The secretary is authorized to adopt rules, in accordance with chapter 34.05 RCW, that establish a set of tiered financial reporting requirements for charitable organizations required to register with the secretary pursuant to this chapter. Rules adopted under this section must include, but not be limited to, substantially the following:

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Terms Used In Washington Code 19.09.541

  • annual gross revenue: means , for any accounting period, the total value of revenue, excluding unrealized capital gains, but including noncash contributions of tangible, personal property received by or on behalf of a charitable organization from all sources, without subtracting any costs or expenses. See Washington Code 19.09.020
  • public: means any individual or entity located in Washington state without a membership or other official relationship with a charitable organization before a solicitation by the charitable organization. See Washington Code 19.09.020
  • Secretary: means the secretary of state. See Washington Code 19.09.020
(1) Tier one. Charitable organizations with one million dollars or less in annual gross revenue averaged over the three preceding, completed accounting years must meet the financial reporting requirements specified in RCW 19.09.075.
(2) Tier two. Charitable organizations with more than one million dollars and up to three million dollars in annual gross revenue averaged over the three preceding, completed accounting years must, in addition to the reporting requirements in RCW 19.09.075, make one of the following financial reporting requirements available to the public upon request, or accessible to the public on the internet:
(a) The federal financial reporting form (990, 990PF, 990EZ, 990T) the organization normally files with the IRS which must be prepared by a certified public accountant or other professional who normally prepares such forms in the ordinary course of their business; or
(b) An audited financial statement prepared by an independent certified public accountant for the preceding accounting year.
(3) Tier three. Charitable organizations with more than three million dollars in annual gross revenue averaged over the three preceding, completed accounting years must, in addition to the reporting requirements in RCW 19.09.075, obtain an independent, third-party audit of its financial records for the preceding accounting year. This audit report must be made available in paper form to the public upon request or accessible to the public on the internet.
(4) The secretary may waive a tiered reporting requirement as prescribed in rule.