California Assembly Bill 488: FAQs for Nonprofit Admins

The state of California, located in the United States of America (USA), recently enacted legislation, California Assembly Bill 488 (CA AB 488), which regulates online charitable fundraising in the state. Specifically, the law prohibits charitable fundraising platforms, like Blackbaud, from assisting organizations not in “good standing” in California with making charitable solicitations to and receiving funds from California residents.

All charitable organizations in the United States who operate or solicit donations in California (even if those charities are organized elsewhere) must maintain “good standing” in California. We will restrict donations from being made or disbursed if a California resident attempts to donate to an organization that appears on one or more California revocation lists.

For general information related to California Assembly Bill 488, including a detailed overview and suggested actions for impacted charitable organizations, see California Assembly Bill 488: Impact to Charitable Organizations.

 

If your organization is registered in NPOconnect, we will notify active Nonprofit Administrators via email should your organization appear on one of the California revocation lists. Based on this legislation, organizations that appear on one or more California revocation lists may not be in “good standing” with the state of California.

We are therefore prohibited from providing certain platform services to you until your “good standing” status has been reinstated. Consistent with our legal obligation, beginning January 1, 2024, Blackbaud will remove the ability for California donors to make donations to your organization on our platform.

Note: Organizations registered in NPOconnect are advised to have at least one active Nonprofit Administrator on file. For more information about becoming a Nonprofit Administrator, see our Registration Guides.

 

If your organization is found to not be in “good standing”, it is recommended that you take the following steps.

  1. Determine why your organization is not in “good standing.” An organization which appears on one of three lists is considered not in “good standing” in California for purposes of this law. Refer to the following resources for more information:

  2. Work with the applicable agency to rectify your “good standing” status. We do not have additional details on your status.

  3. Consult our CA AB 488 FAQ for more information.

 

Contact the NPOconnect Support team for assistance and reference Article 200573.

 

To better understand the impact to nonprofits, see California Assembly Bill 488: Impact to Charitable Organizations. Additional information is available in California Assembly Bill 488: Impact to YourCause Communities.