The Season of Giving, And Why This Year It Matters to Your Business
As we head into the final weeks of 2025, the BAC is launching our most important fundraising campaign to date. Not because we're desperate (we're not). But because the next phase of broker advocacy requires a fundamentally different funding model than what got us here.
What Three Years of Corporate Support Built
Let's be honest about how the trigger lead victory happened: our corporate partners provided the financial foundation. EPM, Pennymac, The Loan Store, Rocket Pro, PRMG, Freedom Mortgage, Newfi, Gold Star, and West Capital invested significant resources in broker advocacy because they understood that a strong broker channel serves everyone's interests.
That corporate support funded:
250+ meetings with lawmakers and congressional staff
Two national fly-in events bringing hundreds of brokers to Capitol Hill
Professional lobbying support and policy expertise
Grassroots organizing tools that generated 25,000+ letters to Congress
Coalition coordination with MBA, NAMB, and industry partners
We're deeply grateful for those partnerships, and they'll continue to be vital to our work. But as we look toward 2026 and beyond, we need to evolve our funding model.
Why Individual Broker Support Changes Everything
Corporate partnerships are essential, but they create dependencies. When 90% of your funding comes from lender partners, you need to be thoughtful about broker priorities that might conflict with lender interests.
Individual broker donations (even small monthly contributions) provide something corporate funding can't: independence and community proof.
When we walk into a meeting with a representative or senator, we need to show we represent an engaged community, not just corporate interests. When we negotiate within industry coalitions, we need funding independence that allows us to advocate clearly for broker priorities.
When our corporate partners consider renewing their annual commitments, they need to see that brokers themselves are invested in the mission, not just benefiting passively from someone else's generosity.
The Membership Model We're Building
Starting this month, we're working to establish formal membership tiers based on monthly giving levels. These aren't traditional member benefits like conference discounts or branded swag (though we'll have some of that too). They're recognition of sustained commitment:
$5 Monthly: Supporter level: You're helping fund the core advocacy work $10 Monthly: Advocate level: You're providing meaningful operational support $25+ Monthly: Champion level: You're making strategic initiatives possible
In 2026, we'll roll out additional recognition for sustained donors: special access at our annual DC fly-in, exclusive policy briefings, and public recognition of the brokers who make this work possible.
But let's be clear: the real benefit isn't swag or recognition. It's having professional advocacy working for your interests every single day, whether you're paying attention or not.
The Reality Check: You Can't Show Up Once and Disappear
Here's what we hear too often: "I gave $5,000 three years ago when the BAC pack launched. Aren't I covered?"
No. You're not.
That's not how sustained advocacy works. Imagine if you paid your business insurance once in 2022 and expected coverage in 2025. Imagine if you contributed to your retirement account one time and expected it to grow without additional deposits.
Advocacy requires ongoing investment because the threats and opportunities don't stop. The moment we secured the trigger lead victory, attention shifted to LO Comp reform, credit reporting costs, and GSE privatization discussions. Each requires sustained presence, ongoing relationships, and continuous strategic work.
Three years ago, you invested in launching an advocacy organization. Today, we're asking you to invest in sustaining it.
The November-December Goal: 1,000 Monthly Donors
Our specific goal for this campaign is straightforward: establish 1,000 monthly donors by December 31st. That's 1,000 brokers committing $5-$25 monthly to sustained advocacy.
If we hit that goal, we'll have:
Predictable monthly revenue supporting core operations
Clear proof of community support when approaching corporate partners
Financial independence to advocate clearly on broker-specific priorities
Foundation for expanding state-level advocacy across all 50 states
We're tracking toward that goal publicly, celebrating milestones, and being transparent about where we are versus where we need to be.
What Your Contribution Actually Funds
When you commit to monthly giving, here's what you're supporting:
Federal Advocacy: Ongoing Capitol Hill presence, policy monitoring, and strategic positioning on LO Comp, credit costs, and GSE issues.
State-Level Support: Resources and coordination for brokers leading advocacy in their states on issues like disabled veteran property tax exemptions, cash-out reform, and DPA access.
Coalition Management: Professional coordination with MBA, NAMB, and industry partners to ensure broker voices shape every major industry conversation.
Member Services: Tools, resources, and support for brokers who want to engage in advocacy at any level, from letter writing to Capitol Hill meetings.
Communications: Keeping the broker community informed about policy developments, strategic priorities, and opportunities to engage.
This isn't overhead. This is the infrastructure that makes sustained advocacy possible.
The Choice Ahead
The trigger lead victory proved that when brokers organize, invest, and sustain commitment, we can compete with any lobby in Washington. We took on the credit bureaus (well-funded, politically connected, and strategically sophisticated) and we won.
But that victory required three years of sustained work, strategic patience, and consistent resource investment. Every future victory will require the same.
Over the next six weeks, you'll see focused messaging about monthly giving. We'll share specific asks, recognize donors publicly, and be transparent about our progress toward the 1,000 monthly donor goal.
This is the season of giving. For your business, for your industry, and for the consumers who depend on broker expertise and advocacy, consider making the BAC part of your giving plan.
Five dollars monthly. One thousand brokers committed. Sustained advocacy that protects and advances your profession.
That's not charity. That's business insurance you can't afford to skip.