Hawaii charitable solicitation registration

Hawaii Revised Statutes section 467B-2.1 requires every public benefit corporation domiciled in Hawaii, and every other charitable organization that is not exempt under section 467B-11.5, to register before it conducts any solicitation or has another person solicit on its behalf. Inventory Hawaii-directed email, mail, events, grants, peer-to-peer campaigns, donation pages, chapters, fundraising platforms, professional fundraisers, and the names used in each appeal.

An exemption is not automatic simply because an organization is federally tax exempt or expects modest receipts. Section 467B-11.5 lists qualifying categories and requires an exemption application and department approval. The small-organization category generally uses an average of less than $25,000 in annual contributions over the preceding three fiscal years and no compensated professional solicitor or professional fundraising counsel. Preserve the approved exemption and recheck the facts when activity changes.

The Tax & Charities Division’s current filing hub directs a charity to the online registration system. The state’s registration guide describes Hawaii Initial Registration as a one-time filing with no initial fee. Use the organization’s most recently completed fiscal year, exact legal name, solicitation names, business form, tax-status record, purpose and programs, branches or affiliates, current officers and directors, related-party answers, and fundraising relationships.

Reconcile every answer to approved formation, IRS, governance, accounting, and campaign records before the form is marked complete. If the organization uses a professional solicitor, professional fundraising counsel, or commercial co-venturer, record that relationship accurately and handle the other party’s separate Hawaii obligations. The charity’s registration does not register a vendor or platform.

The Hawaii guide separates nonprofit users from third-party preparers and warns against shared or generic credentials for the people who complete and authenticate filings. Assign a primary contact who can maintain user access, and give each employee, officer, or approved filer the account type required by the live system. Keep the preparer role distinct from the person authorized to certify the organization’s statements.

Section 467B-2.1 permits an authorized officer or agent to sign. The registration guide says an agent who is not an officer needs written delegation signed by an officer. Generate and review the filing PDF, clear validation errors, select the correct authenticator, and complete every authentication step. The system’s intermediate labels such as complete, pending, and transmitted describe different stages; do not treat a draft or unsigned PDF as a filed registration.

Keep the final filing PDF, signer delegation when applicable, authentication notices, transmission confirmation, organization login ownership, agency correspondence, and a matching public-registry check. Confirm that the legal and solicitation names used in campaign materials match the record. Registration is not a state endorsement and should not be described as approval of the charity’s programs or fundraising quality.

Hawaii does not require the one-time registration statement to be renewed, but registered organizations file annual financial reports under section 467B-6.5. Record the fiscal year, federal-return route, state due-date rule, annual fee, audit question, responsible signer, and public-status review before fundraising begins. That handoff prevents a successful initial filing from becoming a later not-current record.

Before submission, verify the solicitation and exemption conclusion; confirm the legal name, EIN, fiscal year, programs, solicitation names, related organizations, chapters, current leaders, and fundraising relationships; review the generated PDF; resolve every validation message; and document signer authority. After authentication, save the staged notices until the system shows transmission and the agency record can be checked.

If the organization already has a Hawaii record, do not create a duplicate initial registration merely because a former employee controls the login or the public name changed. Use the Division and system support routes to restore access or correct the existing record, then document the next annual report and fee obligation.