A charitable organization shall register and receive a registration letter from the Secretary of State before the charitable organization: solicits charitable contributions in the State; has charitable contributions solicited on its behalf in the State; or solicits charitable contributions outside of the State, if the charitable organization is in the State. A separate registration statement and a registration letter is necessary before any of the following charitable organizations can solicit: a federated fund-raising organization consisting of independent charitable organizations, including a united fund and a community chest, that: have joined to solicit charitable contributions and distribute them among themselves; but keep their own operating authority and control; or an independent charitable organization, including one that is a member of a federated fund-raising organization, unless it is specifically exempted or it does not solicit charitable contributions other than as a member of a federated fund-raising organization. A parent organization shall submit a consolidated registration statement for the affiliates, branches, or chapters in the State that it coordinates, controls, or supervises. An affiliate, branch, or chapter of a charitable organization shall: report information needed for a consolidated registration statement to its parent organization; submit a separate registration statement; and receive a registration letter from the Secretary of State prior to soliciting. For purposes of this subsection, an independent member agency of a federated fund-raising organization is not an affiliate, branch, or chapter.