Columbus professional fundraiser bonds.
$100 flat.
The City of Columbus requires a $5,000 bond from professional fundraisers who solicit charitable contributions in the city. The price you see is the checkout price — $100 flat — and no credit check.
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How much does a Columbus professional fundraiser bond cost?
$100 at the $5,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
License bonds are the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
License bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.
File with the City of Columbus
Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with your Columbus professional fundraiser registration. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
A professional fundraiser (or paid solicitor) raises charitable contributions on behalf of others. The City of Columbus requires these solicitors to register with the city and conditions that registration on a $5,000 surety bond running to the City of Columbus.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of Columbus (the obligee), with donors and the charities you raise for as the protected parties. The bond is a consumer-protection guarantee — if you mishandle solicited funds or violate the city's fundraising rules, harmed parties can recover against the bond.
It is not insurance for you. If the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Honest fundraisers treat the $5,000 bond as a registration formality. We track the term and notify you 60 and 30 days out.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $5,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the City of Columbus. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with your Columbus professional fundraiser registration. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $100 at the $5,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
No credit check.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields. No credit check.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Ohio bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Register to fundraise in Columbus today.
$100 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.