Are Charity State Registrations Necessary If I Have A Donate Here Button

G enerally charity state registrations need to be filed if a nonprofit is soliciting contributions from residents of a state regardless of the method that the nonprofit solicits contributions. If an organization only raises contributions though a “Donate Here” button on your website and it only receive unsolicited donations, most, though not all, states do not count this as soliciting contributions. If however, the organization directs potential donors to its website to give donations then you will need to register your charity in most or all states. This is true if the method that you use to direct people to your website is through direct mail, email, or another method. Even if you do not direct people to your site to donate, the organization would also need to register if it follows up an online donation with a request for an additional donation. This is a common fundraising technique, but is an example of soliciting contributions, and as such it would require the charity to file state registrations. This is a rough sketch of the rules. For more specifics and details, give us a call at 844-863-0915 or read the Charleston Principles, which The National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO) released to layout the specific principles that govern internet solicitation and the regulation and registration that it requires.