California Charitable Fundraising Platform Law (CA AB-488)

Engaging Networks is registered with the California Attorney General’s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers as a Charitable Fundraising Platform. This is in accordance with the new California Charitable Fundraising Platform Law (CA AB-488) which went into effect January 2024. The law requires any payment processing platform such as Engaging Networks to verify that their clients (who solicit online donations from residents of California) are registered in the state of California, and if not, they are to block those donations. Specifically, the law prohibits charitable fundraising platforms from assisting organizations not in “good standing” in California with making charitable solicitations to and receiving funds from California residents.

How this impacts our clients: 

If you are a fundraising client and you solicit online donations from residents of California, you need to confirm and monitor your organization’s good standing in three key databases: 

(1) CA Attorney General Registry, 

(2) CA Franchise Tax Board Entity Status, and 

(3) IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search

This is a good reminder that it is essential to stay on top of registration renewals and compliance.

This version was last updated on September 2024.