225 ILCS 460/1

(225 ILCS 460/1) (from Ch. 23, par. 5101)

Sec. 1. Definitions. The following words and phrases as used in this Act shall have the following meanings unless a different meaning is required by the context.

(a) "Charitable organization" means any benevolent, philanthropic, patriotic, or eleemosynary person or one purporting to be such which solicits and collects funds for charitable purposes and includes each local, county, or area division within this State of such charitable organization, provided such local, county, or area division has authority and discretion to disburse funds or property otherwise than by transfer to any parent organization.

(b) "Contribution" means the promise or grant of any money or property of any kind or value, including the promise to pay, except payments by union members of an organization. Reference to the dollar amount of "contributions" in this Act means in the case of promises to pay, or payments for merchandise or rights of any other description, the value of the total amount promised to be paid or paid for such merchandise or rights and not merely that portion of the purchase price to be applied to a charitable purpose. Contribution shall not include the proceeds from the sale of admission tickets by any not-for-profit music or dramatic arts organization which establishes, by such proof as the Attorney General may require, that it has received an exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and which is organized and operated for the presentation of live public performances of musical or theatrical works on a regular basis. For purposes of this subsection, union member dues and donated services shall not be deemed contributions.

(c) "Person" means any individual, organization, group, association, partnership, corporation, trust, or any combination of them.

(d) "Professional fund raiser" means any person who for compensation or other consideration, conducts, manages, or carries on any solicitation or fund raising drive or campaign in this State or from this State or on behalf of a charitable organization residing within this State for the purpose of soliciting, receiving, or collecting contributions for or on behalf of any charitable organization or any other person, or who engages in the business of, or holds himself or herself out to persons in this State as independently engaged in the business of soliciting, receiving, or collecting contributions for such purposes. A bona fide director, officer, employee, or unpaid volunteer of a charitable organization shall not be deemed a professional fund raiser unless the person is in a management position and the majority of the individual's salary or other compensation is computed on a percentage basis of funds to be raised, or actually raised.

(e) "Professional fund raising consultant" means any person who is retained by a charitable organization or trustee for a fixed fee or rate that is not computed on a percentage of funds to be raised, or actually raised, under a written agreement, to only plan, advise, consult, or prepare materials for a solicitation of contributions in this State, but who does not manage, conduct or carry on a fundraising campaign and who does not solicit contributions or employ, procure, or engage any compensated person to solicit contributions and who does not at any time have custody or control of contributions. A volunteer, employee, or salaried officer of a charitable organization or trustee maintaining a permanent establishment or office in this State is not a professional fundraising consultant. An attorney, investment counselor, or banker who advises an individual, corporation, or association to make a charitable contribution is not a professional fundraising consultant as a result of the advice.

(f) "Charitable purpose" means any charitable, benevolent, philanthropic, patriotic, or eleemosynary purpose.

(g) "Charitable Trust" means any relationship whereby property is held by a person for a charitable purpose.

(h) "Education Program Service" means any activity which provides information to the public of a nature that is not commonly known or facts which are not universally regarded as obvious or as established by common understanding and which informs the public of what it can or should do about a particular issue.

(i) "Primary Program Service" means the program service upon which an organization spends more than 50% of its program service funds or the program activity which represents the largest expenditure of funds in the fiscal period.

(j) "Professional solicitor" means any natural person who is employed or retained for compensation by a professional fund raiser to solicit, receive, or collect contributions for charitable purposes from persons in this State or from this State or on behalf of a charitable organization residing within this State.

(k) "Program Service Activity" means the actual charitable program activities of a charitable organization for which it expends its resources.

(l) "Program Service Expense" means the expenses of charitable program activity and not management expenses or fund raising expenses. In determining Program Service Expense, management and fund raising expenses may not be included.

(m) "Public Safety Personnel Organization" means any person who uses any of the words "officer", "police", "policeman", "policemen", "troopers", "sheriff", "law enforcement", "fireman", "firemen", "paramedic", or similar words in its name or in conjunction with solicitations, or in the title or name of a magazine, newspaper, periodical, advertisement book, or any other medium of electronic or print publication, and is not a governmental entity. No organization may be a Public Safety Personnel Organization unless 80% or more of its voting members or trustees are active or retired police officers, police officers with disabilities, peace officers, firemen, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians - ambulance, emergency medical technicians - intermediate, emergency medical technicians - paramedic, ambulance drivers, or other medical assistance or first aid personnel.

(m-5) "Public Safety Personnel" includes police officers, peace officers, firemen, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians - ambulance, emergency medical technicians - intermediate, emergency medical technicians - paramedic, ambulance drivers, and other medical assistance or first aid personnel.

(n) "Trustee" means any person, individual, group of individuals, association, corporation, not for profit corporation, or other legal entity holding property for or solicited for any charitable purpose; or any officer, director, executive director or other controlling persons of a corporation soliciting or holding property for a charitable purpose.

(o) "Reviewed financial statements" means procedures performed on financial statements in accordance with statements on standards for accounting and review services issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, in which a certified public accountant obtains limited assurance as a basis for reporting whether the accountant is aware of any material modifications that should be made to the financial statements for them to be in accordance with the specified basis of accounting. This subsection is inoperative on and after January 1, 2029.

(Source: P.A. 103-121, eff. 1-1-24.)