Purpose of the report

The Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act (“The Act”) requires charities and paid solicitors that ask for contributions in Colorado to file registration documents with the Secretary of State’s Office and requires that the Secretary of State compile and publish an annual report on charitable solicitations.

The purpose of the charities registration program and the Annual Report on Charitable Solicitations is to protect the public’s interest. Disclosure helps the public make informed choices about what charitable causes should be supported, and it increases faith in legitimate charities. Thousands of charitable organizations in Colorado provide vital services not otherwise provided by government or the private sector, and the vast majority of these organizations are pursuing their missions with tremendous dedication and integrity. The registry and annual report help potential donors decide what charitable organizations are worthy of their support and help charitable organizations make informed decisions when contracting with paid solicitors.

The report begins by providing a basic overview of the Secretary of State’s role in regulating charities and their fundraising activities in Colorado. It then identifies best practices and tips that charities can consult to improve their own operations and potential donors can use to assess charities before making donations. After an overview of the laws and rules governing the Secretary of State’s regulatory functions, the report concludes with an analysis of charitable solicitations and charitable giving in Colorado and the nation for the year 2014.

The 2014 annual report data is available as a series of downloadable Excel and CSV files. These files present summary data on charitable solicitations activity in Colorado during 2014 and list the short-term and long-term results of solicitation campaigns run by each paid solicitor. This report also offers a new interactive mapping feature that you can use to analyze the distribution of charities across the state.

In addition, each filing submitted by charities and fundraisers since 2002 can be found in the charities database at www.checkthecharity.com. This publicly accessible database allows users to examine operational and financial trends for particular organizations and confirm whether an organization is registered and in good standing. Real-time lists of suspended organizations also let viewers see what organizations cannot legally solicit contributions in Colorado.

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