbe.gov
COLUMBUS County:
COLUMBUS.boe@ncsbe.gov
CRAVEN County:
cravenboe@cravencountync.gov
CUMBERLAND County:
CUMBERLAND.boe@ncsbe.gov
CURRITUCK County:
CURRITUCK.boe@ncsbe.gov
DARE County:
DARE.boe@ncsbe.gov
DAVIDSON County:
DAVIDSON.boe@ncsbe.gov
DAVIE County:
tparrish@daviecountync.gov
DUPLIN County:
dcboe@duplincountync.com
DURHAM County:
elections@dconc.gov
EDGECOMBE County:
EDGECOMBE.boe@ncsbe.gov
FORSYTH County:
FORSYTH.boe@ncsbe.gov
FRANKLIN County:
lgoswick@franklincountync.us
GASTON County:
gaston.boe@ncsbe.gov
GATES County:
gatesco.boe@gmail.com
GRAHAM County:
GRAHAM.boe@ncsbe.gov
GRANVILLE County:
Granvilleboe@granvillecounty.com
GREENE County:
GREENE.boe@ncsbe.gov
GUILFORD County:
GUILFORD.boe@ncsbe.gov
HALIFAX County:
HALIFAX.boe@ncsbe.gov
HARNETT County:
HARNETT.boe@ncsbe.gov
HAYWOOD County:
HAYWOOD.boe@ncsbe.gov
HENDERSON County:
HENDERSON.boe@ncsbe.gov
HERTFORD County:
HERTFORD.boe@ncsbe.gov
HOKE County:
elections@hokecounty.org
HYDE County:
HYDE.boe@ncsbe.gov
IREDELL County:
IREDELL.boe@ncsbe.gov
JACKSON County:
JACKSON.boe@ncsbe.gov
JOHNSTON County:
JOHNSTON.boe@ncsbe.gov
JONES County:
jones.boe1@gmail.com
LEE County:
LEE.boe@ncsbe.gov
LENOIR County:
LENOIR.boe@ncsbe.gov
LINCOLN County:
LINCOLN.boe@ncsbe.gov
MACON County:
mthibault@maconnc.org
MADISON County:
MADISON.boe@ncsbe.gov
MARTIN County:
martin.boe@ncsbe.gov
MCDOWELL County:
MCDOWELL.boe@ncsbe.gov
MECKLENBURG County:
MECKLENBURG.boe@ncsbe.gov
MITCHELL County:
MITCHELL.boe@ncsbe.gov
MONTGOMERY County:
MONTGOMERY.boe@ncsbe.gov
MOORE County:
elections@moorecountync.gov
NASH County:
info@nashcountyboe.com
NEW HANOVER County:
NEWHANOVER.boe@ncsbe.gov
NORTHAMPTON County:
northampton.boe@ncsbe.gov
ONSLOW County:
ONSLOW.boe@ncsbe.gov
ORANGE County:
ORANGE.boe@ncsbe.gov
PAMLICO County:
PAMLICO.boe@ncsbe.gov
PASQUOTANK County:
PASQUOTANK.boe@ncsbe.gov
PENDER County:
PENDER.boe@ncsbe.gov
PERQUIMANS County:
PERQUIMANS.boe@gmail.com
PERSON County:
PERSON.boe@ncsbe.gov
PITT County:
PITT.boe@ncsbe.gov
POLK County:
cmarr@polknc.org
RANDOLPH County:
RANDOLPH.boe@ncsbe.gov
RICHMOND County:
richmond.boe@gmail.com
ROBESON County:
ROBESON.boe@ncsbe.gov
Rockingham County:
ROCKINGHAM.boe@ncsbe.gov
ROWAN County:
ROWAN.boe@ncsbe.gov
RUTHERFORD County:
RUTHERFORD.boe@ncsbe.gov
SAMPSON County:
atew@sampsonnc.com
SCOTLAND County:
SCOTLAND.boe@ncsbe.gov
STANLY County:
stanly.boe@ncsbe.gov
STOKES County:
STOKES.boe@ncsbe.gov
SURRY County:
SURRY.boe@ncsbe.gov
SWAIN County:
swain.boe@gmail.com
TRANSYLVANIA County:
TRANSYLVANIA.boe@ncsbe.gov
TYRRELL County:
TYRRELL.boe@ncsbe.gov
UNION County:
UNION.boe@ncsbe.gov
VANCE County:
VANCE.boe@ncsbe.gov
WAKE County:
voter@wakegov.com
WARREN County:
DebbieFormyduval@warrencountync.gov
WASHINGTON County:
washington.boe@gmail.com
WATAUGA County:
matthew.snyder@watgov.org
WAYNE County:
WAYNE.boe@ncsbe.gov
WILKES County:
WILKES.boe@ncsbe.gov
WILSON County:
WILSON.boe@ncsbe.gov
YADKIN County:
YADKIN.boe@ncsbe.gov
YANCEY County:
yancey.boe@gmail.com
This report will pull all contribution transactions that are equal to or greater than $1000.
Enter the date range and Election year and then click "Generate Report" to pull all transactions within the period selected.
This criteria screen also has a Transaction List tab which will pull all the transactions that fall within the given parameters for the report. Here clients can select which individual transactions will pull to the report.
Output is a PDF and a .cfd efile that needs to be uploaded to the state website. Efiling directly from within the software is not available in NC.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule 30A of the Ohio State Report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule 31A of the Ohio State Report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule 31A2 of the Ohio State Report.
Loans will pull to Schedule 31A2 if they are recorded as Loan Repayments, Loan Transfers, or Loan Repayments. Interests will pull to Schedule 31A2 if they are recorded using the Reporting Code for Interests. The "Type" field is populated by the type of transaction that is recorded or the reporting code used in Campaign Manager.
In order to get a voided refund to pull to the OH report's income schedule, you'll need to first start with the original expense entry for the refund. Two things will need to be done here:
Making these changes should allow the transaction to pull to the income schedule with a negative amount.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule 31B of the Ohio State Report.
Note 1: Totals of expenditures on other schedules will also pull to Schedule 31B
Note 2: The illustrations in the help file show which reporting code was used in the purpose section
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule 31C of the Ohio State Report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule 31E of the Ohio State Report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule 31F of the Ohio State Report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule 31G of the Ohio State Report.
Note: A contribution will only pull to this schedule if there is an event marked with the contribution and if the filing committee is the indicated employer through the connections feature
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule 31G of the Ohio State Report.
Note: A contribution will only pull to this schedule if there is no event marked with the contribution and if the filing committee is the indicated employer through the connections feature.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule 31J1 of the Ohio State Report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule 31K of the Ohio State Report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule 31N of the Ohio State Report.
CM data entry steps for payments to be pulled to the OH 31P Schedule:
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule B of the Ohio State Report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Cover Page of the OK - Candidate Committee Contributions and Expenditures Report Cover Page.
A few pieces of data entry are required to pull a transfer to line 2 on the Oklahoma report.
The transaction must use the TPC — "Transfer from Prior Committee" reporting code.
The final step of data entry requires the filing committee record to have a connection to the committee that contains the transfer. This connection will be made with the "affiliated committee" connection type.
Once the connection has been made, the transaction will show up to line 2 just like this.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule D of the OK - Candidate Committee Contributions and Expenditures Report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule I of the OK - Candidate Committee Contributions and Expenditures Report.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule J of the OK - Candidate Committee Contributions and Expenditures Report.
Oklahoma is a unique system since they don't accept e-files but instead just give the ability to upload transactions from an Excel template. We purposely suppress loans from outside the period because any prior loans are already in the OK Guardian system and including them would cause duplication.
If you previously filed loans through a different software vendor, the existing loans would have been assigned a unique LoanID to which we don't have access. Any payments made on those loans must reference that unique LoanID. In this instance, we suggest that you enter any loan repayments on previous loans in the State system moving forward. The State system (pictured in the screenshot above) is fiarly user friendly.
If you are amending a report and are getting the "Duplicate External Reference ID" in the OK Guardian system, that is because those transactions are already in the system and do not need to be added again. When Amending a report, you would only need to import new transactions that are being added and did not exist on the original filed report.
If you need to edit or delete a transaction that was on the original report, that can be done in the Guardian system. All you would need to do is hover your cursor over "Financial" and choose which type of transaction needs to be edited. You will then be brought to a screen where you can edit, delete, or refund transactions.
In order to get a transaction to pull to Line 10 of the OK state report, you'll need to take the following steps:
Once you save that transaction, it will begin to pull to line 10 of the report.
To ensure that in the E-file version of the OK Sate Report matches the contributionRefundID to the contributionID of the original contribution being refunded, First create a contribution with a negative dollar amount representing the refund then follow the below steps to link the refund to the original contribution.
Pennsylvania State Report Cover Page
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the cover page of the Pennsylvania State Report.
The red items below are populated using fields on the Criteria Page. The blue items are populated using fields on the committee record.
1. Create or open the political committee record and fill in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Click on the Transactions tab.
3. Choose Contribution.
4. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
1. Contributor Name
2. Contribution Date
3. Contribution Amount
4. Donor Address
1. Make sure all fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Click on the Transactions tab.
3. Choose Contribution.
4. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
1. Donor Name
2.Contribution Date
3. Contribution Amount
4. Donor Address
1. Create or open the political committee record and fill in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Click on the Transactions tab.
3. Choose Contribution.
4. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
1. Donor Name
2. Contribution Date
3. Contribution Amount
4. Donor Address
This help file will give an overview on how to populate filed onto Schedule D. The numbered items are used to indicate which individual record information will appear on the report.
1. Donor Name
2. Contribution Date
3.Contribution Amount
4. House Address/Preferred Address
5. Work Address
Schedule IE: REFUNDS, INTEREST INCOME, RETURNED CHECKS, ETC
This help file will give an overview on how to populate the correct fields onto Schedule E. The numbered items correspond on the Individual/ organization record matches to the numbered items in the Pennsylvania State Report.
1. Receipt Type: This can be indicated by indicating the contribution tab in the scroll down menu listed as "Transaction Type"
2. Record Name
3. Amount
4. Contribution Date
5. Preferred/ Primary Address
Schedule IIF: In-Kind Contributions between $50.01- $250
This helpfile will give an overview of how to populate data into Part F of the Pennsylvania State Report. The numbered items in the record are corresponding to the numbered items in the report example.
1. Contributor Name
2. Contribution Date
3. Contribution Amount
4. Donor Address
5. Transaction Type: under new Transaction, the In-kind about will appear
1. Contributor Name
2. Contribution Date
3. Contribution amount
4. Home/ Primary Address of Donor
5. Employer Name
6. Donor occupation
7. Work address/Employer Address
The numbered items in the record correspond to the numbered items the sample report
1. Vendor Name
2. Expense Date
3. Expense Amount
4. Vendor Address
5. Transaction Type & Description (Expense)
1. Name of Creditor
2. Date Debt Incurred
3. Reporting Description
4. Creditor Address
5. Outstanding Balance of Debt: to check outstanding balance of debt or create a new Bill Payment go to "Linking" > "Unpaid Bill History"
To upload your PA state report, you will need to go to the below link and use the login info the state provided to you:
https://www.campaignfinanceonline.state.pa.us/Pages/Login.aspx
If you do not yet have a login, you can register for one at the below link:
https://www.login.state.pa.us/login/register.aspx
Please note! This process is entirely controlled by the state of Pennsylvania. Aristotle cannot assist you with registering or provide you with your username/password.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Cover page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the Report Criteria Page, Candidate record, and the Committee record.
1. Committee Name
2. Candidate Name
3. Candidate's Office
4. Committee's Address
5. Reporting Schedule
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Contributions from Individuals page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in an Individual's record.
1. Contributor Name
2. Contributor Address
3. Amount
Unitemized Transaction
Since the amount is less than $100.00 the sum of all unitemized contributions from individuals will be shown.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Direct Contributions from Organizations page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in an Organization's record.
1. Organization Name
2. Organization's address
3. Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Contributions from Political Parties page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in a Committee's record.
1. Committee Name
2. Committee's Address
3. Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Contributions from South Dakota Political Action Committees and South Dakota Candidate Committees page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in a Committee's record.
1. PAC Name
2. PAC's Address
3. Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Itemized Contributions from Out of State and Federal Political Action Committees page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in a Committee's record.
1. PAC Name
2. PAC's Website
3. Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Direct Contributions From Candidate Committees page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in a Committee's record.
1. Committee Name
2. Committee's Address
3. Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Other Income page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in an Organization's record.
1. Organization Name
2. Reporting Description
3. Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the In Kind Contributions page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in an Individuals record.
1.Individuals Name
2. Individuals Address
3. ReportingDescription
4. Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Expenditures page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below will show how to input the data entry in records.
1. Bank Fees
Bank Fees Reporting Code must be selected to show up on the Expenditures page.
The Reporting Code is what causes those expenses to be counted as bank fees.
2. Credit Card Fees
Credit Card Fees Reporting Code must be selected to show up on the Expenditures page.
The Reporting Code is what causes those expenses to be counted as credit card fees.
3. Additional Expense
Expenses that do not have a Reporting Code but have a Reporting Description will show up here on the Expenditures page.
4. Loans Made to Committee
Expenses that do not have a Reporting Code but have a Reporting Description will show up here on the Expenditures page.
To get a loan made to appear on the SD state report, create a new "loan made", and then fill out the details.
Add a recipient, a reporting description, and the amount for the loan made in the details. Once completed, click on save, and then the loan made will show up to the South Dakota state report.
5. Random Expense
Expenses that do not have a Reporting Code but have a Reporting Description will show up here on the Expenditures page.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Debts and Obligations Owed by Committee page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in an Organization's record.
1. Organization Name
2. Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Loans Owed to Committee page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in a Committee's record.
1. Committee Name
2. Committee's Address
3. Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Loans Owed by the Committee page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in a Committee's record.
1. Banks/Lender Name
2. Banks/Lender Address
3. Reporting Description
4.Interest Rate
5. Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Summary page of the South Dakota State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below will show which page you can find the data entry in the Help Files.
1. Contributions from Individuals
2. Contributions from Individuals
3. Direct Contributions from Organizations
4. Contributions from Political Parties
5. Contributions from South Dakota Political Action Committees and South Dakota Candidate Committees
6. Itemized Contributions from Out of State and Federal Political Action Committees
7. Direct Contributions From Candidate Committees
8. Other Income
9. Expenditures
10. Contributions to Candidates and/or Committees (Data entry can be found below)
11. In Kind Contributions
12. Establishing and Administration of Committee/Solicitation Costs
13. Debts and Obligations Owed by Committee
14. Loans Owed to Committee
15. Loans Owed by the Committee
16. Starting Balance (Data entry can be found below)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contributions to Candidates and/or Committees
This data entry is done in another committees record and created as an expense.
Starting Balance
This data entry is done on the criteria screen before the report is generated.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the cover page of the Tennessee State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the Committee record. The lettered items below are populated in the Report Criteria Page.
1 - Candidate Name
2 - Candidate Address
A - Supported Candidate
B - Treasure's date of appointment
C - Report Schedule
D - Period From/Period To
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Itemized Statement Contributions page of the Tennessee State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the Individuals record.
1 - Donor's Name
2- Donor's Address
3- Donor's Occupation and Employer
4- Contribution Amount
5 - Contribution Date
A- Transaction Type
B - Election Period
C - Account
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Itemized Statement Of In-Kind Contributions page of the Tennessee State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in the record.
1 - Donor's Name
2- Donor's Address
3- Donor's Occupation and Employer
4- Contribution Amount
5 - Contribution Date
6 - Reporting Description
A- Transaction Type
B - Election Period
C - Account
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Itemized Statement Expenditures page of the Tennessee State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in the record.
1 - Name
2- Address
3- Expense Amount
4- Expense Date
5 - Reporting Description
A- Transaction Type
B - Election Period
C - Account
D - Reporting Code
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Itemized Statement of Independent Expenditures page of the Tennessee State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in the record
1 - Name
2- Address
3- Expense Amount
4- Expense Date
5 - Candidate Supported or Opposed
A- Transaction Type
B - Election Period
C - Account
D - Reporting Code
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Itemized Statement of Debts page of the Tennessee State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in the record.
1 - Name
2- Address
3- Debt Amount
4- Reporting Description
A- Transaction Type
B - Election Period
C - Account
D - Reporting Code
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the Itemized Statement of Loan page of the Tennessee State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in the record.
1 - Name
2- Address
3- Loan Amount
4- Loan Date
A- Transaction Type
B - Election Period
C - Account
The Summary Page will give a breakdown of the Receipts, Disbursements, In-Kind Contributions, Loans, and Obligations.
55.1 Texas State Report - Candidate/OfficeHolder Campaign Finance Report Cover Page
This help file gives an overview of the Texas State Report cover page. The numbered items below are populated using fields on the criteria page. The lettered items are populated using fields on the committee record.
1. Report Schedule
2. Report Date Range
3. Election Date
4.Type of Report
A. Candidate/ OfficeHolder Mailing Go to the Committee Record > Connections Tab > Connect the Candidate to the Committee Record
B. Campaign Treasurer Address Connect the treasurer to the Committee Record
C. Campaign Treasurer Phone Click on the Treasurer's name and edit phone number under basic settings
55.2 Texas State Report Cover Page 2 - Support and Totals
The second page of the cover page includes a list of total contributions and expenditures. These totals will be added from transactions within the date range.
1. Total Contributions
2. Total Expenditures
55.3 TX Schedule A1 - Monetary Political Contributions
Schedule A1 includes the list of all contributions made within the reporting period. The numbered fields are populated from the individual records.
1. Name of Contributor
2. Address of Contributor
3. Date of Transaction
4. Amount of Contribution
5. Employer Name
6. Occupation of Contributor
55.4 Texas State Report Schedule A2 Non-Monetary (In-Kind) Political Contributions
This Schedule A2 pulls a list of all In-Kind contributions within the reporting period. A contribution can be marked as an in-kind through the individual or organization record.
To ensure that the transaction pulls in schedule A2, mark the Transaction Type as "In-kind".
55.5 Texas State Report Schedule F1 -Political Expenditures Made from Political Contributions
Schedule F1 list all Expense transactions. The fields are populated by information in the transaction record.
To pull the transactions to Schedule F1, ensure that the Transaction Type is listed as Expense".
55.6 Texas State Report Schedule K -Interest, Credits, Gains, Refunds, and Contributions Returned to Filer
This help file will give a brief overview on how to pull transactions into Schedule K.
NOTE: Transactions can be entered in Campaign Manager to appear on Schedule K on the PDF of your report. However, these transactions will not be uploaded to the Texas state reporting system. You will still need to log into Texas' reporting system, and upload the Schedule K transactions manually through their reporting system. Schedule K transactions have to be manually entered in on Texas' reporting system.
Transactions pull onto Schedule K by setting the Transaction Type to "Misc. Income"
Aristotle creates separate Contribution and Expenditure spreadsheets. After generating the report and verifying the accuracy by viewing the PDF report, click on the links for the Contributions and Expenditures electronic reports to download and save to your computer.
Below are sample reports:
Sample Contribution template
https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/data/filinginfo/Contribs.csv
Sample Expenses template
https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/data/filinginfo/Expends.csv
You can download a PDF of the Texas efile specifications here: TX Efile Specifications
Login to the Texas state filing software:
https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/File/
You can verify your reports are in the proper format here:
https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/programs/verifyCFImport/
To upload a new report, click on the Start a New Report button at the top left of the screen.
For more detailed instructions go here: https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/filinginfo/videos/CF/ImportContribsExpns/ImportFiles.html
On the next page, click on Upload File button on the top right of the screen.
For a more detailed overview of the filing process, please go here:
https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/filinginfo/QuickFileAReport.php
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the cover page of the Utah State Report. The numbered items are populated using fields from the criteria page.
1 - Name of Organization
2 - Report Schedule
3 - Indicate if it's a new report or amendment
This help documentation will show the data entry required to pull all the section on Schedule A. The numbered items are populated using the contributor record.
1- Transaction information:
2- Contributor Address:
This Help file will show the proper data required to populate all sections on Schedule B, expenditures. This can be populated to the report through the organization or individual expense record.
1 -Expense information: note that expenses appear red in transaction record
This Help File will give an overview of where the summary page pulls its information from.
1 - PAC Information: The PAC name is chosen from the criteria page and the date comes from the day you generate the report
2- Total contributions: The total contribution amount can be found at the bottom right corner of the Schedule A page
3- Total Expenses: The total expense amount can be found at the bottom right corner of the Schedule B page
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of the cover page on the VA State Report.
The lettered items are populated using fields on the VA State Report criteria page. The numbered items below are populated using fields on the record of the filing committee and the filing committee's candidate.
Office and District Sought will only pull to the report if they are entered on a candidate record that is connected to the filing committee as Candidate. Instructions on how to connect a candidate to a committee can be found here and a video tutorial can be found here.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of Schedule A on the VA State Report.
The items below are populated using fields on the record of the contributor.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of Schedule B on the VA State Report. The items below are populated using fields on the record of the contributor.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of Schedule C on the VA State Report. The items below are populated using fields on the appropriate record.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of Schedule D on the VA State Report. The numbered items below are populated using fields on the record of the recipient. The lettered item is populated using a field on the criteria page for the VA State Report.
To show this, you simply need to create another contribution transaction and set the "Amount" field to a negative number, representing the full amount of the refund. See below screenshots. In this scenario, the refund is a $25.00 refund so the required data entry is a new contribution with an "Amount" of -$25.00.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of Schedule E on the VA State Report. The items below are populated using fields on the records of the lender and the guarantor.
In order to get the guarantor information to pull correctly the guarantor must be entered as a guarantor on the loan itself. To do this edit the loan and click on Linking > Loan Guarantor.
Then fill in the appropriate information in the Guarantor, Amount of Guarantee, and Date fields and click "Add".
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate Schedule E-2 on the VA State Report. The items below are populated using fields on the records of the lender.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of Schedule F on the VA State Report. The items below are populated using fields on the records of the entity to whom the debt is owed.
The total remaining is automatically calculated by subtracting all connected Bill Payments from the Unpaid Bill.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections of Schedules G and H of the VA State Report. Most fields on these schedules are auto-populated, however the fields that are lettered in the below screenshots are entered on the criteria page for the VA State Report.
First, after generating your VA state report the Electronic Report appears below the several PDF options.
Next, you'll need to use the Virginia Dept. of Elections free e-filing site, login here: https://cf.elections.virginia.gov
Step-by-step instructions on submitting the XML document on VA's COMET e-filing site is available here on page 35: https://www.elections.virginia.gov/media/formswarehouse/campaign-finance/comet/COMETUserManual.pdf
1) Create an organization record named Unitemized Contributions.
2) Set the Organization Type to Anonymous Organization.
3) Add contributions that you do not want to itemize on your report to that record.
1. Open the candidate's record. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Create a new Contribution from the Transactions tab of the individual's record. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
3. Click on the Save button.
1. Open the record of the lender or entity the loan was made to.
2. Click on the Transactions tab and choose Loan Received or Loan Made.
3. Enter the date and amount of the loan.
4. Click on the Save button.
1. Open the record of the entity from which the funds came.
2. Click on the Transactions tab. Choose New Transaction and select Misc. Income.
3. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
4. Click on the Save button.
1. If an individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Create a new Contribution from the Transactions tab of the individual's record. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
3. Click on the Save button.
1. If an individual's record, make sure the Employer and Occupation fields are filled out in the Basic Information section. Make sure an address is filled out and marked as Preferred in the Addresses section.
2. Create a new Contribution from the Transactions tab of the individual's record. Set the correct Date, Amount, Payment Method, and Election Period.
3. Click on the Save button.
Negative contributions are not recognized by the state's filing system so if you deposit a negative contribution to represent a refund or chargeback then it will appear as a positive transaction on the state's end- which will inflate your deposit amount.
Please click here to see what WA state's PDC filing system has to say about handling these types of transactions.
If you refund a contribution within 10 business days of receiving it, or if the bank tells you there were insufficient funds within 10 business days of your campaign receiving the contribution, you may delete the contribution and file your reports as if the contribution never happened. If you have already reported the contribution, amend your reports.
You may also use the Return Contribution function. (enter an expense in Campaign Manager)
If you return the contribution more than 10 business days after receiving it, or the bank returns it for insufficient funds more than 10 business days after you receive the contribution:
Enter an expense in Campaign Manager for the issued refund. Then file a C-4 covering the period for the date of the expense. The information should appear on Schedule C Corrections.
Note: when entering an expense for an issued refund, the word "refund" must be used in the reporting description in order for the donation summary totals to be updated and for the over-the-limit report to recognize it as well.
For unique situations please check with the state to understand their requirements and then let us know at Aristotle Support and we can further assist with data entry steps.
WA amends a report automatically when a new filing is submitted that shares the same "external_ID" field in its efile as a previous filing. Reports generated in Campaign Manager generate this field based on the committee, deposit, and deposit date. Thus, if an amendment needs to be filed that does not involve changing the selected deposit or deposit date, all that needs to be done is generate and submit the report again.
However, if the amendment involves a different deposit or different deposit date, the auto-generated "external_ID" field needs to be overridden with one matching the original report's ID. This can be done by entering the correct ID in the "external ID override" field at the bottom of the report's criteria page. When a value is entered in this field, the report will use the entered value as the "external_ID".
The correct value to enter in the "external ID override" field can be found in the "external_ID" field of the original report that is being amended. In addition, to make the ID easier to find, C3 efiles generated via CM will have a filename that contains the "external_ID". As an example, files will generate as "12345678-1234-87654321.json" or "12345678-1234-87654321_EfileJson.json". In both of these examples, the "12345678-1234-87654321" is the external ID.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Cash Receipts section on Schedule A of the Washington C4 report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in Financial>Batches/Deposits.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate the Expenditures section on Schedule A of the Washington C4 report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in the Entity record page.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Schedule B of the Washington C4 report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in the Entity's record.
Aristotle software has the ability to both generate 100% complete "ready to file" e-files, as well as the ability to transmit those e-files to the state directly from our software! Once the report is generated it can be filed directly from the "Results" screen. This is available for the WA C3 and C4 reports.
In the "Electronic filing options" section on CM there are five fields:
1. In the Filer ID field, enter the WA-assigned ID for the filling committee.
2. In the Password 1 field, enter your access token provided to you by the state
3. In the Password 2 field, enter THE SAME access token you just entered in step 2 above
4. In the Email field, enter the email address to which the filing confirmation email should be sent.
5. In the Year field, enter the year of the general election for the reporting period covered by the report.
Once all that information is entered, all you need to do is click the "Efile" button and your report will be submitted to the state! The state will email you a notification of whether the report was rejected or accepted.
There's an additional check-box on CM labeled "Save ID and Password". If you've checked this box when e-filing a report, the ID and Password fields will be automatically populated for future generations of the report.
The WA Last Minute Contribution report can be filed electronically by emailing the PDF output to the email address shown at the top of the form: pdc@pdc.wa.gov.
NOTE: The state of Washington has retired the use of filing passwords. You can only file using an access token now. Once you have an access token, simply enter that token in the "Password 1" and "Password 2" fields. If you don't have an access token, simply log in to the Washington Secure Access Portal and follow the steps provided in this video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGMcyUpbfi4&feature=youtu.be].
If you are new to the SecureAccessWA system, you may get a screen like the one below. From here, you'll need to click on the Add a New Service button, and select the WA PDC. Once you do so, you should be able to proceed with the steps outlined in the tutorial video above.
Aristotle software has the ability to both generate 100% complete "ready to file" e-files, as well as the ability to transmit those e-files to the state directly from our software! Once the report is generated it can be filed directly from the "Results" screen. This is available for the Seattle C3 and C4 reports.
Credentials used to file Seattle reports are the same username and password used to login to the https://www2.ci.seattle.wa.us/ethics/filers/login.asp site.
In the "Electronic filing options" section complete the following steps:
Once the report is filed, please confirm that the report appears as filed by logging into the https://www2.ci.seattle.wa.us/ethics/filers/login.asp site.
EXAMPLE:
1) Create an organization record named "Unitemized Contributions."
2) Set the "Organization Type" to "Anonymous Organization"
3) Add contributions that you do not want to itemize on your report to that record.
The electronic version of the WA C4 report doesn't support separate entries to show sub-vendors, so that info is typically reported using the Purpose for Expense and/or Description column of the expense.
To enter a sub-vendor on an expense so that it pulls correctly to the C4 simply add a note in the Reporting Description box with the details of the sub-vendors transaction.
Once this is done the information will show up on the report under the Purpose for Expense and/or Description.
When pulling your Washington Form C3, you may notice that your Treasurer Name and Daytime Phone Number fields are blank. There are a few reasons for this.
First, make sure you Treasurer is present as an Individual record in your database (create a new record for them if they're not), and then in the Connections tab, connect the Treasurer with the Filing Committee using the Treasurer Connection. For help on adding Connections, please view the helpfile on this topic available here.
Second, make sure the Treasurer record contains a WORK phone number. The report pulls the Daytime Phone Number, which pulls from the Work Phone, not Home or Mobile etc. If the Treasurer record only has a Home or Mobile Phone, the Daytime Phone Number field will be blank.
Finally, note that though the Treasurer Name will pull if you follow the steps listed in the first item above, the PDF will NOT display anything in the Signature field, as that is deliberately left blank for the purposes of Paper (ie physical) Filers, who need that space blank for the Treasurer to sign in person.
Open the record and go to New Transaction > In-Kind
Enter the following information:
1—Date of Transaction
2—Name of In-Kind Contributor
3—Contributor Address
4—Description of In-Kind Contribution
5—Election Period
Save transation.
Open record and go to New Transaction > Contribution
Enter the following information:
1 – Date of Transaction
2 – Name of Contributor:
3 – Election Period
Save the transaction.
Open record and go to New Transaction > Contribution
Enter the following information:
1— Date of Transaction
2— Name of Contributor
3—Contributor Information
a— Contributor Address
b—Contributor Occupation (only required if entity is Individual)
c—Contributor Employer (only required if entity is Individual)
d—Contributor Affiliation (only if entity is PAC)
4—Election Period
5—Amount of Contribution: Note that if the aggregate total per entity >$250, then all of that entity’s transactions will appear on this schedule.
Save transaction.
Go to Financial > Event > New Event
Enter the following information:
1 –Fundraising Event Information
a—Date of Event
b—Type of Event: this will always appear as “Fundraising” on the report
c—Name of Place Held
d—Address of Place Held
2—Monetary Contributions: contributions under $250 + contributions $250 and more related to the fundraising event
3—Expenditures related to the fundraising event
4—In-Kind Contributions related to the fundraising event
5—Contributions under $250 related to an event
Save transaction.
Go to Financial > Events > New Event
Enter the following information:
1 –Fundraising Event Information
a—Date of Event
b—Type of Event: this will always appear as “Fundraising” on the report
c—Name of Place Held
d—Address of Place Held
2—Monetary Contributions: contributions under $250 + contributions $250 and more related to the fundraising event
3—Expenditures related to the fundraising event
4—In-Kind Contributions related to the fundraising event
5—Contributions of $250 and over related to an event
Save transaction.
Open the record and go to New Transaction > Misc. Income
Enter the following information in the
1—Date of Transaction
2—Contributor Name
3—Description of Contribution
Save transaction.
Open the record and go to New Transaction > Loan Received
Enter the following information:
1— Name of Contributor
2—Outstanding Loan Balance at Beginning of Period
3—Loans Incurred During Period
4—Repayments made during Period
5—Outstanding Loan Balance at End of Period
Save transaction.
Open the record and go to New Transaction > Expense
Enter the following information:
1—Date of Transaction
2—Name of Vendor
3—Expenditure Purpose
4—Expenditure Amount
Save the transaction.
Open the record and go to New Transaction > Contribution.
Enter the following information:
1— Date of Transfer
2— Name of Committee
3—Election Year
4— Amount of Transfer
5— Select Reporting Code: REF-Receipt of Transfer of Excess Funds
Save transaction.
Open record and go to New Transaction > Expense
Enter the following information:
1— Date of Transfer
2— Recipient of Transfer
3— Election Year
4—
Choose reporting code: EFS — Excess Funds
5— Disbursement Purpose: this needs to be set to Disbursement of Excess Funds
Open record and go to New Transaction > Unpaid Bill (Accrued Expense)
Enter the following information:
1—Date of Transaction
2—Name of Vendor
3—Purpose of Debt
4—Amount of Debt
Save Transaction.
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on the cover page of the Wisconsin State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields on the committee record. The lettered items below are populated in the Report Criteria Page.
1 - Candidate Name
2 - Candidate Address
3 - Candidate Registration ID number
4 - Treasure Phone Number
5 - Treasure Name
A - Marked if the Report is an Amendment
B - Report Schedule
C - Termination Report (Final Report)
D - Starting Cash-on-Hand Balance
(New layout shown)
This is an example of what the Criteria Page would look like for this report.
A - Marked if the Report is an Amendment
B - Report Schedule
C - Termination Report (Final Report)
D - Starting Cash-on-Hand Balance
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Schedule 1-A (RECEIPTS - Contributions (Including Loans) From Individuals)
for the Wisconsin State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in the Edit Transaction screen.
1 - Transaction Date
2 - Individuals Name
3 - Individuals Address
4 - Transaction Amount
5 - Type of Transaction
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Schedule 1-B (RECEIPTS - Contributions From Committees(Transfers-In))
for the Wisconsin State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in the Edit Transaction screen.
1 - Transaction Date
2 - Committees Name
3 - Transaction Amount
4 - Type of Transaction
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Schedule 1-C (RECEIPTS - Other Receipts and Commercial Loans)
for the Wisconsin State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in the Edit Transaction screen.
1 - Transaction Date
2 - Organization's Name
3 - Reporting Description
4 - Transaction Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Schedule 2-A (DISBURSEMENTS - Gross Expenditures)
for the Wisconsin State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in the Edit Transaction screen.
1 - Transaction Date
2 - Individuals Name
3 - Transaction Amount
This help documentation will show the data entry required to populate all sections on Schedule 2-B (DISBURSEMENTS - Contributions To Committees (Transfers-Out) )
for the Wisconsin State Report in Campaign Manager.
The numbered items below are populated using fields in the Edit Transaction screen.
1 - Transaction Date
2 - Committees Name
3 - Transaction Amount
Unfortunately, the state of Wisconsin does not allow for compliance reports to be filed directly through third-party software like Campaign Manager - reports must be filed through the state's Campaign Finance Information System (CFIS). Despite having to go outside CM to file a report, the process of doing so is still a fairly simple task. In order to file a state report for Wisconsin, two steps must be taken:
1. Generate a list of transactions in Campaign Manager to upload to the Wisconsin CFIS.
2. Log into the CFIS and submit the report.
1. Login to the CFIS. On the left sidebar, under Step 1: Enter Transactions in the left-hand menu, select "Upload Transactions from Spreadsheet".
2. Click to download a copy of the Receipts and Expenses templates available under "Download Templates". Templates are available in the legacy Microsoft Excel (Excel 2003 and below) format as well as the current format (Excel 2007 and above).
3. In the Additional Information section at the bottom of the screen, you may click to download Committee IDs, Local Candidate IDs, Unregistered IDs, and Expense Type Codes. CFIS automatically populates address information for transactions with a Committee ID, a Local ID, or an Unregistered ID, saving you data entry time.
4. Enter contributions your committee has received in the Receipts spreadsheet and all spending activity
in the Expenses spreadsheet.
5. Once you have logged your transactions in your spreadsheets and saved those files, you are ready to upload. Return to the Upload Transactions screen. Choose the Filing Period Name for the transactions you are uploading, indicate in Transaction Type whether you are uploading receipts or expenses, and then choose the file you would like to upload.
6. Click Upload.
7. Your upload will now process. You can see the status in the Upload Status box.
8. Click Check Status to refresh the page. Processing may take a few minutes.
9. Once processed, the status of your upload will show Processed-No Errors for transactions that uploaded successfully or Processed-Errors for transactions the system was unable to process.
10. In this example, 38 of the 49 transactions were successfully uploaded. 11 transactions have errors that need to be addressed. To review and correct the errors, click the File Name in the row that has Processed-Errors in the Status column. This will download a spreadsheet where you can correct errors.
11. The final column of the spreadsheet lists the error that prevented the system from accepting the transaction in that row. Correct the errors in this document, save it, and re-upload the document following the directions in this chapter. See the following error index below for help in correcting common errors.
After you have uploaded or entered your transactions in CFIS as described above, follow these steps to file your report:
1. Click File Report/Edit Pending Transactions under Step 2: File Your Report from the left-hand menu.
2. In the top row, choose the Filing Period Name for the report you would like to file. If you are looking to file a 72-hour report, you can enter more search criteria to find just the transactions you need to file.
3. Press Search.
4. You should now see a full listing of transactions that met your search terms.
5. Prior to filing your report, you should preview the report to confirm that your totals are correct. Click Preview Finance Report at the bottom of the screen.
6. Enter the first date of the filing period in the Start Date field and the balance you started the period with in the Beginning Balance field.
7. Press Submit.
8. Press View/Print to open a PDF preview of your finance report. Confirm that the amounts listed on the cover page are accurate.
9. If the amounts listed on your report are accurate, click File All to State. If there are errors, click Back and correct your report before filing.
10. At the bottom of the page, enter the first date of the filing period in the Start Date field. Then enter the Beginning Balance and Ending Balance for the report. CFIS will not automatically calculate these balances for you. These balances should come from your bank statement (adjusted for items that have been reported but not yet cleared the bank) and should reconcile with the transactions you have reported.
11. Complete your Authorization information to electronically sign your report. If you have forgotten your PIN, review What is my committee's PIN? on page 29.
12. Click Submit.
13. Your report is now filed! You will receive a PDF copy of the report via email. To confirm the accuracy of your report, click View/Print and confirm that your report balances. Cash Balance Beginning of Report plus Total Receipts minus Total Disbursements should equal Cash Balance End of Report. If the report doesn't balance, please review your records for unreported activity.
Unfortunately, the state of Wisconsin does not allow for compliance reports to be filed directly through third-party software like Campaign Manager - reports must be filed through the state's Campaign Finance Information System (CFIS). Despite having to go outside CM to file a report, the process of doing so is still a fairly simple task. In order to file a state report for Wisconsin, two steps must be taken:
1. Generate a list of transactions in Campaign Manager to upload to the Wisconsin CFIS.
2. Log into the CFIS and submit the report.
1. Login to the CFIS. On the left sidebar, under Step 1: Enter Transactions in the left-hand menu, select "Upload Transactions from Spreadsheet".
2. Click to download a copy of the Receipts and Expenses templates available under "Download Templates". Templates are available in the legacy Microsoft Excel (Excel 2003 and below) format as well as the current format (Excel 2007 and above).
3. In the Additional Information section at the bottom of the screen, you may click to download Committee IDs, Local Candidate IDs, Unregistered IDs, and Expense Type Codes. CFIS automatically populates address information for transactions with a Committee ID, a Local ID, or an Unregistered ID, saving you data entry time.
4. Enter contributions your committee has received in the Receipts spreadsheet and all spending activity
in the Expenses spreadsheet.
5. Once you have logged your transactions in your spreadsheets and saved those files, you are ready to upload. Return to the Upload Transactions screen. Choose the Filing Period Name for the transactions you are uploading, indicate in Transaction Type whether you are uploading receipts or expenses, and then choose the file you would like to upload.
6. Click Upload.
7. Your upload will now process. You can see the status in the Upload Status box.
8. Click Check Status to refresh the page. Processing may take a few minutes.
9. Once processed, the status of your upload will show Processed-No Errors for transactions that uploaded successfully or Processed-Errors for transactions the system was unable to process.
10. In this example, 38 of the 49 transactions were successfully uploaded. 11 transactions have errors that need to be addressed. To review and correct the errors, click the File Name in the row that has Processed-Errors in the Status column. This will download a spreadsheet where you can correct errors.
11. The final column of the spreadsheet lists the error that prevented the system from accepting the transaction in that row. Correct the errors in this document, save it, and re-upload the document following the directions in this chapter. See the following error index below for help in correcting common errors.
1. Once you have the transactions uploaded, check the 72-Hour Reports column for the transactions you would like to include. If you would like to include all transactions, skip to the next step.
2. Press File 72-Hour Report to file a report that includes just the transactions you checked the 72-Hour Reports column for. To include all transactions for the filing period, click File 72-Hour - All.
3. Complete your Authorization information to electronically sign your report.
4. Click Submit.
5. Your report is now filed! You can view your filed report by clicking View/Print. A copy of the report will also be emailed to the email addresses on file for your committee.
Unfortunately, the state of Wisconsin does not allow for compliance reports to be filed directly through third-party software like Campaign Manager - reports must be filed through the state's Campaign Finance Information System (CFIS). Despite having to go outside CM to file a report, the process of doing so is still a fairly simple task. In order to file a state report for Wisconsin, two steps must be taken:
1. Generate a list of transactions in Campaign Manager to upload to the Wisconsin CFIS.
2. Log into the CFIS and submit the report.
1. Login to the CFIS. On the left sidebar, under Step 1: Enter Transactions in the left-hand menu, select "Upload Transactions from Spreadsheet".
2. Click to download a copy of the Receipts and Expenses templates available under "Download Templates". Templates are available in the legacy Microsoft Excel (Excel 2003 and below) format as well as the current format (Excel 2007 and above).
3. In the Additional Information section at the bottom of the screen, you may click to download Committee IDs, Local Candidate IDs, Unregistered IDs, and Expense Type Codes. CFIS automatically populates address information for transactions with a Committee ID, a Local ID, or an Unregistered ID, saving you data entry time.
4. Enter contributions your committee has received in the Receipts spreadsheet and all spending activity
in the Expenses spreadsheet.
5. Once you have logged your transactions in your spreadsheets and saved those files, you are ready to upload. Return to the Upload Transactions screen. Choose the Filing Period Name for the transactions you are uploading, indicate in Transaction Type whether you are uploading receipts or expenses, and then choose the file you would like to upload.
6. Click Upload.
7. Your upload will now process. You can see the status in the Upload Status box.
8. Click Check Status to refresh the page. Processing may take a few minutes.
9. Once processed, the status of your upload will show Processed-No Errors for transactions that uploaded successfully or Processed-Errors for transactions the system was unable to process.
10. In this example, 38 of the 49 transactions were successfully uploaded. 11 transactions have errors that need to be addressed. To review and correct the errors, click the File Name in the row that has Processed-Errors in the Status column. This will download a spreadsheet where you can correct errors.
11. The final column of the spreadsheet lists the error that prevented the system from accepting the transaction in that row. Correct the errors in this document, save it, and re-upload the document following the directions in this chapter. See the following error index below for help in correcting common errors.
After a report is filed, committees might need to change or add information to their reports. Any amendment should be filed as soon as possible. When a user adds new transactions or changes previously filed transactions, the changes do not automatically appear on the previously filed report. In order for these changes to be viewable to the public, the report needs to be re-filed.
1. After you have logged in, click Amend a Report under Make a Change to a Filed Report from the left-hand menu.
2. In the top row, choose the Filing Period Name for the report you would like to amend. If you are looking to edit a specific transaction, you can enter additional criteria to narrow down your results.
3. Press Search.
4. All of your committee's transactions for the filing period you selected will show on the screen. To edit an existing transaction, click the pencil in the Edit column.
5. To delete a transaction, check the Select Box at the far right in the row and click Delete at the bottom of the window. You may select more than one transaction at a time to delete.
6. To add a new transaction, choose the button for the appropriate transaction type and complete all required fields.
7. Once you have completed all updates to your report, you are ready to refile. You may generate a PDF preview of your report using the Preview Finance Report option or you can skip this step and choose File All to State.
8. CFIS will not automatically calculate the beginning and ending cash balance for your report. If your corrections require you to adjust the beginning or ending cash balance, scroll below the authorization section and make corrections. These balances should come from your bank statement and should reconcile with the transactions you have reported. Cash Balances from your previously submitted reports will also be visible for reference.
9. Complete your Authorization information to electronically sign your report. If you have forgotten your PIN, review What is my committee's PIN? on page 29.
10. Click Submit.
11. Your report is now filed! You can view your filed report by clicking View/Print. A copy of the report will also be emailed to the email addresses on file for your committee. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact Ethics Commission staff to confirm your report has been correctly filed and your email address is correct.
To enter the "Tax ID#" for your individual records, you will need to open each record and locate the "Custom Fields" section at the bottom. Click the hyperlink that says "Show Fields" and you'll see the "Tax ID" field there. Fill in the appropriate info and click "Save".
To enter "Tax ID" for organization records, just open each record and click the pencil icon to edit the "Basic Information" section. Inside that section you'll see the "Tax ID" field at the bottom. Fill in the appropriate info and click "Save".
Once you've entered a "Tax ID" for an individual or organization record, you can go to Compliance > Government Reports > IRS 1099 Report and generate it. The efile you receive will have the "Tax ID#" column populated with whatever you entered into those fields.
When printing reports such as the Detailed Deposit Report using Internet Explorer, a error reading "Printing is not available" may occur. This is due to incorrect ActiveX default settings in Internet Explorer.
One can adjust Internet Explorer ActiveX settings by doing the following:
1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Click Tools menu > click Internet Options
3. On Security tab > click Custom level button
4. Scroll down Security Settings > see ActiveX controls and plug-ins
5. Automatic prompting for ActiveX controls > click Enable
6. Download signed ActiveX controls > click Enable or Prompt
7. Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins > click Enable or Prompt
8. Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting > click Enable or Prompt.
9. Click OK > click OK again.
Go to this Windows HelpFile for more information: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/genuine/ie-activex
Occasionally, one contribution will be donated from not just two, but three or more donors. In this case, a few particular steps that differ from normal data entry are required to record the reattributions accurately.
Note: There are three transactions that factor into the Reattribution:
First, be sure to create the original joint contribution in the main contributor's individual record. To record the reattributions properly, there needs to be an original contribution present.
For instructions on how to create a contribution transaction click here.
Second, create the negative memo of the joint contribution:
1. Find the individual whose record from which you will be doing the reattribution.
2. Go to the "Transactions" tab, click "+ New Transaction," and select "Memo Contribution."
3. Confirm that the name of the contributor is the correct name in the "Contributor" field. If it is not, type in the name, click the magnifying glass icon and then choose the contributor.
4. In the Amount field, enter a "-" (negative) symbol in front of the dollar amount that is to be reattributed.
Note: When clicking another field, this "-" symbol will become parenthesis--representing the negative amount.
5. Be sure to enter in the correct Date and Election of the transaction.
6. In the Reporting Description enter "Reattribution from."
7. Click "Save."
8. Finally, in the other contributor's record, enter in the positive memo for the Reattribution To by following the steps above--but in this instance, however, do NOT put a negative symbol in front of the amount. Also, enter "Reattributed to" in the Reporting Description field.