State Donor Solicitation Registration Map

Fundraising across state lines brings real rules, not only best practices. States look at where your donors live, how you ask for gifts, and whether your organization follows their registration and reporting systems. Mistakes lead to fines, stop orders, and awkward questions from major donors and auditors.

Use the map below to see how intensely each state regulates charitable solicitation. Then use the consultation form to line up a focused review of your fundraising footprint and next steps.

How to read the map

• Dark red states – Broad registration and renewal expectations for most nonprofits that ask residents for gifts, with financial filings and frequent updates.
• Pink states – Targeted rules. Registration often applies in narrower situations.
• Light gray states – No general statewide charitable solicitation registration, though consumer protection and other rules still matter.

Click on a state to reach a short overview that highlights solicitation triggers, typical exemptions, and the main agency involved.

Key issues to check in each state

Every state page draws attention to a small set of practical questions:

• Trigger for registration. Does the state expect a filing before any appeal to residents, or only after contributions reach a certain level?
• What counts as solicitation. Events, mail, email, websites, peer campaigns, text outreach, phone work, and cause marketing all receive attention.
• Exemptions. Treatment for churches, religious ministries, schools, hospitals, small all volunteer groups, and membership only appeals.
• Filings and renewals. Initial registrations, renewals, financial reports, audit or review thresholds, and required disclosures on fundraising material.
• Use of outside fundraisers. Registration and bonding expectations for professional solicitors, fundraising counsel, and commercial co venturers.
• Enforcement tools. Fines, stop solicitation orders, late fees, and reputational risk when a state views an organization as out of compliance.

Why a map is not enough

The map shows intensity by state. It does not replace a plan. Online giving, email lists, social media, and partner campaigns often reach many more states than leadership expects. A modest donor base in several dark red states sometimes creates more exposure than a large base in one home state.

Boards, pastors, executives, and development staff improve decisions once they know where registration already exists, where it lapsed, and where activity triggers new duties.

Schedule a donor solicitation compliance review

A short consultation brings this map down to the level of your organization. During that review we work through:

• Your current fundraising footprint by state, including online and event activity.
• Which states sit in the high risk column for your organization right now.
• Where registration, exemption filings, or renewals need attention.
• A realistic sequence of steps over the next year so compliance supports fundraising instead of blocking it.

Use the consultation form below to describe your organization, your states of concern, and any letters or notices already on your desk. We respond with a plan for next steps so you move forward with confidence in both law and fundraising.