Massachusetts charitable solicitation registration

Start with the organization’s actual Massachusetts activity: programs, offices, restricted funds, public appeals, events, email, direct mail, donation pages, peer-to-peer campaigns, grants, and fundraising vendors. The Attorney General states that Massachusetts charities and non-Massachusetts charities operating or soliciting in the Commonwealth must register. Incorporation and an IRS determination letter are separate records; neither is the Attorney General registration.

Check the public-charity search before creating a new filing. An older name, predecessor, fiscal sponsor, merger, or prior Massachusetts activity may already have an Attorney General account number. Reconcile that record first so the portal filing does not create a duplicate identity or conceal an overdue annual report.

Initial registration now uses the Attorney General’s Charity Portal. The portal’s initial-registration workflow calls for the organization’s legal identity, formation and contact information, and supporting documents such as articles of organization or a trust instrument, bylaws, and the IRS determination letter if available. Use the approved legal name and preserve amendments instead of uploading an informal summary.

Assign separate filer and signer responsibilities, confirm that portal email addresses are monitored, and use a single approved attachment set. Massachusetts stopped accepting paper charitable registrations and annual filings on September 1, 2023. A mailed packet or an old paper Form PC is therefore not a substitute for the current portal transaction.

After initial registration, the Division assigns an Attorney General account number. The Attorney General also states that a charity wishing to solicit funds must obtain a Certificate for Solicitation before fundraising. Treat the portal receipt, AG number, and solicitation certificate as different evidence. Do not launch merely because an account was created or a payment cleared.

Monitor the portal for questions and deficiencies, answer them from the same reconciled record, and save the final registration and certificate. Confirm the registered name and status in the public search. Registration does not mean Massachusetts endorses the organization, its programs, or its fundraising.

All registered public charities move into annual Form PC reporting through the portal. The ordinary due date is four months and 15 days after fiscal year end, and a six-month extension may be available when the charity is in compliance. Current Massachusetts guidance also notes revised financial-statement thresholds effective November 20, 2024, so use the live portal rules for the reporting year rather than an old checklist.

Record the fiscal year, Form PC deadline, extension decision, federal-return owner, financial-statement level, portal signers, certificate term, and next status check. Keep the initial eForm, attachments, signatures, payment, AG number, certificate, correspondence, and public-status capture in one evidence file.