Getting statements out before the January 31st deadline doesn’t have to be stressful! Our Statements tool makes it easy to manage your donors’ giving and provide them with everything they need for tax season.
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📄 What's a Giving Statement? | 🗂️ Accessing & Generating Statements | 📫 Distributing Statements
🤝🏽 Using Statements for Stewardship | ❓ Statements FAQs | EOY Giving for Donors
📄 What's a Giving Statement?
A Giving Statement is an IRS-compliant report that summarizes a donor’s giving history. It also includes a tax disclaimer to cover all gifts, including Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs):
The values herein do not constitute tax advice and are not substitutes for advice from a licensed accountant and/or tax advisor. Non-cash contribution values should be reviewed with a tax professional before determining the proper amount to deduct for federal and state tax purposes. No goods or services were exchanged for these contribution(s). Please keep this acknowledgment for your tax records.
It’s an essential tool for:
- 🧾 Tax Documentation: Provides accurate records for donors’ tax deductions.
- 🤲🏽 Stewardship & Engagement: Helps you stay in regular communication with donors about their contributions.
🗂️ Accessing & Generating Statements
- Log in to your Dashboard.
- From the main menu, click ➕ More to expand additional options, then select the Statements module.
- Click ➕ Generate Statements.
- You may also see a “<Year> Statements are Ready” banner at the top of the page for quick access.)
- ✅ Please review the disclaimer, then check the box to continue.
- Customize the Statement batch.
- 📝 Batch Name: Give your batch a clear, descriptive name.
- 🗓️ Date Range: Confirm the donations to include (usually Jan 1–Dec 31 of the previous year) and whether to include imported contributions. (🔗 Why Can’t I Select Today for the Date Range?)
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💌 Cover Letter (optional): Add a personal message to donors, such as thank-you notes, updates, or important information.
- Please note that mail merges aren't supported, so each letter will be the same for all donors.
- Hyperlinks are allowed, but they will only be clickable in emailed statements.
- Click Generate. (Processing may take a few minutes depending on the batch size.)
- 🟢 Once all statements are generated, the status will show as Ready! We recommend reviewing a sample statement to ensure everything is correct.
📫 Distributing Statements
Send Through Overflow
- Select Send All Through Overflow to use the platform’s built-in distribution system.
- Review your recipient list and select all donors by checking the box near “Donor.”
- Click Actions and select Send All (or Send Selected) from the dropdown menu.
- Monitor delivery status in the Dashboard and resend statements to any donors who didn’t receive them.
Download for Offline Distribution
- Review your recipient list.
- Click Actions and select Download All (or Download Selected) from the dropdown menu.
- Save the file to your computer and distribute manually. (🔗 Sending Printed Statements)
- Keep a record of sent statements, and resend or provide an alternative method for any that bounce or are undeliverable.
🤝🏽 Using Statements for Stewardship
You can now send statements to donors any time during the year!
For example:
- 🌟 You could send a mid-year statement in June to thank donors for their contributions so far and highlight upcoming projects/initiatives they can support.
- 🏢 You might send a statement in November showing year-to-date giving to help donors submit contributions for employer matches before year-end.
❓ Statements FAQs
What Types of Assets Are Included in the Statements?
All digital cash (ACH, credit/debit cards), non-cash gifts (stock, crypto), and manual cash gifts (checks and physical cash) are included.
- Year-end deadlines can vary depending on the type of gift. You can find the specific year-end deadlines for each type of asset in this article to make sure all contributions are included.
- 🚫 Note: Donations from a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) aren’t included because they're acknowledged directly with the DAF institution.
Can I Generate a Single Statement for a Donor?
❌ Not currently. Statements are generated in batches, so you’ll need to create a full batch first. Once the batch is ready, you can send/download the individual statement for the donor you need.
Can I Regenerate a Statement for a Particular Period?
Yes! You can regenerate statements anytime to provide donors with a replacement or an updated copy.
- 🔄 The Last Updated column shows when the statement was most recently generated.
- 💡 Tip: Regenerating a statement can be useful if a donor has questions about their giving or if you notice updates in donations after the initial batch was created.
Why Can’t I Select Today for the Date Range?
⏳ Giving Statements only include fully processed donations. Since today’s contributions may not have finished processing, today’s date cannot be selected. This ensures your statements are complete and accurate.
How Often Can I Generate Statements?
- You can generate them as often as needed! There’s no limit on frequency.
- 📂 Giving Statements remain accessible in the dashboard indefinitely, so you can regenerate or download them at any time.
Should I Check the Box for “Include Imported Contributions”?
If you migrated donations from another processor during the year, you can include those contributions. (Simply leave the box unchecked to exclude historical donations.)
Can I Include Pledges or Future Contributions?
🚫 No. Giving Statements only include gifts that have been fully processed and received. Pledges or future contributions aren’t included until they are completed.
What Timezone Will Contributions Be Listed in Within My Statements?
Statements show contributions in the timezone of the user who generated the batch. Dates may differ from what you see in your Dashboard if timezones differ. 🌎
- Example: If you’re in Eastern Time but a colleague in Central Time generated the batch, the statements will show donations in EST.
- 👉🏽 This may cause some donation dates to appear a day off compared to what you see in your Dashboard, which displays your current timezone (CT in this example).
Can Statements Be Generated in Multiple Languages?
Statements are only available in English, but you can add a custom note in the cover letter if needed.