Year-End Giving Statements: What to Send Donors in January (with Template)

Every January, treasurers across the country sit down with a spreadsheet and a long evening ahead: every donor needs a statement of what they gave last year, in time for tax season. Here is exactly what those statements need - and how to make this the easiest job of your year.

What a year-end statement includes

• Your organization’s name and address (EIN recommended)
• The donor’s name
• Each gift with its date and amount - or a year total (itemized is friendlier for donors who give weekly)
• Non-cash donations listed by description, without values
• The required acknowledgment: "No goods or services were provided in exchange for these contributions" (or the quid pro quo disclosure where that is not true)

When to send it

Aim for January 31. There is no single statutory deadline for the annual statement itself, but donors need written acknowledgment before they file - and the orgs that send statements in early January are the ones donors trust with next year’s giving.

A simple statement template

[Organization name]
[Address] - EIN: [XX-XXXXXXX]

2026 Year-End Giving Statement for [Donor name]

[Date]  [Fund]  [Amount]
...
Total contributions for 2026: [$X,XXX]

No goods or services were provided in exchange for these contributions.

[Treasurer name], Treasurer

The one-click version

If your gifts are recorded in DonorLedger, January is one button: pick the year, and every donor’s itemized, IRS-compliant statement is generated and emailed at once - with a print-ready stack for donors who don’t use email. Try it free for 7 days, no credit card required.