If you have trouble with your state charitable solicitation registration or don’t know what it is, there is a brand new service to help you. 38 states plus the District of Columbia require charitable organizations that solicit or intend to solicit in their state to register with either their State Attorney General or Secretary of State’s office. Registration is not an endorsement of the charity by the state, but provides accountability and transparency to its residents. Failure to register when required can bring penalties and potential civil action.
Each state has its own forms, fees, and required documents, with most states having annual renewals and financial reporting with varying deadlines. While states do have categories of organizations that are exempt from registration, there is not a coherent set of definitions and distinctions across them and some states even require applications for exemption.
Those who have been through the process know that it is excruciating — multiple manila folders on your desk, calendar notes of deadlines to keep track of, charts of requirements, and printed forms to handwrite.
Now there is a way to make getting through it all much easier. Simple Charity Registration (SCR) is a new online service that streamlines the state charitable registration process into a few simple steps:
- Use the compliance wizard to help you determine in which states you need to register;
- Complete the questionnaire of relevant state questions which auto-fills the appropriate forms; and
- Print the completed forms and attached checklist of how to file and what to include.
SCR was created by nonprofit professionals who have been through the registration process and wanted to make it easier and IT professionals who have streamlined other state processes. It was designed with the needs of the nonprofit in mind and includes links to state information, additional instructions, and sends email reminders of upcoming deadlines. The site includes blogs, like this one, that give additional information that charities need to know about keeping in compliance. Our FAQ page and customer service can help you as well.
Simple Charity Registration costs $50 per state, with a $900 maximum, and your first state is free. You are not billed until you print a document.
Start your free, no-obligation account today.
