Colorado § 6-16-103 - Definitions.

§ 6-16-103. Definitions.

As used in this article 16, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Charitable organization" means any person who is or holds himself out to be established for any benevolent, educational, philanthropic, humane, scientific, patriotic, social welfare or advocacy, public health, environmental conservation, civic, or other eleemosynary purpose, any person who operates for the benefit of the objectives of law enforcement officers, firefighters, other persons who protect the public safety, or veterans, or any person who in any manner employs a charitable appeal or an appeal which suggests that there is a charitable purpose as the basis for any solicitation. "Charitable organization" does not include the department of revenue collecting voluntary contributions for organ and tissue donations under the provisions of sections 42-2-107 (4)(b)(V) and 42-2-118 (1)(a)(II), C.R.S.

(2) "Charitable purpose" means any benevolent, educational, philanthropic, humane, scientific, patriotic, social welfare or advocacy, public health, environmental conservation, civic, or other eleemosynary purpose, any objective of law enforcement officers, firefighters, other persons who protect the public safety, or veterans, or any objective of sponsoring the free or subsidized attendance of persons at any event.

(3) "Charitable sales promotion" means an advertising or sales campaign which is conducted by a commercial coventurer and which represents that the purchase or use of goods or services offered by the commercial coventurer will benefit, in whole or in part, a charitable organization or purpose.

(4) "Commercial coventurer" means a person who, for profit, is regularly and primarily engaged in trade or commerce other than in connection with soliciting for charitable organizations or purposes and who conducts a charitable sales promotion.

(5) "Contribution" means the grant, promise, or pledge of money, credit, property, financial assistance, or any other thing of value in response to a solicitation. "Contribution" does not include voluntary contributions for organ and tissue donations under the provisions of sections 42-2-107 (4)(b)(V) and 42-2-118 (1)(a)(II), C.R.S., and bona fide fees, dues, or assessments paid by members of a charitable organization if membership is not conferred primarily as consideration for making a contribution in response to a solicitation.

(6) Repealed.

(7) "Paid solicitor" means a person that, for monetary compensation, performs a service in which contributions will be solicited in this state by the compensated person or any other person that the compensated person employs, procures, or engages to solicit for contributions in exchange for compensation. The following persons are not "paid solicitors":

(a) A person whose sole responsibility is to print or mail fund-raising literature;

(b) A lawyer, investment counselor, or banker who renders professional services to a charitable organization or advises a person to make a charitable contribution during the course of rendering such professional services or advice to the charitable organization or person;

(c) A bona fide volunteer;

(d) A director, officer, or compensated employee who is directly employed by a charitable organization which, at the time of the solicitation, had received a determination letter from the internal revenue service granting the organization tax-exempt status pursuant to 26 U.S.C. sec. 501 (c)(3), (c)(4), (c)(8), (c)(10), or (c)(19). For purposes of this paragraph (d), such a determination letter shall not have retroactive effect.

(e) Any employee of the department of revenue collecting voluntary contributions for organ and tissue donations under sections 42-2-107 (4)(b)(V) and 42-2-118 (1)(a)(II), C.R.S.;

(f) A person whose only responsibility in connection with a charitable contribution is to provide a merchant account to process credit card payments using the internet;

(g) A person that prepares a grant application for a charitable organization or purpose, unless the person's compensation is computed on the basis of funding to be raised or actually raised as a result of the grant application;

(h) A person that provides a service or product to a charitable organization who does not directly solicit for a charitable contribution; or

(i) An individual who provides services as an auctioneer to a charitable organization if the individual:

(I) (A) Is contracted or paid to provide their services as an auctioneer to a charitable organization; or

(B) Is volunteering their services as an auctioneer to a charitable organization without compensation; and

(II) Does not directly receive or handle contributions or charitable funding on behalf of the charitable organization for which the individual provides auctioneer services.

(8) "Person" means an individual, a corporation, an association, a partnership, a trust, a foundation, or any other entity however organized or any group of individuals associated in fact but not a legal entity.

(9) Repealed.

(9.3) "Professional fundraising consultant" means any person, other than a bona fide officer or regular employee of a charitable organization, who is retained by a charitable organization for a fixed fee or rate under a written agreement to plan, manage, advise, consult, or prepare material for or with respect to the solicitation in this state of contributions for a charitable organization but who does not solicit contributions or employ, procure, or engage any compensated person to solicit contributions. No lawyer, investment counselor, or banker who renders professional services to a charitable organization or advises a person to make a charitable contribution during the course of rendering professional services to the person shall be deemed, as a result of such professional services or advice, to be a "professional fundraising consultant".

(9.5) "Records" means books, financial statements, papers, correspondence, memoranda, agreements, or other documents or records that the secretary of state deems relevant or material to an inquiry.

(10) "Solicit" or "solicitation" means to request, or the request for, directly or indirectly, money, credit, property, financial assistance, or any other thing of value on the plea or representation that such money, credit, property, financial assistance, or other thing of value, or any portion thereof, will be used for a charitable purpose or will benefit a charitable organization. The term "solicit" or "solicitation" shall include, but need not be limited to, the following methods of requesting or securing such money, credit, property, financial assistance, or other thing of value:

(a) Any oral or written request; or

(b) Any sale or attempted sale of or any offer to sell any advertisement, advertising space, book, card, tag, coupon, device, magazine, membership, merchandise, subscription, flower, ticket, candy, cookies, or other tangible item in which any appeal is made for any charitable organization or purpose, or for which the name of any charitable organization is used or referred to in any such appeal as an inducement or reason for making any such sale, or for which any statement is made that the proceeds or any portion thereof from such sale will be used for any charitable purpose or will benefit any charitable organization. A "solicitation" shall be deemed to have taken place whether or not the person making the "solicitation" receives any contribution.

(11) "Solicitation campaign" means a series of solicitations which are made by the same person and which are similar in content or are based on a similar pitch or sales approach, which series leads up to or is represented to lead up to an event or lasts or is intended to last for a definite period of time. If the series of solicitations lasts or is intended to last for an indefinite period of time or for more than one year, a "solicitation campaign" means all similar solicitations made by the same person occurring within a particular calendar year.

(11.5) "Suspend" means that a charitable organization, professional fund-raising consultant, or paid solicitor is prohibited from soliciting contributions, providing consulting services in connection with a solicitation campaign, or conducting a solicitation campaign in Colorado.

(12) "Volunteer" means a person who renders services to a charitable organization or for a charitable purpose and who neither receives nor is expressly or impliedly promised financial remuneration for said services.

Source: L. 88: Entire article added, p. 350, § 1, effective July 1. L. 89: (6) and (9) repealed and IP(7) amended, pp. 367, 364, §§ 8, 1, effective July 1. L. 96: (1) and (5) amended and (7)(e) added, p. 1135, §§ 3, 4, effective July 1. L. 2001: IP(7) amended and (9.3) added, p. 1236, § 1, effective May 9, 2002. L. 2003: (7)(f) added, p. 2496, § 1, effective June 5. L. 2005: (7)(b) and (9.3) amended, p. 1286, § 1, effective June 3. L. 2008: (9.5) and (11.5) added, p. 806, § 2, effective September 1. L. 2012: (7)(e) and (7)(f) amended and (7)(g) added, (HB 12-1236), ch. 133, p. 456, § 1, effective January 1, 2013. L. 2016: IP(7), (7)(f), and (7)(g) amended and (7)(h) added, (HB 16-1129), ch. 262, p. 1076, § 2, effective August 10. L. 2026: IP, IP(7), (7)(g), and (7)(h) amended and (7)(i) added, (HB 26-1025), ch. 26, p. 122, § 1, effective August 12; IP and IP(7) amended, (HB 26-1426), ch. 334, p. 2014, § 64, effective August 12.

Editor's note: Amendments to subsection IP(7) by HB 26-1025 and HB 26-1426 were harmonized.

ANNOTATION

Law reviews. For article, "The Homeowner Protection Act Charitable Organization Exemption", see 53 Colo. Law. 20 (Nov. 2024).