§ 45:17A-27 — Registration of fund raising counsel, independent paid fund raiser.

10. a. It shall be unlawful for any person to act as a fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser unless registered annually with the Attorney General. Registration statements shall be on forms prescribed by the Attorney General. A registration statement shall be signed and sworn to by the principal officer of the fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser and shall contain information as prescribed by rules adopted by the Attorney General. b. The registration statements shall be accompanied by a fee prescribed pursuant to the provisions of this act, except that a fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser which is a partnership or corporation which registers shall pay a single fee. Each registration shall expire on June 30. c. The Attorney General shall examine the initial registration statement and supporting documents filed by a fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser pursuant to section 5 of this act. d. The relationship between a charitable organization and a fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser shall be set forth in a written contract. The relationship between a fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser and any other fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser shall be set forth in a written contract. The fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser shall file a copy of all such contracts with the Attorney General at least 10 business days prior to the performance by the fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser of any service within this State. It shall be unlawful for any solicitation pursuant to any contract to begin before the Attorney General has reviewed the contract pursuant to section 5 of this act. All such contracts shall be signed by two authorized officials of the charitable organization, one of whom must be a member of the organization's governing body, and the authorized contracting officer for the fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser. Performance of any contract filed for review shall not foreclose the Attorney General from enforcing the contract requirements established by P.L.1994, c.16 (C.45:17A-18 et seq.) and the rules adopted pursuant thereto or taking other appropriate action. For the purposes of this subsection, the term "relationship" shall include, but not be limited to, any contract, agreement, assignment or arrangement or any other obligation relating to the solicitation of contributions. e. All contracts for a fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser either of whom at any time has or intends to have custody, control, possession or access to a charitable organization's solicited contributions, shall contain the following: (1) A statement of the respective obligations of the fund raising counsel, the independent paid fund raiser, and the charitable organization; (2) A clear statement of the fees or rate which will be paid to the fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser; (3) The projected commencement and termination dates of the solicitation campaign; (4) A statement as to whether the fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser will have custody, control or access to contributions; (5) A statement as to the guaranteed minimum percentage of the gross receipts from contributions which will be remitted to the charitable organization, if any, or if the solicitation involves the sale of goods, services or tickets to a fund raising event, the percentage of the purchase price which will be remitted to the charitable organization, if any. Any stated percentage shall exclude any amount which the charitable organization is to pay as fund raising costs; (6) A statement of the percentage of the gross revenue from which the independent paid fund raiser will be compensated and the fixed fee or rate at which the fund raising counsel will be compensated. If the compensation of the independent paid fund raiser is not contingent upon the number of contributions or the amount of revenue received, its compensation shall be expressed as a reasonable estimate of the percentage of the gross revenue, and the contract shall clearly disclose the assumptions upon which the estimate is based. If the compensation of the fund raising counsel is calculated on the basis of a rate and time, the statement shall include a reasonable estimate of the total fee and the contract shall clearly disclose the assumptions upon which the estimate is based. With respect to any such contract, the stated assumptions shall be based upon all of the relevant facts known to the fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser regarding the solicitation to be conducted by the independent paid fund raiser; (7) The bank and branch where all moneys will be deposited, each account number and, for each account, all authorized signatories for withdrawals; and (8) Any other information as may be prescribed by the Attorney General. f. A fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser, either of whom at any time has or intends to have custody, control, possession or access to a charitable organization's solicited contributions, shall, if requested by the Attorney General, make available the following information: (1) Each location and telephone number from which the solicitation is conducted; (2) The name, home address and telephone number of each person responsible for directing and supervising the conduct of the campaign and whether the person has been adjudged liable in an administrative or civil action or convicted in a criminal action, involving theft, fraud or deceptive business practices. For the purpose of this paragraph: (a) a plea of guilty, non vult, nolo contendere or any similar disposition of alleged criminal activity shall be deemed a conviction; and (b) a judgment of liability in an administrative or civil action shall include, but not be limited to, any finding or admission that the person responsible for directing and supervising the conduct of the campaign engaged in an unlawful practice or practices related to the solicitation of contributions or the administration of charitable assets, regardless of whether that finding was made in the context of an injunction, a proceeding resulting in the denial, suspension or revocation of an organization's registration, consented to in an assurance of voluntary compliance or any similar order or legal agreement with any state or federal agency; and (3) A statement of the charitable purpose for which the solicitation campaign is being conducted. g. If either a fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser at any time has or intends to have custody, control, possession or access to a charitable organization's solicited contributions, that fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser shall: (1) At the time of making application for registration, file with the Attorney General a bond in which it shall be the principal obligor, which shall for the initial application be in the sum of $20,000 and thereafter shall be an amount prescribed by a rule adopted by the Attorney General pursuant to subsection f. of section 4 of this act. The bond shall provide for one or more sureties whose liability in the aggregate shall at least equal that sum. The fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser shall maintain the bond in effect during the entire period of registration. The bond shall be payable to the Attorney General for the benefit of any person who may have a cause of action against the principal obligor of the bond for any violation of this act or for the purpose of satisfying any assessment against the principal obligor of the bond for any such violation; (2) Deposit each contribution collected by the fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser, in its entirety and within five days of its receipt, in an account at a bank or other federally insured financial institution. The account shall be in the name of the charitable organization with whom the fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser has contracted and the charitable organization shall have sole benefit and control of the account and all withdrawals; (3) Within 40 days after a solicitation campaign has been completed, or in the case of a campaign lasting more than 12 months, within 40 days of the end of the charitable organization's fiscal year, file with the Attorney General a financial report for the campaign on such forms as the Attorney General may prescribe. Those forms shall include, but not be limited to, gross revenues, an itemization of all expenses incurred and the bank and branch where all moneys are deposited. This report shall be signed and sworn to by two authorized officials, one from the charitable organization and one from the fund raising counsel or independent paid fund raiser; and (4) Maintain a copy of each advertisement, publication, solicitation or other material used as part of the charitable sales promotion to directly or indirectly induce a contribution. L.1994,c.16,s.10; amended 2005, c.283, s.6.