Public Charities Unit 

55 Elm Street, P.O. Box 120

Hartford, Connecticut 06141-0120

Phone: (860) 808-5030

The Department of Consumer Protection and the Office of the Attorney General jointly oversee charitable solicitation activities in the state. Registered charities are required to file annual financial reports on their income and expenditures. Paid soliciting firms hired by charities are also required to register with the Charities Unit, file a notice of each upcoming solicitation campaign, and submit a post-campaign financial report.

The Unit investigates possible statutory violations involving charitable solicitations.  Such investigations usually include a detailed audit of the alleged offender's financial records.  If a violation is established, the unit proceeds with one or more of the following enforcement options:  a civil suit in Superior Court, a criminal arrest or an administrative action to revoke or suspend the registration of the charity or the paid soliciting firm.

The Unit works closely with local police, attorneys general from other states and various state and federal agencies. It compiles and disseminates comprehensive statistics on charitable activity in Connecticut as well as on the activity of paid soliciting firms; it receives and responds to complaints and inquiries from the public, businesses and law enforcement agencies.

{Get Acrobat Reader.gif (712 bytes)} Each year, the Unit produces and disseminates a report on paid telephone solicitations in Connecticut for non-profit charitable causes. The annual reports are provided below.