Virginia Form 102 is the registration statement a charitable organization files with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) before soliciting donations in the Commonwealth. It goes to the Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs (OCRP), carries a $100 initial fee, and must be on file before your first ask goes out.1Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Charitable Solicitation Registration Once accepted, your organization is added to the public database donors and regulators use to verify legitimate charities.
Who Has to File
Virginia Code § 57-49 requires every charitable organization that plans to solicit contributions in Virginia, or have anyone else solicit on its behalf, to register with the Commissioner before fundraising begins.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 57-49 – Registration of Charitable Organizations The rule applies whether your nonprofit is based in Virginia or anywhere else. If you are reaching Virginia residents, through mail, phone, email, your website, or social media, you need to register first. Filing after you have already collected donations is not the way the statute works.
Organizations That Don’t Need Form 102
Virginia Code § 57-60 exempts several categories from the registration requirement, though exempt groups still must not solicit fraudulently.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 57-60 – Exemptions The common ones:
- All-volunteer charities that have not raised, and do not expect to raise, more than $5,000 from the public in a calendar year, with no assets or income going to any officer or member. Cross the $5,000 line mid-year and you have 30 days to register.
- Educational institutions accredited by the Virginia Board of Education, a regional accrediting body, or an organization affiliated with the National Commission on Accrediting, plus their related foundations.
- Groups soliciting only from their own membership.
- Persons collecting for a named individual, where every dollar goes to that person with no deductions.
- Out-of-state nonprofits with no Virginia office that solicit only by email, phone, direct mail, or national advertising, provided a Virginia chapter or affiliate is already registered.
- Hospitals and clinics with 501(c)(3) status that are licensed by the Virginia Department of Health or certified as federally qualified health centers or rural health clinics.
What to Gather Before You Start
The form sits on the VDACS website and in the Evoke online portal. Missing a single required piece will stall the filing, so pull everything together first.
Organizational Details
You will list your legal name, any d/b/a names, mailing address, phone, and FEIN, plus the full legal names and residential addresses of every current officer and director. The form also asks you to designate a registered agent in Virginia to accept service of legal documents. If you leave that field blank, Virginia law treats the Secretary of the Commonwealth as your agent by default; naming your own agent means you hear about any legal action sooner.4Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Registration Statement for Charitable Organization – Form 102
Purpose and Fundraising Methods
Describe your charitable purpose plainly, and list the specific fundraising methods you plan to use. If you will work with a professional solicitor or a commercial co-venturer (a business that ties a promotion to your cause), disclose that arrangement on the form.
Required Attachments
Every Form 102 must include:4Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Registration Statement for Charitable Organization – Form 102
- Articles of incorporation or equivalent organizing document
- Bylaws
- IRS tax-exempt determination letter
Financial Information
If you have completed at least one full fiscal year, include your most recent IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ, or a comprehensive financial report of income and expenditures.4Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Registration Statement for Charitable Organization – Form 102 A brand-new organization with no first-year numbers yet can submit a projected budget. Those figures also set your annual fee tier, so get them right.
What You Will Pay
The initial registration fee is $100 for every first-time filer. If you have no prior financial history, that is the full bill. If you do, add an annual fee based on the previous year’s gross contributions (total contributions from all sources, excluding government grants):4Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Registration Statement for Charitable Organization – Form 102
- $30 for gross contributions of $25,000 or less
- $50 for over $25,000 up to $50,000
- $100 for over $50,000 up to $100,000
- $200 for over $100,000 up to $500,000
- $250 for over $500,000 up to $1 million
- $325 for over $1 million
A new charity with no financial history pays $100 total. An established organization with $2 million in annual contributions pays $100 plus $325, for $425 at initial registration. Make checks or money orders payable to the Treasurer of Virginia.4Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Registration Statement for Charitable Organization – Form 102
Signing and Submitting the Form
Two authorized officers, typically the president and treasurer or equivalents, must sign the form with original signatures. One signature is not enough, and both signers are certifying that the information is accurate.4Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Registration Statement for Charitable Organization – Form 102
By Mail
Send the signed form, all attachments, and your check to:1Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Charitable Solicitation Registration
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs
P.O. Box 526
Richmond, VA 23218-0526
Online Through Evoke
VDACS also accepts filings electronically through its Evoke platform at vdacs.evokeplatform.com. The portal checks for missing fields before submission, which can shorten initial processing. The current link lives on the VDACS charitable solicitation page.1Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Charitable Solicitation Registration
After You File
OCRP reviews the filing to confirm all attachments and fees are present. If anything is missing, staff will contact you. VDACS does not publish a guaranteed processing time, so give yourself several weeks of cushion before any planned fundraising launch. Questions can go to OCARPUnit.VDACS@vdacs.virginia.gov or 804-786-1343.
Annual Renewal
Registration is not one-and-done. Form 102 must be renewed every year by the 15th day of the 5th calendar month after your fiscal year ends.1Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Charitable Solicitation Registration For a December 31 fiscal year, that is May 15. The renewal includes updated financials and the annual fee tier that matches your prior-year gross contributions.
If your financial statements will not be ready in time, request an extension in writing by email, fax (804-225-2666), or mail before the deadline. The postmark has to fall on or before the renewal date. Miss the deadline without an extension and your registration lapses. A lapsed organization cannot renew; it has to start over with a new initial Form 102, pay the $100 fee again, and resubmit all the attachments. Put the renewal date on the calendar as soon as the initial registration clears.
If You Fundraise Online
Virginia’s registration requirement applies to any solicitation that reaches Virginia residents, regardless of method, so a website donation page, a social media campaign, or a crowdfunding effort can trigger it the same way direct mail would. An out-of-state nonprofit running a national online campaign that accepts donations from Virginians generally needs to register in Virginia unless it fits one of the exemptions in § 57-60.
The National Association of State Charity Officials has published nonbinding guidelines, the Charleston Principles, that many state regulators use to evaluate when internet fundraising creates a registration obligation. Under those guidelines, an interactive website that targets a state’s residents or repeatedly receives contributions from that state generally creates a duty to register there. The principles are not law, but if you fundraise nationally online, check each state’s rules on their own terms.
One practical overlap with federal filings: Virginia wants your most recent IRS Form 990 attached to both the initial Form 102 and every renewal, so staying current with the IRS keeps your Virginia registration viable. Three consecutive years of unfiled federal returns causes automatic revocation of your tax-exempt status, with no warning and no grace period, and you would then need to apply to the IRS again before you could receive tax-deductible contributions.5Internal Revenue Service. Automatic Revocation of Exemption for Non-Filing – Frequently Asked Questions