I mentioned in this blog post that I would be detailing my end of year report for you fine folks. I want everyone to understand how campaign finance works, because I had NO clue what I was doing when I first started. First rule, get yourself a CPA, not kidding, I have a CPA as my treasurer and she is the bees knees. Second rule, which is mandatory for candidates and their treasurers in NC, take the required treasurer training offered through NC State Board of Election. Those two things are key, okay you don’t have to have a treasurer, but accounting is not my strong suit so I have one.
Next up, breaking down the complexity of the End of Year Report from 12/31/2021. I removed the first page because it has some personal details that I don’t want to share all over the place, it’s online publically though. I also removed personal details of those who donated to my campaign. In NC, the max you can donate is $5,600 this year, and corporations CANNOT donate to campaigns, you must donate from your personal account.
This image you see to the left is called the detailed summary. It includes all the receipts and expenses included in my campaign since the mid-year report in 2021.
- total receipts were $1,785
- total expenses were $1,757.82.
- $1,065.52 cash on hand at the beginning of the time period,
- and $1,092.70 on hand at the end
This second document is Aggregated Contributions, which shows donations less than $50 –donate here if you want to support my campaign.
I got $125 from these donations, which feel big to me!
This page is interesting, and something I hadn’t seen before, it includes Contributions from Political Party Committees. The NC Democratic Party donated an in-kind donation of software access to all democratic candidates. The value was $1,000 for access to their software.
Next up were my donations – I got donations from family and friends, and some friend’s parents in other states. Donations were from Cary, Durham, Atlanta, and Johnson City, TN!
These next few pages are disbursements, also known as expenses. Here are details on what I spent:
| Avery Address Labels | $9.48 |
| Business Cards | $54.30 |
| Staples Paper | $28.95 |
| USPS Stamps | $55.00 |
| Campaign Photos | $162.58 |
| Ready to Lead Training LeadNC Institute | $25.00 |
| Event: Top 10 Things Municipal Elected Officials Should Know about Affordable Housing | $64.35 |
| Promotional Partners 5,000 Rack Cards (downpayment) | $305.66 |
| ActBlue service charge – website for donations | $61.98 |
Finally, this is the In-Kind donation form.
Campaign finance can be a beast, and you have to dot all the i’s and cross all your t’s. Trust me on this one, they do not play, and rightfully so, they are protecting the integrity of elections. It is their job to be strict on enforcement. This page right here will be your new best friend if you decide to run. Hope this helps everyone understand campaign finance a little better here in NC.
Elect Amanda Murphy 