We have a long-standing rule in my family that you cannot complain about the state of politics unless you have taken substantive steps to ensure that your voice is heard. Since my family (like many of yours, I’m sure) loves nothing more than to complain about the state of politics, it was always important to vote whenever the opportunity was given.
As responsible adults, we all likely understand the importance of voting, but there are other ways to ensure your voice is heard. One of the most impactful ways is to contribute to your PAC. I’m sure at least half of you that are reading this are thinking, “here comes the sales pitch.” Stick with me. This is important.
Before I talk about WHY you should be regularly contributing to your PAC, I think it’s important to understand what the PAC is and what it does.
What is the PAC?
The Indiana CPA-PAC is the only political action committee that represents us, our clients, the public and CPA profession in Indiana. The PAC supports the campaigns of candidates for statewide office to help give a bipartisan voice to issues that currently affect our business or will in the future.
As an Indiana CPA-PAC Trustee, I can tell you that your contribution is of the utmost importance in achieving this goal. As Indiana CPAs, we are entrusted with a great responsibility to ensure that our legislators understand what matters to us, our clients, and the various stakeholders of the profession. Our clients trust us to look out for them and their interests, to defend and safeguard their rights, and to have their views and wishes genuinely considered when decisions are being made about their lives. We have a responsibility to participate in the legislative process, and one of the best ways to do that is to contribute either your time or your money to the PAC.
The importance of contributing to the PAC is nicely summed up in a quote from one of my favorite television shows growing up, “Decisions are made by those that show up.” I firmly believe that if you choose not to participate, you forfeit your say in the future that we are all working to build.
Why is it important to contribute?
The obvious answer to the question of is that “money talks.” The easiest way for us to show our legislators that we mean business is through contributions and lobbying efforts. However, your contribution, no matter the size, is critical.
When I first started contributing to the PAC as a younger CPA, I honestly thought the amount I was comfortable contributing was so minimal that it couldn’t possibly make a difference. After all, when you hear about PAC contributions in the news, there are typically more zeros following the number than there were in my total annual salary! How could my $10 donation really make a difference? I can’t stress this enough. Every. Single. Contribution. Matters. Not only can we affect change through the quantity of contributions, but also through the quantity of contributors.
The analytic that means more than dollars to legislators is the ratio of total contributors (of any size) to total CPAs. What does this mean? It means that a $10 contribution can be just as important as a $1,000 contribution.
As trusted advisors to your clients, you have a responsibility to participate in the process, through either your time, your voice or your wallet. Think back on the last year and you’ll remember big ticket legislative issues like tax reform, sales tax on services, infrastructure funding, Sunday sales, education financial compliance, etc. The list goes on and on. Our legislators want to know what we think about these issues and the best way for us to tell them, is through the PAC.
Be a part of the change that you want to see in the profession, in Indiana and even the world. If nothing else, you’ll feel better about yourself the next time you are complaining about the state of politics to your friends and family!
Make a contribution now and let your voice be heard.