At its open meeting today, the Federal Election Commission approved an advisory opinion.
Advisory Opinion 2011-19 (GivingSphere). The advisory opinion concluded that Social Financial, Inc., d/b/a GivingSphere, an Internet- and mobile-based processing platform, may: (1) transmit its customers’ rebates to political committees; (2) provide its customers with a searchable database of political committees; (3) provide its customers with additional information on political committees; (4) sell advertising space to political committees on its website; and (5) permit political committees to post a GivingSphere “badge” on their websites. The advisory opinion also concluded that GivingSphere’s activities as described in the advisory opinion request would not subject it to any reporting requirements under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended, or Commission regulations.