Do I have to register online?

Yes. All filings with our office are online, including registration, renewals, amendments, and other forms.

Do I need to register?

All charitable organizations that plan to solicit contributions, have contributions solicited on their behalf, or participate in charitable promotions must register by law, with only a few exceptions [1].

How do I register?

Have you already created an account (or had one created for you by the organization’s primary authorized officer) and received your user ID and password? If not, create an account first.

• Log in to your account with your user ID and password. Need help logging in?

• The first time that you log in, you will be taken to your dashboard. Find your initial registration under the panel labeled, “Open Filings.” Click on the “Registration” link.

• Review the information on the Registration page, then click on "Continue" at the bottom of the page.

• The next page will show you the steps for the registration. You don't have to complete all of the steps at once; if you click on "Save" at the bottom of any page, the information that you entered will be saved. If you leave the site and come back at a later time, the steps that you have completed will appear as links. Click on any of the linked steps to return to that page of the form.

• Otherwise, click on "Next" at the bottom of the page to continue.

• Fill out the information required on the form. Line-by-line instructions.

• When you have finished entering information, you will electronically sign the registration and then complete the payment process.

How do I fill out the financial report if my organization is new or I don't have financial figures for the most recently completed fiscal year?

You can file your initial registration using estimated financial information, but you must update with actual financial figures by filing an “Amendment-Estimates” on or before the 15th day of the eighth month following the close of the fiscal year.  Be sure to mark the new financial information as “actual” rather than “estimated.” With an initial registration, you may not file estimated financial information for an accounting period that has not yet begun, which might mean your first financial report will cover a short period.

If you file an initial registration with actual financial information outside of the most recently completed fiscal year, and you will not be able to file the next financial report on or before 15th day of the eighth month after the close of the fiscal year, you may request an extension of that deadline.  The extension request must be filed on or before the 17th day after the renewal deadline, or, if that date is already in the past when you file the initial registration, within five days from the initial registration approval (see 8 CCR 1505-9, Rule 5.1).  Otherwise the organization’s registration will expire, and the organization may be subject to fines when it reinstates its registration. 

What are the most common reasons for rejecting a registration?

1. Principal place of business or individual is not a street address. As an option, you may also list a mailing address that is a private mailbox or a post office box, but you must provide a street address of the organization’s usual place of business.

2. Financial report lists $0.00 in all revenue and expense categories and/or the balance sheet information is missing or incorrect.

3. Legal form of the charitable organization is listed incorrectly. For example, “501c3” is not a legal form, but rather refers to the section of the Internal Revenue under which an organization is exempt from federal income tax. Examples of legal form are “nonprofit corporation” or “unincorporated nonprofit association.”

4. Invalid authorized officer signed the filing. Only an officer of the organization as listed in the bylaws may sign the filing.

I have other questions about registration.

See our registration FAQs or contact us at 303-894-2200, option 2, or charitable@coloradosos.gov if you have other questions.

[1] 6-16-104(6), C.R.S.