Government affairs

Advocacy groups–such as the National Rifle Association, Greenpeace and even the National Association of Letter Carriers–are all able to help influence elections and shape legislative outcomes with the help of their members. Yet there are sharp distinctions between organizations involved in advocacy and political action committees, which have different regulations and may report to federal agencies.

Check out some of the differences between advocacy groups and political action committees (PACs):

Depending on how a group chooses to file with the IRS–either as an advocacy organization or as a PAC–their options for how they are able to influence legislative and electoral outcomes look quite different from one another.