Effective August 1, 2009

Beginning August 1, 2009, if your organization has not renewed its registration to solicit contributions or provide professional fundraising services in Colorado on or before the due date, or filed for an extension of the deadline, it will be subject to late fees of up to $100 per year for charities or up to $200 per year for professional fundraising consultants and paid solicitors. Paid solicitors will also incur late fees for failing to properly file a solicitation notice or a financial report of a solicitation campaign. This is a change in law resulting from the passage of House Bill 1109 during the 2008 General Assembly.

To maintain a registration in a good status, the Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act (CCSA) requires that a recently formed charitable organization which provided estimated financial information in its initial registration statement must amend its registration and provide actual financial information, while an established charitable organization must renew its registration and update its financial information annually. The filing fee in either case is $10.

If an organization’s registration is due to be renewed, but its financial information is not ready yet, it should e-file an automatic three-month extension request (no fee). A charitable organization may request an extension of the filing deadline any time after the close of its fiscal year, but it must do so prior to the deadline to avoid late fees.

Professional fundraising consultants and paid solicitors are not eligible under the CCSA to file for an extension of the deadline and must renew their registrations on or before the anniversary date of their initial registrations and pay a $175 filing fee. In addition, paid solicitors must file a completed solicitation notice no later than 15 days before the commencement of a solicitation campaign and pay a $75 filing fee, and file solicitation campaign financial reports (no fee) on or before the due date or else accrue late fees.

• Instructions for requesting an extension
• Instructions for renewing your registration
• Instructions for resetting your password

Please note that the charitable solicitations registration renewal is different and separate from the annual report filed with the Business Division of the Secretary of State. Even if the organization already filed its Business Division annual report, it still will need to renew its charitable solicitations registration before the renewal deadline.

Late fees will increase with time according to the following schedule:

Charitable organizations

Days past deadline:
15 days: $25
30 days: $50
45 days: $75
60 days: $100

On the 60th day after the deadline, in addition to owing a $100 late fee, a charitable organization’s registration will be suspended, and by law it must cease soliciting contributions in Colorado.

Professional fundraising consultants and paid solicitors

Days past deadline:
15 days: $50
30 days: $100
45 days: $150
60 days: $200

On the 60th day after the deadline, in addition to owing a $200 late fee, a consultant’s or solicitor’s registration will be suspended, and by law it must cease handling or soliciting contributions in Colorado.

Please contact the Colorado Secretary of State’s Charities and Fundraisers Registration Program at charitable@coloradosos.gov or (303) 894-2200 ext. 6487, if you have any questions about the late fees, House Bill 08-1109, or the rules implementing late fees (8 CCR 1505-9).

Published: May 27, 2009