Advancement · Community & Giving

Thank every donor
within 48 hours

A good thank-you names the gift, says what it does and asks for nothing. Enter the gift, write three short paragraphs in your own words and the receipt details, and the tool counts “you” against “we”, catches a stock opening or a sneaked-in ask, works out the deductible amount when a dinner or ticket came with the gift and prints the letter with its receipt.

Add a giftWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Development and giving kit, $39 for 32 items.

Gifts to thank

The worked example is made up: a first online gift to a food bank, a gala ticket with dinner included and a gift of laptops with a dollar value it should not carry. Saved on this device only.

Loading the gift form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Advancement · Community & Giving$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per gift: the donor, the kind of gift, amount and date, what it was for and the donor’s history; the letter’s three paragraphs and signer; the receipt details; the date sent and six checks. Word count, “you” against “we”, the deductible portion and the days taken to say thank you; a printed letter with its receipt paragraph, or the receipt alone.
Who it is for
Development and advancement staff, executive directors, school foundation offices and board members who sign thank-you letters at nonprofits and schools.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per gift. Prints the letter with its receipt, the receipt alone, the record, every gift in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Development and giving kit ($39) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Community & Giving space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Enter the gift and the donor’s greeting.
  2. Write the thanks and what the gift does.
  3. Fill in the receipt details.
  4. Fix what the flags point out.
  5. Print, sign by hand and send.

Add a gift

What the letter and the receipt need

What a thank-you letter carriesThanksName the gift and what itwas for, in the firstsentenceWrite to one person, bythe name they useWhat it doesOne concrete result:meals, hours, seats, books“You made possible”, not“we achieved”When they will hear moreThe receiptLegal name, date andamount, or a descriptionof goodsWhether anything was givenin return, and its valueRequired for any singlegift of $250 or moreWhat a thank-you letter carriesThanksName the gift and what it was for, in thefirst sentenceWrite to one person, by the name they useWhat it doesOne concrete result: meals, hours, seats,books“You made possible”, not “we achieved”When they will hear moreThe receiptLegal name, date and amount, or adescription of goodsWhether anything was given in return, andits valueRequired for any single gift of $250 or more
A prompt, personal thank-you with no new ask is one of the clearest ways to keep a first-time donor giving.

The receipt rules, in general terms

Under federal tax rules a donor cannot deduct a single gift of $250 or more without a written acknowledgment from the organization that states the amount (or describes donated property, without valuing it) and whether anything was given in return. When a payment over $75 is partly a gift and partly a purchase, such as a gala ticket that includes dinner, the organization must tell the donor the value of what they received and that only the amount above it may be deductible.

Why speed and specifics matter

Donor retention studies keep finding that most first-time donors never give a second time, and that a prompt, personal thank-you is one of the few things an organization controls. Say what one gift did in plain, countable terms and when the donor will hear more. Leave the next request for another day: a thank-you that ends with an ask reads as a bill.

Sources

  1. Internal Revenue Service. Publication 1771, Charitable Contributions: Substantiation and Disclosure Requirements (irs.gov).
  2. Internal Revenue Service. Publication 526, Charitable Contributions (irs.gov).
  3. Fundraising Effectiveness Project. Quarterly fundraising reports on donor retention (afpglobal.org).
  4. Burk, P. (2003). Donor-Centered Fundraising. Cygnus Applied Research.

The worked example is made up, including the organizations, donors, tax IDs and amounts. The receipt wording follows the general federal rules; it is not legal or tax advice, and a donor’s deduction depends on their own situation. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.