Assured Giving
The Secretary of State promotes public trust by educating Washington’s charitable donors on how to spot the red flags of a charity scam, how to research charity and fundraising registrations through our Corporations & Charities Filing System, and how to report suspected charity fraud to the Attorney General’s Office.
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Educating Washington’s charitable donors to be wary of charity scams and consumer fraud. Our office is a proud participant in Consumer Protection WA, which is a group of consumer advocates working within state and federal government to alert and educate the public on consumer issues, scams, and investigations impacting Washington state residents. We provide free presentations to community organizations and participate in community events throughout the state upon request.
Request an Assured Giving presentation by email
Pause Check the Cause
A collaborative holiday season of giving campaign in partnership with the Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division and Charitable Asset Protection Team (CAPT).
This campaign brings awareness to the importance of being an informed and wary charitable donor. Fundraising solicitations come to us in many forms: snail mail, email, text messages, website pop-ups, and old-fashioned phone calls.
Washington state defines a solicitation as being any oral or written request for a contribution in connection with which:
- an appeal made for any charitable purpose;
- the name of any charitable organization is used as an inducement for consummating the sale; or
- any statement is made that implies that the whole or any part of the proceeds from the sale will be applied toward any charitable purpose or donated to any charitable organization per RCW 19.09.020(19).
Because scammers are getting more sophisticated every day, we encourage charitable donors to Pause. Check the Cause.
Did you know?
Per WA state law, solicitors must:
- State the purpose of the call
- Identify themselves by name and the company/organization/charity they are representing
- If requesting a donation, they must ask you whether you want to continue the call, end the call, or be removed from their contact list
- Refrain from calling between 8:00pm and 8:00am
- Refrain from intimidation, harassment, or tormenting behavior
- Send disclosure information via mail within five business days of your agreement to pledge money over the phone.
Red Flags of Scam
Knowing how to spot the red flags of a scam helps protect your generosity, time, and wallet. Scammers use deceptive tactics to confuse their potential victims into feeling a sense of urgency, guilt, and fear. That’s why it’s important to be wary of:
Research
Charitable organizations must register with the Office of the Secretary of State, which holds business and charitable filing submissions as public records. Creating a username and password for research purposes is not necessary; however, you will need basic information about the charitable organization, such as:
- the organization name,
- the employer identification number (EIN), or
- the federal employer identification number (FEIN).
Report
If you suspect a solicitor has violated one or more of Washington’s telemarketing rules, submit a complaint to the Attorney General’s Office.
Protect, Plan, and Consider
Protecting your personal information can be challenging, but there are resources available to help protect you from scammers.
Register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry to reduce the number of scam calls and texts.
Plan how much you want to donate and when.
Scheduling when you want to donate and budgeting for how much you can donate are great practices for charitable giving.
Consider letting unknown callers go directly to voicemail.
Pre-recorded messages and robo-calls get more aggressive during the holiday season. If you receive a call from an unknown number, let it go to voicemail and check it later.