Secretary of State Wayne Williams releases charitable solicitations report

DENVER, January 26, 2016 - Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams released the annual report on charitable solicitations, which summarizes information reported by charitable organizations, paid solicitors and professional fundraising consultants registered to solicit contributions in Colorado.

Colorado's online charities system has been praised by fundraisers, who say it is fast and reliable and is held up as a model nationwide. Some states still use a paper-reporting system.

"This report helps Coloradans make informed choices about which charities to support," Williams said Tuesday. "The report also helps charities succeed by providing them with information on fundraising trends that charities can use to improve their own development efforts."

The report provides a basic overview of the Secretary of State’s role in regulating charities and their fundraising activities. It 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. The report concludes with an analysis of charitable solicitations and charitable giving in Colorado for 2015.

For the second year, the report also offers a new interactive mapping feature that readers can use to analyze the distribution of charities across the state. It also provides an overview of Colorado’s charitable solicitations rules, laws and 2015 changes.

In September, the fundraising organization that supports St. Jude's Children's Hospital praised the Colorado Secretary of State system for overseeing charitable operations, saying it leads the nation. General counsel Sara Hall was in Colorado for the kickoff of St. Jude's Dream Home Giveaway.

"The more time that can be saved on the administrative process, including reporting and determining which laws and rules apply, the more funds that can be used to support the mission of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital,” Hall said at the time. “Colorado has a reputation for being very good for philanthropies."

Mike Hardin, director of business and licensing for the Secretary of State, said the office has embraced a culture of consulting and collaborating with charities up front to ensure they understand and follow state rules.

"Every year we try to improve on the information we present in our annual report," he said. "This year is no exception. Chris Cash and his team have added value once again with interactive mapping and trending charts."

Currently, more than 12,600 charities are registered with the Colorado Secretary of State.