This article was first published in December 2016 on the Planned Giving Design Center website. Download the article Watching charities is a necessary government function because, while rare, there's an occasional bad charity, and any number of charities whose activities may deserve occasional scrutiny. The first step in this process is requiring the charities to register with the state's group that monitors charities. Regulatory Scrutiny Grows Our purpose is to put this topic in some general perspective, making every effort to be brief with a topic that is inherently complex. There are about forty jurisdictions that may require registration. We look generally at such questions as when registration is required and the costs. There is soon to be a centralized, electronic place where the charity can register once and this gets sent to myriad jurisdictions. The vehicle is to be launched in upcoming months with some thirteen initial governmental participants. See "Simpler … [Read more...] about Tips on Registering your Charity