(a) No person shall act as a paid solicitor unless such person has first registered with the department. Registration shall be in a form prescribed by the commissioner, shall be certified by the paid solicitor as true and correct to the best of the solicitor's knowledge and shall be accompanied by a fee in the amount of five hundred dollars. The application shall contain such information as the department shall require. Each registration shall be valid for one year and may be renewed for additional one-year periods.
(b) An applicant for registration or for a renewal of registration as a paid solicitor shall, at the time of making such application, file with and have approved by the department a bond in a form prescribed by the commissioner, in which the applicant shall be the principal obligor in the sum of twenty thousand dollars, with one or more responsible sureties whose liability in the aggregate as such sureties shall be no less than such sum. The paid solicitor shall maintain the bond in effect as long as the registration is in effect. The bond shall run to the state and to any person who may have a cause of action against the principal obligor of the bond for any liabilities resulting from the obligor's conduct of any activities subject to sections 21a-190a to 21a-190l, inclusive, or arising out of a violation of said sections or any regulation adopted pursuant to said sections.
(c) No less than twenty days prior to the commencement of each solicitation campaign, a paid solicitor shall file with the department a copy of the contract described in subsection (d) of this section and shall complete a solicitation notice in a form prescribed by the commissioner. A solicitation notice shall be certified by the paid solicitor as true and correct to the best of the solicitor's knowledge and shall include a description of the solicitation event or campaign, the location and telephone number from which the solicitation is to be conducted, the names and residence addresses of all employees, agents or other persons however styled who are to solicit during such campaign and the account number and location of all bank accounts where receipts from such campaign are to be deposited. Copies of campaign solicitation literature, including the text of any solicitation to be made orally, shall be submitted to the department. The charitable organization on whose behalf the paid solicitor is acting shall certify that the solicitation notice and accompanying material are true and complete. Prior to the commencement of such solicitation campaign, the commissioner shall publicize such solicitation by posting on the department's web site information describing the terms of the contract between the paid solicitor and the charitable organization, the dates of such solicitation campaign and the percentage of the raised funds to be retained by the paid solicitor. The commissioner may publicize such solicitation through any additional means the commissioner deems appropriate.
(d) A contract between a paid solicitor and a charitable organization shall be in writing, shall clearly state the respective obligations of the paid solicitor and the charitable organization and shall state the minimum amount that the charitable organization shall receive as a result of the solicitation campaign, which minimum amount shall be stated as a percentage of the gross revenue. Such minimum amount shall not include any amount that the charitable organization is to pay as expenses of the solicitation campaign.
(e) A paid solicitor shall, prior to orally requesting a contribution, and at the same time at which a written request for a contribution is made, clearly and conspicuously disclose at the point of solicitation such solicitor's name as on file with the department, the fact that such solicitor is a paid solicitor and the percentage of the gross revenue which the charitable organization shall receive as identified in subsection (d) of this section.
(f) A paid solicitor shall, in the case of a solicitation campaign conducted orally, whether by telephone or otherwise, send a written confirmation to each person who has pledged to contribute, no more than five days after such person has been solicited, which confirmation shall include a clear and conspicuous disclosure of the information required by subsection (e) of this section.
(g) A paid solicitor shall not represent that any part of the contributions received will be given or donated to any charitable organization unless such organization has consented in writing to the use of its name, prior to the solicitation. Such written consent, if given, shall be signed by two authorized officers, directors or trustees of the charitable organization.
(h) No paid solicitor may represent that tickets to an event are to be donated for use by another, unless the paid solicitor has first obtained a commitment, in writing, from a charitable organization stating that it will accept donated tickets and specifying the number of tickets which it is willing to accept and provided no more contributions for donated tickets shall be solicited than the number of ticket commitments received from the charitable organization.
(i) A paid solicitor shall require any person such solicitor directly or indirectly employs, procures or engages to solicit to comply with the provisions of subsections (e) to (h), inclusive, of this section.
(j) A paid solicitor shall file a financial report for the campaign with the department no more than ninety days after a solicitation campaign has been completed, and on the anniversary of the commencement of any solicitation campaign which lasts more than one year, in a form prescribed by the commissioner. The financial report shall include gross revenue and an itemization of all expenditures incurred. The report shall be completed on a form prescribed by the department. An authorized official of the paid solicitor and two authorized officials of the charitable organization shall certify that such report is true and complete to the best of their knowledge. The information contained in such report shall be available to the public.
(k) A paid solicitor shall maintain during each solicitation campaign and for not less than three years after the completion of each such campaign the following records, which shall be available to the department for inspection upon request: (1) The name and address of each contributor and the date and amount of the contribution, provided the department shall not disclose this information except to the extent necessary for investigative or law enforcement purposes; (2) the name and residence of each employee, agent or other person involved in the solicitation; and (3) records of all income received and expenses incurred in the course of the solicitation campaign.
(l) If a paid solicitor sells tickets to an event and represents that tickets will be donated for use by another, the paid solicitor shall maintain, for not less than three years after the completion of such event, the following records, which shall be available to the department for inspection upon request: (1) The name and address of contributors donating tickets and the number of tickets donated by each contributor; and (2) the name and address of all organizations receiving donated tickets for use by others, including the number of tickets received by each organization.
(m) All funds collected by the paid solicitor shall be deposited in a bank account. The bank account shall be in the name of the charitable organization with whom the paid solicitor has contracted and the charitable organization shall have sole or joint control of the account.
(n) Any material change in any information filed with the department pursuant to this section shall be reported in writing or electronically by the paid solicitor to the department not more than seven days after such change occurs.
(o) No person may act as a paid solicitor if such person, any officer or director thereof, any person with a controlling interest therein, or any person the paid solicitor employs, engages or procures to solicit for compensation, has been convicted by a court of any state or the United States of any felony, or of any misdemeanor involving dishonesty or arising from the conduct of a solicitation for a charitable organization or purpose. Any denial, suspension or revocation of the registration of a paid solicitor based on a violation of this subsection shall be made in accordance with the provisions of section 46a-80.
(P.A. 86-369, S. 6; P.A. 89-251, S. 154, 203; P.A. 94-36, S. 30, 42; P.A. 05-101, S. 4; P.A. 10-9, S. 17.)
History: P.A. 89-251 increased the registration fee from $100 to $120; P.A. 94-36 amended Subsec. (a) to eliminate the “application and payment of the fee” requirements from the registration renewal procedure, effective January 1, 1995; P.A. 05-101 amended Subsec. (a) to increase registration fee to $500, amended Subsec. (c) to require publicizing of solicitation campaign, amended Subsec. (h) to change “shall” to “may” re representation that tickets are to be donated, amended Subsec. (j) to require information contained in report be available to the public, and made technical changes throughout; P.A. 10-9 amended Subsec. (a) to replace provision re applications for registration and renewal to be in writing, under oath, with provision re registration to be in form prescribed by commissioner and certified by paid solicitor, amended Subsec. (b) to add provision requiring bond to be in form prescribed by commissioner, amended Subsec. (c) to make technical changes, add provisions requiring solicitation notice to be in form prescribed by commissioner and certified by paid solicitor, and delete provisions re solicitation notice to be in writing, under oath, and re issuance of press release, amended Subsec. (j) to add provision requiring financial report to be in form prescribed by commissioner and delete requirement that report be signed and under oath, and amended Subsec. (n) to add provision re electronic reporting, effective May 5, 2010.
See Sec. 21a-10(b) re staggered schedule for registration renewals.
Structure Connecticut General Statutes
Title 21a - Consumer Protection
Chapter 419d - Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act
Section 21a-175. (Formerly Sec. 19-323k). - Short title: Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act.
Section 21a-176 to 21a-190. (Formerly Secs. 19-323l to 19-323z). - Solicitation of charitable funds.
Section 21a-190a. - Solicitation of charitable funds: Definitions.
Section 21a-190c. - Annual financial reports. Fiscal records.
Section 21a-190h. - Prohibited acts.
Section 21a-190i. - Investigations. Subpoenas. Court orders.
Section 21a-190j. - Time limit for compliance.
Section 21a-190k. - Regulations.
Section 21a-190l. - Denial, suspension, revocation of registration. Court-ordered relief. Penalties.