Charities

A charitable solicitation license is issued by the Department of the Secretary of State to a charitable or sponsor organization and gives them the right to legally solicit, or ask, the public for contributions for their charitable purpose or cause.

It is important to note that not all charities are required to get a license to solicit contributions. Some charities, like churches, schools, YMCA’s, and charities that bring in less than $50,000 a year and do not compensate anyone, are considered exempt from the law and therefore are not required to obtain a license. A complete list of all exemptions from license requirements is available on our website.

Simply go to Search Our Registry and enter the name of the organization. In the organization’s profile you will see all filings and correspondence on record with the Department, including the organization’s most recently filed financial information. By looking at an organization’s profile, you will be able to see if they have registered with the Secretary of State as “exempt” or if they have obtained a license.

The best way to find out more about how a charity will use a donation is to ask the charity directly. If a charity or a solicitor acting on behalf of a charity calls asking you for a donation, they must disclose the following information to you during the solicitation process:

• Name of the charity and the place of business for the charity;
• The purpose for which the solicitation is being made;
• The name and either the address and/or phone number of someone you can contact if you have additional questions;
• The amount of your contribution which you may deduct under federal income tax laws;
• How you can obtain financial records for the charity.

Any charity that has a license to solicit contributions in NC, must file financial information with the Department on an annual basis. The public can access that information through our online Search Our Registry.

Like any business, charities also have overhead costs. However, most charities strive to put as much donor money as possible into their charitable programs or purposes.

As a donor you have the ability to do additional research to find out how a charity uses the money you donate. You can Search Our Registry to look at financial records on file for the charity. You can also look at other consumer information and research sites linked on our website for helpful tips on how to determine if a charity is using the money you donate in a smart way.

No. But asking for a receipt is always a smart thing to do. When you receive a receipt for a charitable donation, it should include the following:

• The date the donation was made;
• The name of the charity you made the donation to;
• The dollar amount of your donation;
• The Tax ID or EIN number for the charity, if the charity has tax-exempt status.

No. Not all charities have received tax exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. Our Department does not have anything to do with determining a charity’s tax exempt status. However, an organization that is not tax exempt and receives a license to solicit from our Department will receive a license that clearly states “Non Tax Exempt”. Additionally, charities that receive a Non Tax Exempt license from the Department are required to inform donors of their status.

“501(c)(3)” refers to the federal tax code, and is a designation given to certain organizations by the Internal Revenue Service. It means the charity does not have to pay federal income tax. To become “tax exempt” a charity must provide certain financial information to the IRS and also provide that information to the public.

Additionally, it is important to note that not every organization licensed to solicit contributions by the Department is a tax-exempt organization. The Department issues a “Non Tax-Exempt License” to those organizations that have not yet obtained or do not plan to obtain tax exempt status with the IRS. Donations to these types of organizations are not tax deductible.

In almost all cases, you may deduct all of your donation to a 501(c)3 or tax exempt charity on your own taxes. You should always talk to your accountant or an attorney to confirm tax deductions.

You can also check with the Internal Revenue Service for more information.

If you have concerns about how a charity is soliciting donations in North Carolina, submit a Complaint Form (PDF) to our office. The more information you provide to us, the better job we can do to investigate your complaint. Any complaint you submit to our office is a public record.

You may also contact the Consumer Protection Section of the North Carolina Department of Justice using their Complaint Process.

While we regulate and license certain charitable organizations, we do not govern the creation and maintenance of charitable organizations. If you’re interested in starting your own charity, we can recommend several information sources. The Secretary of State’s Business Registration Division has information concerning creation of a nonprofit organization in North Carolina.

We also recommend a visit to the North Carolina Center for Non-Profits site as a valuable information resource for those interested in starting a charity.

No. If you are a volunteer who is raising money for a charity that has a license to solicit donations AND the charity is not compensating you in any way to raise those funds, then you do not need a license. However, you must get the charity’s permission in writing before soliciting donations on their behalf. Soliciting for a charity without their prior permission may violate North Carolina's solicitation laws.

If you wish to raise money from North Carolina residents for a charity as a separate business venture with the intent to generate a profit, you must apply for and obtain a license as a professional fundraiser first. Contact our office for more information.

For any organization licensed to solicit contributions in North Carolina, their most recent financial information will be on file and available to you through our online Search Our Registry. Charities have the option to provide their financial information in one of three formats: 1) the IRS Form 990; 2) an Annual Financial Form provided by the Department; or 3) an Audit. Each year, the charity will file financial records as part of the license application process.

Unfortunately, in most cases it is very difficult to recover a charitable contribution once it has been made. For that reason, it is important that donors do their research BEFORE making a donation.

Our office does not have the ability to secure refunds of donations made by donors. So, use the information available on our website to research a charity prior to making a donation.

Many people think that if they have registered their phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry that should also keep charities from calling them. However, charities are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry, which means, even if your number is listed on the national registry, a charity may still call you.

To get a charity to stop calling you, you will need to communicate directly with the charity and inform the person calling on behalf of the charity to place you on the charity’s own “no-call” list. If you receive unwanted solicitations in the mail, you can write the entity and ask them to remove you from their mailing list.

If after making these notifications you continue to receive repetitive and unwanted telephone calls or letters from charities or solicitors, contact our office.

CSL produces an Annual Report each year that includes a summary of enforcement activity for the year. Copies of prior years and the current year’s Report are available on our website.

Your charity needs a license if:

• You are a charity or a sponsor or person that asks the public in North Carolina for contributions or donations to support a charitable purpose or
• Your charity or sponsor or person takes part in a charitable or sponsor sales promotion. (Note: A sponsor sales promotion is an advertising or sales campaign conducted by a coventurer representing that the purchase of goods or services through the campaign will be used for or donated to the sponsor organization)

If your organization does any of the following, then you likely will need to apply for and obtain a license to solicit donations, unless your organizations meets exemption requirements:

• Mails donation requests to North Carolina citizens, businesses, corporations, etc;
• Calls North Carolina citizens, businesses, corporations, etc. asking them to make donations;
• An advance instruction for mental health treatment.
• A declaration of an anatomical gift.
• Goes door-to-door or asks people in person to donate to your organization;
• Hires professional solicitors to make donation requests (via mail, phone or in person) to North Carolina residents, businesses, corporations, etc. on behalf of your organization;
• Sells tickets or sponsorships to annual fundraising events including things like golf tournaments, galas, awards dinners, auctions, etc.
• Asks local businesses to provide donations of items or gift certificates or services to be auctioned off or given as doorprizes as part of a fundraising event;
• Asks local businesses to serve as sponsors of annual fundraising events by donating services such as music, flowers, security or goods such as food and drink for the event.
• Sends emails to North Carolina residents, businesses, corporations, etc. asking them to make a donation to your organization;
• Sends out a newsletter to North Carolina residents, businesses, corporations, etc. that includes a request for a donation;
• Is based in North Carolina and you have a website, Facebook page, or other internet presence where you ask for donations from any member of the public;
• Sells any good or service above fair market value and keeps the remainder of the payment from the purchaser as a donation to your organization;
• Utilizes media outlets such as local newspaper, radio or television to request donations from the public.

Yes. Some organizations do not need a license because they are exempt from the law.

List of the 13 exemptions from licensure.

No. The license issued to your charity will cover all salaried employees, unpaid volunteers, and unpaid Board Members of your organization. Your license does not cover any person your organization retains on contract to solicit on behalf of your organization.

No. However, some charities like to register with us anyway. Then they get an exemption letter for their records and their organization is listed as exempt in our online Search Registry.

Your charity needs to:

• Complete and submit the “Charitable or Sponsor License” application form.
• Provide any other information we ask for, and
• Pay the required fee.

The amount of the fee varies. The fee is based on the donations the charity received in its last fiscal year. The lowest fee is $50.00. The highest fee is $400.00 for charities that have multiple chapters, branches, etc.

The Department accepts checks, money orders or credit cards as payment for all fees. Checks should be issued to: NC Department of the Secretary of State

License applications must be mailed as they include notarized documents. Mail your packet to:

NC Department of the Secretary of State
ATTN: CSL
PO Box 29622
Raleigh, NC 27626-0622

Your license will have an expiration date printed on the document. You can also verify your organization’s expiration date through our online Search Registry. The expiration date is based on your organization’s fiscal year end.

Yes! The Department mails renewal packets to current license holders 65-days prior to the date on which their license will expire.

Yes, all organizations who have a license in “current” standing receive a 60-day extension without having to request it. This extension will be provided in the renewal information mailed to your organization.

You can get up to a 6-month extension if:

• You ask for it before the automatic 2-month extension expires and
• You send us a copy of your filed IRS Form 8868, federal information tax form confirmation page, as proof of filing before the 2-month extension expires

The Department at its discretion, may give organizations a 60-day extension of time for filing the annual renewal beyond any federal application for automatic extension granted by IRS. Once all possible extensions have been allowed, late fees will be charged.

Late fees are charged to organizations that have an expired license and do not have any additional extensions in place. The late fee is $25.00 per month or part of a month after the date on which the information was due to be filed with the Department.

Within 10 days after we receive your application for a license, we will do one of 3 things:

• We will approve the application and send you your license;
• We will deny the application; OR
• We will ask you for more information.

If we ask you for more information, we will do so using certified mail, email or a phone call.

Yes. The letter denying the application will tell you what you need to do if you want to appeal.

CSL will email the organization a copy of the license once it is approved. At any time, you can Search Our Registry to check the status of your application.

We will email you a letter of exemption after we approve it. You can also Search Our Registry to see if your exemption has been filed. If you don’t find it, that doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t get the exemption. It may just mean we haven’t processed it yet.

Yes. The letter denying the application will tell you what you need to do if you want to appeal.

We’ll email you a copy of the license after we approve it. You can also Search Our Registry to see if your application has been approved. If you don’t find it, that doesn’t mean we haven’t approved it. It may just mean we haven’t processed it yet.

Yes. You have to put information about your license on all printed materials related to donations. Examples of places you have to include information about your license are:

• Requests for donations
• Advertisements for fundraisers
• Receipts for donations
• Written confirmations of donations
• Reminders about contributions.

You must include the following statement on all solicitations:

“Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Division at 919-814-5400.

And, the statement must be printed in type that is a minimum of size nine (9) font and made conspicuous by underline, a border, or bold type.

You can:

• Search Our Registry to see if they have a license. When you check, remember that we issue licenses in the official, legal name of a person or organization. So, if the name they’re using is a “doing business as” or d/b/a name, you may not find that name when you search our website.
• If after doing a search you do not see that the person or business has a license, you should submit a complaint to us. Complete our Complaint Form (PDF) and send it to us with any supporting documents that you think would be helpful. If you do submit a complaint, it may become a public record.

You are a Fund-Raising Consultant if you:

• Have an agreement with a charity or sponsor , and
• It’s for a fixed rate or a fee, and
• The agreement is in writing, and
• Under the agreement you help the charity solicit donations by:
  • Planning or
  • Managing or
  • Conducting or
  • Consulting or
  • Preparing written materials.

You are NOT a Fund-Raising Consultant if you are a Solicitor. A Solicitor is someone who:

• Asks people or businesses for donations or
• Hires or recruits someone else to ask for donations or
• Has custody of the donations at some point in time or
• Has control of the donations at some point in time.

You are a solicitor if:

• You’re paid, and
• You’re not a Fund-Raising Consultant, and
• You either:
• Do any of these things related to a solicitation for a charity or sponsor:
  • Perform a service to solicit donations for a charity or charity sponsor.
  • • Plan or
    • Manage or
    • Conduct or
    • Consult. and
    • Directly or indirectly asks for contributions

If you are not sure if what you do means you’re a Solicitor or a Fund-Raising Consultant, Contact Us.

To apply for a license, you need to:

• Complete a Fundraising Consultant Application Form;
• Gather all documents the application asks you for.
• Mail everything to us:
  • The completed application form;
  • All the documents the form asks for;
  • The fee for a license.

Yes. You have to get a Solicitor license. A licensed fund-raising consultant may not act as a Solicitor without a Solicitor license.

Yes, you can file your application online.

The fee is $200 a year.

A Fund-Raising consultant license is valid for one year. Your license expires on March 31st of each year and you must renew on or before March 31st to stay in current status.

No. There are no extensions available for Fund-Raising Consultant license renewals.

No. But, if don’t get your license renewed by March 31st and you act as a Fund-Raising Consultant while your license is expired, you violate the law. We can investigate and impose penalties for acting as an Fund-Raising Consultant without a current license.

I’m going to apply for a Fund-Raising Consultant’s license. How long will it take you to approve my license?

Within 10 days after we receive your application for a license, we’ll do one of 3 things:

• We’ll approve the application OR
• We’ll deny the application OR
• We will ask you for more information.

If we ask for more information, we’ll send you a certified letter or we’ll email or call you. You do not have a license until it is issued by us. You will receive a copy of your license in the mail. You may also access a copy of your license through our Search Our Registry.

Yes. The letter denying the application will tell you what you need to do if you want to appeal. Read the letter carefully. You only have 7 days to appeal.

We’ll email you a license if we approve your application. The license will be emailed to the person and the address indicated on your application.

You can also Search Our Registry at any time to check the status of your application.

If you don’t find it, that doesn’t mean we haven’t approved it. It may just mean we haven’t processed it yet. You are not licensed until we issue the official license.

YES! Fund-Raising Consultants are required to file with CSL copies of all contracts between you and your charity or sponsor clients. You must also include the Fundraising Consultant Contract Checklist with each contract submitted.

You have to file the copies of the contracts at least 5 days before any business is conducted under the contract.

You can:

• Search Our Registry to see if they have a license. When you check, remember we do issue licenses in the official, legal name or a person or organization. So, if the name they’re using is a “doing business as” or d/b/a name, you may not find that name when you search our website.
• Bear in mind that licensed Solicitors can also act as Fund-Raising Consultants. So, if you verify someone’s has a current license as a Solicitor, then they do have the legal right to also act as a Fund-Raising Consultant, so long as their Solicitor license is current.
• If after doing a search you do not see that the person or business has a license, you should submit a complaint to us. Complete our Complaint Form (PDF) and send it to us with any supporting documents that you think would be helpful. If you do submit a complaint, it is a public record.

Yes. There are some other things you have to do and some things you can’t do.

You have to notify us of changes in any information on documents you file with us. You have to let us know within 7 days.

There are some things you can’t do as a Fund-Raising Consultant. For example, you can’t:

• Enter into a contract unless you have a current license.
• Prepare materials for the charity that misrepresent things like how much money the charity will get from the solicitation.

If you’re not sure if you can do something, contact us and ask.

You are a Solicitor if:

• You’re paid, and
• You’re not a fund-raising consultant, and
• You:
  • Perform a service, including the employment or engagement of others, to solicit donations for a charity or sponsor.
  • Plan, conduct, manage, or consult (directly or indirectly) in the solicitation of contributions.
  • Your fee may be fixed OR it may be based on the success of the solicitation campaign.
  • You will at some point have custody and control of the contributions before they are turned over to the charity.

The next FAQs go into more detail about each of these things. If you are not sure if what you do means you’re a solicitor, Contact CSL.

You are a fund-raising consultant if you:

• Have a written agreement with a charity or sponsor, and
• Are paid a fixed rate or fee for your services, and
• Under the agreement you plan, manage, conduct, consult, or prepare materials to be used in the solicitation of contributions.

As a fund-raising consultant, you DO NOT:

• Solicit contributions or employ or engage anyone else to solicit contributions; AND
• You DO NOT at any time have custody or control of contributions received in a solicitation campaign.

Yes, it counts. The definition of “solicitor” talks about “compensation”. So if you’re paid with something other than cash or a check, it still counts as compensation. For example, if you collect donations for the charity and take your payment off the top, that would still count.

You’re performing a service as a solicitor if you do things like hire someone to ask for donations for the charity or sponsor, or if you run a call center where donation request calls are made on behalf of a charity, or if you run all aspects of a fundraising event for a charity, including soliciting contributions and securing sponsorships for a charity. If you have questions, contact CSL.

No, it doesn’t make a difference. Here’s an example: You’re indirectly planning a charity’s solicitation and you meet all the other criteria. You are a solicitor.

To apply for a license, you need to:

• Complete a Solicitor Application Form
• Gather additional documents the application asks you for;
• Get a surety bond. We’ve also put together some information about bonds to help.
• Mail everything to us:
  • The completed application form;
  • All documents, including the Bond;
  • The fee for a license.

No, you don’t have to get another license. If you’re a licensed solicitor, you can also provide fund-raising consulting services to your charity and sponsor customers. There are required filings for Fund-Raising Consultants you must follow.

Yes, you can file your application online.

A surety bond is a kind of guarantee or insurance policy. Solicitors have to get a surety bond from a company to protect the charities they are soliciting contributions to support. The bond provides assurance to the charity that if the solicitor does not return the contributions received to the charity, there will be some money to cover all or part of the charity’s loss.

There is an alternative. You can get a certificate of deposit. We’ve put together some information on the bond requirement to help you out.

No, we don’t issue bonds. The bond must be filed with your license application and we will make sure it meets the requirements for your license needs. We’ve put together some information to help you as you work to obtain your bond.

You have to get a surety bond from a licensed insurance company. The North Carolina Department of Insurance (NCDOI) licenses the companies. NCDOI has a list of licensed insurance companies that provide surety bonds. NCDOI can answer questions about bonds and bond companies. Or, call them at:

919-814-5400

The necessary amount of the bond varies. It depends on the amount of contributions you received through solicitation campaigns for charities the year before:

• Less than $100,000
  • $20,000
• $100,000 to $199,999
  • $30,000
• $200,000+
  • $50,000

You must have the bond in place when you apply for your license and provide it during the application process.

You have to keep the bond as long as you’re licensed as a solicitor. If your bond is suspended or revoked, your solicitor license will be suspended until you provide CSL a new bond certificate.

The fee is $200 a year.

All solicitor licenses expire on March 31st of each year and you must renew on or before March 31st to stay in current status. If you apply at any point during the year, you will be issued a license from that day forward until March 31st.

How will I know when it is time to renew my license?

All solicitor licenses expire on March 31st of each year and the date is printed on your license document. In addition, the Department will mail a license renewal packet to all current licensees 65 days prior to the renewal date. The package will include a copy of the Solicitor License Application.

No. There are no extensions available for Solicitor license renewals.

No. But, if you don’t get your license renewed by March 31st and you act as a solicitor while your license is expired, you violate the law. We can investigate and impose penalties for acting as a solicitor without a current license.

Within 10 days after we receive your application for a license, we’ll do one of 3 things:

• We’ll approve the application OR
• We’ll deny the application OR
• We will ask you for more information.

If we ask for more information, we’ll send you a letter or we’ll email or call you. You do not have a license until it is issued by us. You will receive a copy of your license in the mail. You may also access a copy of your license through our Search Our Registry.

Yes. The letter denying the application will tell you what you need to do if you want to appeal. Read the letter carefully. You only have 7 days to appeal.

• We’ll email you a license if we approve your application. The license will be emailed to the person and the address indicated on your application.

You can also Search Our Registry at any time to check the status of your application.

If you don’t find it, that doesn’t mean we haven’t approved it. It may just mean we haven’t processed it yet. You are not licensed until we issue the official license.

YES! Solicitors have to file a number of important documents with us. You have to file documents throughout the year related to your solicitation activity in North Carolina.

• Contracts including solicitation of contributions in NC
  • Before the solicitation campaign or event. Typically, solicitors file contracts when they file their license application.
  • You must submit a completed Solicitor Contract Checklist with each contract you file.
• Solicitation Campaign Notice
  • At least 5 days before start of a fundraising or solicitation campaign
  • You must submit a completed Solicitation Campaign Notice for each campaign
• Campaign Financial Report
  • Within 90 days after a solicitation campaign ends OR If the campaign hasn’t ended, every year on the anniversary of the campaign’s start date.
  • The required Campaign Financial Report form must be completed and submitted.

No. But, you do have to send us a Financial Report for every year that a solicitation campaign happens under the contract. The Financial Report is due each year on the anniversary of the date the campaign started.

• Search Our Registry to see if they have a license. When you check, remember that we issue licenses in the official, legal name of a person or organization. So, if the name they’re using is a “doing business as” or d/b/a name, you may not find that name when you search our website.
• If after doing a search you do not see that the person or business has a license, you should submit a complaint to us. Complete our Complaint Form (PDF) and send it to us with any supporting documents that you think would be helpful. If you do submit a complaint, it may become a public record.

Yes. There are some other things you have to do and some things you can’t do.

• You have to notify us of changes in any information on documents you file with us. You have to let us know within 7 days of when the change occurred.
• You, and any individual working for you, must disclose to each person from whom you verbally solicit contributions, the following:
  • Your name or your business name as you have it on file with us;
  • Your legal name, and your employees must provide their legal name when soliciting contributions;
  • Inform the person that you are a paid solicitor. These disclosures must be made verbally for in person and phone solicitations and must be made in writing for any written solicitations.

Additionally, ALL written solicitations must contain the following statement in a minimum font size nine and be made conspicuous by underline, border, or bolding:

Financial information about the solicitor and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Division at 919-814-5400. This license is not an endorsement from the State.

There are some things you can’t do as a solicitor. For example, you can’t:

• Act as a solicitor after your license has expired;
• Send anything that looks like an invoice in an effort to collect a donation;
• Say someone’s connected with a solicitation without their permission;
• Solicit and say it’s for a charity or use the charity’s name unless you have their permission;
• Misrepresent how much money a charity will get from a solicitation.

If you’re not sure if you can do something, contact CSL and ask.

Call a property/casualty insurance company to get information regarding the surety bond you will need to obtain a solicitor license pursuant to N.C.G.S. §131F-16(d).

It depends on the amount of contributions received by the solicitor in the prior fiscal year.

• If contributions received by the solicitor in the last fiscal year were less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), a Twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) surety bond must be obtained; or
• If contributions received by the solicitor in the last fiscal year were at least one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) but less than two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000), a Thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) surety bond must be obtained; or
• If contributions received by the solicitor in the last fiscal year were at least two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000), a Fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) surety bond must be obtained.

The surety bond must be payable to the State and to any person who may have a cause of action against the principal obligor of the bond for any liability arising out of a violation by the obligor of any provision of the Charitable Solicitation Act or any related administrative rule.

Here is surety bond policy language acceptable to obtain a solicitor license: “Bond Number _________________________ Know to all men by these present, that we, ______________________________________, (insert name of solicitor) Inc. as principal and ________________________________________________________ as (insert name of surety bond insurance company) Surety, authorized to do business in the State of North Carolina are bound unto the State of North Carolina, Department of the Secretary of State, and to such persons as are specified in the General Statues of North Carolina, Section 131F-16(d), as obligees in the amount of $______________________________, for payment to those set forth above who may have a (insert dollar amount of surety bond) cause of action against the Principal for any liability arising out of a violation by the Principal of any provision of Chapter 131F or any rule adopted under 131F. The Principal has applied, or will apply, to the State of North Carolina for a license to act as a “Solicitor” on behalf of a charitable organization or sponsor pursuant to 131F of the General Statutes of North Carolina. The condition of the obligation shall be specified in the General Statutes of North Carolina Section 131F-16(d). In no event shall the aggregate liability of the Surety for any and all claims under this bond exceed the amount of $________________________________. (insert dollar amount of surety bond) The Surety may cancel this bond at any time by filing with the obligee thirty (30) days written notice of its desire to be relieved of liability; provided however, the Surety shall not be discharged from any liability already incurred under this bond. This surety bond is in effect from______________________until______________________. (beginning date) (ending date) Signed, Sealed and dated this __________ day of __________, 20______. ______________________________________ Principal ______________________________________ Signature of Principal ______________________________________ Surety By:____________________________________”

Yes. The solicitor must maintain the bond at all times as long as the solicitor license is in effect. If the surety bond is suspended or revoked, the Department will automatically suspend or revoke the solicitor’s license. Insurance companies typically send notice to the Department prior to the effective date of a surety bond’s suspension or revocation.

Yes. Pursuant to N.C.G.S. §131F-16(d1), a solicitor may submit a certificate of deposit in the same amount as would be required for a surety bond based on contributions received by the solicitor in the prior year. The certificate of deposit shall be payable to the State and unrestrictively endorsed to the Department; or, in the case of a negotiable certificate of deposit, unrestrictively endorsed to the Department; or, in the case of a nonnegotiable certificate of deposit, assigned to the Department in a form satisfactory to the Department. Access to the certificate of deposit in favor of the State is subject to the same conditions as for a bond under subsection (d) of this section and shall extend for a period not less than four years after the solicitor ceases activities that are subject to this Chapter. The Department shall deliver to the State Treasurer certificates of deposit submitted under this section.