(a) No person, for the purpose of soliciting contributions from persons in the State, shall use the name of any other person except that of an officer, director, or trustee of the charitable organization by or for which contributions are solicited, without the written consent of the other persons.

A person shall be deemed to have used the name of another person for the purpose of soliciting contributions if the latter person’s name is listed on any stationery, advertisement, brochure, or correspondence in or by which a contribution is solicited by or on behalf of a charitable organization or the latter person’s name is listed or referred to in connection with a request for a contribution as one who has contributed to, sponsored, or endorsed the charitable organization or its activities.

Attorney's Note

Under the Hawaii Revised Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
misdemeanorup to 1 year$2,000
For details, see Haw. Rev. Stat. § 706-663

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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 467B-9

  • Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
  • Charitable organization: means :

    (1) Any person determined by the Internal Revenue Service to be a tax exempt organization pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; or

    (2) Any person who is or holds itself 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, or any person who in any manner employs a charitable appeal as the basis of any solicitation or an appeal that has a tendency to suggest there is a charitable purpose to the solicitation. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 467B-1

  • Charitable purpose: means :

    (1) Any purpose described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; or

    (2) Any benevolent, educational, philanthropic, humane, scientific, patriotic, social welfare or advocacy, public health, environmental conservation, civic, or other eleemosynary objective. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 467B-1

  • Commercial co-venturer: 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 charitable purposes, and who conducts charitable sales promotions. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 467B-1
  • Contribution: means the promise or grant of any money or property of any kind or value, including the promise to pay, except payments by members of a charitable organization for membership fees, dues, fines, or assessments, or for services rendered to individual members, if membership in the charitable organization confers a bona fide right, privilege, professional standing, honor, or other direct benefit, other than the right to vote, elect officers, or hold offices, and except money or property received from any governmental authority, or a grant or subsidy from any organization exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 467B-1
  • Department: means the department of the attorney general. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 467B-1
  • Donor: The person who makes a gift.
  • Person: means an individual, corporation, limited liability company, association, partnership, trust, foundation, and any other entity, however styled. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 467B-1
  • professional fundraising counsel: means any person who, for compensation, plans, conducts, manages, advises, consults, or prepares material for, or with respect to, the solicitation of contributions in this State for a charitable organization, but who actually solicits no contributions as a part of the person's services, and who does not employ, procure, or engage any compensated person to solicit contributions. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 467B-1
  • Professional solicitor: means any person who, for a financial or other consideration, solicits contributions in this State for a charitable organization, or any person with whom the professional solicitor independently contracts to solicit for contributions. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 467B-1
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
(b) No charitable organization, professional solicitor, professional fundraising counsel, or commercial co-venturer soliciting contributions shall use a name, symbol, or statement so closely related or similar to that used by another charitable organization or governmental agency that the use thereof would tend to confuse or mislead the public.
(c) No person, in connection with any solicitation or sale, shall misrepresent or mislead anyone by any manner, means, practice, or device whatsoever, to believe that the solicitation or sale is being conducted on behalf of a charitable organization or that the proceeds of the solicitation or sale will be used for charitable purposes, if that is not the fact.
(d) No professional solicitor, and no agent, employee, independent contractor, or other person acting on behalf of the professional solicitor, shall solicit in the name of or on behalf of any charitable organization unless:

(1) The professional solicitor has obtained the written authorization of two officers of the organization, which authorization shall bear the signature of the professional solicitor and the officers of the charitable organization and shall expressly state on its face the period for which it is valid, which shall not exceed one year from the date of issuance, and has filed a copy of the written authorization with the attorney general prior to the solicitation; and
(2) The professional solicitor and any person who, for compensation, acts as an agent, employee, independent contractor, or otherwise on behalf of the professional solicitor carries a copy of the authorization while conducting solicitations, and exhibits it on request to persons solicited or police officers or agents of the department.
(e) No charitable organization, professional fundraising counsel, professional solicitor, or commercial co-venturer subject to this chapter shall use or exploit the fact of filing any statement, report, professional fundraising counsel contracts, written consents, or professional solicitor contracts or other documents or information required to be filed under this chapter or with the department so as to lead the public to believe that the filing in any manner constitutes an endorsement or approval by the State of the purposes or goals for the solicitation by the charitable organization, professional fundraising counsel, professional solicitor, or commercial co-venturer; provided that the use of the following statement shall not be deemed a prohibited exploitation: “Information regarding this organization has been filed with the State of Hawaii department of the attorney general. Filing does not imply endorsement or approval of the organization or the public solicitation for contributions.”
(f) No person, while soliciting, shall impede or obstruct, with the intent to physically inconvenience the general public or any member thereof in any public place or in any place open to the public.
(g) No person shall submit for filing on behalf of any charitable organization, professional fundraising counsel, professional solicitor, or commercial co-venturer, any statement, financial statement, report, attachment, or other information to be filed with the department that contains information, statements, or omissions that are false or misleading.
(h) No person shall solicit contributions from persons in the State or otherwise operate in the State as a charitable organization, an exempt charitable organization, professional fundraising counsel, professional solicitor, or commercial co-venturer unless the person has filed the information required by this chapter with the department in a timely manner.
(i) No person shall aid, abet, or otherwise permit any persons to solicit contributions from persons in the State unless the person soliciting contributions has complied with the requirements of this chapter.
(j) No person shall fail to file the information and registration statement, annual or financial reports, and other statements required by this chapter or fail to provide any information demanded by the attorney general pursuant to this chapter in a timely manner.
(k) No person shall employ in any solicitation or collection of contributions for a charitable organization, any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud or obtain money or property by means of any false, deceptive, or misleading pretense, representation, or promise.
(l) No person, in the course of any solicitation, shall represent that funds collected will be used for a particular charitable purpose, or particular charitable purposes, if the funds solicited are not used for the represented purposes.
(m) No person shall receive compensation from a charitable organization for obtaining moneys or bequests for that charitable organization if that person has also received compensation for advising the donor to make the donation; provided that compensation may be received if the person obtains the written consent of the donor to receive compensation from the charitable organization.
(n) No person shall act as a professional solicitor if the person, any officer, any person with a controlling interest therein, or any person the professional solicitor employs, engages, or procures to solicit for compensation, has been convicted by any federal or state court of any felony, or of any misdemeanor involving dishonesty or arising from the conduct of a solicitation for a charitable organization or purpose.
(o) No charitable organization shall use the services of an unregistered professional solicitor or professional fundraising counsel.