Any charitable organization, trustee, person, professional fund raiser or professional solicitor, which or who solicits, receives, or collects contributions in this State, but does not maintain an office within the State or cannot be located within the State shall be subject to service of process, as follows:
(a) By service thereof on its registered agent within the State, or if there be no such registered agent, then upon the person who has been designated in the registration statement as having custody of books and records within this State; where service is effected upon the person so designated in the registration statement a copy of the process shall, in addition, be mailed to the registrant's last known address; (b) When any corporate person has solicited, received, or collected contributions in this State, but maintains no office within the State, has no registered agent within the State, and no designated person having custody of its books and records within the State, or when a registered agent or person having custody of its books and records within the State cannot be found as shown by the return of the sheriff of the county in which such registered agent or person having custody of books and records has been represented by the charitable organization or person as maintaining an office, service may be made by delivering to and leaving with the Secretary of State, or with any deputy or clerk in the corporation department of his office, three copies thereof; (c) Following service upon the Secretary of State the provisions of law relating to service of process on foreign corporations shall thereafter govern; (d) Long arm service in accordance with law; (e) The solicitation, receipt, or collection of any contribution within this State by any charitable organization or any person shall be deemed to be their agreement that any process against it or him which is so served in accordance with the provisions of this Section shall be of the same legal force and effect as if served personally within this State and that the courts of this State shall have personal jurisdiction over such organizations, persons and trustees; (f) Venue over persons required to be registered under this Act shall be proper in any county where the Attorney General accepts and maintains the list of registrations. In furtherance of judicial economy, actions filed for violation of this Act may name multiple trustees, trusts, and organizations in a single or joint action where those joined have each engaged in similar conduct in violation of this Act or where similar relief is sought against those defendants for violation of this Act.Amended by P.A. 094-0749, § 5, eff. 1/1/2007. P.A. 90-469, eff. 8-17-97.