Gera Tools

Donor Acknowledgment / Tax Receipt Builder

Generate a donor thank-you and tax acknowledgment for charitable gifts

Create a compliant charitable donation acknowledgment letter for IRS or HMRC purposes, with the organisation name and tax ID, donation amount and date, and the required goods-or-services statement. Free, private, runs in your browser.

When does the IRS require a written acknowledgment?

In the US, a donor needs a written acknowledgment from the charity to claim a deduction for any single contribution of $250 or more. The letter must state the amount of cash (or describe non-cash gifts) and whether any goods or services were provided in return.

Send donors a receipt that holds up at tax time

Donors expect a thank-you, but tax authorities require something more specific: a written acknowledgment that states the amount, the date, and whether anything was given in return. Get that wording wrong and a donor can lose their deduction. This builder produces a warm thank-you that also satisfies the substantiation rules, for both US (IRS / EIN) and UK (HMRC / registered charity) organisations.

How it works

The tool assembles a compliant acknowledgment in the order that matters:

  1. Your organisation header with name, address, and tax identifier (EIN or charity number).
  2. A thank-you opening that names the donation amount and date.
  3. A statement that the letter is the official tax receipt for the donor’s records.
  4. The goods-or-services disclosure — either a clean “no goods or services were provided” statement, or, for quid pro quo gifts, a description of what was received and its fair market value so the deductible portion is clear.
  5. A Gift Aid note (UK only) when a declaration is on file.
  6. A signed close from an authorised person on behalf of the organisation.

When you mark that the donor received goods or services, the letter switches to the quid pro quo wording and computes nothing automatically — you supply the fair market value, and the donor’s deductible portion is the gift minus that value.

Tips and example

  • Always state either the no-goods-or-services line or a fair market value — silence on this point is the most common compliance error.
  • For non-cash gifts, describe the item but do not state its value; valuation is the donor’s responsibility.
  • Send acknowledgments by the time donors file (by January 31 of the following year in the US is a safe practice for the prior year’s gifts).
  • Keep a copy. The charity should retain records of every acknowledgment issued.