Where does your charity need to register to solicit donations?

What “soliciting” means

Registration follows solicitation, not physical presence. Soliciting generally means asking a state's residents for contributions — by mail, phone, event, email, or an online appeal directed at them. That's why a charity with no office in a state can still be required to register there: what matters is whether you asked its residents for money.

Jurisdictions that require registration

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Conditional jurisdictions

Here the requirement depends on facts about the organization — how it solicits, or whether it uses a paid fundraiser. The cited statute on each guide sets out the condition:

Louisiana

Jurisdictions with no registration requirement

These have no general charitable solicitation registration. That doesn't always mean nothing applies — corporate qualification or specific rules can still bite — but you don't register to solicit:

Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Wyoming

More on these: states with no registration requirement.

What triggers registration in a state you've never visited

The common surprise is online fundraising: a donation page, an email campaign, or a crowdfunding effort that reaches a state's residents can create a registration obligation there. How that works — the Charleston Principles, and the line between a passive page and active solicitation — is its own question, covered in the online-fundraising guide.

Common questions

Where does my charity need to register to solicit donations?

In every jurisdiction where you solicit that requires registration — which is most of them. Soliciting means asking residents of a state for donations, and most states require charities to register before doing so, whether or not the charity has any physical presence there. The list on this page shows which jurisdictions require it, which are conditional, and which have no requirement; the free scan shows which apply to your organization.

Do I have to register in a state I've never been to?

Often, yes. Registration generally follows solicitation, not physical presence. If you ask a state's residents for donations — including through an online campaign or email directed at them — that state can require you to register, even if your charity has never set foot there. Whether it does turns on how and where you solicit.

How do I know which states apply to my charity?

Start from where you actually solicit, then check each of those states' rules. The free scan does this against your IRS records and the state registries and shows where you're registered, where you're not, and where you're likely exempt — so "where do we need to register" becomes a specific list.