OLYMPIA — The Office of the Secretary of State’s Corporations & Charities Division received an International Association of Commercial Administrators (IACA) Merit Award for its online Corporations and Charities Filing System (CCFS).
Each year IACA recognizes jurisdictions that have successfully implemented innovative changes in government. A panel of experts, composed of international leaders in both the public and private sectors, reviews award submissions from jurisdictions around the world based on originality, significance, effectiveness, and other criteria.
The Office of the Secretary of State completed its rollout of CCFS in 2019. CCFS is an online resource that simplifies and streamlines the process by which charities and private companies file documentation with the state, as well as the public’s access to records and information about registered entities. Previously, these processes were paper- and labor-intensive, and time-consuming for both staff and customers.
Today the overwhelming majority of filings are completed online – automatically, and nearly instantaneously upon submission. As a result, all current records are available to the public to view or download at no charge. In most cases, the entire filing history for active entities can be viewed and downloaded. Previously, customers wanting copies of records had to contact the office and pay a processing fee.
“So far we’ve seen a 90% adoption rate of the new system. Of the nearly 653,000 documents filed last year, 88% were filed through CCFS. As a result, the integrity of the public records and overall compliance have improved exponentially, and the public is able to more quickly and easily access these documents – at any time and at no cost,” said Corporations Division Director Scott Douglas. “Our mission is to provide the business community and public with easy access to information about corporations and charities. The CCFS system and IACA’s Merit Award show we’re making great progress.”
“This award affirms our commitment to promote transparency in government, reduce the hassle and red tape, and improve our customers’ experience,” said Secretary of State Kim Wyman. “I am grateful for the work our Corporations and Charities team has done to earn this well-deserved award and to enhance the many services we provide the public every day.”
The Office of the Secretary of State’s Corporations & Charities Division registers a wide range of business and nonprofit entities, charities and commercial fundraisers, trademarks, and domestic partnerships, and provides apostille certification for documents. More information is available at sos.wa.gov/corps.
About IACA
IACA is a professional association for government administrators of business organization and secured transaction record systems at the state, provincial, territorial, and national level in any jurisdiction which has or anticipates development of such systems.
About the Office of the Secretary of State
Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees a number of areas within state government, including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office also manages the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, oversees the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees, and administers the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.