Wayne County Campaign Contribution Search

Guide to Searching Wayne County Campaign Contributions

Before You Start

1. The current reporting period is pre-selected by default. You can search all contributions by changing it to "Select Contribution Period"
2. Start with at least one filter - the system requires it
3. Add more filters to narrow results
4. Use the "Clear" button to reset all fields

Wayne County Campaign Contribution Search

Search Fields

Contributor Filters

• Contributor Type: Select the category of donor (individual, business, committee, etc.)
  • Individual: Finding personal donations from individuals
  • Committee: Helpful for tracking PAC transfers
  • Business: Monitoring direct corporate contributions
  • Labor Organization: Following union support patterns
• Contribution Type: Choose the form of contribution (monetary, in-kind, loan, etc.)
  • Monetary: Standard cash/check donations
  • In-Kind: These are non monetary donations like office space or campaign materials
  • Loan: Helpful for identifying candidates self-funding their campaigns
  • Fundraiser
• Last Name/Business Name/Committee Name: Enter the contributor's name
  • Last Name: Finding all donations from members of a specific family
  • Business Name: Tracking contributions from a specific corporation
  • Committee Name: Donations from other campaigns or PACS
• First Name: For individual contributors only
• Occupation Title: Search by contributor's job title
  • EX: Tracking donations from all "attorneys" or "developers"
• Employer: Filter by where contributors work
  • EX: Finding all employees from "General Motors" or "DTE Energy"

Committee and Office Information

• Committee ID:
  • When you have the exact ID from another report
  • Following a specific candidate's funding across elections
  • Cross-referencing between different filing periods
• Receiving Committee:
  • Finding all donations to a specific campaign
• Office Type/Office/District:
  • Filter by type of office (mayor, council, etc.)
  • Office: Select specific office within the chosen type
  • District: Track donations in specific geographic areas

Time and Amount Filters

• Reporting Year: Select the year of interest
• Reporting Period: Defaults to current period, can be changed
• Date Range: Set custom start and end dates. Helps when searching for donations around specific events
• Amount Range: Search for contributions within specific dollar amounts

Special Filters

• Out of State Contributions: Check this box to see only non-Michigan donors
  • Tracking outside influence in local elections
  • Identifying non-resident business interests

Common Combined Searches

1. Amount + Date Range + Employer:
   • Finding end-of-quarter corporate donations over $1000
2. Contributor Type + Office + District:
   • Tracking PAC money in specific council districts
3. Occupation + Amount + Out of State:
   • Finding large donations from non-local developers
4. Date Range + Contribution Type + Committee:
   • Tracking in-kind donations during final campaign weeks

Name and Employer Search Strategies

For Contributor Names:

• Try multiple spelling variations (e.g., "Steve," "Steven," "Stephen")
• Test different name formats:
  • "McDonald" and "MacDonald"
  • "O'Brien" and "OBrien"
• Use partial names to catch variations

For Employer Names:

• Try different versions of company names including abbreviations:
  • "General Motors," "GM," "General Motors Corporation"
  • "Blue Cross," "BCBS," "Blue Cross Blue Shield"
• Try adding and removing spaces ("G M," "B C B S")
• Search parent company and subsidiary names separately

Pro Tips:

• Do multiple searches with different variations
• Start with broader name segments to catch all variations
• Keep track of which variations you've tried