John P. McDonough, Secretary of State    

Welcome to the Charitable Organization Division

Peter Fosselman, Deputy Secretary of State ~ Teresa Owens, Administrator

The Charitable Organizations Division annually registers, regulates and renews charitable organizations, professional solicitors and fund-raising counsel doing business in the State of Maryland. This includes the review of a charitable organization's financial and governing documents, as well as the review of all fund-raising contracts.

The Division administers and reviews applications for participation in the Maryland Charity Campaign for Maryland State Employees and Retirees. In order to encourage public confidence in the integrity of charities, current law mandates that charities reveal to the public their financial and programmatic activities, with the view that an informed public will exercise prudence in giving.

Legislation also established a Charitable Giving Information Program comprised of a toll-free line, a speaker's bureau and the production of charitable giving literature. The program is designed to increase public awareness and encourage questions regarding charitable giving, as well as to offer the public a means of voicing concerns and reporting suspected violations of the charitable law.

Statutory Authority: Business Regulation Article, §§6-101 through 6-701 of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

If you are a charity . . .
bullet item Charity Registration bullet item Disclosure & Financial Statements
bullet item Maryland Charity Campaign bullet item How to Start a Non-Profit Organization in Maryland
Helpful Internet Sites:
bullet item Guidestar bullet item Internal Revenue Service
bullet item Department of Assessments & Taxation bullet item Comptroller's Office
Many states have solicitation acts similar to the Maryland Solicitations Act (link directs you to the statutes directly on the General Assembly's website). These statutes also generally require registration of charitable organizations soliciting in their states. Click here for the pdf version of the Maryland Solicitation Act. Please be advised that although every effort has been made to reproduce the current text of the Maryland Code for these sections, this office does not warrant the accuracy of this content.
If a charitable organization is soliciting or is planning on soliciting charitable contributions in other states, the organization should contact the state agency responsible for the regulations of charitable solicitations and determine whether registration is required.
bullet item Professional Solicitor
bullet item Professional Solicitors & Fund-raising Counsel List bullet item Suggestions for working with a Paid Fund-Raiser
bullet item Raffles of Real & Personal Property bullet item Report a possible violation/infraction of a Charity or Professional Fund-raiser

If you are a donor . . .
bullet item Search the Charity Database bullet item Ask Us When You Have a Question About a Charity
bullet item Phony Philanthropy bullet item Giving Wisely Program
bullet item Name Removal from Solicitation Lists bullet item Speaker's Bureau
bullet item Visit our office to review records filed by registered charities bullet item How to Donate a Vehicle to Charity - Information from MVA
In response to the many questions about particular organizations and programs, the Division provides additional information for donors on the organizations and its programs.
bullet item TREA Senior Citizens League's Notch Program
   Teach Tolerance is a program of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
bullet item For additional information on the Southern Poverty Law Center, enter the organizations' name in the keyword
   field of the database
Questions: Telephone:(410) 974-5534 or (800) 825-4510 (within Maryland)