CHARITY/NONPROFITS

All charitable organizations that solicit donations in the State of Missouri that are not exempt as set forth below.

Any person or entity who does business in this state, or holds property in this state for any charitable purpose, and who engages in the activity of soliciting funds or donations for any fraternal, benevolent, social, educational, alumni, historical or other charitable purpose. § 407.453 (1), RSMo

No. Any organization recognized as exempt from taxation under §§ 501(c)(3), (c)(7) or (c)(8) of Internal Revenue Code is not required to register.

Missouri law creates two exceptions to what is considered a solicitation: 

1. Direct grants or allocation of funds received, or solicited from, any affiliated fund-raising organization by a member agency; and
2. Unsolicited contributions received from any individual donor, foundation, trust, governmental agency or other source, unless such contributions are received in conjunction with a solicitation drive.§ 407.453(6), RSMo.

Section 407.453(5), RSMo defines religious organizations as any church, society, sect, temple,….or association of any of the foregoing, or other organization, whether or not incorporated, or any employee thereof… that otherwise qualifies as an exempt organization under § 501(c)(3) that either:

• Meets at more or less regular intervals for worship of a supreme being or higher power, or for mutual support or edification in piety or with respect to the idea that a minimum standard of behavior from the standpoint of overall morality is to be observed; or
• Is an entity that is owned, operated, controlled, supervised or principally supported by, or associated with through the sharing of common religious bonds and convictions, any organization which meets the requirements of this subdivision.

An institution with a defined curriculum, student body and faculty, and which conducts classes on a regular basis. § 407.453(3), RSMo

Prior to soliciting within the State of Missouri. § 407.462.1, RSMo

Within seventy-five days after the end the Charitable Organization’s fiscal year. § 407.462.2, RSMo

A $15 fee must accompany all initial registrations and all renewal statements. § 407.462.1, RSMo

A form is provided for initial and renewal applications in the “Forms” section above. 

Yes, Missouri will accept the Unified Registration Statement (URS) so long as it includes all of the information required by our form and is accompanied by the appropriate fee.

Yes, if you solicit in states other than Missouri you will most likely need to register in those states. Failure to do so can lead to severe adverse consequences. A few states do not require registration, but the vast majority do. You will need to contact each state in which you solicit donations to find out about how to register.

No, only Missouri has this exemption. You will need to contact each state in which you solicit donations to find out about how to register. Failure to do so can lead to severe adverse consequences.

If you solicit funds for charitable purposes without being registered you will violate the consumer fraud provisions contained in Missouri’s Merchandising Practices Act, Chapter 407, RSMo. In short, the Missouri Attorney General’s power to pursue fraud applies to failure to register, the same as any scam, fraud, swindle, etc.  

The penalties can be severe since each solicitation constitutes a separate violation of Missouri law. And under Missouri each individual violation can be punished by a civil penalty of $1,000, a ban on solicitation in Missouri, restitution, and other relief. Since the penalties can be harsh we strongly encourage everyone to err on the side of registering.  

Not yet, but we are working on such a system.

Donna Rodenbaugh at 573-751-3321 or registrations@ago.mo.gov