U.S. Map of Commercial Co-Venture Regulations

What you see below is a resource-rich clickable map that contains state-by-state guidance on local commercial co-venture laws.

Disclaimer: Resources contained in this map may vary in accuracy and timeliness. Many are links to State Legislatures, Attorney General's Offices, Departments of Justice, and Secretary of State Offices.

Cause Marketer's commercial co-venture laws directory map

First a note about charitable solicitation and commercial co-venture laws:

Not all states require nonprofits to register their fundraising efforts. I am not a legal expert, FYI. That being said, legally commercial co-venture laws are different, generally requiring much less documentation than what is required for charitable solicitors.

Professional Solicitors, for example, are required to register, which often involves fees, in all but 6 states and the District of Columbia.

Commercial co-venturers, which is the category most cause marketers fall into (as of 2017) are required to file and report in only a handful of states, including Alabama, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Mississippi, and South Carolina among them.

To learn more about charitable solicitations, take a look at this IRS article.

Definitions: What are the Different Fundraising Designations?

The lack of a unified legal doctrine around fundraising and commercial co-venture laws makes establishing a cause marketing partnership a bit intimidating. Several states participate in Unified Registration, but each state needs your specific attention to ensure you are in compliance with local laws.

I’ve assembled some definitions to summarize the most common fundraising types in order to help clarify what category a business or nonprofit may fall in.

Here are three of the most common fundraising types:

Fundraising Counsel– This is a fundraising consultancy or firm which provided advice, strategy, resources, techniques, contacts, and leads and generally guides, advises, and trains a nonprofit to optimize and obtain better results in their fundraising goals. Fundraising counsels must register with the nonprofits they serve in the majority of States.
Professional Solicitor- Professional solicitors are for-profit businesses that nonprofits may hire to solicit funds on their behalf. These agencies often seek direct donations by way of phone campaigns, email campaigns, direct street-level solicitation, and other means. Professional Solicitors are also required to register in the majority of States.
Commercial Co-Venturers- A company engages in commercial co-ventures when they agree to give a percentage of sales to a nonprofit or charity. This for-profit/non-profit partnership is beneficial for the nonprofit and the business in a variety of ways. The nonprofit lends credibility, trust, and cause-related marketing power to the company while potentially reducing the partner company’s advertising expenses. What the non-profit gets in return is a percentage of the sales of products, resulting in often substantial revenues to the nonprofit. That’s what the Support4Good Web App (coming soon) is all about. Commercial co-ventures are not as heavily regulated as the previous two models, however, laws governing these relationships change frequently. There are at least two States that require bonding in addition to registration.

A commercial co-venture partnership can take on a variety of creative forms- branded advertising is one route that is most visible and used by the biggest and most powerful brands in the world. But there are other methods, like affiliate partnerships that allow nonprofits to control the advertising and sometimes even the branding of an e-commerce shop

List of Contacts For Inquiries

Given that laws are constantly changing with regard to these public/private partnerships, the best way to be sure you are going into a new venture correctly is to contact the state you will be doing business in, as well as the state in which your business has nexus and complete any required registration before you initiate a new fundraising campaign.

Below is a state-by-state directory to help you get started.

Alabama 334–242–7300 – Register
Arkansas 501–683–0094 – Register
Connecticut 860 713–6170 – Email
Georgia 844-753-7825 – Register
Illinois 312-814-2595
Kansas 785–296–4564
Maine 207–626–8400
Michigan 517-373-1820
Missouri 573–751–4153
Nevada 775–684–5708
New Mexico 505–827–4508
North Carolina 919-814-5400
Oklahoma 405–522–2520
Rhode Island 401-462-9500
Tennessee 615–741–2286
Vermont 802–828–2386
West Virginia 304–558–8000

Alaska 907-269–5100 –File
California 916 653–6814 – Register
Delaware 302–739–3073 – Not Required
Hawaii 808–586–1480
Indiana 317–232–6531
Kentucky 502–564–3490
Maryland 410–974–5521
Minnesota 651–642–1904
Montana 406–444–2034
New Hampshire 603–271–3658
New York 518–473–2492
North Dakota 701-328-2900
Oregon 971-673-1880
South Carolina 803–734–3970
Texas 512–463–5578
Virginia 804–786–1343
Wisconsin 262–719–6177

Arizona 602–542–6187 – Only Veterans Charities must apply
Colorado 303–894–2200 – Register
Florida 850–435–7352 – Register
Idaho 208–334–2301
Iowa 515–281–5204
Louisiana 225-929-LANO
Massachusetts 617–727–9640
Mississippi 601–359–1350
Nebraska 402–471–8606
New Jersey 866–534–7789
Ohio 800-282-0515
Pennsylvania 717-783-1720
South Dakota 605–773–3537
Utah 801–530–6601
Washington 360–725–0378
Wyoming 307–777–7311

For more context on the value of commercial co-ventures during times of crisis, I recommend checking out the article over at youmightbeawinner.com

This article was originally published on one of my old blogs: apuforlife.com