You've received your 501(c)(3) determination letter, built your donation page, and prepared your first fundraising campaign. Then someone asks whether your nonprofit is registered to solicit donations.
Registered where? You've already filed your incorporation documents, applied for an EIN, and gone through the IRS. Apparently, there's another registration to think about.
Many states require nonprofits to register before soliciting charitable contributions from their residents. Some organizations qualify for exemptions or simplified filings, while a few states have no general charitable solicitation registration requirement. Your federal 501(c)(3) recognition doesn't automatically satisfy these state obligations.
The IRS confirms that approximately 40 states have charitable solicitation statutes. The requirements depend on where you're fundraising, the type of organization you operate, and sometimes how much money you raise.
Which States Require Nonprofit Fundraising Registration?
There's no single registration that authorizes charitable fundraising nationwide. Each state establishes its own requirements, exemptions, fees, and reporting deadlines.
Here's how four states handle charitable solicitation:
State | General Requirement | Filing, Fee, and Deadline |
|---|---|---|
Maryland | Registration or an applicable filing generally required before solicitation | Qualifying charities receiving less than $25,000 in contributions may file an Exempt Organization Fund-Raising Notice at no charge. State confirmation is required before soliciting. |
California | Covered charities generally must register after receiving charitable assets | Form CT-1, $50 initial fee, generally within 30 days of first receiving charitable assets |
Florida | Registration generally required before solicitation unless an exemption applies | Qualifying charities receiving less than $50,000 with unpaid personnel may use Form FDACS-10110 at no charge |
Texas | Most charities don't need general charitable solicitation registration | Certain law enforcement, public safety, and veterans-related organizations or solicitors have separate requirements |
Now suppose your nonprofit raised only $10,000 last year. Does that automatically exempt you from registration?
Not necessarily. Maryland's smaller qualifying charities generally submit an Exempt Organization Fund-Raising Notice instead of the regular registration form, COR-92. The organization must meet the contribution threshold and cannot use a professional solicitor under the simplified arrangement. Maryland reviews the notice and issues a registration letter, which the organization must receive before beginning solicitation.
Florida has different conditions. To qualify for its small-charity filing, an organization generally must have received less than $50,000 in contributions during the immediately preceding fiscal year, operate through qualifying unpaid personnel, and avoid professional fundraising consultants, professional solicitors, and commercial co-venturers. If its contributions reach $50,000 during the current fiscal year, it must complete ordinary registration within 30 days.
California uses another approach. Covered charitable organizations generally register within 30 days of first receiving charitable assets, which can include donations, grants, property, and other contributions of value. An organization completing initial registration generally submits Form CT-1, its founding documents and bylaws, available IRS recognition or application information, and the $50 fee.
Texas, meanwhile, generally doesn't require ordinary charities to register for charitable solicitation. Certain regulated categories still have filing requirements, and other fundraising laws continue to apply.
So if your organization qualifies for a small-charity exemption, check whether that means you're excused from registration entirely or simply eligible for a different filing. The two aren't always treated the same way.
The requirements above come from the Maryland Secretary of State, California Attorney General, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and Texas Attorney General.
What Counts as Charitable Solicitation?
Charitable solicitation generally involves asking people to contribute money or property for a charitable purpose. Depending on state law, that can include fundraising emails, direct mail, social media appeals, advertisements, phone calls, and in-person requests.
Maryland's Solicitation Act defines charitable solicitation as:
“charitable solicitation” means an oral or written request for a charitable contribution, regardless of whether the person who makes the request receives the charitable contribution.
Think about what that means for your nonprofit. You publish a fundraising campaign and ask 500 people to donate, but nobody contributes. Your organization has still made a charitable solicitation under Maryland's definition.
On the other hand, Maryland generally excludes unsolicited gifts and government grants from its definition of charitable contributions. An organization funded entirely through government grants, without soliciting charitable contributions from the public or other nongovernmental sources, may therefore fall outside its ordinary charitable solicitation registration requirements.
These details affect when a filing is required, so a nonprofit should review the relevant rules before publicly requesting donations rather than waiting until its campaign starts collecting money.
Does an Online Donation Page Require Registration in Every State?
Not automatically, and Connecticut provides a particularly useful example of how this works.
Suppose your nonprofit operates in Maryland. Someone living in Connecticut searches online for literacy programs, finds your website, and contributes $50. Your organization never contacted this person, targeted them with an advertisement, or otherwise encouraged them to visit your donation page.
According to Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection, an out-of-state charity generally doesn't need Connecticut registration solely because a Connecticut resident independently discovers its website and donates.
Now suppose your donor management system adds that supporter to your fundraising mailing list. A month later, you send them an email asking for another contribution.
Connecticut treats that differently. Its June 2026 guidance explains that if the out-of-state charity subsequently contacts the Connecticut resident to request another donation, or otherwise solicits Connecticut residents, it must register before doing so.
And what if your nonprofit is actually based in Connecticut? The state's guidance says a Connecticut-based charity soliciting donations online must register, even if the donation button is its only fundraising method.
So we have three situations:
Situation | Connecticut's Guidance |
|---|---|
A Connecticut nonprofit accepts donations through its own website | Registration is required, unless an applicable exemption applies |
A Connecticut resident independently discovers an out-of-state nonprofit's donation page | The out-of-state nonprofit generally doesn't need to register solely because of that unsolicited donation |
The out-of-state nonprofit emails the Connecticut donor asking for another contribution | Registration is required before that active solicitation, unless an exemption applies |
These are the situations addressed in Connecticut's June 2026 online solicitation guidance.
What About the Charleston Principles?
Connecticut refers to the Charleston Principles, a set of advisory guidelines developed by state charity officials to help evaluate fundraising over the internet.
They generally consider whether an out-of-state charity:
Specifically targets residents of a state through fundraising messages, advertisements, or other appeals.
Receives online contributions from residents of a state on a repeated, ongoing, or substantial basis.
Conducts other fundraising activities in the state that would independently trigger registration.
For example, a nonprofit running advertisements specifically targeting California donors has a more direct connection to California fundraising than one that happens to receive an unsolicited donation from a California resident.
Similarly, repeatedly receiving substantial online donations from a particular state may create registration obligations under that state's approach, even if the organization doesn't have an office there.
The Charleston Principles are nonbinding guidance, not a federal law or automatic exemption. Individual states decide their own registration requirements, and not all states have adopted the principles in the same way.
For your nonprofit, review both the locations of your donors and the audiences you're actively contacting. A donation platform that accepts payments nationwide doesn't establish that your organization has completed the charitable solicitation requirements of every state.
Do Raffles, Auctions, and Fundraising Events Need Separate Permits?
They sometimes do. Your nonprofit might be properly registered to solicit charitable donations and still need additional permission for a fundraising event.
Let's say a local business donates a gift basket, and your volunteers want to sell $10 raffle tickets.
In Maryland, raffles involving personal property are generally regulated by counties and Baltimore City. Some jurisdictions require permits before conducting the raffle or selling tickets, even when tickets are sold in a different county from where the drawing takes place.
For example, Maryland identifies Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Montgomery County among jurisdictions with raffle permitting contacts. Other counties don't issue raffle permits under their local procedures. An organization therefore needs to review the rules where tickets will be sold and where the raffle will take place.
Maryland also has separate requirements for raffles involving real estate, including disclosures to the Secretary of State and applicable local permits.
Other fundraising activities can raise different questions:
Activity | What Your Nonprofit Needs to Check |
|---|---|
Raffle or bingo | Whether charitable gaming is permitted, who qualifies to conduct it, and whether a state or local permit is required |
Charity auction | Applicable event or sales tax rules and how payments should be acknowledged |
Benefit dinner | Event permits and whether part of the ticket price represents a charitable contribution |
Paid fundraising company | Professional solicitor or fundraising counsel registration and contract requirements |
Business promotion benefiting a charity | Whether commercial co-venturer rules apply to the arrangement |
There's also a federal tax issue worth addressing before you issue receipts.
Amounts paid for raffle, bingo, or lottery tickets are not deductible charitable contributions, even when the proceeds benefit a qualified nonprofit.
So if someone buys $50 in raffle tickets, don't issue a receipt describing the purchase as a $50 tax-deductible donation. The payment was for a chance to win a prize.
Benefit dinners can work differently. Suppose someone pays $100 for admission and receives a meal worth $40. Assuming the applicable requirements are satisfied, the potential deductible portion may be $60. The organization may also have disclosure obligations because the donor received something of value in exchange.
The IRS explains these rules in Publication 526, including the treatment of raffle tickets and contributions where donors receive goods or services.
How Does a Nonprofit Complete State Fundraising Registration?
Start with the state agency responsible for charitable solicitation. Depending on the state, that could be the Attorney General, Secretary of State, or another department.
The exact documents vary, but nonprofits commonly need their legal name, EIN, founding documents, officer information, financial records, and IRS determination letter or pending application information.
For a small team, the process generally looks like this:
Identify the states where you're fundraising. Start with your home state, then account for fundraising emails, advertisements, events, and other appeals directed at residents elsewhere.
Determine which filing applies. Check whether the state requires full registration, a small-charity notice, another exemption filing, or no general filing for your organization.
Prepare and submit the documents. Maryland generally uses COR-92 for regular registration and its Exempt Organization Fund-Raising Notice for qualifying smaller charities. California uses CT-1 for initial registration, while Florida offers FDACS-10110 to eligible smaller organizations.
Confirm when solicitation is permitted. Maryland requires the applicable registration confirmation before covered solicitation begins. California generally ties initial registration to receiving charitable assets. Don't assume every state uses the same deadline or that submitting an incomplete application satisfies its requirements.
Keep track of annual filings. Maryland requires annual updates or notices. California generally requires annual Form RRF-1 reporting, along with applicable supporting financial documents. Florida also has annual registration or qualifying small-charity filing requirements.
You can organize these obligations in a simple tracker showing the state, filing type, registration status, confirmation number, renewal deadline, and person responsible.
If you've already been fundraising without a registration that may have been required, document where and when the solicitations occurred, determine whether an exemption applied, and review the state's procedures for correcting missed filings. Depending on the jurisdiction, this may involve past-due reports, fees, or other corrective measures. Ask the regulator or a qualified nonprofit attorney whether further solicitation in the affected state should be paused while the issue is resolved.
Before Your Fundraising Campaign Goes Live
Suppose your nonprofit is registered in Maryland and plans to email Maryland supporters, run advertisements targeting California residents, and sell raffle tickets for a donated gift basket.
You can review those activities individually rather than treating them as one approval decision.
If Maryland has issued the required registration letter, the email appeal may proceed, assuming the organization meets any other applicable requirements. Before advertising to California residents, establish whether the California rules apply and what registration steps must be completed. And before selling raffle tickets, confirm the local gaming rules and permits that apply where the tickets will be sold and the drawing conducted.
For each activity, record the state involved, the required registration or exemption, the filing status, and any outstanding permit or approval. If the fundraiser changes, update that information before expanding the campaign.
The National Association of State Charity Officials maintains a directory of state charity regulators. It can help identify the correct agency when your organization begins fundraising in a new state. Once you've identified that agency, confirm the filing and deadline against its current instructions.
Your team should know which fundraising activities are ready to launch, which require additional authorization, and who's responsible for resolving the remaining requirements before asking donors to contribute.