Welcome to Hawaii Charities Online

• Search for
  • Charitable organizations
  • Charitable sales promotions
  • Platform Charities
• Pay
  • Annual filing fees
  • Late payment fees
• Submit
  • An exemption application
  • A charitable sales promotion consent form
  • An application for registration as a Platform Charity

Other helpful links:

• Form 990 Online
  • Register a charitable organization
  • File an annual financial report for a registered charitable organization
• Professional Fundraiser Registration System
  • Search for professional fundraisers
  • Search for Charitable Fundraising Platforms
  • Register a professional fundraiser
  • Register as a Charitable Fundraising Platform
  • Renew an existing registration for a professional fundraiser
  • Manage a professional fundraiser’s registration
  • Submit surety bonds and contracts
  • Submit end of campaign financial reports

Hawaii’s charitable solicitation law requires the following organizations to register with the Attorney General:

• Charitable organizations that solicit contributions in Hawaii, unless the Attorney General has granted the organization an exemption from registration
• Professional fundraisers
• Charitable Fundraising Platforms
• Platform Charities

Frequently Asked Questions: Charitable Fundraising Platforms and Platform Charities (PDF) Open in new window

• Religious organizations
• Parent teacher associations
• Accredited educational institutions
• Certain alumni associations and educational foundations
• Licensed hospitals
• Charitable organizations that normally receive less than $25,000 in contributions and that do not pay a professional fundraiser

For the purposes of compliance with HRS 467B-2.3 and 467B-2.7, a charity is in good standing with our office if it has an active registration or an active exemption on file. A list of these organizations can be found here. This list is currently updated nightly.

• Professional solicitors are compensated for requesting or soliciting contributions for a charitable organization. This may be done through a variety of means – door to door, direct mail, telemarketing, internet, and otherwise.
• Professional fundraising counsels are fundraising consultants paid by a charitable organization to provide advice and counsel on fundraising activities or to prepare materials relating to fundraising.

• Charitable Fundraising Platforms use the Internet to provide websites, services, or platforms to people in Hawaii, and either solicit funds for charities themselves or enable others to solicit funds for charities. This includes organizations that list or reference recipient charitable organizations by name to receive donations or grants based on purchases made or other activity performed on the site, and organizations that provide customizable websites, software as a service, or other platforms that allow charitable organizations to solicit or receive donations, including through peer-to-peer charitable fundraising.
• Platform Charities are charitable organizations that facilitate acts of solicitation on charitable fundraising platforms. This includes organizations that solicit donations through a charitable fundraising platform for themselves, with the implied or express promise that the organization may in turn grant donations to recipient charitable organizations, and organizations that grant funds to recipient charitable organizations based on purchases made or other activity performed on a fundraising platform.

Organizations that meet both definitions are Charitable Fundraising Platforms.

A commercial co-venturer (CCV) is a business that partners with a charitable organization to hold a charitable sales promotion in which all or a portion of the proceeds will benefit the charitable organization.