Nevada Changes Charity Registration Requirements

Previously in Nevada, if you if you wanted to collect donations for your nonprofit all you had to do was start knocking on door and asking for money. Now, however, Nevada has changed their regulations concerning nonprofit and charity registration.

According to Nevada Revised Statutes 294A.225, your nonprofit must register as a charity before:

• Soliciting or receiving contributions from another person, group, or entity
• Making contributions to candidates or other people
• Making political expenditures

Most states require charity registration before a nonprofit corporation can solicit donations or conduct other business activity. Some states, however, do not require general charity registration, including Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Wyoming. In fact, Arizona has recently removed certain charity registration requirements for nonprofits as well.

How do I register my Nevada nonprofit?
Nevada has furnished a Nonprofit Corporation Registration Form. It’s fairly simple to fill out, requiring only the name of the nonprofit, the mailing address, the names, titles, and addresses of each officer, a signature, date and telephone number of the representative of the nonprofit corporation who is filing the form. The form should then be sent to:

Secretary of State, Elections Division
101 North Carson Street, STE. 3
Carson City, NV, 89701-4789

This registration must be completed upon the filing of your nonprofit’s articles of incorporation, or when your nonprofit files its annual list of officers and directors with the Nevada secretary of state, including a copy of IRS Form 990, as well as the business license application (unless, of course, you have 501c tax-exempt status). After this form is filed, all of that information is public knowledge, and housed on the Nevada secretary of state’s website.

How do you feel about the addition or removal of charity registration requirements? Some might view it as a move to further transparency among charities and nonprofits, and some see it as more state regulation to deal with. Voice your opinion in the comments, and as always, thanks for reading.

-Drake