Give Smart, Episode 6
For nonprofits, staying compliant means thinking beyond the annual Form 990.
In this episode of Give Smart, Ron Barrett, nonprofit compliance specialist at Cogency Global, joins Change to talk about charitable registration, multistate fundraising, and how online fundraising platforms are changing the compliance landscape for nonprofits.
Nonprofits often think first about federal tax filings, but fundraising can also create requirements at the state level.
Ron discusses how charitable registration rules can come into play when organizations solicit donations across multiple states, and why those requirements have become harder to ignore as fundraising has moved online.
For nonprofits with national audiences, keeping track of where they are registered and where they are actively fundraising can become a significant operational task.
Digital fundraising platforms have made it easier for nonprofits to reach donors almost anywhere.
They have also made compliance status more visible.
In states like California, platform rules can affect whether a nonprofit is eligible to appear on a fundraising platform or receive funds. That means a delinquent or incomplete registration is no longer just a filing issue. It can have a direct impact on fundraising.
Ron also discusses how newer state requirements are beginning to intersect with long-standing charitable registration rules.
Another theme from the conversation is that charitable registration is ongoing.
Organizations may need to manage annual renewals, changes in where they fundraise, relationships with outside fundraising vendors, and updates to their organizational information.
As a nonprofit grows, keeping all of those requirements organized can become increasingly difficult, especially when responsibility is spread across legal, finance, and fundraising teams.
That complexity is part of why Change and Cogency Global work together.
Cogency brings deep experience in nonprofit filing and compliance services, while Change provides technology that helps streamline charitable registration and renewal workflows.
You can read more about the partnership in the Change and Cogency Global announcement.
Watch the full episode above to hear Ron discuss multi-state fundraising, the evolution of nonprofit compliance, and what organizations should be thinking about as more fundraising moves online.
Explore more conversations with nonprofit, legal, and impact leaders in the Give Smart video series.
