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Purpose of the report
The Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act (“The
Act”) requires charities and paid solicitors that ask for contributions in
Colorado to file registration documents with the Secretary of State’s Office
and requires that the Secretary of State compile and publish an annual report
on charitable solicitations.
The purpose of the charities registration program
and the Annual Report on Charitable
Solicitations is to protect the public’s interest. Public disclosure helps potential donors make informed
choices as to which charitable causes should be supported, and it increases public
faith in legitimate charities. Thousands
of charitable organizations in Colorado provide vital services not otherwise
provided by government or the private sector, and the vast majority of these
organizations are pursuing their missions with tremendous dedication and
integrity. The registry and annual report also help charitable
organizations make informed decisions when contracting with paid solicitors.. The
entire registry of charities and fundraisers filings is available on the
Secretary of State’s web site through a searchable database at www.checkthecharity.com.
The report begins by providing a basic overview of
the Secretary of State’s role in regulating charities and their fundraising
activities in the State of Colorado. It then identifies best practices and tips
that charities can consult to improve their own operations and potential donors
can use to assess charities before making donations. After an overview of the
laws and rules governing the Secretary of State’s regulatory functions, the
report concludes with an analysis of charitable solicitations and charitable
giving in Colorado for the year 2012.
The 2012 annual report data is
available as a series of downloadable Excel files.
These files present summary data on charitable solicitations activity in
Colorado during 2012 and list the short-term and long-term results of
solicitation campaigns run by each paid solicitor.
In addition, each filing submitted by charities
and fundraisers since 2002 can be found in the charities database at www.checkthecharity.com. This is a publicly-accessible database that
allows users to examine operational and financial trends for particular
organizations and confirm whether an organization is registered and in good
standing. Real-time lists of suspended
organizations also let you see at a glance which organizations cannot legally
solicit contributions in Colorado.
You can also order a copy of the entire charities
database on CD by contacting the Charities Program at (303) 894-2200,
option 2, or by email at charitable@sos.state.co.us.
