The Importance of 501c3 Donation Receipts for Nonprofit Organizations

The reason people donate to a charity can be endless. It could be supporting a cause that means something personal to them or it could be that they want to help a cause they believe in. People also donate so that they can leave their mark as human beings and fulfill a life that impacted that of strangers and ones in need.

Deductibles - A Crucial Factor

Another crucial factor that people consider when choosing between two nonprofit organizations is that the charitable contributions will count as deductibles. When a donor donates money to a nonprofit organization, the amount is accounted for in their tax returns. These are considered deductibles, and the donors will not be taxed on this portion of their income. For organizations to be able to do it; they have to fall under one category. The organization has to be a 501c3 tax-exempt organization and they have to have been formed in the United States. When the donor contributes, the organization has to be tax-exempt for the contribution to count as a deductible. This is why all organizations need to stay on their toes and ensure that their tax-exempt status is preserved. Not doing so might deter donors and in some cases might even permanently damage relationships with donors.

Nonprofits need to keep a track of any IRS notifications they receive so they can ensure that their tax-exempt status does not go away. After all, nobody likes taxes, especially when you are liable to pay for a social cause that is helping those in need.

Why are Tax Deductibles so Important?

Not having a tax-exempt status often discourages donors, current and potential to continue keeping faith in the non-profit. It feels as if the value of the money they put in is reduced when taxes are deducted. Donors are likely to instead go to an organization where their donations are counted as deductibles and not as personal expenses on their financial statement. Not having a tax-exempt status could lead to a drastic drop in retention rates.

The 501c3 Donation Receipt

To ensure that your donors are not in the dark about the status of the tax exemption, you should ensure that you provide the donors with the right information. This is done when you send your donors something called the 501c3 donation receipt. Nonprofits need to send this receipt for every donation made. This receipt allows the donor to claim the contribution as a tax deduction. You can also choose to provide a single receipt for an entire year’s worth of donations, called the year-end tax receipt, which is more organized. While keeping a single receipt will be easier for the donors, as everything is digitized, multiple receipts are easy to track. Seeing as we live in a digital era, a combination of both would be highly effective in tax audits.

Validation Process

Now that you are aware of what a 501c3 receipt is you must ensure that the document can be validated by the IRS. For doing this the receipt must have six important items as stated by the IRS:

1. The full name of the non-profit organization.
2. The amount of money contributed must be specified.
3. If the donation is not in cash and is in kind, a detailed description is a must.
4. A statement that says that the non-profit has not provided any goods or services as a repayment for the contribution.
5. If the non-profit organization has provided any goods or services in return, they must provide a statement with an estimate of the value of the furnished provisions.
6. A statement that says that any good or service provided by the non-profit was made up of entirely intangible religious benefits if any.

When making the receipt, it should include the donor’s name. Nonprofits can also include having their address on the receipt for easier auditing, although some may consider this unnecessary. Nonetheless, this address needs to be with the donor and on their records. The receipt must also include the date of the contribution made. This is so that cheques and even online transactions can later be matched while filing taxes. Moreover, if the receipt does not include a date it may be considered invalid.

Final Notes

Although all these intricate details make it seem like a complicated process, worry not! Creating a 501c3 receipt is easier than ever before. You can find a template online or use donation software such as Donorbox to automatically send donation receipts to donors. This makes the entire process very convenient, and easy to keep track of. The most important part here is that donors should get a receipt so that they can get a deduction.