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Below, you'll find licensing requirements for a range of fundraising activities.
At a glance, you can see requirements, fees, filing instructions, and links to forms for
everything from charitable gaming and cause marketing to professional fundraisers and
charitable gift annuities.
Make sure your fundraising activities meet the unique requirements of each jurisdiction where
you’re soliciting. Feel free to explore, bookmark, and share!
Fees vary by type of games offered. $200 for bingo and as much as $5,000 for instant bingo, depending on revenue.
Due:
Annually by January 1.
Ohio Charitable Gift Annuity Registration
Not required
Charitable Gift Annuity licensure is not required on the State level in Ohio.
Ohio statutes do not address charitable gift annuities, but the state generally considers charities that issue annuities exempt from insurance regulation.
Any governmental unit. For purposes of this paragraph, "governmental unit" means a political subdivision, agency, department, county, parish, municipal corporation, instrumentality or other unit of the government of the United States, a state, or a foreign country.
Organizations which are organized and operated exclusively for religious purposes. These include churches, conventions and associations of churches, or integrated auxiliaries of a church.
Educational institutions which normally maintain a regular faculty and curriculum and normally have a regular body of pupils or students in attendance at the place where its educational activities are carried on
Charitable trusts in which all charitable interests are contingent, revocable, or subject to an unlimited power of invasion for purposes other than charitable purposes
Charitable trusts which are not located in Ohio. For purposes of this paragraph, a charitable trust is located in Ohio and must register if not otherwise exempt if it is incorporated or otherwise organized in Ohio, conducts program services in Ohio or has assets in Ohio. For the purpose of this paragraph, "assets" includes cash, inventory, equipment, real estate, securities, investments, financial accounts and any other property
Charitable Organizations Act Exemptions:
Any religious agencies and organizations, and charities, agencies, and organizations operated, supervised, or controlled by a religious organization
Any charitable organization that meets all of the following requirements:
It has been in continuous existence in this state for a period of at least two years;
It has received from the internal revenue service a determination letter that is currently in effect, stating that the charitable organization is exempt from federal income taxation under subsection 501(a) and described in subsection 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
It has registered with the attorney general as a charitable trust pursuant to section 109.26 of the Revised Code;
It has filed an annual report with and paid the required fee to the attorney general pursuant to section 109.31 of the Revised Code.
Any educational institution, when solicitation of contributions is confined to alumni, faculty, trustees, or the student membership and their families
Every person other than an individual, when solicitation of contributions for a charitable purpose or on behalf of a charitable organization is confined to its existing membership, present or former employees, or present or former trustees
Any public primary or secondary school, when solicitation of contributions is confined to alumni, faculty, or the general population of the local school district
Any booster club that is organized and operated in conjunction with and for the benefit of students of public primary or secondary schools
Any charitable organization that does not receive gross revenue, excluding grants or awards from the government or an organization that is exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(a) and described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, in excess of $25,000 during its immediately preceding fiscal year, if the organization does not compensate any person primarily to solicit contributions.
The registration requirement for charities in Ohio is established in two separate sections of law, meaning that charities may be exempt under one act but required to register under the other.
Charities should file an online request for exemption determination if they believe they are exempt. Exemptions do not expire as long as the organization continues to qualify under the exemption criteria.
$0 for organizations that have not yet solicited in Ohio. Fees range from $0-$200, depending on contributions, for organizations that have previously solicited in Ohio.
Turnaround:
1 week
Original Ink:
Not required
Notarization Required?:
Not required
Notes:
The CFO / treasurer must sign
Some Ohio counties and municipalities may require charities that solicit in-person to register prior to fundraising.
Before you Apply:
Domestic Applicants:
Check the available exemptions to see if your charity is eligible for exemption from the full registration requirement.
Look through the list of required attachments and make sure that you have each required document in hand before starting the registration application.
Foreign Applicants:
Check the available exemptions to see if your charity is eligible for exemption from the full registration requirement.
Look through the list of required attachments and make sure that you have each required document in hand before starting the registration application.
If you will foreign qualify in Ohio, obtain a certificate of good standing from your home state to submit during the foreign qualification process. The certificate cannot be more than 90 days old when filing foreign qualification documents.
For organizations registering under the Ohio Charitable Trust Act:
$0 if assets are less than $25,000
$50 if assets are $25,000 to $100,000
$100 if assets are $100,000 to $500,000
$200 if assets are $500,000 or more
For organizations registering under the Ohio Charitable Organizations Act:
$0 if contributions are less than $5,000
$50 if contributions are $5,000 to $25,000
$100 if contributions are $25,000 to $50,000
$200 if contributions are $50,000 or more
Due:
Annually by the 15th day of the 5th month following the close of your fiscal year. So if your fiscal year ends December 31, then renewal is due by May 15.
There is no official start to the renewal period, so renewals may be submitted as soon as financials become available for the most recently completed fiscal year.
Due Date Extension:
Due dates are automatically extended for 180 days beyond the original due date.
Original Ink:
Not required
Notarization Required?:
Not required
Penalties:
There is a $200 late fee per year per report.
Required Attachments:
List of officers and directors
Reinstatement
Not required
Charities wishing to renew a lapsed registration must submit a renewal filing and financial documents for each year not registered. These filings must be submitted separately with the required fee for each year + $200 per year late fee.
Change of Fiscal Year
Filing Method:
Email to charitableregistration@ohioago.gov
Agency Fee:
$0
Turnaround:
1-2 business days
Notes:
Your fiscal year can be changed by emailing charitableregistration@ohioago.gov written notice of the change including when the change occurred and what the new fiscal year end date is. Alternatively, the organization can email a copy of the short year Form 990 that was filed with the IRS.
Mail, fax, or email to CharitableRegistration@OhioAGO.gov
Agency Fee:
$0
Notes:
An organization that no longer solicits in Ohio should fill out and return a Solicitation Withdrawal form, which the state provides upon request. Fees and/or final annual reports may be required, depending on when the organization ceased soliciting.
Ohio Commercial Co-Venturer Registration
Not required
Commercial Co-venturer licensure is not required on the State level in Ohio.
Ohio does not currently have a traditional registration requirement for commercial co-venturers, but they may need to follow other regulations before and after fundraising events.
Ohio Fundraising Counsel Registration
Not required
Fundraising Counsel licensure is not required on the State level in Ohio.
Fundraising counsels are no longer required to register with the Attorney General's Office.
More information: Ohio Attorney General
With some limited exceptions, a professional solicitor is any person, group, or other entity that, for compensation, performs on behalf of or for the benefit of a charitable organization any service in connection with which contributions are or will be solicited in Ohio by the compensated professional or by any person it employs, procures, or otherwise engages directly or indirectly to solicit contributions; see Ohio Revised Code (ORC) Section 1716.01.
Any bona fide, publicly recognized evangelical, missionary, or religious organization or charities, agencies, or organizations operated, supervised, or controlled by such organizations
Any college, university or school accredited by a regional accrediting association such as the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools or approved by the Department of Education of the state of Ohio, or person acting under the auspices of such colleges, universities or schools
An organization where the solicitation is made solely from the membership of said organization
Any person requesting contributions for the relief of any individual or family, specified by name at the time of the solicitation, if all of the contributions collected, without any deductions whatsoever, are turned over to the named beneficiary
Any person, when contemplated gross contributions of a fund solicitation will not exceed $500 in any one year
Ohio Individual Professional Fundraiser Registration
Not required
Professional Solicitor licensure is not required on the State level in Ohio.
Solicitors who are not employed by a professional fundraising firm but operate independently may be required to register. Employees of professional fundraising firms are generally not required to register as an individual solicitor in Ohio.
Filing fees depend on your individual situation. We do our best to calculate your filing fees
upfront and collect those fees today so we can get started. Your specialist will determine your
exact filing fees and invoice additional fees if required.
