1. Address provided is not a physical address (18.55%)

The Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act and the Rules for the Administration of the Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act require all registrants to provide the principal place of business of the organization. “Principal Place of Business” means the street address of the organization’s usual place of business and does not include a post office box or private mailbox. See section 6-16-104(2)(b), C.R.S. and 8 CCR 1505-9, Rule 1.15.

A P.O. Box, private mailbox vendor, or other mailing address may be entered in addition to a street address, but it cannot substitute for one, not even in mountain and rural communities.

If the organization in fact has no street address, it may provide the street address of its registered agent in Colorado, or if all else fails, it may list the street address of the officer who has custody of the organization’s corporate and financial records.

2. Balance sheet info missing or incorrect (17.66%)

It is extremely rare for an organization to have $0.00 in assets at the end of a reporting period. However, if this is the case, please send an explanatory email to charitable@coloradosos.gov prior to filing the document.

Note that staff routinely compare balance sheet information from an earlier reporting period to revenue, expenses, and balance sheet information in the current period, so please confirm that the current period’s information is consistent with what was reported in the earlier period.

3. Invalid Legal Form or Place and Date of Formation (17.59%)

The Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act requires that all organizations disclose the place and date when they were legally established and the form of their organization.

If the organization was incorporated in Colorado, they  may confirm the date of incorporation by searching the following database.

If the organization is not incorporated, then please enter the form (type) of the organization as it exists under state law. Examples of formation types that could be included but are not limited to are "unincorporated nonprofit association", "limited liability company", "LLC", "charitable trust", "cooperative association". Please do not   enter "charity", "charitable", "charitable nonprofit", "foundation", or similar terms. Don't enter IRS designations, such as "501(c)(3)".

4. Revenue or expense items missing (13.80%)

One frequent reason for returning a document is a failure to list any revenue or expense items on the financial statement. It would be unusual for this to be a complete and accurate depiction of the financial activity of the organization.

If the organization in fact had $0.00 in revenue and expenses during the reporting period, please send an explanatory email to charitable@coloradosos.gov prior to filing the document.

5. Projected Revenue and Expenses Items Missing (4.96%)

Organizations that are recently established will provide a projected first year budget made up of estimated figures (revenue and expenses) for their upcoming reporting period. This type of reporting could include but is not limited to administrative expenses such as charities registration filing fee and the tax-exempt application to the IRS. At the conclusion of the reporting period via an amendment filing, the organization will update the estimated figures to actual financials as part of the financial statement.

6. Invalid authorized officer (4.94%)

An "authorized officer" must be an officer of a nonprofit corporation, a trustee of a charitable trust, or a senior manager member of any other entity subject to the filing requirements of the Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act. The authorized officer is also considered the account manager. An example of a role that is not an “authorized officer” is a third-party service provider that helps organizations with state registration. The e-file application features separate login credentials for preparers who can enter data but cannot submit filings by themselves.

7. Established Organizations May Not Provide Estimated Figures (4.64%)

Established organizations must provide actual financial figures for the most recently completed fiscal year. Your application stated that the financial information provided is estimated. To indicate that the organization is providing actual financial figures, login and select the Continue button. Select Next and go to Step 7, which is the financial form. Look for the Estimates box, change it to "Actuals," and confirm that you are submitting actual financial figures.

If an organization is unable to provide actual financial information for its most recent fiscal year in the initial registration statement, it should change the period covered by the report in Step 7 to the previous accounting period, and then enter complete and accurate financial information from the previous period. Be advised, however, that financial figures for the most recent fiscal year are still due within 7-1/2 months of the close of the fiscal year, so if you choose to file information from an earlier period, you will need to file an extension immediately after the initial registration is approved by our office.

8. Professional Fundraiser Fees Greeter Than Fundraising Expenses (2.22%)

The amount listed under fundraising expenses can’t be less than the fee associated with the professional fundraiser fees. Professional fundraiser fees are fundraising expenses, and they should be included in that category.  If the financial figures reported are accurate and the result of the organization allocating joint costs, please report that to program staff at charitable@coloradosos.gov and describe the allocation method used.