Nonprofit organisations in South Carolina will almost certainly need to appoint and employ a registered agent.
A registered agent receives any official documents from the State of South Carolina, as well as any service of process that may be served on a firm in a lawsuit.
A registered agent is a professional who will represent your organisation to the South Carolina Secretary of State while you do business. Registered agents are sometimes known as resident agents, statutory agents, or service of process agents in certain jurisdictions.
Typically, your registered agent will receive mail on your behalf, such as compliance information and tax notices. Registered agents are also in charge of receiving process paperwork. This simply implies that your registered agent will receive court summons and paperwork on your nonprofit’s behalf if it is sued.
The following are the criteria for registered agents in South Carolina:
As long as they complete the qualifications outlined above, anybody may act as your nonprofit’s registered agent. You may choose to be your nonprofit’s registered agent, or you can designate a member of your board of directors or a trustworthy friend.
If you decide to serve as your organization’s registered agent, you must grasp the significance of this role. If you miss a filing date or misplace a document, your nonprofit’s compliance status may be jeopardised, and the Secretary of State may revoke your nonprofit’s corporate registration.
Many organisations and other companies engage a professional registered agent service to guarantee that their company is always in compliance.
Consider the benefits and drawbacks of using a South Carolina registered agent service before making a decision.
There are various reasons why you should consider employing a registered agent service for your nonprofit organisation. This strategy, in particular, can:
The sole downside of using a registered agent service is that it is expensive, while you may serve as your own registered agent for free.
While employing a professional registered agent service is a good idea for many reasons, in other cases it is required. If you answered “yes” to any of the following questions, your organisation should use a registered agent service.
When you submit your South Carolina nonprofit’s Articles of Incorporation, you must name a registered agent. In South Carolina, the fundamental nonprofit creation document is the Articles of Incorporation.
You may register your nonprofit’s Articles of Incorporation and pay the $32.50 filing fee online using the South Carolina Secretary of State’s online site. You may choose your nonprofit’s registered agent when you complete the Articles of Incorporation online.
To create your South Carolina nonprofit by mail, download the nonprofit Articles of Incorporation form, fill it out completely, and ship it to the South Carolina Secretary of State along with the original, one copy, and a completed initial annual report form (along with the $25 filing fee). Section 2 will provide the name and contact information for your registered agent.
Simply fill out the Notice of Change of Registered Agent form and send it to the South Carolina Secretary of State along with the $10 filing fee to legally change your South Carolina nonprofit’s registered agent. At the time of filing, your new registered agent must also agree to their appointment.
When you work at a charity, you have more essential things to worry about than monitoring the mail, submitting legal paperwork, and remembering compliance deadlines. A registered agent can help you with that. When you engage a professional registered agent service, you can put these responsibilities in their skilled hands and completely concentrate on what is most important to your firm.