15 states verified · more in progress
Does hiring a professional fundraiser change what we have to register?
Often, yes — and in ways that are the charity's responsibility, not just the fundraiser's. This page fills in state by state as each card is verified against primary sources; we publish only what's confirmed, never a guess.
The roles states distinguish
Most states separate three: a paid solicitor (or commercial fundraiser), who asks for donations on your behalf for compensation; fundraising counsel, who plans or advises but doesn't solicit or handle funds; and a commercial co-venturer, a business running a “portion of proceeds” promotion. The duties — who registers, whose contract gets filed — turn on which role applies.
Verified states
| State | What using one changes |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama's small-organization exemption (contributions of $25,000 or less, with government money and bona fide dues not counting toward the cap) requires all fundraising be conducted by unpaid persons — paying a fundraiser removes it. Professional fundraisers and co-venturers also carry their own AG registrations and bond. |
| California | California registers every charity regardless of whether it uses a paid fundraiser, but adds duties around one: a commercial fundraiser must itself register with the Attorney General, and the charity's contract with a commercial fundraiser must be filed with the Registry before the fundraising begins. · contract filing |
| Colorado | Colorado's small-organization exemption (under $25,000 gross revenue or ten or fewer contributors) is unavailable to a charity that has contracted with a paid solicitor to solicit in the state — so engaging one can make an otherwise-exempt small organization register. Paid solicitors and consultants also carry their own, anniversary-based registrations. |
| Georgia | Georgia's small-organization exemption (under $25,000 in contributions in both the preceding and current calendar years) is available only to charities with no paid-solicitor agreement — signing one removes it, whatever your size. |
| Hawaii | Hawaii's small-organization exemption (normally under $25,000 in contributions on a three-year average) is conditioned on using no professional solicitor or counsel — engaging one removes it, so an otherwise-exempt small charity can be required to register. All Hawaii exemptions also require a filed and approved application; none is automatic. |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts's small-organization exemption from the solicitation certificate (contributions of $5,000 or less, or ten or fewer contributors, in a calendar year) requires all-volunteer operation on either prong — compensating anyone, including a paid fundraiser, removes it. |
| Mississippi | Paid fundraising cuts twice in Mississippi: the small-organization exemption requires all fundraising be done by unpaid persons, so paying anyone to fundraise removes it — and separately, ANY paid fundraising triggers the audited-financial-statement requirement regardless of the charity's size, a trap most summaries miss. |
| Nevada | Using a paid fundraiser doesn't change a charity's own Nevada registration — every non-exempt soliciting charity files the CSRS regardless, and Nevada's narrow exemptions (fewer than 15 people solicited, relatives, named-person appeals, alumni associations) carry no fundraiser condition. Nevada also registers no charity 'because of' a fundraiser: the registration duty is already universal. |
| New Mexico | Using a paid fundraiser doesn't change a charity's own New Mexico registration — every non-exempt charity registers regardless, and New Mexico has no small-organization exemption for one to lose. Professional fundraisers carry their own obligations, with a separate $500 late fee for the fundraiser itself. |
| New York | New York's small-organization exemption from Article 7-A registration is available only to charities that raise under $25,000 a year AND use no professional fundraiser or fundraising counsel. Using a paid fundraiser removes that exemption, so an otherwise-exempt small organization can be required to register once it engages one. |
| North Dakota | Using a paid fundraiser doesn't change a charity's own North Dakota registration — every non-exempt soliciting charity registers regardless, and North Dakota has no small-organization exemption for a fundraiser to disqualify. Professional fundraisers carry their own annual registration ($100, expiring September 1) and a $20,000 bond. |
| Ohio | Ohio's small-organization exemption (gross revenue of $25,000 or less, excluding government and 501(c)(3) grants) applies only if no person is compensated primarily to solicit — so paying a fundraiser can make an otherwise-exempt small charity register under Chapter 1716. |
| South Carolina | Most of South Carolina's exemptions — including the $25,000 small-organization exemption — are available only to charities that use no professional solicitor, counsel, or commercial co-venturer, so engaging one removes them. Only the public-school and $10,000 micro-organization exemptions survive the use of a paid fundraiser, and a professional fundraiser working for an exempt charity must still register itself. |
| Tennessee | Tennessee's small-organization exemption (public contributions of $50,000 or less) is void if the charity uses any professional solicitor, fundraising counsel, or commercial co-venturer — engaging one means registering within the normal rules, whatever your size. |
| Washington | Washington's small-organization exemption requires that all activities, including fundraising, be carried on by unpaid persons — so paying anyone to fundraise, including a commercial fund-raiser, removes it. Commercial fund-raisers must also register themselves before soliciting. |
Not yet published
We haven't yet verified the paid-fundraiser rules for 24more states against primary sources, so they aren't listed above — we'd rather publish nothing than guess. Each state's own guide is the place to check in the meantime, and the free scan reads what you tell us about paid fundraisers into your standing.
Check where you stand
The free scan factors in whether you use a paid fundraiser when it reasons about your obligations. See where you stand in every state.
Common questions
- Does hiring a professional fundraiser change what we have to register?
- It can. States distinguish a few roles — a paid solicitor who asks for donations, fundraising counsel who advises without soliciting, and a commercial co-venturer running a charity promotion — and several add duties when one is involved: the fundraiser itself may have to register, and the contract between the charity and the fundraiser may have to be filed. In some states, using a paid solicitor is itself a registration trigger regardless of how much you raise.
- Do we have to file our contract with a fundraiser?
- In several states, yes — the contract between a charity and a commercial fundraiser must be filed with the state, often before the fundraising begins. The states we've verified are listed on this page; where it applies, it's cited on that state's guide.
- What should we ask a fundraiser before signing?
- Whether they're registered in the states where they'll solicit on your behalf, who files the contract and by when, and how the arrangement affects your own registrations. Getting this straight before signing avoids a compliance gap that's the charity's problem, not just the fundraiser's.
Related: where do we need to register? · are we exempt? · all state requirements
Rules reflect cited sources as of the dates shown on each state's guide. Informational, not legal advice.