THE DONOR DESK · VIRGINIA

Checking a charity in Virginia.

Which public records Virginia keeps about a charity that asks you for money, in the state's own words. The agency the research names is the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs. 10 official sources back this page. Last checked 2026-07-26.

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 Virginia unless an exclusion or exemption applies

SOURCE VERIFIED

File an initial registration before solicitation unless the organization is excluded from the statutory definition or receives an applicable exemption.

How often
Initial; annual renewal while soliciting.
Filed with
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs
Form or portal
Evoke initial-registration submission or Form 102 — Registration Statement for a Charitable Organization, with required attachments and signatures.

Applies to: Every charitable organization intending to solicit in Virginia or have contributions solicited on its behalf.

Exceptions

  • Organizations excluded from the statutory definition or granted an exemption under § 57-60 use a different route.

Source: Code of Virginia § 57-49 — Registration of charitable organizations — Virginia General Assembly / Virginia Law and 2 more official sources below.

Last verified

Renew charity registration by the fifteenth day of the fifth calendar month

SOURCE VERIFIED

File the annual renewal on or before the fifteenth day of the fifth calendar month of the next fiscal year. A calendar-year organization is due May 15.

How often
Annual.
Filed with
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs
Form or portal
Evoke renewal or annual Form 102 paper renewal, with federal return or permitted treasurer’s report, financial statements, signatures, and payment.

Applies to: A registered charitable organization continuing to solicit.

Exceptions

  • This is an annual renewal, not the $100 initial registration; an approved extension changes the filing date but not the obligation to remain compliant.

Source: Code of Virginia § 57-49 — Registration of charitable organizations — Virginia General Assembly / Virginia Law and 2 more official sources below.

Last verified

What financial detail the state requires at what size

This is what the organization has to produce for the state, which tells you what already exists to ask for. It is not a statement that any particular organization is above or below these thresholds.

Obtain an independent CPA financial review at least $750,000 gross annual revenue

SOURCE VERIFIED

Submit an independent CPA financial review. Exactly $750,000 meets the trigger.

How often
At application and renewal when threshold is met.
Filed with
Virginia Department of Taxation
Form or portal
Independent CPA financial review and reviewed financial statements submitted through Nonprofit Online or with Form NP-1.

Applies to: An applicant with gross annual revenue of at least $750,000.

Exceptions

  • The threshold is at least $750,000; it is separate from the Department’s discretionary audit authority at at least $1.5 million.

Source: Code of Virginia § 58.1-609.11 — Exemptions for nonprofit entities — Virginia General Assembly / Virginia Law and 2 more official sources below.

Last verified

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 the annual report by the last day of the incorporation month

SOURCE VERIFIED

File the SCC annual report by the last day of the month in which the corporation was incorporated. The first report is due by the last day of the twelfth month after incorporation and cannot be filed more than three months early.

How often
Annual.
Filed with
Virginia State Corporation Commission, Clerk’s Office
Form or portal
SCC annual report in CIS; paper annual report when the SCC provides it.

Applies to: Every domestic Virginia nonstock corporation.

Exceptions

  • The report itself has no late charge. The separate $25 annual registration fee and its $10 late-payment penalty are addressed in other facts.

Source: Code of Virginia § 13.1-936 — Annual report — Virginia General Assembly / Virginia Law and 2 more official sources below.

Last verified

Who keeps these records in Virginia

These are the offices the Virginia 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.

What this page does not tell you

Whether your gift is deductible

That is federal, not state, and it depends on the organization's federal status and on your own tax situation. See the federal record rules and check the organization in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.

Whether a particular organization has complied

This page carries Virginia'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 Virginia.

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.

Open the giving checklist

If you run this organization

The rules above are three of the requirements Virginia puts on a nonprofit. The full guide covers formation, governance, reporting, tax and employment, from the same official sources.

Virginia nonprofit compliance guide ↗

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

10 official sources back the entries on this page. Every one is a government statute, regulation, agency instruction, form or portal.

Agency or authoritySourceAccessedURL
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs Charitable Solicitation Registration https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/food-charitable-solicitation.shtml
Virginia State Corporation Commission, Clerk's Office Clerk's Annual Reports FAQ https://www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/business-faqs/clerks-annual-reports/
Virginia General Assembly / Virginia Law Code of Virginia § 13.1-936 — Annual report https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title13.1/chapter10/section13.1-936/
Virginia General Assembly / Virginia Law Code of Virginia § 57-48 — Definitions https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title57/chapter5/section57-48/
Virginia General Assembly / Virginia Law Code of Virginia § 57-49 — Registration of charitable organizations https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title57/chapter5/section57-49/
Virginia General Assembly / Virginia Law Code of Virginia § 58.1-609.11 — Exemptions for nonprofit entities https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title58.1/chapter6/section58.1-609.11/
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs Form 102 — Registration Statement for a Charitable Organization https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pdf/oca102registrationstatement.pdf
Virginia Department of Taxation Form NP-1 — Application for Sales and Use Tax Exemption https://www.tax.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/taxforms/exemption-certificates/any/np-1-application-any.pdf
Virginia State Corporation Commission, Clerk's Office Virginia SCC Annual Requirements — Corporations https://www.scc.virginia.gov/media/sccvirginiagov-home/business-home/business-faqs/annual-registration-fees/an_fee.pdf
Virginia Department of Taxation Virginia Tax Ruling 25-5 — Nonprofit financial review and audit thresholds https://www.tax.virginia.gov/laws-rules-decisions/rulings-tax-commissioner/25-5