CORPORATION

A generic word with a concentrated 2012 shape

Many filers type Corporation when they mean “I work at a company” and skip the legal name. That produces a huge all-cycle total—$66,264,486—built from many years and many people. The 2012 cut of that key, however, is concentrated: 4 donors, 15 lines, $3,182,801. Average line size is about $212,187. Average per donor is about $795,700. The year slice does not look like the occupation-style keys that spread millions across hundreds of donors.

Those two facts can coexist because the all-cycle roll includes other years with different shapes. This page only has 2012’s 15-and-4 pattern. Do not assume every cycle of Corporation looks like 2012, and do not assume 2012 looks like the lifetime $66.3 million spread.

Generic employer words create two statistical illusions. The lifetime total $66,264,486 looks like “corporate America.” The 2012 cut looks like a broad employee program until the donor count appears: 4 people, 15 lines, $3,182,801, 4.8% of the roll. Both illusions vanish if the citation keeps the word Corporation, the year 2012, the four-donor count, and the fact that these are individual receipts, not treasury contributions from a C-corp to a candidate.

4.8% of the Corporation roll

Three million one hundred eighty-two thousand eight hundred one dollars is 4.8% of $66,264,486. The presidential year is a modest share of the generic key, even though the four donors’ average receipts are large. Share and concentration are different measurements. This join reports both.

Named firms (Microsoft, Goldman Sachs) are other keys. Donors who listed those names are not in these 4 keys. The Corporation string is the residue of people who used the generic word.

Questions

How much FEC money is tagged Corporation in 2012?

The join records $3,182,801 in itemized individual contributions for Corporation in 2012, from 15 contributions and 4 donors. The grouping’s all-cycle total is $66,264,486.

Did corporations donate $3.2 million?

No. These are individual receipts whose employer field grouped to the word Corporation. They are not corporate treasury contributions. Four donor keys produced 15 lines totaling $3,182,801.

Why is the all-cycle total so much larger?

Because $66,264,486 includes other years. 2012 is 4.8% of that roll. Other cycles can have different donor counts; those amounts are not in this packet.

Is this every corporate employee who donated in 2012?

No. People who listed a company name sit in other industry keys. This cell is only the generic Corporation string in 2012.