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Co​nsumer Alert: Maryland Businesses Receiving Fake “2023 Certificate of Good Standing Request Form” Letter; Same Scam Letter Circulated in 2019 and 2020 ~ Please click here to read full Consumer Alert

​ Due to the large volume of annual charity registration applications received during this time of the year, we anticipate a processing time of approximately 6-8 weeks after receipt of your annual charity registration application. We appreciate your patience as we work as quickly as we can to review and respond to all annual charity registration applications.

  ​If you already submitted a paper application, do not submit an additional online application for the same fiscal year(s). If you already submitted an online application, do not submit an additional paper application for the same fiscal year(s).​
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The following SOS Handbook is available for purchase​:

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Online Charity Dat​abase System Info Effective August 2022

​You may now submit your initial and subsequent annual charitable solicitation registration online on Maryland's OneStop Portal. Your charity was emailed a message from the new online system to advise you to claim your record and register online. The email was sent to the email address submitted on your charity's most recent registration form. To renew your charity's registration, click the OneStop Portal link: https://onestop.md.gov/tags/5d1538807ccc6701ed6141d6​ and log in to your charity's OneStop account.

If you previously submitted charity registration paperwork via U.S. Mail, it will be processed. Submitting it online will cause a duplicate entry and double-payment.

​Links to user guides and a video are below, they may help you to set up and use the online system.

• One Stop Accounts User Guide ​
  
• One Stop Account Log In Video Guide 
  
• Charity Registration User Guide 
  
• Professional Solicitor, Fund-Raising Counsel, Public Safety Solicitor Registration User Guide ​
  
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​ NEWLY AD​OPTED CHARITY REGULATIONS - EFFECTIVE 8/8/2022

• Charity Regulations-COMAR 01.02.03 - ​ ​click​ he​re
• Charity Regulations-COMAR 01.02.04 - click here

The Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) serves as the central repository of all required business filings that must be submitted to the State of Maryland. These filings include Articles of Incorporation to create a tax-exempt nonstock corporation, Articles of Organization to form an LLC, and the required Annual Report that every entity registered with SDAT must submit each year by April 15 to remain in good standing in Maryland. SDAT strongly encourages the use of Maryland Business Express, SDAT's award winning online business filing portal, when submitting any of these documents to the Department, as online filing provides the fastest processing speeds and the easy tracking of filing status. For general support regarding the filing of documents with SDAT, please call 410-767-1330. SDAT is not a part of the Secretary of State's Office.​​

Charity Town Halls​

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1. 4/3/23 Charity Town Hall Recording: Compliance & Enforcement...How to Avoid Complaints​
   
   
2. 2/27/23 Charity Town Hall Recording: Registration Requirements for Charitable Organizations​
   
   
3. 11/17/22 Charity Town Hall Recording: Applying to the 2023 Maryland Charity Campaign​
   
   
4. 11/15/22 Charity Town Hall Recording: Donor Education
   
   
5. 11/3/22 Charity Town Hall Recording: Charity Town Hall: Comptroller/State Department of Assessments & Taxation/Secretary of State Filing Requirements​
   
   
6. 10/21/22 Charity Town Hall Recording: How to Escape a C​yberpunk! How charities can avoid becoming a victim of cybercrime​
   
   
7. ​​ 6/21/22 Charity Town Hall Recording: Professional Solicitor and Fund-Raising Counsel Town Hall Presentation​​​
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8. 4/4/22 Charity Town Hall Recording: Compliance & Enforcement - How to Avoid Complaints
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9. 2/28/22 Charity Town ​Hall Recording: Registration Requirements for Charities​ ​​
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10. Charity Town Hall on Donor Education November 15, 2021​​​
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11. 10/22/2021 Charity Town Hall on Cybercrime-Tips from Charity Leaders (video from the town hall) - - To view the slides from this town hall click here ​​
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12. 10/19/21 Charity Town Hall: Stop Cybercrime in its Tracks...Tips for Protecting Charities (video from the town hall) - - To view the slides from this town hall click here​​
    
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Upcoming Events

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1. ​6/20/23 at 10am Charity Town Hall: Professional Solicitor or Fundraising Counsel Registration Requirements
   
2. 10/16/23 at 10am Charity Town Hall: How to Resolve Charity Delinquency
3. 11/6/23 at 10am Charity Town Hall: Charitable Organizations Registration Requirements Through the Lens of the Secretary of State, Comptroller, State Department of Assessments & Taxation
4. ​ 11/27/23 at 10am Charity Town Hall: Donor Education: Don't Get Stung by a Scam...Tips for Donating Wisely ​

Announ​cements​

1. Donor Beware: Ukraine
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2. Charity Registration Extension for Victims of Tornadoes in 6 US States​
   
   

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Charities and Legal Services Division Annual Reports

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• Charities and Legal Services Division Annual Report for fiscal year ending 6/30/2022​
• ​Charities and Legal Services Division Annual Report for fiscal year ending 6/30/2021​​​
• Charities and Legal Services Division Annual Report for fiscal year ending 6/30/2020
  
• Charities and Legal Services Division Annual Report for fiscal year ending 6/30/2019
  

** If you are a donor, click here **

• Online Giving Donor and Consumer Guide
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​The Charitable Organizations Division annually registers, regulates and renews charitable organizations, Professional Solicitors and Fund-Raising Counsel soliciting charitable contributions 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 Progra​​m 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—6-701 of the Annotated Code of Maryland.  

 

If you are a charity . . .


• Charity Registration
• Disclosure & Financial Statements
  
• ​ Maryland Sal​es and Use Tax Exemption
  
• How to Start a Non-Profit Organization in Maryland
• Community Law Center Non-Profit Filing Calendar
• Nonprofit Development Center
• Life Cycle of a Public Charity (IRS)
• Raffles of Real & Personal Property
• Maryland Charity Campaign
  
  

 

Many states have solicitation acts similar to the Maryland Solicitations Act. These statutes also generally require registration of charitable organizations soliciting in their states. click here​ for the print 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.

Professional Solicitors and Fund-raising Counsel


• Information for Professional Solicitors, Fund-raising Counsel and Public Safety Solicitors
• Professional Solicitors & Fund-raising Counsel List
• Suggestions for working with a Paid Fund-Raiser
  
  

Questions:	Telephone Numbers:
Shawn Estrada	(410) 260-3974
Stephanie Marsiglia	(410) 974-2620
Jasmine Neal	(410) 974​-5549
Tricia Wetzel	(410) 260-3890
Kimberly Smith	(410) 260-3879