Donation receipt template
A donation receipt is a short letter from a charity that confirms a gift for the donor's tax records. This free tool writes it with the items the IRS lists, then gives you a PDF. No sign-up. Free PDFs have a small “Made free with Invio” footer; Pro removes it.
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Organization name
Donation Receipt
#R-001
Donor
-
Acknowledgment of contribution
[Organization name] received a contribution from [Donor name] on [Date].
Amount of cash contribution: [amount].
No goods or services were provided by [Organization name] in exchange for this contribution.
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Last updated . Made by Invio, a product of Aayla Secura LLC dba Sarvixo.
Not tax advice. Receipts made here are not tax documents; the wording follows the IRS publications linked below and cannot say whether a particular gift is deductible. Ask a tax professional about your case.
What a donation receipt must say
IRS Publication 1771 says the written acknowledgment for a contribution of $250 or more must contain:
- the name of the organization;
- the amount of any cash contribution;
- a description, but not the value, of any property given;
- a statement that no goods or services were provided in return, if that is the case;
- if goods or services were provided, a description and good faith estimate of their value;
- if the only benefit was intangible religious benefits, a statement saying so (this tool does not write that statement).
The IRS list does not include an EIN or the donor's tax ID number, and there is no IRS form for the acknowledgment; letters, postcards and computer-generated forms with this information are accepted. Sources: IRS Publication 1771, Charitable Contributions: Substantiation and Disclosure Requirements (Rev. 11-2023) (the list and the rules on this page); IRS: Charitable contributions, written acknowledgments (the list).
Cash vs non-cash gifts
Cash includes cash, check, card, bank transfer and online payments. For cash the receipt states the amount. For property (clothes, books, equipment) it describes the property and does not state a value; extra rules, including Form 8283 for larger claimed values, are the donor's to follow. See IRS Publication 526, Charitable Contributions (2025).
When a receipt is required
- $250 or more (single contribution): the donor cannot claim a deduction without a contemporaneous written acknowledgment, meaning one received by the earlier of the date they file their return or its due date, including extensions. A charity that does not send one faces no penalty, but the donor loses the deduction.
- Under $250, cash: a bank record, or a receipt, letter or email from the organization showing its name, the date and the amount.
- Goods or services given for a payment over $75: the organization must give a written disclosure statement.
Separate gifts are not added together: weekly gifts under $250 are each their own contribution (Publication 526).
Sample wording
Built by this tool for a $300 cash gift with nothing given in return:
Example Community Pantry (fictional) received a contribution from Jordan Lee on November 6, 2026.
Amount of cash contribution: $300.00.
No goods or services were provided by Example Community Pantry (fictional) in exchange for this contribution.
Who this is for
This is a free tool for making a receipt now and then, such as a small nonprofit or a booster club. It makes one receipt at a time and does not keep a donor list or send batches. Invio is built mainly for freelancers and small businesses. For ordinary payment receipts use the receipt generator, or see the receipt template. Pricing is on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
What must a donation receipt include?
For a gift of $250 or more, IRS Publication 1771 lists: the name of the organization; the amount of any cash contribution; a description, but not the value, of any property given; a statement that no goods or services were provided, if that is the case; otherwise a description and good faith estimate of the value of the goods or services provided; and, if the only benefit was intangible religious benefits, a statement saying so. This tool builds every item except the religious-benefits statement.
Do I need a receipt for under $250?
The donor still needs a record for a cash gift of any size. Publication 1771 says that is a bank record (such as a bank statement or canceled check), or a receipt, letter or email from the organization showing its name, the date and the amount. The deadline for a written acknowledgment (the earlier of the date the donor files their return or its due date, including extensions) applies only to a single contribution of $250 or more.
Is the EIN required on it?
It is not on the IRS list of required contents in Publication 1771, so this tool treats it as optional. Publication 1771 also says the donor’s Social Security or tax identification number does not need to be on the acknowledgment. If you want your EIN on the receipt, type it into the optional field.
What about donated goods if the charity does not state a value?
That is how it works: the acknowledgment describes the property but does not state its fair market value. Extra substantiation rules for the donor, such as Form 8283, depend on the value the donor claims and are covered in Publication 526. This is not valuation advice.
Can I email the receipt, or send one letter for the year?
Yes to both. Publication 1771 says an organization can give the acknowledgment on paper or electronically, for example by email to the donor. It also says one acknowledgment, such as an annual summary, may cover several single contributions of $250 or more. This tool makes one receipt at a time. Download the PDF and attach it to your email.
How long should the donor keep it?
Publication 1771 says the donor must keep the acknowledgment to support the deduction and should not attach it to the tax return. The pages we read do not give a number of years, so ask a tax professional how long to keep records for your situation.
Do I list a small thank-you gift, like a mug?
Publication 1771 has a token exception for goods or services of insubstantial value, such as a low-cost item with the charity’s logo, and its dollar limits are adjusted for inflation each year. It also has exceptions for some membership benefits and for intangible religious benefits. This tool does not apply any exception for you. If you gave something in return, read that section of Publication 1771 before you choose “none”.
IRS sources
We read these IRS pages on and matched this page to them. The IRS can change its rules, so check them before you rely on this.