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Holiday Closure Announcement
(Published: May 22, 2012)

Due to the state holiday, the Office of the Secretary of State will be closed Monday, May 28. If you have business with the office, please plan accordingly.

Charitable Fundraising Reports Updated
(Published: May 21, 2012)
New Law Will Bring More Transparency to Disaster Relief Fundraising
(Published: May 23, 2011)

Within the last 13 months, Middle Tennessee and West Tennessee suffered record flooding and East Tennessee battled deadly tornadoes. These natural disasters have given birth to a new state industry: disaster relief.

Since Tennesseans have shown that they are still volunteers, ready to lend a hand when disaster strikes, new charities and organizations have formed to help meet the needs of victims. Now a new law, Public Chapter 232, will make it easier to see how the hard-earned money donated to organizations engaged in disaster relief is spent.

New Forms:

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Give with Caution when Helping Storm Victims
(Published: April 29, 2011)

April brought tremendous storm damage to Tennessee and surrounding states. In the wake of this week’s tragedy, many Tennesseans may want to help by giving their time or money. Secretary of State Tre Hargett advises people to use caution when donating money to those claiming they will provide help to storm victims.

“Tennesseans are very generous people who want to help when disasters like this occur,” Secretary Hargett said. “Unfortunately, there are corrupt individuals and organizations who may try to take advantage of that generosity. Before making charitable contributions, would-be donors should try to learn as much as they can about individuals and organizations who claim to be raising money for relief efforts.”

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