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Committee setup

# New Committee Financial Setup: Roles, Records, and Workflows

Plan the financial side of a new campaign or PAC: record collection, bookkeeping handoffs, reconciliation, review, and coordination with the treasurer and counsel.

Published 2026-10-03 · Content updated 2026-10-18

Key takeaway

Build a simple, documented path from each source of financial activity to the people who record, reconcile, review, and report it.

A new campaign or PAC needs a financial process people can use when the first contributions and invoices arrive. Choosing software is one step. Knowing who will provide the records, review questions, and keep the work moving is just as important.

Financial setup sits alongside legal formation and registration. It does not automatically include forming the committee, opening a bank account, assigning bank authority, or appointing a treasurer. Those responsibilities need to be addressed separately with the appropriate people.

## Begin with the team and the expected activity

Describe the committee type, jurisdiction, planned fundraising channels, likely vendors, and people already involved. Include the launch timing and any known reporting date so the team can assess what needs to be in place first.

For a consultant helping a client launch a campaign or PAC, the useful question is: “Who will own each part of the financial process once activity begins?” For a new treasurer, it is: “What will reach me, when, and in what form?”

## Define responsibility before selecting tools

Identify who receives contribution information, approves spending, supplies invoices, records transactions, reconciles the accounts, and reviews reporting information. Agree how unresolved items reach the person authorized to decide them.

Write down these handoffs. A vendor arrangement does not automatically transfer the treasurer’s responsibilities, and a shared software login does not establish who is responsible for the work.

## Map the records from their source

List the bank accounts, contribution platforms, invoices, reimbursements, obligations, and supporting records the process will need. For each source, name the person providing the information and the expected delivery timing.

A bank feed may show that money moved without explaining the purpose, approval, or supporting details. Plan for that information to reach the financial team as well. The requirements depend on the committee and jurisdiction; a general setup guide cannot determine them.

## Set a practical review rhythm

Plan when bookkeeping will be updated, accounts reconciled, open questions reviewed, and reporting preparation started. Distinguish an internal preparation date from a legal filing deadline, and check the applicable calendar against current official guidance.

Keep the process proportionate to the organization. A short responsibility list and a usable records workflow are more helpful than a complicated procedure nobody follows.

## Start with an agreed financial scope

Ferrenhall Compliance can discuss financial roles, record collection, bookkeeping workflows, reconciliation, and reporting responsibilities. We agree the work, access arrangements, timing, and fees with your team before starting; counsel handles legal determinations.

For the initial conversation, share the organization type, jurisdiction, launch timing, expected activity, existing systems, and treasurer or counsel involvement. A general summary is enough—please keep private records and credentials out of the inquiry. [Discuss committee financial setup](/contact/?service=new-committee-setup).

This article offers financial-process information. It is not a legal determination, a complete formation checklist, or an assurance that a committee is ready to begin activity.

## Primary references

- [FEC — Candidate committee treasurer responsibilities](https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/registering-candidate/appointing-treasurer/)
- [FEC — Keeping records](https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/keeping-records/)

These resources provide general educational information, rather than legal advice. For your organization’s requirements, consult current official guidance and qualified counsel.

## Related support

- [FEC compliance services](/services/fec-compliance/)
- [Campaign accounting & bookkeeping](/services/campaign-accounting-treasury/)
- [Committee financial setup](/services/new-committee-setup/)

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