For churches, charities, schools and NGOs
A donation receipt does two jobs. It thanks the donor, which makes them more likely to give again, and it gives them the record they may need to claim tax relief. Small organisations often handwrite receipts or skip them altogether. SmallKits makes a clean, numbered receipt in a minute, with your logo and registration number.
Receipt or giving statement?
Add one gift and the document is a Donation receipt. Add several gifts, or a period such as “January to December 2026”, and it becomes a Giving statement, listing each gift with its date and fund and the total. Churches typically send giving statements once a year, in January.
What to include
- Your organisation’s name, address and registration or charity number.
- The donor’s name and address.
- Each gift: the date, the purpose or fund (tithe, building fund, school feeding) and the amount.
- Gifts in kind (goods rather than money): describe them, and leave the amount empty. Valuing in-kind gifts is usually the donor’s job.
- The total of cash gifts, and the wording your country requires.
- An authorised signature.
Country wording
Choose your country’s wording under Advanced settings:
- United States: for gifts of $250 or more, the IRS expects a written acknowledgment stating whether goods or services were provided in exchange. The US option adds “No goods or services were provided in exchange for this contribution.” If something was provided, change the wording to describe it and its value.
- United Kingdom: the Gift Aid option adds the standard declaration so a UK taxpayer can confirm their gifts qualify. Keep signed declarations with your records.
- India: the 80G option notes that donations are eligible for deduction under section 80G and adds your 80G registration number. Add the donor’s PAN as their tax ID.
- Kenya and elsewhere: a neutral thank-you line is used.
Tax rules change and differ by organisation type. Check with your tax adviser or regulator before relying on the wording.
Saved donors
Donors are remembered with their contact details. Next year, start typing their name and their details fill in.
Good practice
- Issue receipts promptly, and keep a copy of every one.
- Number receipts in sequence so they can be audited.
- Never include amounts for in-kind gifts you have not valued properly.
A worked example
Grace gives regularly to her church in Nairobi: tithes in January and December, a gift to the building fund in April, and 12 bags of rice and beans to the food drive in August. In January the church treasurer opens the donation receipt generator, picks Grace from the saved donors, adds the period “January to December 2026” and the four gifts. The food drive gift is described with no amount, so it shows as “In kind”. The document becomes a giving statement with the cash total, a thank-you line and the treasurer’s signature.
Good practice for treasurers
- Record each gift on the day it is received, with the fund it is for.
- Send yearly statements early in the new year, when donors prepare tax returns.
- Keep a backup of your records; download one from Advanced settings.
- Ask an accountant which wording your organisation is allowed to use before adding tax statements.
Donation terms explained
- Giving statement
- A yearly summary of all of a donor’s gifts.
- In-kind gift
- A gift of goods or services rather than money.
- Gift Aid
- A UK scheme letting charities claim back basic-rate tax on donations from UK taxpayers who sign a declaration.
- 80G
- The section of India’s Income-tax Act that allows deductions for donations to approved organisations.
- Quid pro quo contribution
- In the US, a gift where the donor receives something in return, such as a dinner; the receipt must state its value.
- Fund
- The purpose a gift is for, such as tithe or building fund.
Thanking donors promptly and accurately is one of the simplest ways to keep them giving. A clear, personal receipt within a few days of a gift makes a real difference.
Your organisation’s registration or charity number, entered once in the From section, appears in the footer of every receipt, which many donors and tax authorities expect to see.
Related free tools
- Free receipt generator: for sales and services.
- Free payment voucher generator: to record money your organisation pays out.
Updated 2026-10-29