(WHTM) — The election is over, but emails and texts asking for political donations haven’t stopped, even for races out of state.

“In American politics, people are motivated as much by stopping someone getting into office as they are for wanting to put someone in office,” said Chris Nicholas of Eagles Consulting.

Nicholas is a veteran Republican consultant.

“When I get fundraising letters or pitches, I read the bottom first because I want to know who it is coming from,” Nicholas said.

One Democratic senate race in Georgia was paid for by Democratic Action and Democratic Governors.org.

So who actually gets the donation?

“If it says paid for by friends of Kendra Nichols or Kendra Nichols for Congress, you know it’s going actually to the candidates own committee,” Nicholas explains. “if it has another line there that says not authorized by any campaign or campaign committee that means it is going to an outside group that does independent expenditures–which we now generically call super PACs.

Nicholas explains that political super PACs allow a fundraising organization to spend money on a candidate’s behalf, but they cannot give money directly to a candidate running for office.

Some people are receiving emails asking for donations to help President Trump fight to uphold election integrity, through a joint fundraising committee. For example, one joint fundraising committee was created between the Republican National Convention, the Trump campaign, and a Trump super PAC.

According to Nicholas, joint fundraising committees can get a bit confusing.

“The way those joint committees work is the first bunch of money goes to one group the second bunch of money goes to the second group,” and so forth. Then, the groups determine how the money is split up.

“You have to give a lot of money until it goes into the recount, and that’s all perfectly legal but they don’t say that anywhere so all those folks out there chipping in a little bit of money,” Nicholas explains. “It’s going to the RNC that’s fine, it’s going to support President Trump and his future endeavors, and most of the people would probably be ok with that.”

But when in doubt, Nicholas says, “your safest bet is to give money directly to a candidate you believe in.”

Political donations are not tax-deductible. But campaign finances are public record and can be found online. Federal races are overseen by the Federal Election Commission, and Pa. races by the Pennsylvania Department of State.