501(c)(3) guidance
501(c)(3) Donation Receipt Basics
A short primer on what donors expect to see on 501(c)(3) donation receipts and how to keep your acknowledgements consistent without slowing down your team.
Include organization name and EIN, donor name, contribution date, and amount. For non-cash gifts, describe the property; let the donor or their appraiser assign value.
If donors receive goods or services, spell out what they received and the estimated fair market value. If nothing was provided, state that explicitly.
Send acknowledgements quickly—especially for gifts of $250+—and keep a record of what was sent, when, and to whom.
Quick QA checklist
Organization name and EIN appear on every receipt
Donor name, amount, and contribution date are present
Statement clarifies whether goods or services were provided
Quid pro quo disclosure is added when donors received value
Non-cash gifts are described without assigning valuation
Receipts are stored with timestamps for audit readiness
Use these steps as an internal spot-check. Review the IRS donation receipt requirements and the IRS written acknowledgement guidance for the underlying rules. Thankly templates surface the required fields and let you add your own quid-pro-quo notes in thank-you messages while keeping delivery logs for your team.