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that an experienced professional
is managing this vital task of their organization.
Our licensing experts navigate the application requirements and follow up with each jurisdiction to ensure that each registration is accepted. We maintain a Licensing Calendar
and Database in our License Management System that reminds LicenseLogix and our clients of each renewal in advance. Our clients can log in at anytime and produce a comprehensive
report containing all relevant information for each state in which they are registered.
In order to hold non-profit organizations accountable and to protect the public interest, the majority of states have enacted Charitable Solicitation Acts. Currently, forty
states require registration and have generally adopted the Model Act Concerning the Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes.
Of those forty states, thirty-seven and the District of Columbia accept the Unified Registration Statement (URS) though most states have also produced their own forms for registration.
The application fee, supporting document requirements, renewal deadlines and annual report requirements vary by jurisdiction.
The general rule is that a non-profit conducting charitable solicitation within the borders of a state must register before soliciting funds from residents of that state.
The Attorney General of most states broadly define solicitation.
The Pennsylvania State Department fined 55 charitable organizations in 2010, charging over $228,850 in fines, with individual charities agreeing to pay fines ranging from $2,500 to $20,000.
Pennsylvania’s State Department dedicated a prosecutor full time to charity cases this year and hopes the increased enforcement sends the message that the state is serious about
policing charities according to a spokesperson for the department.
The Federal Trade Commission frequently launches sweep operations to capture fraudulent solicitation practices and has launched a website titled Avoid Charity Fraud.
“FTC and States Unite to Fight Fundraising Fraud”
“FTC Announces ‘Operation False Charity’ Law Enforcement Sweep”
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