Harrisburg, PA – As part of the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to ensuring state government moves at the speed of business, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced today that the Department of State recently achieved a milestone for charitable organization registration.
“It historically took the Department an average of 10 business days to process charitable organization registrations. On July 8, we achieved one-day turnaround time and are now processing registration applications in the same day they’re submitted,” Schmidt said. “While processing times will continue to vary, especially during peak renewal periods, we’re seeing a meaningful improvement thanks to our staff’s hard work.”
The Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations (BCCO) administers and enforces the Commonwealth’s charitable solicitation law, which requires organizations soliciting charitable contributions from Pennsylvania residents to register with the Bureau, unless they are specifically excluded or exempt from registration requirements. Both professional solicitors soliciting on behalf of charities and professional fundraising counsel also are required to register.
Registration and the public disclosure of documents filed by charities provide consumers and donors with useful information before they make their giving decisions.
For fiscal year 2024-25, BCCO:
- registered 20,428 charitable organizations,
- reviewed more than 25,795 documents filed by more than 525 professional solicitors and professional fundraising counsels,
- registered 1,492 institutions of purely public charity,
- processed checks totaling more than $2 million, and
- responded to more than 14,715 inquiries via email and phone for information.
The Department also recently achieved one-day processing times for certain kinds of business filings, down from eight weeks at the beginning of the Shapiro Administration.
“In 2023, Governor Shapiro directed the Department of State to improve all license processing times under our jurisdiction,” Schmidt said. “We are committed to meeting that goal and improving the experience of the customers we serve.”
For more information about charity registration in the Commonwealth, visit the Department’s website.