Charitable Solicitations Registration in New York

State fundraising registration requirements are our expertise—we work with thousands of clients each year to ensure a smooth registration process and compliance. Here are some of the ways we can help your nonprofit meet New York’s fundraising registration requirements:

• Multi-state charitable solicitations registration: Our experts have experience registering in many states, meaning we can help you with charitable solicitations registration anywhere. Whether you’re fundraising in New York, every state, or somewhere in between, we’ve got you covered!
• Client representation: Foundation Group’s professional client representation and relationships with state offices ensure a more successful outcome for our clients, making your charitable solicitations registration in New York a breeze.
• Streamlined communications: We’ll work with your nonprofit to gather the documents we need through our easy-to-use portal. You’ll also have access to track the status of your charitable solicitations registration.

And we don’t just stop after the initial fundraising registration. Our state-specific knowledge and experience can help your nonprofit renew its charitable solicitations registration in New York annually, as well as maintain compliance with other state and federal filings as needed! We help nonprofit leaders reduce risk and grow their organizations through our other services, such as bookkeeping, Form 990 filing, and much more!

Nonprofits pursuing charitable solicitations registration in New York must complete Form CHAR410 (Registration Statement). The application must be completed and submitted online after nonprofits create an account with the Office of the New York State Attorney General. Along with the form itself, your nonprofit must provide:

• Employer identification number (EIN)
• Previous New York state registration number for amendments or re-registrations
• Information about the organization’s officers, directors, trustees, and key employees or key persons
• Information about the professional fundraisers hired by the organization (if any) in connection with solicitation in New York
• Description of the organization’s charitable purposes
• Two authorized officers’ signatures
• All pages of the certificate of incorporation
• All pages of bylaws

Any organization registering to solicit contributions in New York must pay a $25 filing fee.

Charitable organizations with gross contributions below $25,000 per year and no assistance from professional fundraisers are exempt from charitable solicitations registration in New York. Additionally, the following organizations are exempt:

• Religious organizations or charitable organizations run by religious institutions
• Membership organizations that don’t solicit donations from the public
• Parent-teacher associations
• Educational institutions that file annual reports with the New York State Department of Education
• Governmental agencies

The opportunity to claim an exemption from registering is available as part of the online application.

Nonprofits must annually renew their charitable solicitations registration in New York by preparing the Charities Annual Filing, CHAR500. This renewal is much different from the initial registration, requiring:

• Financial report: You’ll need to provide IRS Form 990 (or the version of Form 990 submitted to the IRS in your last fiscal year.)
• Schedule of contributors: Renewal of your charitable solicitations registration in New York requires the submission of Schedule B of Form 990, which reports contributions, grants, bequests, devices, and gifts of money or property.
• Audited financial statements: Your nonprofit’s financial statements must be audited if your revenue exceeds $1,000,000 and reviewed if your revenue is between $250,000 and $750,000. Note that you’ll need to have an independent CPA audit or review your financial statements before Foundation Group can complete your registration renewal.

Your nonprofit will need to complete Schedule 4a of CHAR500 if you employed professional fundraisers and Schedule 4b if you received government grants.

If your nonprofit was incorporated in another state but wants to solicit donations in New York, you must complete an Application for Authority with the Department of State. The filing fee is $135 or $160 for expedited processing.