Donation receipt template

Receipt text that meets the IRS written acknowledgment rules, including the goods-and-services statement most homemade receipts forget.

The receipt only claims 501(c)(3) status when you confirm it. Not sure? Check the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.

Goods or services provided in exchange?
DONATION RECEIPT

[Organization name]
[Organization address]
EIN: [Tax ID / EIN]

Date of contribution: [Date]
Donor: [Donor name]
Amount: [Amount]

No goods or services were provided in exchange for this contribution. [Organization name] is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Thank you for your generous support. Please retain this receipt for your tax records.

________________________
Authorized signature

[Organization name]

Generated in your browser; nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere. Paste into your letterhead, email template, or document editor.

Skip the copy-paste next time

Givebear emails every donor an IRS-ready receipt the moment they give, online or at a kiosk, with your EIN and tax language filled in automatically. Free to start.

Start free

What the receipt includes

Everything you type stays in your browser. Blank fields show as bracketed placeholders so nothing is missed.

  • Your organization's name, address and EIN, then the date of the gift, the donor and the amount, formatted to two decimals.
  • The goods-and-services statement: either that none were provided, or what the donor received and that only the amount above its fair market value is deductible.
  • A 501(c)(3) status sentence only when you confirm it. Otherwise the receipt stays neutral and points the donor to a tax professional.
  • A thank-you, a reminder to keep the receipt, and a signature line.

The rule that catches treasurers off guard

Most receipt mistakes aren't about missing the organization name or the amount: they're about the goods-and-services statement. The IRS requires every acknowledgment to say either that no goods or services were provided in exchange for the gift, or to describe what was provided and estimate its value. A receipt that's silent on this point doesn't satisfy the $250 written acknowledgment requirement, even if everything else is correct, and the donor's deduction can be disallowed on audit.

The second trap is timing. A donor claiming a deduction for a $250+ gift needs the acknowledgment before they file. An organization that mails statements in March has already failed the donors who filed in February. The reliable fix is sending a receipt at the moment of each gift and a consolidated statement every January, which is exactly the workflow giving platforms automate.

Receipt rules, answered

What must a 501(c)(3) donation receipt include?
The organization's legal name, the amount of cash contributed (or a description of donated property), the date of the contribution, and a statement about goods or services: either that none were provided, or a description and good-faith estimate of their value if they were. Including your EIN isn't strictly required by the IRS but donors' tax preparers routinely ask for it, so every serious template includes it.
When is a written receipt legally required?
Donors need a contemporaneous written acknowledgment for any single gift of $250 or more to claim the deduction, and the organization must provide a written disclosure for quid pro quo contributions over $75 (where the donor receives something in return, like a gala dinner). Below those thresholds a receipt isn't mandated, but sending one for every gift is standard practice: it's a thank-you, a record, and a prompt to give again.
What does 'contemporaneous' mean for receipts?
The donor must have the acknowledgment by the earlier of the date they file their tax return or the return's due date. In practice: send receipts immediately after each gift, and send year-end statements in January. A receipt issued after the donor has already filed doesn't satisfy the requirement.
How should we handle a donor who gave at an event with dinner included?
That's a quid pro quo contribution. If the ticket was over $75, you must state what the donor received and its fair market value, and make clear that only the excess is deductible. A $150 gala ticket with a $60 dinner means $90 is deductible, and the receipt has to say so. The generator above has a toggle for exactly this case.
Do we have to send receipts manually?
Only if your giving stack makes you. Platforms like Givebear email a compliant receipt automatically the moment a donation completes, including the fund name, and generate consolidated year-end statements per donor. The template on this page is for organizations handling receipts by hand, and for one-off situations like cash gifts at an event.

Or stop writing receipts by hand

Every donation through Givebear emails a compliant receipt automatically, with the fund name included, and January year-end statements generate themselves.

Automated tax receipts

How automated receipts save treasurers 100+ hours every January.

The donation portal

Online giving with instant receipts, donor records, and fund-level reporting.

Fee calculator

See what your donation platform really costs per month.

See it with your own funds.

Book a 30-minute walkthrough. No slides and no hard sell: we set Givebear up around how your organization already gives.

  • Your funds, set up the way your treasurer reports them
  • Where a kiosk would go, and what it costs
  • The reports your board will actually see

Rather set it up yourself? Start free

Loading available times

Or open the booking page