From Complexity to Clarity: How Lazarex Simplified Nationwide Compliance

For more than a decade, the foundation focused on reimbursing patients for out-of-pocket expenses to participate in clinical trials, ensuring cost was never a barrier to life-saving opportunities. In 2018, Lazarex successfully advocated for FDA guidance that transformed clinical trial recruitment nationwide, enabling pharmaceutical companies to directly reimburse patients for participation expenses.

This milestone allowed Lazarex to shift its focus to a broader mission: providing equitable access to resources throughout the entire cancer journey, from prevention through long-term recovery. Today, Lazarex operates in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and West Philadelphia, offering one-on-one patient navigation services to help individuals and families find what they need to prevent, fight, and survive cancer.

As the organization's online presence grew, so did its reach. Donations began coming in from across the United States, creating tremendous opportunities and introducing complex, multistate filing requirements, such as charitable registration. With a lean team where "everybody's wearing three hats," as Director of Operations and Development Erin Miller describes, Lazarex needed a solution that would safeguard their ability to fundraise nationwide without taking resources away from patient services.

The Challenge

Before partnering with Harbor Compliance, Lazarex relied on informal, manual processes for managing charitable registrations. “We really didn’t have a formal system in place at the time,” Miller reflects, noting that the team was focused on their mission work rather than navigating complex state requirements.

As Lazarex’s fundraising reach expanded across the country, it became clear that charitable registration requirements needed to be evaluated. Their internal accountant recommended reviewing the regulations to ensure the organization stayed aligned with state laws. Tasked with exploring the process, Miller quickly saw how complex it could become. “Once I started looking into it, I realized this was something we should take seriously since donations were coming in nationwide, and we wanted to stay ahead of any potential issues,” she explains.

The task was critically important. Each state had its own unique requirements, deadlines, and processes. Without outside help, managing registrations would have required extensive tracking, likely through a large, ever-changing spreadsheet, and consumed valuable time.

The Solution

When Miller began searching for a solution, it was clear that Harbor Compliance was seen as a reputable provider for managing nonprofit regulatory filings. After evaluating multiple providers, Harbor Compliance stood out for its comprehensive solutions while keeping Lazarex's internal workload minimal.

Harbor Compliance offered a full-service approach, handling the complexity of researching requirements, preparing and submitting filings, tracking deadlines, and managing renewals, while giving Lazarex visibility through a secure online portal.

Initially, the foundation was registered in only three or four states where they were most active. As donations grew nationwide, Harbor Compliance made it easy to register to receive donations in additional states.

The Results

• Comprehensive Nationwide Registration: Lazarex is now registered in all states that require filing, so they can fundraise nationwide with confidence.
• Minimal Administrative Burden: The Harbor Compliance portal and dedicated account manager allow Lazarex to manage registrations efficiently without losing focus.
• Increased Efficiency: The Lazarex team no longer spends time researching state-specific requirements or tracking deadlines, freeing staff to focus on patient services.
• Scalable Coverage: Expanded from limited-state registration to full national coverage as fundraising reach increased.
• Ongoing Peace of Mind: Regular check-ins and responsive support ensure that registrations remain current and no deadlines are missed.
• Expertise on Demand: By leveraging Harbor Compliance’s specialized knowledge, Lazarex can keep its internal team focused on patient navigation and core mission activities rather than diverting resources to build in-house expertise in charitable registration.

The Future

With charitable registrations now handled smoothly, Lazarex can confidently fundraise across the country without worrying about regulatory gaps. “Thank you for keeping us above board and headed in the right direction,” says Miller.

Harbor Compliance’s combination of expert services and purpose-built software helps Lazarex stay focused on what matters most: helping cancer patients and community members nationwide. At the same time, all the regulatory requirements are handled with precision and care.