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
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—6-701 of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
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 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.
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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 |
