What is a host?
A host is an organization that welcomes others to operate through their structure, so projects can use the host’s legal entity and bank account instead of setting up their own. The host provides administrative services, oversight, and support.
*hosting is also called fiscal sponsorship, fund-holding, or auspicing in different places around the world.
What are the benefits?
Organizing takes work, hosts are here to help.
Focus on your mission
Hosts take care of a lot of the tedious and painful administrative tasks involved in running an organization. The host becomes your legal entity, handling taxes, invoicing, and accounting—so you can spend your time engaging supporters, building your campaign, and achieving your main mission.
Money management
Using your personal bank account can complicate your taxes, and it locks out other team members. A host holds money on your behalf in its bank account, tracking everything transparently on Open Political. Everyone can have access to see the budget and to tools for fundraising and requesting payouts.
How can a host help?
Accept and spend funds immediately
You can often get approved very quickly, even instantly, ready to receive and disburse funds and get operational. Compared with traditional sponsorship or setting up your own entity, activating with a host is super streamlined.
You can often get approved very quickly, even instantly, ready to receive and disburse funds and get operational. Compared with traditional sponsorship or setting up your own entity, activating with a host is super streamlined.
Designed for ongoing transparency
If your project doesn’t have an expiration date, neither should your funding. A standard crowdfunding campaign is over once it’s over. A single grant is spent once it’s spent. But hosting helps you combine different income streams and form ongoing relationships with funders.
If your project doesn’t have an expiration date, neither should your funding. A standard crowdfunding campaign is over once it’s over. A single grant is spent once it’s spent. But hosting helps you combine different income streams and form ongoing relationships with funders.
Networking & solidarity
A host is by definition a community of projects with something in common. They can provide services to their members as a whole, and enable connections between projects. Whether it’s about joining budgets or joining voices, join a host that’s more than the sum of its parts.
A host is by definition a community of projects with something in common. They can provide services to their members as a whole, and enable connections between projects. Whether it’s about joining budgets or joining voices, join a host that’s more than the sum of its parts.
Automatic reporting & transparency
No need to spend hours creating reports for funders. The Open Political platform has automated quantitative reporting built in. Just sent a link to your page! There are great tools for qualitative reporting too, like posting blogs and newsletters, which also serve to keep your wider community engaged and up to date.
No need to spend hours creating reports for funders. The Open Political platform has automated quantitative reporting built in. Just sent a link to your page! There are great tools for qualitative reporting too, like posting blogs and newsletters, which also serve to keep your wider community engaged and up to date.
Organize your finances, all in one place
No more messy spreadsheets! Income from credit card transactions, bank transfers, PayPal, even ticket sales, grants, and sponsorships are all tracked automatically in one transparent budget. With a robust yet user-friendly system for submitting and approving expenses, tracking outgoing funds is a breeze, too.
No more messy spreadsheets! Income from credit card transactions, bank transfers, PayPal, even ticket sales, grants, and sponsorships are all tracked automatically in one transparent budget. With a robust yet user-friendly system for submitting and approving expenses, tracking outgoing funds is a breeze, too.
Accept and spend funds immediately
You can often get approved very quickly, even instantly, ready to receive and disburse funds and get operational. Compared with traditional sponsorship or setting up your own entity, activating with a host is super streamlined.
You can often get approved very quickly, even instantly, ready to receive and disburse funds and get operational. Compared with traditional sponsorship or setting up your own entity, activating with a host is super streamlined.
Who is hosting for?
There are multiple cases where hosting can be valuable for a project.
Emergent campaigns
To current events, like the pandemic.
Grant recipients or applicants
Who need a place to receive the funds and hold them as they are spent down.
Time-limited projects
Where it doesn't make sense to set up a whole new organization only to wind it up six months later.
An unincorporated group
Like a meetup, needing to fundraise, collect membership dues, or sign a contract with a venue or sponsor.
A crowdfunding campaign
Seeking a place to hold the money and a way to offer accountability to their donors.
Young activists and change-makers
Who may lack the experience to manage their own legal entity.
A newly-forming charity
Who wants to enable tax-deductible donations and philanthropic grants, without waiting to get charity status themselves.
A distributed collaboration
A project, which isn’t owned by anyone and wants resources held in common.
Founder coalitions
A project, which isn’t owned by anyone and wants resources held in common.
Companies giving back
Can work with a nonprofit host to separate funds from the commercial side and coordinate grants and sponsorships.
Companies giving back
Who may be restricted to funding registered charities, seeking to partner with a host in order reach less formal communities.
Emergent campaigns
To current events, like the pandemic.
Grant recipients or applicants
Who need a place to receive the funds and hold them as they are spent down.
Time-limited projects
Where it doesn't make sense to set up a whole new organization only to wind it up six months later.
An unincorporated group
Like a meetup, needing to fundraise, collect membership dues, or sign a contract with a venue or sponsor.
A crowdfunding campaign
Seeking a place to hold the money and a way to offer accountability to their donors.
Young activists and change-makers
Who may lack the experience to manage their own legal entity.
A newly-forming charity
Who wants to enable tax-deductible donations and philanthropic grants, without waiting to get charity status themselves.
A distributed collaboration
A project, which isn’t owned by anyone and wants resources held in common.
Founder coalitions
A project, which isn’t owned by anyone and wants resources held in common.
Companies giving back
Can work with a nonprofit host to separate funds from the commercial side and coordinate grants and sponsorships.
Companies giving back
Who may be restricted to funding registered charities, seeking to partner with a host in order reach less formal communities.
Apply to one of our Fiscal Hosts
Join Organizations around the nation by using Open Political to host, get started and create your own fiscal host.
Finding the right Host for you
Some key things to consider when looking for the right fit
Mission alignment
Hosts usually have specific topics or areas they are designed to serve. When it comes to the application process, their acceptance criteria will fit in that scope.
Location
Which state a PAC is based in will determine the tax liabilities
Legal structure
Do you want your host to be a charity, a company, a cooperative, or something else? E.g. a charity structure can enable tax-deductible donations, but may also have more restrictions on allowed activities.
Services offered
Do you want your host to be a charity, a company, a cooperative, or something else? E.g. a charity structure can enable tax-deductible donations, but may also have more restrictions on allowed activities.
Fees
Hosts often charge a fee for the service they provide. Some hosts keep fees low and offer a lightweight service, while others have higher fees and provide more support. Some Hosts don’t charge fees at all.
Operations
There are a few different models of fiscal sponsorship (depending on state as well). Check to see that you are using the one that is best aligns with your needs.
Mission alignment
Hosts usually have specific topics or areas they are designed to serve. When it comes to the application process, their acceptance criteria will fit in that scope.
Location
Which state a PAC is based in will determine the tax liabilities
Legal structure
Do you want your host to be a charity, a company, a cooperative, or something else? E.g. a charity structure can enable tax-deductible donations, but may also have more restrictions on allowed activities.
Services offered
Do you want your host to be a charity, a company, a cooperative, or something else? E.g. a charity structure can enable tax-deductible donations, but may also have more restrictions on allowed activities.
Fees
Hosts often charge a fee for the service they provide. Some hosts keep fees low and offer a lightweight service, while others have higher fees and provide more support. Some Hosts don’t charge fees at all.
Operations
There are a few different models of fiscal sponsorship (depending on state as well). Check to see that you are using the one that is best aligns with your needs.
Join the movement
Be the change you wish to see.