Fundraising Counsels for Charitable Purposes

Registration is required before providing any fundraising counsel services to any charity: before managing, advising, counseling, consulting, or preparing materials to solicit donations for charitable purposes.

Registration must be renewed by January 15 of each calendar year in which the fundraising counsel does business, and is effective for one year.

Yes. Government Code section 12586.1 states that in addition to a registration fee, a fundraising counsel may be assessed a twenty-five dollars ($25) late fee for each month or part of the month after the date on which the registration or required reports were due if the fundraising counsel does any of the following:

• Exists and operates in California without being registered.
• Solicits contributions in California without being registered or, if applicable, bonded.
• Fails to correct the deficiencies in its registration or annual report within 30 days of receipt of written notice of those deficiencies.

The Attorney General has the option of imposing penalties instead of late fees under Government Code section 12591.1.

The written contract must contain or state:

• The legal name and address of the organizations as registered with the Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, unless the charitable organization is exempt from registration
• The charitable purpose for which the solicitation campaign is being conducted.
• The obligations of the fundraising counsel and charitable organization under the contract.
• A statement that the fundraising counsel will not solicit funds or property for charitable purposes or hire anyone else to do so.
• A statement that the fundraising counsel will not receive or control funds or property solicited for charitable purposes or hire anyone else to do so.
• A statement that the charitable organization exercises control and approves the content and frequency of solicitation.
• A clear statement of the fees and any other forms of compensation that will be paid to the fundraising counsel.
• The effective and termination date of the contract, and the date the solicitation will start.
• Provisions stating the charitable organization’s right to cancel the contract without liability for 10 days following the date the contract is executed; and the charity’s right to cancel the contract after the initial period by giving a 30-day notice and paying fundraising counsel for services provided by the fundraising counsel up to the effective date of the notice.

For more detailed information about the mandatory contractual requirements, see Government Code section 12599.1, subdivision (f).

If there are common directors, officers and employees between the fundraising counsel and the charitable organization for which services are being provided a copy of the contract will need to be filed. Otherwise, there is no requirement that a copy of the contract be submitted unless specifically requested by the Attorney General's Office.

Fundraising counsels for charitable purposes are required to file a Notice of Intent to Provide Services Related to Charitable Solicitation, not less than 10 working days before the start of each solicitation campaign, event or service. For campaigns to solicit aid for victims of emergency hardship or disasters, the notice must be filed not later than at the start of solicitation. See Form CT-11CF, Notice of Intent to Provide Services Related to Charitable Solicitation, available for download on this webpage.

[See Government Code, section 12599.1, subdivision (e)]

Fundraising counsel are prohibited from directly or indirectly controlling funds, assets, or property received as a result of the solicitation. This means that fundraising counsel cannot approve or veto the payment of expenses from any account to which funds received from a solicitation were deposited. A fundraising counsel cannot maintain an interest over a bank account or have any access over funds held by a caging company on behalf of the charitable organization. If the fundraising counsel has direct or indirect control over the funds or assets solicited, it will be considered a commercial fundraiser and additional registration and reporting requirements will apply. See Government Code section 12599.1, subdivision (a).

No, the employees of a charitable organization are not included in the definition of a fundraising counsel. See Government Code section 12599.1, subdivision (b)(3).

If the fundraising counsel make less than $25,000 in total annual gross compensation for acting as a fundraising counsel, it will not fall under the definition of a fundraising counsel for charitable purposes. See Government Code section 12599.1, subdivision (b)(6).

If your company only provides graphic services and does not consult on the content of the solicitation materials, then you may not need to register as a fundraising counsel. Likewise, if your company only provides printing services without consulting on the content of the solicitation materials, then you may not need to register as a fundraising counsel.

The Online Filing Service allows charitable organizations and fundraisers to submit filings to the Registry of Charities and Fundraisers. Fundraising Counsels can use the Online Filing Service to submit annual registration filings with supporting documents and fees (Form CT-3CF), and to submit notices of intent to provide services related to charitable solicitation for charitable purposes (Form CT-11CF). Registrants can also respond to requests for additional information, and manage their registration through the Online Filing Service.

To create an account, visit the Online Filing Service and select “Sign up now.” Enter an email address to receive a verification code, then verify your email. After that, enter your name and create a password.

If your organization has an existing registration with the Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, link your Online Filing Service account to your organization’s registration record. If you have your organization’s registration code, navigate to the My Registrations section, and select “Don't see your registration? Click here to find it.” You will be prompted to enter the organization’s registration code and an identifying number associated with the organization, such as the FEIN, to link the registration to your account. Once linked (which may take hours), the organization will appear under My Registrations.

If you do not have the organization’s registration code, log in to the Online Filing Service, navigate to the My Registrations section, and select “Click here if you need help accessing your registration.” From there, submit a support request and provide information about the organization, including any identifying information you have available (such as the FEIN), along with your role with the organization. The Registry of Charities and Fundraisers will review your request and assist you with gaining access to the organization's registration record, if appropriate.

Note: For security purposes, registration codes are only provided to individuals who are authorized to access and manage the organization’s record.

For fundraising counsels registered in 2026, an Online Filing Service registration code letter is being mailed to the registrant’s address on record in August or September 2026 with the code.

If you cannot locate your registration code, you may request assistance through the Online Filing Service.

To request assistance, log in to the Online Filing Service and navigate to the My Registrations section. Select “Click here if you need help accessing your registration” and submit a support request. Be sure to provide the organization's name, any identifying information available (such as the FEIN), and your relationship to the organization.

The Registry of Charities and Fundraisers will review your request and, if appropriate, assist you with accessing the organization’s registration record or obtaining a new registration code.

Note: For security purposes, registration codes are only provided to individuals who are authorized to access and manage the organization’s record.

Once logged into the Online Filing Service, select the “Start a New Registration” button, and then select the Professional Fundraiser registration type.  Then the Online Filing Service asks, “Which type of professional fundraiser are you applying or renewing for?” Select Fundraising Counsel.”

If you are renewing the registration of a fundraising counsel, navigate to the Professional Fundraisers section, and select the “File an Annual Renewal” button.

If your organization’s registration does not show as a registration to renew, ensure your Online Filing Service user account is linked to your organization’s registration record. For instructions on linking a registration record, see Frequently Asked Question 2. If your Online Filing Service user account is linked to your organization’s registration record, please contact the Professional Fundraisers Program for further assistance.

The $500 initial and renewal registration fee must be paid at the time of filing. The Online Filing Service accepts secure online payments via credit card or Automated Clearing House (ACH), which is payment using the organization's checking account.

No. Registration fees are not refundable, as all Form CT-3CF filings are processed even if a filing is rejected or submitted in error. This includes duplicate filings, incomplete submissions, or filings submitted by organizations that are already registered. Please confirm your organization's registration status before submitting Form CT-3CF and paying the registration fee.

Filing a complete Form CT-3CF starts the registration process. Filings are reviewed to determine whether a registration should be granted. A registration number is assigned by the Registry of Charities and Fundraisers to each registered fundraising counsel and registration is effective for the remainder of the calendar year. Registration renewal occurs on an annual basis thereafter through the filing of Form CT-3CF.  The fundraising counsel will continue to use its registration number that was issued in the initial registration process for the renewal registration process.  See Government Code section 12598, subdivision (e)(1), and California Code of Regulations, title 11, sections 339 to 341 for when registration may be refused, suspended or revoked.

Filings are processed based on the date of receipt, provided the filing is complete. Once approved, the Registry emails a confirmation of registration with the organization’s registration number and registration code. If the filing is incomplete or there are additional questions, the Registry emails the organization a notice with the information or documents requested.

Applicants can review the status of a filing in the Online Filing Service. Once logged in, go to the My Submissions section. Under the Initial Applications for Registration heading, check both the Submitted and Action Required tabs.

The registration code can be used to link your registration as a fundraising counsel with an Online Filing Service user account. Your registration code is not publicly available. Keep it secure, and do not share it with anyone, unless they are authorized to sign and submit filings in the Online Filing Service on your behalf (under penalty of perjury). Under no circumstances can a registration code be used to submit unauthorized filings, or to permit one registrant to submit filings for another registrant.

Once logged into the Online Filing Service, navigate to the Professional Fundraisers section and select the “File a Notice of Intent” button. Then the Online Filing Service asks, “Which type of professional fundraiser are you filing for?” Select “Fundraising Counsel.”

When completing Form CT-11CF, you are asked to provide information on the charitable organization you are reporting on. The state charity registration number can be obtained by looking up the charitable organization’s record in the Registry Search Tool. This is the registration number assigned by the Registry to the charitable organization, and typically begins with CT. It is not the Entity ID.  

Registrants can review the status of a filing in the Online Filing Service. Once logged in, navigate to the My Submissions section, and select the type of filing (e.g. Initial Applications, Renewals, Notices of Intent). Then check both the Submitted and Action Required tabs.

To view a filing in the Online Filing Service, after logging in, navigate to the My Submissions section, and select the type of filing (e.g. Initial Applications, Renewals, Notices of Intent). Under the Submitted tab, the submitted filing is listed, even if it is pending processing. An online version of the filing is viewable.

To view an accepted filing in the Registry Search Tool, look up your organization’s record, and in the Registrations section, select your organization’s registration number to view registration-specific filings. Then select the type of filing (e.g., Initial Applications, Renewals, Notices of Intent) for an online version of the filing. Select the Correspondence tab for an official PDF copy of the filing and other notifications.

Yes. You can save your progress at any point using the Save as Draft option and return later to complete your filing. In the Online Filing Service, drafts are saved in the My Submissions section, under the Created tab for the type of filing (e.g. Initial Applications, Renewals, Notices of Intent).

Submitting a duplicate filing may result in processing delays, rejected filings, and duplicate records. If your organization is already registered, has a registration in progress, or has previously submitted forms or fees, do not submit a new registration through the Online Filing Service.

An authorized agent can sign and file Forms CT-3CF and CT-11CF on behalf of the registrant.