HARMON CURRAN NONPROFIT LAW BLOG

More than 40 states require charities that solicit contributions in the state to register with state regulators, and each state has had its own forms and requirements for that process. In the latest effort to reduce the burden and cost of registration for charities that solicit funds in multiple states, a new charity registration portal has just been launched for two pilot states, Connecticut and Georgia, with plans to expand to more.

The Single Portal Initiative is an effort by the nonprofit Multistate Registration and Filing Portal (MRFP) working with the National Association of State Charity Officers (NASCO) and the National Association of Attorneys General to streamline the processes for charitable registration, especially for charities or professional fundraisers that need to comply with requirements for more than one jurisdiction. MRFP, NASCO, CityBase, and Guidestar have now launched the new pilot portal. Users enter basic information about both the individual preparing the registration and the organization itself, and the site then uses that information to complete the registration in each state. The service is currently priced at $9 per charity registration per state or $22 per professional solicitor or professional fundraiser counsel (plus a 3% processing fee per transaction), which is significantly less than amounts charged by existing vendors for charity registration services. MRFP hopes to lower the costs as portal use increases.

While registration is currently only available for Connecticut and Georgia, MRFP plans to expand the portal to include at least five more states by January 2019. More information about the portal can be found on the website’s FAQs page.