Louisiana charitable solicitation registration

The Louisiana Attorney General states that charitable organizations using a professional solicitor must register annually with the Consumer Protection Section at least ten days before soliciting contributions. Begin with contracts, compensation, custody of funds, who controls the solicitation, where the people performing it are located, and whether appeals cross state lines. Do not reduce this analysis to the presence of a Donate button.

R.S. 51:1901 defines professional solicitor broadly, includes paid solicitation for a charity, excludes qualifying volunteers and certain salaried employees maintaining a permanent Louisiana establishment, and addresses interstate solicitations. Because this definition can affect organizations and vendors differently, preserve the facts and seek record-specific direction where a campaign structure is unclear.

The current Attorney General checklist calls for the Unified Registration Statement, articles of incorporation, bylaws, contracts with professional solicitors, a list of other states where the organization is registered, and the IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter. Reconcile the legal name, EIN, fiscal year, addresses, solicitation names, related organizations, leaders, programs, fundraising methods, and professional relationships before signature.

The URS asks detailed questions about state registrations and solicitations, governance, fundraising professionals, compensation arrangements, custody or control of donations, contributions, expenses, and program-service percentages. Attach explanations where requested and number them to the matching item. A generic corporate document bundle is not a completed Louisiana charity registration.

The charity registration described by the Attorney General carries an annual $25 fee. A professional solicitor has its own registration under R.S. 51:1901.1, including a $150 fee and, when the solicitor has custody or control of contributions, a department-approved bond of at least $25,000. The charity’s filing does not register its paid solicitor, and the solicitor’s registration does not complete the charity packet.

Create linked but separate records for the charity, every professional solicitor, each contract, campaign dates, compensation, fund custody, and the party responsible for each state filing. Verify that the names and dates match across the URS, contracts, vendor registration, public appeals, and payment flow.

The Attorney General lists exemptions for qualifying religious institutions, recognized or approved educational institutions, Louisiana-organized hospitals, and qualifying voluntary health organizations. The state page directs an organization to submit an exemption form and required documents. Do not treat federal tax exemption as a substitute for the state’s category and application process.

The current page offers online or mail registration and describes electronic or check payment. Verify the live portal, fee route, service charge, mailing address, and document list immediately before submission. Save the final URS, attachments, contract list, payment evidence, transmission or delivery record, and every agency message.

Louisiana publishes a Registered Charities listing with an organization-specific Registered Through date. Search the exact legal name and reasonable name variants after processing. Save a dated result and reconcile any spelling, date, or program-service percentage issue with the Consumer Protection Section. A payment receipt or uploaded packet does not by itself prove that the public record was updated.

Registration is annual. Calendar from the actual public Registered Through date and begin renewal preparation early enough to recheck professional-solicitor contracts, other-state registrations, names, leaders, and delivery details. The current renewal checklist says Louisiana does not require Form 990 for annual registrations, so do not delay solely to attach a document the state checklist does not request.