Gift Receipts for Organizations -- Who to Address?

Autumn Hubbard · July 2015

How does your organization handle gift receipts for organizations? Specifically, I am curious how you handle it if you have a contact at the organization versus if you do not. For example, if Cindy Smith is our contact at XYZ Organization, and XYZ Organization sends us a gift for $X, do we address the receipt to XYZ Organization, or to Cindy Smith? My thought is that we should receipt the organization, and not worry about putting the contact's name because A) technically the org donated the money and

you never know when people might move on from a company, and how long that contact name is good for. Some staff, however, think it is more professional to address it to the individual because it grows that relationship.

Thoughts? Does anyone know if there are any laws/documents discussing how to receipt organizations?

JoAnn Strommen · July 2015

We always use the contacts' name and at times even research to find a name if we don't have one. Primarily for the exact reason you said: to build / maintain that relationship. Usually that contact was part of asking the organization to make the gift to us. We want to thank them. Exec often writes a personal note to them on letter also.

Yes, the org donated the money. That's why you're issueing a receipt to the org, not person. The person's name is included as well as the org name. Our receipts for an org never just have the contacts name. And yes, people do leave organizations, but keeping on top of that info is part of my job to be sure correspondence is going to the right person.

I have not heard of any laws or documents on the subject.

Valerie Harwin · July 2015

We also always mail to a contact for the same reasons JoAnn has just mentioned. With the additional rationale that there is less likelihood of the letter just sitting unclaimed in the organization's mailroom, since no one knows whose mailbox it should go into.

Susan Leslie · July 2015

We send a gift letter to the organization with the attn to our contact. For a business who we are do not have a personal contact, we research and send to the top management position we can find a name for. Very seldom do we not have a contact name for our gift/thank you letters to go out. Also, if they are over a certain amount, the President of the University sends a handwritten thank you as well. It is part of our donor relationship building.

Terri Callis · July 2015

Using a contact name at the organization is much more likely to get the letter opened and opened by someone up the chain. We also look the company up and try to find the appropriate contact. You MUST send the tax letter to the Organization that gave the funds.

Terri Callis · July 2015

P.S. We also utilize different contact types for different things.

Gift Receipts for Organizations -- Who to Address?

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