Section 19: Registration of charitable organization; filing of statement; contents
Section 19. Every charitable organization, except one granted an exemption under the provisions of section twenty, which intends to solicit contributions from persons within the commonwealth or have contributions solicited on its behalf by other charitable organizations, commercial co-venturers, or professional solicitors shall, prior to any such solicitation, file an annual registration statement with the division upon prescribed forms, which shall be refiled in the next and each following year in which such charitable organization is engaged in solicitation activities; provided, that the provisions of this chapter have been complied with, the director of the division shall issue a certificate of registration to a charitable organization within ten days of receipt of the registration statement. No charitable organization required to be registered under this section shall solicit funds without a valid certificate of registration. The president, chairman or principal officer of such charitable organization shall file the statements required under sections eighteen to thirty-five, inclusive. Such statements shall be sworn to and shall contain the following information: (1) The name of the organization and the purpose for which it was organized; (2) the address of the organization and the address of any offices in this commonwealth or, if the organization does not maintain an office, the name and address of the person having custody of its financial records; (3) the place where and the date when the organization was legally established, the form of its organization and its tax exempt status for federal income tax purposes; (4) the names and the addresses of the officers, directors and trustees and the principal salaried executive staff officers; (5) a copy of the annual financial report for the organization's immediate preceding fiscal year as required under section eight F of chapter twelve; (6) whether the organization intends to solicit contributions from the public; (7) whether the organization is authorized by any other governmental authority to solicit contributions and whether it is or has ever been enjoined by any court from soliciting contributions; (8) the charitable purpose or purposes for which the contributions to be solicited shall be used; (9) the name or names under which it intends to solicit contributions; (10) the names of the individuals or officers of the organization who shall have final responsibility for the custody of the contributions; (11) the names of the individuals or officers of the organization responsible for the final distribution of the contributions. The registration forms and any other documents prescribed by the division shall be signed by any two authorized officers, including the chief fiscal officer, of the charitable organization and shall be verified under oath. Every charitable organization which will be soliciting funds before its first annual financial report is due under section eight F of chapter twelve, except an organization granted an exemption under section twenty, shall pay to the division a registration fee of fifty dollars before soliciting funds. Every charitable organization having one or more chapters, branches or affiliates in this commonwealth and filing on behalf of such chapter, branches or affiliates shall pay a single registration fee.