Oklahoma Tightens Nonprofit Registration Rules

Oklahoma officials are meeting with nonprofit leaders to help charities get up to speed on new, stricter regulations on registration and financial reporting, The Oklahoman writes.

The overhaul, which took effect July 1, requires organizations to register annually with the state and keep important documents for at least five years. Professional fund raisers will also be required to register.

State Sen. Susan Paddack, who wrote the bill, and other state officials have briefed hundreds of charity leaders at workshops organized by the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, which supports the changes, saying they will improve the credibility and accountability of the state’s charities.

The new registration process will create a database of organizations that “allows the attorney general’s office to know who the good guys are and who we need to keep an eye on,” said Tom Bates, who heads the office’s Public Protection Unit.

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