Fundraising Compliance Kit

A $24 kit covering the requirement nonprofits miss most often. Explains what charitable solicitation registration is called in each state and which office handles it, what counts as soliciting, then gives you a 50-state tracker and the full set of donor acknowledgment templates.

What is inside

• What charitable solicitation registration actually is, what it is called in each state, and which office administers it — the terminology varies enough to be genuinely confusing.
• What counts as soliciting, including the question of whether a donate button on your website triggers registration in states you have never visited.
• A 50-state tracker to record where you are registered and when each renewal falls.
• A donation receipt, and acknowledgment letters for cash gifts, quid pro quo contributions, and in-kind gifts.
• An annual contribution statement.
• A gift acceptance policy.
• A compliance checklist to run every year.

Who it is for

Any organization that fundraises across state lines, which in practice means any organization with a website that accepts donations. Also useful for boards that have never been told this requirement exists.

Editable, not locked

It is a Word document, so the templates are yours to adapt to your organization rather than a PDF you have to retype.

The donate button problem

• Most states require charitable organizations to register before soliciting contributions from their residents. The question that catches people is what counts as soliciting.
• A general appeal on a website, accessible from anywhere, is treated by many states as solicitation of their residents. Email campaigns, social media appeals, and peer-to-peer fundraising raise the same question. So a small organization operating entirely within one state can nonetheless have registration obligations in several.
• The requirements are not uniform. States differ on what triggers registration, what the filing is called, which office handles it, what financial disclosures accompany it, and when renewal falls due. Some exempt small organizations below a revenue threshold; others do not.
• The kit sets out the terminology and administering office state by state, because the single biggest obstacle is not the filings themselves but working out what each state calls the thing you are looking for.
• The consequences of ignoring it range from penalties to being ordered to stop fundraising in a state, and it is one of the first things a sophisticated grantmaker checks.

Frequently asked questions

Do we really have to register in other states?

Most states require registration before you solicit their residents, and many treat an online donation appeal as solicitation. The specifics vary, which is why the kit covers the terminology state by state.

Can you handle the registrations for us?

Yes. Charitable solicitation registration is $500 per state plus the state fee.