What Must a Tax-Exempt Organization Do To Acknowledge Donations?

An important feature of being a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code is the ability to accept tax-deductible donations. There are numerous IRS rules
that govern how to acknowledge such donations. A summary of these rules, sample written
acknowledgments, and links to more information on this topic are provided below.

THE IRS RULES ON ACKNOWLEDGING DONATIONS

1. Substantiation of Contributions of Less than $250

In order for a donor to take a tax deduction for a contribution of less than $250, the donor
must have either (i) a bank record (bank or credit union statement, canceled check, or credit
card statement) or (ii) a written communication from the organization that includes the name
of the organization, the date of the contribution, and the amount of the contribution.

(This is a change from the old rule that a written record prepared by the donor, such as an
entry in a check register, was sufficient for donations under $250.)

Contributions made by payroll deduction can be substantiated if the donor has (i) a pay stub,
W-2 or other document from his/her employer stating the amount withheld for payment to
charity, and (ii) a pledge card or similar document prepared by or at the direction of the
charity that shows the name of the donee.

Although a 501(c)(3) organization is not required to provide a written acknowledgement for

donations under $250, it is good practice to provide acknowledgements for all donations.

2. Substantiation of Contributions of $250 or More

In order for a donor to take a tax deduction for a contribution of $250 or more, the donor must
receive a contemporaneous written acknowledgement of the donation from the
organization. This means that the donor must receive the acknowledgement by the earlier of
(i) the date the donor files his tax return for the year the donation was made, and (ii) the due
date, including extensions, for filing the return.

There is no required format for the acknowledgement (although a canceled check is not
sufficient), but it must provide the following information:

• The amount of the monetary contribution.

• A description of any donated property. The organization should not place a
monetary value on donated property - that is the donor’s responsibility. Rather,
the organization should provide a detailed description that clearly describes the
donated property (e.g., “thank you for your donation of a Brand X computer,
model number 1234, keyboard, and 17” monitor” rather than “thank you for your
donation of a computer”).

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 • A statement that the organization did not provide any goods or services in
exchange for the contribution. However, if the organization did provide goods or
services in exchange for the contribution, it must provide a good faith estimate of
the fair market value of those goods or services (see the discussion of “quid pro
quo” contributions below).

Organizations are not required to provide receipts for donations received through employer
withholding arrangements. Instead, a donor may substantiate his/her contribution with (i) an
employer-generated document such as a W-2 or a pay stub, and (ii) a statement from the
organization that no goods or services were provided in exchange for the donation.

Separate acknowledgements may be provided for each donation received from the same
donor, or one acknowledgement may be used to substantiate several contributions made in
the same year.

A note on gifts of stock. A gift of stock is a donation of property. If a charity receives a gift of
publicly traded stock, the charity should send the donor an acknowledgement letter that
describes the stock (i.e., “Thank you for your donation of 100 shares of XYZ Corporation”) but
does not place a monetary value on the shares. The letter should also state that no goods or
services were provided in exchange for the gift.

It is recommended that the charity send the donor a separate receipt that reports the quantity
and value of the donated shares on the date of the gift. While this receipt is not required, the
donor will want this information for his/her own records. The value of a gift of publicly traded
stock is the mean of the highest and lowest quoted selling prices on the date of the gift
(excluding weekends or holidays). Neither the acknowledgment letter nor receipt need report
to the donor the proceeds of sale of donated securities.

3. Charitable Disclosure Requirements for “Quid Pro Quo” Contributions

A "quid pro quo” contribution is a contribution made partly as a donation and partly for goods
or services provided to the donor by the organization. Common examples are contributions
by a donor to attend a charity's golf outing, dinner, or concert.

If the total contribution to the organization exceeds $75 and the donor receives goods or
services in return, the organization must provide a written statement or acknowledgement
that includes the following: (i) a good faith estimate of the fair market value (“FMV”) of the
goods and services provided to the donor (see the discussion of FMV below); and (ii) a
statement to the effect that the donor can only deduct that portion of his/her donation that
exceeds the FMV of the goods and/or services received. This statement can appear either in
the solicitation (e.g., invitation to an event) or in the written acknowledgement of the
contribution. The IRS can impose financial penalties on charities that fail, without
reasonable cause, to provide adequate quid pro quo acknowledgements.

FMV is the price at which property would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing
seller, neither having to buy or sell, and both having reasonable knowledge of all of the
relevant facts. An organization may use any reasonable method to estimate FMV, so long as
it applies the method in good faith. One method is to use the FMV of similar or comparable
goods or services, which may be considered similar or comparable even if they do not have
the unique qualities of the goods or services being valued. Note: the price that the charity
pays for the goods or service is not necessarily the FMV (although cost is often an
important factor in determining FMV).

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 Example: ABC Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, holds a golf outing fundraiser at
the Swanky Country Club. ABC charges $200 per golfer. The Club donates the use of
its facilities to ABC for this event (therefore, the cost for ABC is zero), but the actual FMV
of the benefit (playing golf at the Club) is $125 per donor/golfer. Here, $75 would be
deductible ($200 ticket price, less the $125 FMV of the benefit). Because the
donor/golfer's payment (quid pro quo contribution) exceeds $75, a disclosure statement
must be furnished by ABC to each donor/golfer.

There are exceptions when disclosure of the value of benefits provided is not required, as
discussed in the section that follows.

4. When Disclosure of Value is Not Required

The value of goods and services provided by an organization does not need to be disclosed
to a donor in the following circumstances:

• Value of the goods/services provided to the donor is “de minimis” (insubstantial).

This is defined as follows (the amounts below are for tax year 2015 and may be adjusted
annually by the IRS):

- when the fair market value of all of the benefits received in connection with the payment
is not more than (i) 2% of the contribution or (ii) $105, whichever is less. For example, a
gift valued at no more than $20 would be insubstantial against a contribution of $1,000.
A gift valued at $150 against a contribution of $10,000 would require disclosure because
the value of the gift exceeds the $105 ceiling.

- when the payment by the donor is at least $52.50, and the donor receives a low-cost
item or items bearing the organization's name or logo (e.g., a coffee mug or a keychain),
the total cost of which is $10.50 or less.

• No donative element. The details of this rule are when low-cost items are provided to a
potential donor for free without having been ordered by the potential donor (e.g., free
return address labels), the cost of which is $10.50 or less for all such items in the
aggregate distributed to a single potential contributor in a calendar year. Any such item
must be accompanied by a request for a charitable contribution and a statement that the
potential donor may retain the item whether or not he/she makes a contribution.

• Insubstantial membership benefits. The details of this rule are that if the donor makes
an annual payment of $75 or less and receives only annual membership benefits
consisting of (i) rights or privileges (other than the right to purchase tickets for college
athletic events) that can be exercised often during the membership period (e.g.,
discounted admission), and/or (ii) admission to events that are open only to members
and the cost per person is within the limits for low-cost articles described above.

• Intangible religious benefit. In this situation, the donor receives only an intangible
religious benefit provided by an organization organized exclusively for religious purposes,
and the benefit is not generally sold in a commercial transaction outside the donative
context (e.g., admission to a religious ceremony that does not charge for admission).

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SAMPLE WRITTEN ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Example #1: Donation of money, no benefit to the donor

Donor donates $500 to ABC Charity. ABC's acknowledgement letter should contain language
similar to the following:

Dear Mr. Donor:

Thank you for your donation of $500. No goods or services were provided to you in return for
your donation. Therefore, the full amount of your contribution is deductible for federal income
tax purposes.

Sincerely,
ABC Charity

Example #2: Donation of property, no benefit to the donor

Donor donates a computer and software to ABC. ABC's acknowledgement letter should contain
language similar to the following:

Dear Ms. Donor:

Thank you for your donation of a Micron computer, model #12345; keyboard; 15" monitor;
mouse; and EZ Plan financial planning software Version 2.0. No goods or services were
provided to you in return for your donation. Therefore, the full amount of your contribution is
deductible for federal income tax purposes.

Sincerely,
ABC Charity

Example #3: Donation where the donor receives a benefit

Donor buys a ticket to ABC's annual charity dinner. The cost of the ticket is $200, and the fair
market value of the dinner is $75. ABC's acknowledgement letter should contain language
similar to the following:

Dear Mr. Donor:

Thank you for the purchase of a $200 ticket to our Annual Dinner. The fair market value of
the dinner is $75. Therefore, the amount of your contribution that is deductible for federal
income tax purposes is $125.

Sincerely,
ABC Charity

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

• IRS Article Charitable Organizations - Substantiation and Disclosure Requirements

• IRS Publication 1771 Charitable Contributions: Substantiation and Disclosure
Requirements

Please also feel free to contact Pro Bono Partnership for further guidance.

IRS Circular 230 Disclosure: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we
inform you that any tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not
intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of: (i) avoiding penalties
under the Internal Revenue Code or any other U.S. federal tax law; or (ii) promoting, marketing,
or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

This document is provided as a general informational service to volunteers, clients, and friends of
the Pro Bono Partnership. It should not be construed as, and does not constitute, legal advice on
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Revised June 2015.