What FreeCharityReceipts keeps and doesn't keep
Updated
What is kept depends on how you make the receipt. The first sections are about the Create Receipt page and pasted Bulk. Donor email and Bulk file upload are covered further down.
Your receipt is a download
The PDF is built when you click Generate Receipt and goes straight to your browser. FreeCharityReceipts does not keep a copy of the PDF. If you lose the file, you can't download it again from the site.
A copy is also sent to the Organization Email you entered. Keep your own copy of every receipt you issue: that is your responsibility as the organization.
No drafts, no history
On the Create Receipt page there are no saved drafts and no list of past receipts. If you close the tab or reload the page, the form is empty again. On the success screen, Same Details, New Amount, Same Organization Details and Start Fresh only reset the form on your screen.
Note the receipt number printed on each PDF. You need it for a correction.
What signed-in users have saved
If you are signed in, these are saved after each successful receipt and filled in for you next time:
- EIN, organization name, address, location issued and organization email
- thank-you message, sign-off, signee name and donation website
- your IRS acknowledgment choice
- your logo and signature, once you add them
Donor names, donor addresses and gift amounts are not part of these saved details and are never filled in for the next receipt. (The record kept for each receipt, below, does hold the donor name and gift amount.) Replace a saved logo or signature by choosing another image, or click Remove. If you are not signed in, nothing is saved for next time.
The record kept for each receipt
For every receipt, in every flow, a short record is kept to prevent misuse and to support corrections. It holds:
- the receipt number and the EIN
- the organization name, the donor name and the gift amount
- the gift date, receipt date and location issued
- the gift type and, for a non-cash gift, the item description
- your account email, if you were signed in
- your IP address and browser type
- whether an email was sent
The donor's address, the IRS acknowledgment statement and the Option B value are not in this record.
Emailing the donor
Donor email is optional. It is available only when the receipt is paid with credits or a pass, and you tick a box to confirm you will keep your own copy. For a single receipt or pasted Bulk, the donor's email address is used to send the message and is not saved. You can send up to 500 donor emails per account in 24 hours.
Bulk file upload
File upload works differently. When you upload a spreadsheet, FreeCharityReceipts keeps its rows and the generated PDFs for 30 days after the run finishes, so you can download the ZIP again or resume an interrupted upload.
After 30 days the PDFs are removed and the donor details in the rows are cleared. The run keeps its counts and receipt numbers. The short record kept for each receipt (above) is not affected. An upload that you never start generating is removed after 24 hours.
A donor's email address in the file is erased once the result of that donor's email is recorded.
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