National Charitable Solicitation Disclosure Statement

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Practice Areas

Robinson Bradshaw Publication
Sept. 7, 2010

When your charitable organization engages in a national solicitation campaign, you are obligated to comply with various state regulations. In addition to the licensing requirements of which you are aware, you also are required to disclose certain information about your organization at the time you solicit contributions. These requirements vary by state and, in many instances, are complex.

To simplify your compliance obligations, we have prepared the following disclosure statement that you may use on your website and in solicitation materials and correspondence, including appeals for donations and invitations to special events, whether delivered by U.S. mail or electronically. We recommend that you use this statement not only when soliciting gifts, but also when reminding donors about unpaid pledges and when sending tax-receipts/thank you letters to donors.

As you will see, some states require that their disclosure statements appear in certain font sizes or otherwise be made conspicuous. In the sample statement attached, we have satisfied these requirements. We have sent this memo to you electronically so that you may easily modify this statement for use with your organization and then extract it, properly formatted, for use on your website and in your written solicitations.

Should you have any questions about this information, please do not hesitate to contact either of us. Dianne Bailey may be reached at (704) 377-8323. Ty Shaffer may be reached at (704) 377-8142. We always are happy to help.


The mission of [name of organization] is to [brief mission statement].  Information concerning [name of organization], including financial information, may be obtained without cost by writing to our principal place of business at the following address: [name of organization and address], or by calling [name and phone number].  In addition, residents of the following states may obtain financial and/or licensing information from their states, as indicated.  Registration with these states, or any other state, does not imply endorsement by the state.  Your contribution is deductible to the extent permitted by federal law. ∙ Florida: A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll free 1-800-HELP-FLA (1-800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE.  Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state.  [Your registration number]. Georgia: A full and fair description of the charitable program for which this solicitation campaign is being carried out, and a full and fair description of the programs and activities of this organization, will be sent upon request.  A financial statement or summary, consistent with the financial statement required to be filed with the Secretary of State pursuant to Georgia Code § 43-17-5, will be sent upon request. Maryland: A copy of the current financial statement of [name or organization] is available by writing [address where requests should be directed] or by calling [phone number].  Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from the Maryland Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401, (410) 974-5534. Mississippi: The official registration and financial information of [name of organization as registered] may be obtained from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office by calling 1-800-236-6167.  Registration by the Secretary of State does not imply endorsement by the Secretary of State. New Jersey: Information filed with the Attorney General concerning this charitable solicitation and the percentage of contributions received by the charity during the last reporting period that were dedicated to the charitable purpose may be obtained from the Attorney General of the State of New Jersey by calling 973-504-6215.  Registration with the Attorney General does not imply endorsement. New York: A copy of the most recent annual report is available from the Office of the Attorney General at: New York State Department of Law, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway—3rd Floor, New York, New York 10271, (212) 416-8401. North Carolina: Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at (919) 807-2214.  The license is not an endorsement by the State. Pennsylvania: The official registration and financial information of [name of organization as registered] may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1 (800) 732-0999.  Registration does not imply endorsement. Virginia: A copy of the financial statement is available from the State Office of Consumer Affairs, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218, or by calling (800) 552-9963 or (804) 786-2042. Washington: Thank you for supporting [name of organization].  For additional information regarding the organization’s activities or financial information, [name of organization] is registered with the Washington State Charities Program as required by law and information may be obtained by calling 800-332-4483 or 360-725-0378. West Virginia: West Virginia residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents from the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, West Virginia 25305.  Registration does not imply endorsement. Wisconsin: A financial statement of this charitable organization disclosing assets, liabilities, fund balances, revenue and expenses for the preceding fiscal year will be provided upon request.

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