Charities

Applying for aproval to solicit for Charitable Collection

Any person who asks a member of the public to give money for a charitable purpose is required to seek permission to solicit for funds.

A charitable purpose includes any benevolent, philanthropic or patriotic purpose, and any purpose for the protection of the environment or the welfare of animals.

charitable purposes, including supplying help, aid, relief, support, care, housing or education to any person or animal in distress
community purposes, including promoting the public’s general welfare

Who must apply for approval?
Three ways to register
Orders of Approval

Who must apply for approval?

You must apply for permission to solicit for charitable donations if:

you are an organisation which is incorporated in a State or Territory other than Tasmania
you are a corporation whose principal office is located in a State or Territory other than Tasmania
you are a non incorporated group or association
you are an individual wishing to collect for a charitable purpose yourself, not on behalf of a charitable organisation

You do not need to apply for permission to solicit for charitable donations if:

you are an organisation which is only incorporated in Tasmania or
you are a corporation whose principal office is located in Tasmania

The law does not apply to the following activities (see Section 4 of the Act):

a request for renewal of membership
an appeal by an organisation, including a religious organisation, to its members
an appeal within premises that are used by a club or by a religious organisation
an appeal to a Commonwealth, State or local authority
the sale of goods or services (e.g. chocolate sales)
a raffle or
an activity to which the Gaming Control Act 1993 applies

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Three ways to register

Non Tasmanian based charities – Form 1
Non incorporated associations – Form 2
Individuals – Form 3

Non Tasmanian based charities – Form 1

Organisations, which are incorporated in a jurisdiction other than Tasmania, or corporations whose principal office is located in another State or Territory, must apply to the Commissioner for Corporate Affairs for approval to solicit for charitable donations in Tasmania.

Non incorporated associations – Form 2

Organisations, which are not, incorporated associations or corporations are generally prohibited from soliciting for donations from the public. However a community group may wish to collect for charity for a limited period or for a specific purpose. In these circumstances, you must apply for approval from the Commissioner.

Individuals – Form 3

Individuals generally collect for charity on behalf of an organisation and not in their own right. However, the Act does make provision for individuals to collect in their own right in special circumstances. Such circumstances might include a local event in the community, such as a disaster or family tragedy where a person feels a need to help. If an individual wishes to assist in a charitable cause themselves rather than on behalf of an organisation, they must first apply for an approval from the Commissioner.

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Orders of Approval

The following links provide a list of the organisations approved by the Governor, under section 5(2)(b) of the Collections for Charities Act, to conduct Charitable Collections. In most cases, the organisations listed in these order-in-council will also be in the above list of approved charities. However, in some cases the method of approval does not permit us to list an organisation in the typical manner.

For instance in one case approval has been provided to any school, as defined by the Education Act 1994, other than a registered school.

These links are, therefore, provided to ensure that there is a thorough resource available to the public, to ensure that only approved organisations solicit for donations in Tasmania.

Charitable Trusts

Religious Organisations

Approved Organisations

Approved Organisations (No. 2)