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Tennessee Department of State

Charitable Fundraising
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Charitable Fundraising Reports Updated
(Published: March 17, 2010)
Portland Man Faces Criminal and Civil Penalties for Running Bogus Charity
(Published: January 13, 2010)

A Portland man faces possible prison time and at least $40,000 in civil penalties after fraudulently representing himself as a Robertson County deputy sheriff who was raising money for a charitable publication to be produced by the sheriff’s office.

Branden L. Fitzgerald, 19, was arrested and notified of the civil penalties against him this week following cooperative efforts involving the state’s Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming and the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigation found that Fitzgerald did business under the name Local Youth Prevention Services.

Read More...

Ensure Your Charitable Contribution Goes to Charity
(Published: December 21, 2009)

(This column was originally published in the Johnson City Press Dec. 13, 2009.)

The three wise men are among the Christmas season’s best-known icons. However, when it comes to charitable contributions, some of us don’t always make wise decisions.

The period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is traditionally one of the busiest fundraising periods of the year for many charities. Some collect as much as half of their total contributions during the holidays. That isn’t too surprising since many of us, filled with the holiday spirit, give some of our money to worthy causes at this time of year.

The problem, though, is some charities aren’t quite as charitable as they lead people to believe. In some cases, only a small portion (or none) of the money they receive is actually spent on their charitable missions.

And so, just as people are trying to make the most of their purchases during these economic hard times, it is important to make sure the dollars you donate to charity are good investments as well.

Read More...

 

Burst Icon Go to Charitable News Archive

The Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming assists and protects Tennessee citizens by informing them about charities seeking their contributions. The division does this through the following activities:

  • Requiring certain types of charitable organizations who solicit contributions to register their activities with the division.
  • Requiring professional fundraisers to register with the division.
  • Reviewing applications of qualifying 501(c)(3) charitable organizations who wish to hold an annual gaming fundraising event, such as a raffle or a reverse raffle.
  • Requiring those who raise money to pay for the medical or related expenses of an individual with a catastrophic illness to establish a trust, and to file written notice to the division about the trust.

The division seeks to:

    1. Make the information obtained from the above activities available to citizens to assist them in making decisions about their charitable giving, and
    2. Assist charitable organizations meet the legal requirements as they relate to charitable fundraising.
    3. Enforce the laws relating to charitable fundraising

 

Citizens will find a large amount of useful information here to assist them in determining if a charitable organization which is fundraising is meeting the legal requirements to do so, and if the organization is one to which they wish to donate.

Organizations will find the applicable laws and definitions to assist them in fully complying with the law.

Charitable Solicitations and Gaming
Todd Kelley, Director
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
Snodgrass Tower, 8th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
615-741-2555
charitable.solicitations@tn.gov

 

Below are answers to frequently asked questions.

Can't find what you need? Contact Charitable Fundraising at (615) 741-2555, 1-800-861-7393 (complaints about solicitations) or charitable.solicitations@tn.gov