Which public records Ohio keeps about a charity that asks you for money, in the state's own words. The agency the research names is the Ohio Attorney General, Charitable Law Section. 9 official sources back this page. Last checked 2026-07-21.
Free to read. No account needed. Nothing on this page is a rating or an endorsement of any organization.
What this state records about charities that ask you for money
Registration is a filing requirement, not a rating. States exempt whole categories of organization from it, so an organization that does not appear in a state record is not necessarily doing anything wrong, and one that does appear has not been endorsed.
Register before soliciting contributions in Ohio unless an exemption applies
SOURCE VERIFIED
A covered charitable organization must register with the Ohio Attorney General before solicitation. This trigger is separate from charitable-trust registration based on holding charitable assets.
Ohio Attorney General Charity Registration portal.
Applies to: A charitable organization soliciting contributions in Ohio under Chapter 1716 and not exempt.
Exceptions
Not every Ohio nonprofit corporation is subject to Chapter 1716; statutory exemptions and small-organization treatment must be evaluated.
Source: Charity Registration — Ohio Attorney General, Charitable Law Section and 3 more official sources below.
Last verified
File the Ohio Attorney General annual report by the fifteenth day of the fifth month after fiscal-year end
SOURCE VERIFIED
File the electronic annual report by the fifteenth day of the fifth month after the fiscal year ends. A calendar-year organization is ordinarily due May 15. A valid federal filing extension is honored for the Ohio charity filing under current official guidance without a separate Ohio extension request or upload.
Whether the organization is still current with the state
Every nonprofit corporation owes its state this filing to stay in good standing, and the state keeps the result as a public record. It is separate from any charity registration above, and being current says nothing about how an organization spends what you give it.
File Form 522 under Ohio’s five-year continued-existence system
SOURCE VERIFIED
Ohio does not use an ordinary annual or biennial corporate report for these nonprofits. Instead, file a Statement of Continued Existence on the five-year cycle measured from incorporation or the last qualifying corporate filing.
These are the offices the Ohio research itself names for the filings above. An office that keeps a record is also the place to take a question or a concern about one.
This page carries Ohio's rules, not any organization's filing history. The offices above hold the records for the organization you are asking about.
Which state's rules apply to your gift
Your state of residence, the organization's home state, and the state it solicits in can all differ. This page is about Ohio.
What this organization promised you
Restrictions on your gift, refund terms, recurring-payment terms and the acknowledgment you receive come from the organization itself. Ask it, and keep what it sends.
BEFORE YOU GIVE
Make the checklist for your gift.
The federal side of a donation does not change by state: what to confirm before paying, and which record to keep afterward. Build a list around the gift you are actually making.
The rules above are three of the requirements Ohio puts on a nonprofit. The full guide covers formation, governance, reporting, tax and employment, from the same official sources.
Linking to this donor page from your own donation page or donor FAQ is welcome. It does not replace your organization's required notices, policies or donation acknowledgments.
Official sources
9 official sources back the entries on this page. Every one is a government statute, regulation, agency instruction, form or portal.