Check a charity in Nevada before you give this holiday season
In plain words: most charities asking for money in Nevada must register with the Nevada Secretary of State first, and their filings are posted on the Secretary of State's website for anyone to read. Every ask, at the door, by phone, by email or online, must give the group's full legal name, a phone number or website, what it does, and whether your gift may be tax deductible.
What every ask must tell you (NRS 82A.200)
- The full legal name, as registered with the Secretary of State
- If not registered there: the full legal name and a physical address for the main office or the keeper of its financial records
- A phone number for that address, or the group's website
- A statement of the group's purpose
- A statement that the gift may be tax deductible, naming the law, or that it may not qualify for a federal deduction
- An online ask other than email can link to the group's website if the details are there and the tax statement is on the page where you give
- A telethon or webcast must give the details before you pledge
- An appeal for a named person or family must name who benefits
- And say your gift may not be federally tax deductible (NRS 82A.200(4))
Check before you give
What the registration shows
To register, a charity files information on a form the Secretary of State prescribes, plus a financial report, and files again every year (NRS 82A.100). Each chapter or branch may register separately, so the local name may differ from the national one. A charity that claims an exemption must file a declaration of exemption before asking and every year after (NRS 82A.110).
Who doesn't have to register
- A group that asks fewer than 15 people a year, or only relatives of its own leaders
- An appeal for one named person or family where every dollar goes to them
- An alumni group asking only its own school's community
- Organizations established for and serving bona fide religious purposes (NRS 82A.025(2))
Churches and public broadcasters are also exempt from the disclosure rules (NRS 82A.210).
Red flags
- Any claim about your gift that's likely to mislead a reasonable person
- Leaving out a fact so the pitch becomes misleading
- This is a deceptive trade practice, and the Attorney General has primary jurisdiction
- They won't give a legal name, phone number or website
- They can't say what the money is for
- They want cash, gift cards, a wire or a payment app, today
- They thank you for a gift you never made
Report a charity problem
- Complain to the Nevada Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection (NRS 598.1305)
- Keep the mailer, email, text or a note of what the caller said
- Tell the Nevada Secretary of State; it can notify the group and refer it to the Attorney General (NRS 82A.310)
- The Attorney General can seek a civil penalty up to $1,000 per violation
You already gave to a fake charity
If you paid by credit card, dispute the charge right away; steps are on returns, refunds and card disputes. Other ways to get money back and where to report are on holiday scams.
Need holiday help yourself?
Free meals and food: holiday food help. Bills: holiday bill help. Anything else, call 211.
Read 2026-11-05 from Nevada Revised Statutes on this house's law shelf: NRS 82A.025, 82A.070, 82A.100, 82A.110, 82A.120, 82A.200, 82A.210 and 82A.310 (chapter 82A, Rev. 4/15/2026); NRS 598.1305 (chapter 598, Rev. 4/15/2026).