LAS VEGAS-For NAFCU's Annual Conference this year, NAFCU/PAC is resurrecting the Rat Pack. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr.-or at least impersonators-will entertain guests at the `Rat PAC' event. About 100 people were registered as of deadline but many more are expected to register on site. "I have no idea at this point how much that event will bring us," NAFCU Director of Political Affairs Murray Chanow explained. NAFCU/PAC has been breaking its own fundraising records over the last couple of years. Sinatra will also make an appearance during NAFCU/PAC Chairman Larry Wilson's, CEO of Coastal Federal Credit Union in North Carolina, presentation. Instead of "New York, New York" old blue eyes will be singing "NAFCU/PAC, NAFCU/PAC." The PAC has had great success in the past with its golf tournament, which will be taking place Wednesday morning of the conference. According to Chanow, it has been sold out for a couple of weeks with 125 participants and should yield NAFCU/PAC around $20,000. A silent auction will also be held where members have been "more than generous" with their donations, Chanow added. Contributions include digital cameras, i-Pods, sports memorabilia, and much more. NAFCU/PAC will also be sporting its largest booth ever with contests and PAC Pals, the popular beanie bears it started a few years ago. "Overall, our goal is to try to get $50,000 from all our events for the PAC," Chanow stated. In the 2003-2004 election cycle, NAFCU/PAC had raised $405,924.23 and made $296,873.21 in political contributions, according to items filed with the Federal Election Commission. Annual Conference, in addition to Congressional Caucus and NAFCU's Volunteers Conference, is the biggest moneymaker for the PAC. Chanow admitted that it is becoming "increasingly difficult to raise money. We have to come up with more creative events to do it." It took a significant education effort about how important the PAC is to get to this point, Chanow said, and it is finally paying off. "Every year we keep raising more so we keep raising our goal," he commented. NAFCU/PAC is already on track to beat its previous records, but preliminary FEC filing data was not yet available at press time. [email protected]