Church donation letter template
A year-end contribution acknowledgment letter with the exact wording the IRS requires. Your donors need a written acknowledgment to deduct any single gift of $250 or more — this gives it to them, including the all-important "no goods or services" statement.
Plain text — paste into your word processor or mail-merge tool.
Preview
Dear [Donor Name], Thank you for your generous support of [Church Name] during [tax year]. For your tax records, here is a summary of your contributions: Total contributions in [tax year]: $[Amount] This letter serves as your official written acknowledgment of these gifts. No goods or services were provided to you in exchange for these contributions, other than intangible religious benefits. [Church Name] is a tax-exempt organization. Please keep this letter with your tax records. With gratitude, [Name], [Title]
What the IRS requires
For a donor to deduct a gift, the acknowledgment has to get three things right:
- It's contemporaneous — sent before the donor files (aim for January 31).
- It states whether the donor received any goods or services in return.
- It's required for any single gift of $250 or more (per IRS Publication 1771).
The full rules — thresholds, quid-pro-quo gifts, and what counts — are in the guide to church contribution statement requirements, and the donor's side is covered in are church donations tax deductible.
This template is a starting point, not legal or tax advice. Want statements generated automatically from your giving records? Start free in Vestrybooks.