Charitable Solicitations Registration in California

State fundraising registration requirements are our expertise—we work with thousands of clients each year to ensure a smooth registration experience and compliance. Here are some of the ways we can help your nonprofit meet California’s fundraising registration requirements:

• Multi-state charitable solicitations registration: Our experts have experience registering in many states, meaning we can help you with charitable solicitations registration anywhere. Whether you’re fundraising in California, every state, or somewhere in between, we’ve got you covered!
• Client representation: Foundation Group’s professional client representation and relationships with state offices ensure a more successful outcome for our clients, making your charitable solicitations registration in California a breeze.
• Streamlined communications: We’ll work with your nonprofit to gather the documents we need through our easy-to-use portal. You’ll also have access to track your charitable solicitations registration status at any time.

And we don’t just stop after the initial fundraising registration. Our state-specific knowledge and experience can help your nonprofit renew its charitable solicitations registration in California annually, as well as maintain compliance with other state and federal filings as needed! We help nonprofit leaders reduce risk and grow their organizations through our other services, such as bookkeeping, Form 990 filing, and much more!

To complete charitable solicitations registration in California, nonprofits must submit the Initial Registration Form, CT-1, to the office of the Attorney General, Registry of Charitable Trusts. With the submission of this form, California also requires the following supporting documents:

• Articles of incorporation or formation document
• Bylaws
• IRS determination letter
• IRS Form 1023 (if available)
• List of officers and directors (names and addresses)

The form must be submitted within 30 days of receiving donations (cash, property, or any other assets with financial value) as a result of solicitation in California. A $50 filing fee is required at the time of registration, which can be submitted via check payable to the California Department of Justice.

The following organizations are exempt from filing:

• Religious organizations
• Educational institutions
• Nonprofit hospitals
• Licensed healthcare service plans
• Political committees
• Cemetery corporations

However, the Attorney General’s office reviews exemption requests on a case-by-case basis. If it’s determined that certain mutual benefit organizations hold charitable assets, they may be required to register.

Nonprofit fundraising registrations must be renewed annually in California by filing the Annual Registration Renewal Fee Report, RRF-1 Form. The renewal must be filed annually and is due four and a half months after the end of your fiscal year.

Depending on your organization’s annual revenue, you’ll also need to pay a filing fee ranging from $0 to $300.

To complete a multi-state charitable solicitations registration, you must abide by the laws of each individual state in which you’re registering. Like Californian nonprofits, out-of-state organizations must file the CT-1 Form to register to fundraise. If your organization is based in another state but fundraising in California, you must complete your charitable solicitations registration within 30 days of receiving your first donation.