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Does Our Nonprofit Have to Register for Charitable Solicitations?

charitable solicitations decisions

Your nonprofit organization has received donations. Fantastic news! But… do you need to concern yourself with the state’s fundraising registration process? You see words like charitable solicitation, but what does that mean? What actions give rise to a nonprofit needing to register with their state’s (or other state’s) Division of Charities? People often wonder if they raised enough money for their nonprofit. But, if they raised it in a particular way, does that show a need to register?

Introduction

A charitable solicitation is a request for a contribution intended for charitable purposes, and it doesn’t really matter how the request for the donation is presented. The “ask” can simply be an email, written as a piece of direct mail, or even in a newsletter. It can also be a verbal request made in front of a group of people in an auditorium or to an individual. Or, it can be an advertisement, a social media post, or even a call-to-action on your website like a donate button.

Having a fundraising event? Maybe a dinner, an auction, or some type of game or tournament – it’s most likely these are considered a solicitation as well, even if it is program-related. Overall, if there is an “ask” for a donation, regardless of how many people, it is considered a solicitation.

Do you register first, or solicit for money first?

Buzz! Time’s up. The answer is REGISTER. Each of the 41 states that require charities to register in order to solicit donations expects registration to proceed any fundraising activity.

Now, nonprofits are only required to register in states where they are actively soliciting. We get asked by clients all the time if they should go ahead and register in every state, and our opinion is usually, no, you shouldn’t. Charitable solicitation registrations can be a lot to keep up with when you start adding multiple states to your list, especially if you’re doing it by yourself. Every state has different requirements, and registering without a plan can lead to more trouble than just a headache.

If your nonprofit is going to directly seek donor support only in your some state, register there. Once fundraising activity begins to actively expand to other jurisdictions, only then does it make sense to expand your footprint of registrations. Just don’t forget to do it. Penalties for noncompliance are painful reminders to follow the rules.

We don't ask for money. What about our sales revenue?

We’re glad you asked!

While most charitable nonprofits have some level of donor support or event-driven fundraising activity, not all do. Some organizations primarily depend on sales of products or services that are directly related to the nonprofit’s mission. The IRS calls this program revenue. Examples include museums charging an admission fee, private schools charging tuition, and maybe books being sold by a literary nonprofit.

In the not-too-distant past, states didn’t really look at program revenue when determining whether an organization should register, particularly those nonprofits based in another state. This is not the case anymore. The states began to realize that trying to parse revenue sources into solicited and unsolicited categories wasn’t worth the hassle. Now, most states consider revenue of any kind coming into a nonprofit to be, at least, a result of an implicit solicitation.

The long-and-short of it is, if your nonprofit is bringing in money, you probably have a registration requirement unless you’re located in one of nine states with no registration statute.

Conclusion

Understand that just about all income-generating activity, whether by design or happenstance, constitutes solicitation. This is the first step in making sure your organization maintains proper compliance in this critical area.

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This Post Has 10 Comments

  1. We like to register our nonprofit organization for donations
    Ours is a 13 years STEM educational program workshop
    Our financial documentation, yearly IRS and State submissions , 501 C are organized.
    Our income was from students membership after school programs until 2 years with a 50kincome
    last 2 years we no such revenue due to schools shut downs and uncertainty
    And depended on matching donations
    In 2021 we have a 65k income
    We like to register our organization in donation programs received ones
    Need help in the process n
    What’s the cost?

  2. I have a 501c3 non profit website that sells membership. Anyone from anywhere in the US can buy membership online. Do I have to register with all 41 states ? Thanks.

    1. Not necessarily, since not every state considers member dues to be solicited revenue. But certainly many do. Since it’s a passive “ask”, you’re probably OK if you’re registered in your home state. After that, you will probably need to start registering in states in which you have members AND you are communicating with them directly to ask for donations, or even membership renewal. In the case of California, for example, they require you to register in anyone gives you even a dollar.

  3. Given the response to Amanda DeFleur’s question, it appears that, despite what the article says, any NPO that has even as much as a “Donate Here” on their website or social media page should register in every required state, since anyone from anywhere could see that implicit solicitation.
    Am I reading this correctly?
    Also, I assume there is no need to register outside of US boundaries, i.e. a donation from Japan or Canada would not be subject to such regulation. Am I correct?

    1. There is a such thing as the Charleston Principles safe harbor. The short version is that if you are registered in your state of incorporation, then it probably isn’t necessary to register everywhere else simply because you have online giving capability. It’s only when you start following up on passive gifts that it becomes an issue. See our article on Over/Under Registering for more details. Also see Charleston Principles page.

  4. Thank you for the great article! Say your org has an email list, and anyone from anywhere can subscribe on your website. When they receive that email promoting a fundraising campaign or services offered, does that communication become an ask when the potential donor sought out the ask themselves?

    1. Yes, it is considered an “ask”. A solicitation by the charity is considered an “ask”, regardless of which party initiated the contact. An exception would be someone who gives online to your organization from a state you are not registered in, and that gift was not the result of any outreach by the nonprofit. The donor simply found themselves on your site and decided to give. That said, as soon as you add them to your list and reach out to them, now you ARE soliciting. Another thing to keep in mind is that a gift of any size from a resident of California, with our without outreach, will require your org to register in CA.

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