Your website footer shows only your city and state, never a street address. That protects volunteers who would otherwise have to list their home, and it is all donors need to see that you are a real, local organization.
In the application’s footer location field, enter the city and state where your organization is based. You may still want a mailing address for donor checks, state filings and official mail. Here are the options, from least to most preferred.
Mailing address options
- A volunteer’s home. Works at the very start, but it exposes someone’s home address on state records and looks informal.
- A USPS PO box. Cheap and private, but it can’t receive courier deliveries, and some states won’t accept one for official filings.
- A commercial mailbox (such as a UPS Store box). A real street address with a suite number that accepts courier deliveries.
- A real office address, if you have one.
- A registered agent service. The strongest option: a compliant address in each state you register in, with legal and state mail reliably forwarded to you.
How a registered agent works
A registered agent receives legal papers and official state mail on your behalf in the states you choose, scans it, and notifies you, usually the same business day. Nothing important gets lost, and a board member’s home address stays off the public record.
We recommend Northwest Registered Agent for its privacy practices, flat pricing and responsive mail scanning. It is a recommendation, not a requirement: any registered agent service is fine. As of 2026, Northwest’s registered-agent service is free for the first year, then about $125 a year per state.
FFC can set your charity up under our central Northwest account so renewals and mail routing are handled consistently; you cover the annual fee. Prefer to hold your own account? That works too. Either way, ask us through our contact page.
Registering in more than one state
If your charity asks for donations in more than one state, you may need to register, and keep a registered agent, in each of them. Check each state’s charity registration rules before you start fundraising there.