It’s not all hearings, floor votes and constituent services for members of Congress. From the early morning hours until late at night, there are opportunities for members of Congress and congressional candidates to meet with supporters behind closed doors, press them for money, and party. Breakfasts, luncheons, barbecues, golfing outings, receptions, concerts, basketball, baseball, football—the social whirl is endless.

But unlike ordinary social gatherings, these typically are parties with a particular purpose: fundraising. The hosts—quite often well connected lobbyists—aren’t asking the typical questions for a more humble gathering— “Why don’t you bring dessert?” or “A bottle of wine would be nice.” Instead, he or she is asking for cold, hard cash—$1,000, $5,000, $10,000 and more—to help fill a member of Congress’ campaign coffers. Or, if you’re partying at the Democratic or Republican convention, an event may be simply a way to curry favor with particular lawmakers.

For the first time, now you, too, here at the Sunlight Foundation’s Party Time, can find out where the parties are, often before they happen. Here you can view the array of invitations that go out by the dozen over fax lines and emails and through snail mail to lobbyists, Political Action Committee (PAC) representatives and others around Washington, DC and beyond.

You can see who is hosting these parties, how much money it costs to go, where and when the party is and what people are going to be doing there. These invitations provide a treasure trove of information for citizen journalists, activists and others who are interested in following how money flows to congressional candidates. You can use these as starting points to connect dots of the relationships between lobbyists, congressional candidates, issues being lobbied and campaign money received. You can also add to our party wealth by sending along any invitations you have come across, or commenting on a particular fundraising event.

A note about the invitations: The Sunlight Foundation posts invitations we receive from reputable anonymous sources. These documents are posted here as a public service in the interest of creating more transparency about the relationships between lobbyists and lawmakers. Sunlight is not responsible for the content of the invitations themselves (including erroneous information) or for verifying whether the events advertised in the invitations actually occurred.

Party on!

Nancy Watzman, Party Time Hostess

Revelers (aka interns)

Abby Temple
David Bonner
Samuel Zief
Michelle DuQuette
Sameer Yousuf