Solicitation or Sale for Charitable Purposes Card

California general-case template · Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §17510.3

Consult counsel or the California Attorney General for edge cases.

This template covers the general disclosures §17510.3 requires of a charitable solicitor or seller. It is a starting point, not legal advice. Two narrower carveouts exist: §17510.3(c) lets an uncompensated individual volunteer making a non-sales solicitation substitute an abbreviated disclosure (org name/address + charitable purpose + offer to provide revenue/expense info on request); and §17510.3(d) exempts an uncompensated volunteer aged 18 or younger soliciting for an organization qualified under IRC §501(c)(3) from the disclosure requirements. Compensated solicitors, sales solicitations, and under-18 volunteers for non-501(c)(3) orgs do not qualify for either carveout and must give the full card. Commercial fundraisers face additional registration, contract, and disclosure requirements under Cal. Gov. Code §12599 that are out of scope here — review the statute and your counsel’s guidance before adopting.

Why this matters

Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §17510.3 requires that, prior to any solicitation or sales solicitation for charitable purposes, the solicitor or seller exhibit to the prospective donor or purchaser a card entitled “Solicitation or Sale for Charitable Purposes Card.” The information on the card “shall be presented in at least 10-point type.” This template prints at 10-point or larger when you use your browser’s Print command.

How to use this template

Print this page (Cmd/Ctrl + P) or copy the template text into your organization’s design tool.
Replace bracketed placeholders such as [ORGANIZATION LEGAL NAME], [MAILING ADDRESS], and [DEDUCTIBLE PERCENTAGE] with your own values.
Carry the finished card with you and exhibit it to each prospective donor or purchaser before any ask.
If your organization’s name implies affiliation with law enforcement, firefighters, or veterans, fill in the membership-by-county line. Otherwise delete that line. If the solicitation is for advertising in a publication, also fill in the publication’s statewide circulation.
If a paid solicitor (not a volunteer) is doing the actual asking, §17510.3(a) requires the card to identify that individual by name and business address — fill in the “Paid solicitor identification” block. The card itself must still be signed and dated under penalty of perjury by a principal, staff member, or officer of the organization.
Commercial-fundraiser engagements have additional registration, contract, and fee-disclosure obligations under Cal. Gov. Code §12599 — out of scope for this template. Consult counsel.

— Begin card template —

Solicitation or Sale for Charitable Purposes Card

1. Organization identity

Name: [ORGANIZATION LEGAL NAME]

Address: [MAILING ADDRESS]

Federal EIN (optional, helpful for donor verification): [FEDERAL EIN]

Explanatory note — §17510.3(a)(1) requires the name and address of the combined campaign, each organization, or fund on behalf of which any part of the money collected will be used. If the solicitation benefits more than one organization or fund, list each.

Paid solicitor identification (if applicable)

Paid individual doing the actual soliciting: [PAID SOLICITOR LEGAL NAME]

Business address: [PAID SOLICITOR BUSINESS ADDRESS]

Explanatory note — §17510.3(a) requires the card to give “the name and business address of the paid individual who is doing the actual soliciting.” Delete this section if the solicitation is conducted only by uncompensated volunteers. Note that engaging a commercial fundraiser carries additional registration and contract requirements under Cal. Gov. Code §12599 — out of scope here.

2. Use of funds

All or a portion of the money collected will be used by [ORGANIZATION LEGAL NAME] to support [CHARITABLE PURPOSE].

Explanatory note — if the solicitation is not on behalf of a specific organization or fund, §17510.3(a)(2) instead requires a statement that explains the manner in which the money will be utilized for charitable purposes. Replace this sentence with that explanation if it applies.

3. Tax-exemption status

This organization holds tax exemption under federal law (IRC §501(c)(3)) and under California law (R&T Code §23701d): [YES / NO].

If “NO”: this organization does not have charitable tax exemption under both federal and California law.

Explanatory note — §17510.3(a)(3) requires disclosure whenever the organization does not hold tax exemption under both federal and state law. Keep the “NO” statement on the printed card only if that is the case.

4. Deductibility

The percentage of the total gift or purchase price which may be deducted as a charitable contribution is [DEDUCTIBLE PERCENTAGE]%.

Alternate wording when no portion is deductible: “This contribution is not tax deductible.”

Explanatory note — §17510.3(a)(4) requires one of these two statements. If you are selling a good or service (e.g., a gala ticket) only the portion exceeding fair market value is deductible — compute the percentage accordingly.

5. Law-enforcement / firefighter / veterans membership disclosure

If this organization’s name or the solicitation implies affiliation with law enforcement, firefighters, or veterans: total membership is [TOTAL MEMBERSHIP], and [COUNTY-COUNT] members work or live within [COUNTY]. (Delete this line if your organization does not fall into any of those categories.)

If the solicitation is for advertising in a publication, the publication’s statewide circulation is [STATEWIDE CIRCULATION]. (Delete this line if the solicitation is not for advertising.)

Explanatory note — §17510.3(a)(5) requires law-enforcement and firefighter organizations to disclose total membership and the number working or living within the county being solicited; if the solicitation is for advertising, the same paragraph also requires the statewide circulation of the publication in which the solicited ad will appear. §17510.3(a)(6) imposes a comparable membership-by-county disclosure on veterans organizations (with statutory exceptions for certain established veterans’ orgs). Delete this section if none of these apply — keeping an irrelevant disclosure does not help the donor.

Signature under penalty of perjury

Signed by: [SIGNER LEGAL NAME], who is a [principal / staff member / officer] of [ORGANIZATION LEGAL NAME].

Signature: ____________________________ Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.

Explanatory note — §17510.3(a) requires the card to be “signed and dated under penalty of perjury by an individual who is a principal, staff member, or officer of the soliciting organization.” This block is mandatory — do not delete it. The signer must be affiliated with the organization (not the paid solicitor, if different).

— End card template —

Source

Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §17510.3 — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
Commercial-fundraiser registration, contracting, and fee-disclosure rules are governed by Cal. Gov. Code §12599 — out of scope for this template. The paid-individual identification on the card itself is required by §17510.3(a) and is included above.

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