Campaigns receive goods such as artwork or other items with considerable monetary value. The candidate or campaign then sells these goods to individuals for monetary consideration. The Commission through this advisory provides that the individual donating the item makes a nonmonetary contribution to the campaign. Any nonmonetary contribution received by the candidate or campaign should be recorded as an expense as part of one transaction. Candidates may hold an auction, white elephant sale or some other similar means to raise money for the campaign, the sale items having been received by the campaign as a nonmonetary contribution.
Items sold by the campaign clearly establish the market value.
The purpose of the dual entry is to insure that the books remain balanced. The Commission may adopt, revise, or revoke, this Advisory Opinion upon its own initiative or upon the enactment of amendments to the Hawaii Revised Statutes or the adoption of amendments to the administrative rules by the Commission.