A Virginia charitable registration search takes a few minutes on a free state database and tells you whether an organization is currently authorized to ask Virginians for donations. The tool is run by the Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs (OCRP), a division of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), and it covers charities, professional solicitors, and professional fundraising counsel.1Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Charitable Solicitation Registration
Where to Search
The public portal is at vdacs.evokeplatform.com/app/publicPortal. You can go there directly, or start on the VDACS website and follow the link from its Charitable Solicitation page.1Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Charitable Solicitation Registration The portal is open to anyone, with no account or fee.
How to Run the Search
The cleanest way to look up a charity is by its nine-digit Employer Identification Number (EIN), which the IRS assigns to every nonprofit.2Internal Revenue Service. Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TIN) The EIN is unique, so it avoids the trouble that comes with two charities sharing a similar name. You can usually find it on the charity’s own website, its IRS Form 990, or any solicitation letter you have received.
If you don’t have the EIN, search by the organization’s legal name or a “doing business as” name. Partial name searches work but return broader results, and narrowing by city helps when the name is generic, like “Community Foundation” or “Hope Center.” If an EIN search comes up empty, try it both with and without the hyphen.
What the Status Means
Every record reflects the organization’s standing under the Virginia Solicitation of Contributions Law in Chapter 5 of Title 57 of the Code of Virginia.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 57-49 – Registration of Charitable Organizations The status is the first thing to read.
Registered means the charity has filed its paperwork, submitted financial disclosures, and paid the fee. It is authorized to solicit contributions in Virginia.
Not registered or lapsed means the organization either never registered or let its registration expire. A lapsed charity owes a $100 late fee on top of its regular fee to restore standing, and until it does, soliciting donations in Virginia is prohibited. A past-due expiration date on a record is a warning sign; it doesn’t prove fraud, but the group is not currently permitted to ask Virginians for money.
Exempt means the organization falls under a statutory exemption in Virginia Code 57-60 and is not required to register, though it is still bound by other parts of the solicitation law, including fraud prohibitions.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 57-60 – Exemptions
Each record also shows financial information the charity reported in its filing: total revenue, fundraising costs, and the share of funds going to actual programs. A group that spends 80 cents of every donated dollar on its mission looks very different from one spending 40 cents. Watchdogs generally treat 65 to 75 percent program spending as a rough minimum, though what’s reasonable varies by sector. The record also carries an expiration date tied to the charity’s fiscal year, so you can tell at a glance whether the filing is current.
When a Charity Doesn’t Show Up
An empty result isn’t automatically a red flag. Several categories of organizations are exempt from registration under Virginia Code 57-60:4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 57-60 – Exemptions
- Schools accredited by the Virginia Board of Education, a regional accrediting association, or bodies like the National Commission on Accrediting or the American Montessori Society.
- Foundations that exist solely to support one of those accredited schools and don’t use professional solicitors.
- Small charities that raise only from their own membership or stay below the thresholds set in the statute.
Churches and associations of churches are handled differently. They are excluded from the definition of “charitable organization” in Virginia Code 57-48 entirely, so the solicitation law simply does not apply to them.5Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 57 Chapter 5 – Solicitation of Contributions Searching for a church in the OCRP database will turn up nothing, and that is expected.
Checking the Fundraiser, Not Just the Charity
If the ask came from a paid telemarketer or outside fundraiser, the person on the phone may not work for the charity at all. The OCRP database lets you look up two other types of registrants.
A professional solicitor is a person or firm paid to directly ask people for donations on a charity’s behalf. Solicitors must register with the OCRP, pay a $500 annual fee, and post a $20,000 surety bond before running any campaign.6Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 57-61 – Registration of Professional Fund-Raising Counsels and Professional Solicitors
A professional fundraising counsel plans and consults on campaigns but does not personally ask anyone for money. Counsel register for $100 per year and are not required to post a bond. If a counsel crosses the line and starts soliciting or handling donated funds, the state treats them as a solicitor, with the higher fees and bond that come with it.
Salaried employees of a registered charity are not professional solicitors and don’t need their own registration. But if a stranger calls on behalf of a charity, checking whether that solicitor is registered matters as much as checking the charity.
Cross-Checking Tax-Deductibility With the IRS
Virginia registration confirms authority to solicit in the state. It does not confirm that your donation is tax-deductible. For that, use the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, which checks eligibility to receive tax-deductible contributions using Publication 78 data.7Internal Revenue Service. Tax Exempt Organization Search
The IRS tool also gives you access to Form 990 filings, which show far more financial detail than the Virginia record. Small tax-exempt organizations with annual gross receipts normally at or below $50,000 file only a Form 990-N (the “e-Postcard”), which contains minimal information.8Internal Revenue Service. Annual Electronic Filing Requirement for Small Exempt Organizations – Form 990-N (e-Postcard) Larger organizations file returns that break out executive compensation, program expenses, and investments. Between the two databases, you get the fullest picture available before writing a check.
What to Do If a Charity Isn’t Registered
If a group is soliciting in Virginia, doesn’t appear in the OCRP database, and doesn’t fit an exemption, you can report it. The OCRP investigates alleged violations of the solicitation law by both charities and their fundraisers.1Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Charitable Solicitation Registration Complaints can be submitted through the VDACS public portal or on a paper form mailed to the Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218.
The Virginia Attorney General’s office handles consumer protection matters involving charities and is the right place if you suspect outright fraud rather than a paperwork lapse.9Office of the Attorney General. Charities For charity scams that cross state lines or involve internet solicitation, the Federal Trade Commission accepts reports at ftc.gov/complaint.