Columbus professional fundraiser bonds.
$275. Five minutes.

The City of Columbus requires a $5,000 bond from professional fundraisers who solicit charitable contributions in the city. Because 3% of $5,000 is below our floor, the price is $275 flat — our minimum — with no credit check.

Required to register as a professional fundraiser in Columbus — solicitors of charitable contributions
Fixed price, fixed amount — $5,000 bond, $275 (our minimum), no quote process
No credit check on this bond — issued fast, multi-year terms available
A-ratedA.M. Best carriersFastoften same purchase1–3 yrterms available
Trusted by industry leaders
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
How it works

Three steps. One sitting.

License bonds are the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:

NOW · 5 MINUTES

Apply online

Business details and an effective date. That's the application — no financials, no credit check section, no follow-up scavenger hunt.

MINUTES, USUALLY

Pay & e-sign

License bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase. At most, 1–2 business days.

SAME DAY

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.

The whole pricing page.

$5,000 bond × 3% = $150, but our minimum is $275, so the price is $275 per term. Fixed amount, fixed price, multi-year if you want it.

1-year term
$275
2-year term
$550
3-year term
$825
About this bond

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.

City of Columbus — Professional Fundraiser registrationThe City of Columbus requires a $5,000 surety bond as a condition of registering as a professional fundraiser/solicitor of charitable contributions; the bond amount and registration terms are set by the City of Columbus. Confirm current requirements with the city's License Section before filing.

You need this bond if you are

Registering as a Columbus professional fundraiser — the bond is filed with your registration
A paid solicitor raising charitable contributions within the city
A fundraising firm soliciting on behalf of Columbus-area charities
Renewing your registration and your current bond is expiring

Five minutes. The whole thing.

These are the actual issuing fields — no credit check section, because this bond doesn't have one.

Start the application →
FAQs

Common questions.

If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.

How much is the Columbus professional fundraiser bond? +
The premium is $275 — our minimum. The bond amount is $5,000, and 3% of that is $150, which falls below our $275 floor, so $275 is the price. The same for every fundraiser.
Do I pay the $5,000? +
No. You pay $275. The $5,000 is the surety's maximum liability to the City of Columbus if a valid claim is made against the bond — not a deposit, and nobody holds your money.
How fast will I have the bond? +
License bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase — many applicants finish and have the bond in the same sitting. At most, 1–2 business days.
Is there a credit check? +
Not on this bond — the application has no credit section at all. Small fixed-amount license bonds like this one don't need one.
Where do I file it? +
With the City of Columbus as part of your professional fundraiser registration. We issue the executed bond ready to submit.
Related bonds

Other New York bonds.

Register to fundraise in Columbus today.

$275 flat, five-minute application, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.

Your premium @ 3%$275
Apply now →