Nonprofits must send a receipt for any single donation of $250 or more. There are many other reasons to send a receipt after receiving a donation. This blog shares why donation receipts matter to donors and nonprofits, what to include, and how to customize and automate them to save time and raise more funds!
In a world where nonprofit professionals face multiple competing demands on their time and are often under a lot of pressure, it can be easy to think nonprofit donation receipts aren’t important. Or that they matter only because of the IRS requirements!
But that’s not true. Donation receipts are important.
They help you cover your bases with the IRS, track your donations, and build successful donor relationships. Prompt and thoughtful gift acknowledgments are central to effective fundraising.
A general rule is that only 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations (i.e. public charities and private foundations) – formed in the United States – are eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. The organization must be exempt at the time of the contribution in order for the contribution to be deductible for the donor.
Regardless of your tax-exempt status, sending a receipt shows donors that their gift arrived where they intended it to go and that you’re grateful for their contribution, no matter the size.
In this article, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about nonprofit donation receipts and how to send them.
A donation receipt is a written acknowledgment that a donation was made to a nonprofit organization. These donation receipts are written records that acknowledge a gift to an organization with a proper legal status. Registered nonprofit organizations can issue both “official donation tax receipts” and more informal receipts.
By providing receipts, you let your donors know that their donation was received.
On Donorbox, you can send one-time donation receipts, recurring donation receipts, and yearly receipts with a summary of all gifts for the current fiscal year. Donation receipts are automated, so your donors receive one immediately after they’ve made a donation – with no work on your end!
However, you have the ability to customize the receipt to align it with your organizational brand and needs. As shown below, you can personalize the email message with the donor’s first name, add donation details, and many other variables to create a targeted approach through your donation receipts.
Before moving ahead, here’s a complete video tutorial on how to create a tax-compliant 501(c)(3) donation receipt with Donorbox:
First and foremost, donation receipts let donors know their donations have been received.
Everyone who purchases something online or donates online has one main question – was it successful? Did the payment go through? Essentially, your receipt lets your donors know that you received their donation and all is well.
Additionally, donation receipts help your donors keep track of their finances. Furthermore, donors need donation receipts if they want to claim charitable donations on their tax returns.
If a donation exceeds $250, the donor must obtain written acknowledgment of the donation before claiming a charitable contribution on their federal income tax return.
Plus, a donation receipt is a chance to show donors that your organization is responsible, transparent, and grateful for all support.
Donation receipts can reduce income tax owed by people and businesses that donate, and because of this, they can encourage donations.
By providing receipts, you let donors know their contribution has been well received. This makes donors feel appreciated and acknowledged, increasing their trust and loyalty.
Proactively sending donation receipts is key to building long-lasting and trusting relationships with your donors. Plus, it’s the perfect opportunity to show your appreciation for their donation.
For first-time donors, this is one of their first interactions with you and will have a huge impact on whether or not they decide to give again.
There are no rules about when you must issue official donation receipts. Many nonprofits send receipts out by the end of the year or in January of the following year (in case of year-end donations).
But…donors expect to receive a “thank you” for a contribution of any size, and they also expect it soon after making their gift. So, it’s advised to send out a donation acknowledgement, which typically includes a receipt, within 24-48 hours of the donation being made. This can be achieved by automating the process of issuing donation tax receipts (more on this below).
There is no legal requirement for gift acknowledgments for contributions of less than $250 unless the donor receives something of value in return for the gift, which triggers special rules for “quid pro quo” contributions.
Note: If a donor has an annual membership with your nonprofit they don’t need a receipt if the annual cost is $75 or less and goods or services were provided in exchange.
Here are basic donation receipt requirements in the U.S.:
If your organization provides intangible religious benefits, be sure to include a statement like, “The organization provided intangible religious benefits or services to the donor.”
Learn more here.
Include your physical mailing address and EIN (Employer Identification Number). Although not required, donors will need to provide this information with their taxes. Therefore, it’s a kind gesture to provide all that information for your supporters’ convenience.
Pro tip: Be extra careful around year-end when a donor could mail a check in December but you don’t receive it until January. Make sure you report the correct date on the donor receipt.
There are different rules to follow on a donation receipt depending on where you live so it’s best to go directly to your government’s website to check for accurate information, especially since rules and regulations can change.
Sending out year-end receipts is a great way to thank your donors and acknowledge how much their donations mean to your organization. This is also a great opportunity to set the stage for the coming year of gift-giving.
Although it is not mandatory for nonprofits to send the year-end donor receipts, it’s a nice gesture that makes tax-time easier for your donors since they’ll have an itemized look at their donations throughout the year.
With Donorbox, you can send year-end tax receipts to an individual or all donors, and personalize the message on your receipt- here is the step-by-step guide. See how easily Donorbox lets you customize the email content as well as the subject to personalize your communication.
You also get to attach a PDF copy of the receipt to the email. You can select the fiscal year period and customize the thank-you message to be added inside the PDF as well. Here’s how it looks –
Bonus – We have two free year-end tax receipt templates to make this process even easier for you and your team – click here to download for free!
Donorbox lets you customize and automate donation receipts in the blink of an eye. Once a donation comes in through the Donorbox donation form, it automatically emails the receipt to the donor. No stress and no hassle!
To create and automate a 501(c)(3)-compliant receipt with Donorbox,
You can also access you receipt settings on your Donorbox account under “Engage.”
There you can set a “reply to” email address in case the donor wants to reply to the donation receipt email.
With Donorbox, you can also send a consolidated receipt of the year’s donations to one or all donors with just one click and you can also attach a PDF of the donation receipt in a separate email.
For best results, write a personal acknowledgment letter with a receipt that includes the IRS-required elements.
In this acknowledgment letter, thank the donor and highlight the impact of their gift.
When you send a donation receipt via email or snail mail, include the donor’s name. Using their first name reassures them that the data is accurate and trustworthy. Also, use a real person’s name and make the email address from which you send the donation receipt appear as human and as trustworthy as possible.
The more you can personalize the letter- the better!
It’s best practice to track all of your income – in this case, your donations. Besides donation receipts, try to maintain separate recordings of each donation, no matter the amount. This includes non-monetary donations, such as land or other types of property.
Keep track of pledges too; you must take it into account in the same year when donors have made it, even if the gift doesn’t arrive in that fiscal year.
Donorbox donor management makes this easy and automatic. Every donation you receive through your Donorbox campaigns gets stored in your donation database, so you can easily pull data on how a campaign is doing.
Plus, Donorbox’s reporting templates allow you to pull the following customized reports:
This means tracking your donations and making sure all of your donors are adequately acknowledged is easier than ever.
Your donors will also appreciate a year-end summary. This one receipt is a consolidated record of all the donor’s donations in one place. This makes it easier for the donor because they don’t need to keep track of multiple single receipts. This way, donors can organize their records and get ready for accounting and filing for tax returns.
It’s always best to provide donors with any year-end receipts prior to January 31st of the following year when you finish processing your year-end donations. Donorbox makes it very easy to send automated year-end receipts to your donors, as mentioned before in this blog.
Although not necessary, it is beneficial for donors when they are doing their taxes (and can remind donors to keep giving in the next year!).
A donation receipt is probably the only communication piece your donors really expect to receive from you. That’s why they are an opportunity to lead donors down a strategic path that makes them more involved and interested in your organization.
Ask yourself what would make you want to dive deeper. For example, short videos are a great way to personalize the transactional process of giving a donation, as are dynamic and high-quality photos. You could also include testimonials from your staff, volunteers, or even beneficiaries.
Pro tip: Don’t ask your donor for something more. It’s time to thank them and give them an opportunity to dive deeper into your mission.
Donation receipts can be confusing and time-consuming, but they are an important part of your nonprofit fundraising work. Make sure that you familiarize yourself with the donation receipt requirements for your country. Then, invest in the right nonprofit tools, like Donorbox, to make the process easier and free up time for interacting with your donors or creating big fundraising campaigns!
Donorbox features are simple to use on your end and make the giving process a breeze for your donors. 50,000+ organizations in 96 countries usethese features to boost donations and donor acquisition efforts. Check them out on the website. Get in touch for any query. Our success package Donorbox Premium is helping nonprofits level up their fundraising throughout the year with expert coaching, technical help, and the right combination of powerful tools. Book your demo today to get a personalized pricing for the same.
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Disclaimer: By sharing this information we do not intend to provide legal, tax, or accounting advice, or to address specific situations. The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public. Please consult with your legal or tax advisor to supplement and verify what you learn here.
Ilma Ibrisevic is a content creator and nonprofit writer. She’s passionate about meaningful work, sustainability, and social movements. If she’s not working, she’s obsessing over coffee or cooking. You can connect with her on Linkedin.
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Ilma Ibrisevic