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If your organization utilizes ANY direct mail
marketing company such as Municipal Marketing Services for your
direct mail fund drive program, you know that Act 202 of
December 1990 REQUIRES you to be registered as a "Charitable
Organization" with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department
of State, Charities Division. It also requires you to complete
financial disclosure statements and submit them to the
State on an ANNUAL BASIS. Further, Act 202 requires that any
organization that earns over $300,000 annually must submit
AUDITED Financial Statements which must be prepared by an
independent auditor with costs ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 or
MORE!
Additionally, several Emergency Organizations in
Pennsylvania have been served with "Cease and Desist" orders
prohibiting them from performing ANY fund raising AT ALL in
Pennsylvania. With these "Cease and Desist" orders, most
organizations have received a $5,000 fine!
Municipal Marketing Services has been working
with several Pennsylvania House Representatives headed by the
Honorable Dan Moul. Representative Moul and twenty-five other
Representatives have co-signed House Bill #1773. This amendment
to Act 202 of 1990 will EXEMPT ALL Fire Departments, Ambulance
Services and Rescue Squads from the registration and financial
statement requirements required under Act 202 when using a
Professional Fundraising Counsel such as Municipal Marketing
Services.
House Bill #1773 is currently bogged down in
committee. Please take a moment and call, write or email your
local Pennsylvania House Representative and Pennsylvania State Senator
and ask them to SUPPORT HOUSE BILL #1773. Ask them to get it out
of committee and to the floor for a vote as soon as possible!
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