The Attorney General provides Consumer Alerts to inform the public of unfair, misleading, or deceptive business practices, and to provide information and guidance on other issues of concern. Consumer Alerts are not legal advice, legal authority, or a binding legal opinion from the Department of Attorney General.
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GuideStar’s Nonprofit Profiles provide you with the information you need to make smart decisions, build connections, and learn from each other to achieve your missions.
Every year, generous Michiganders give millions to charities that do important and much needed work in our communities, including feeding and clothing the poor, conducting medical research, and promoting education.
As a donor, you must decide among the many charities competing for your donations. Many charities are critical organizations that strengthen our state, some are wasteful, others use telemarketers who keep up to 90% of your donation, and others are outright scams.
Michigan’s Department of Attorney General is committed to helping residents make wise donations. To help, it keeps an online database of more than 10,000 charities that solicit in Michigan. This information will help you make a choice to help your community.
Two objectives drive our approach to rating charities: helping donors and celebrating the work of charities. Drawing from a knowledge base of research, analysis, and constituent feedback, our team develops ratings that are both analytical and responsive to the data needs of our site users.
The Charitable Organizations and Solicitations Act, MCL 400.271 et seq., requires an organization to register if it solicits or receives contributions in Michigan.
The Solicitations Act also requires licensing and bonding for professional fundraisers before soliciting, planning, or carrying out a solicitation campaign in Michigan for a charitable organization.
Registration is required for most 501(c)(3) organizations. This applies if you ask for or receive more than $25,000 per year.
If you pay anyone to raise money, your organization must be registered. Even if you receive less than $25,000.
There are exemptions for some types of organizations. The first step for a charity in determining whether it needs to register is to fill out the Request for Exemption Form (PDF).
If your renewal application is going to be late, it’s wise to request an extension in advance.
An organization may have a 5-month extension. The request for extension must be made in writing.
The request must be received before the registration expires.
Complaints must be received in writing. They can be sent to the charitable trust section or submitted online.
After you submit a complaint, a copy is sent to the charity or fundraiser. They are asked to respond.
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