Don't Panic Over State Notices — Send Them to Labyrinth, Inc.

Sometimes, your organization might get a letter from a state charity office that says your registration is late or missing. These letters can seem scary, but they are often sent by mistake. This article explains why these notices are sent and how to react.

Why These Notices Happen

Many state charity offices are chronically under-resourced. They lack the staff needed to process charitable applications in a timely manner and the budget required to deploy more efficient technology solutions. This leads to large backlogs of charitable registration filings awaiting processing.

Many states have automated notification systems that are set up to contact registered nonprofits about any missed filing deadlines. When a backlog occurs, filings may not be processed before the filing deadline, leading to an erroneous notice from the automated system. 

Eventually, as charity officials work through their backlogs and process the filings, they review the submissions’ date stamps. In almost every case, as long as the required information was submitted before the proper deadline, the nonprofit’s registration status is updated and no penalties are assessed.

Nonprofits should take erroneous notices and outdated registration statuses on state websites with a grain of salt. Just because a state system says a nonprofit is behind on its charitable registration renewal doesn’t mean it is.

(Example automated notice from West Virginia)

Known State Delays

The following states are experiencing delays in processing charitable registration filings and renewals. If your organization is registered to solicit funds in any of these states, you may receive erroneous notices suggesting you’ve fallen behind on your renewals. Don’t panic! More often than not, the state relies on the filing submission date stamp to determine your status.

• California
• Colorado
• Illinois
• Maine
• Mississippi
• Maryland
• North Carolina
• New York
• Ohio
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• Wisconsin
• West Virginia

What You Should Do

If you receive a letter or notice from a state office, the best thing to do is forward it to Labyrinth, Inc., right away. Even if the letter says your organization is late or out of good standing, don't panic. We track every filing we submit, including confirmation of receipt and timestamps.

This means we can quickly confirm whether your registration was submitted on time. If it was, and the notice was sent by mistake, we'll take care of it. If the notice is about something real, we'll help you fix it. Either way, you don't need to handle it alone.

How Labyrinth, Inc. Helps

We know the rules in every state and keep close records of all the filings we handle for your organization. When delays occur, we monitor the situation and ensure nothing slips through the cracks.

At Labyrinth, Inc., our goal is to make your regulatory filings as easy and stress-free as possible. By working with us, you can trust that your registration is being tracked and supported, even when the states are behind.

So remember: if you get a state notice, don't panic. Just send it to us, and we'll take it from there.