Donors
Manage donors, donations, sponsors, and sponsorships
Overview
The Donors module helps you track all contributions to your organization. Manage individual and organizational donors, record donations with receipts, track sponsors and their sponsorship pledges, and link contributions to specific activities.
Donors vs. Sponsors: What's the Difference?
Donors & Donations
Charitable giving — typically one-time or recurring gifts with no expectation of promotional benefits.
- Individuals or organizations who give
- Usually tax-deductible contributions
- May support general fund or specific causes
- Receipts issued for tax purposes
- Thank you letters tracked
Sponsors & Sponsorships
Business partnerships — companies or individuals providing funds in exchange for recognition or promotional benefits.
- Usually businesses or corporations
- Often tied to specific events/activities
- May involve pledges paid over time
- Logo display, naming rights, etc.
- Track pledge vs. received amounts
In short: Use Donors for charitable gifts (individuals giving from the heart) and Sponsors for business relationships (companies supporting your events in exchange for visibility). Both can be linked to activities and both flow into your Finances module.
Sub-Modules
Donors
Track individual and organizational donors:
- Donor Types — Individual or Company
- Member Linking — Link donors to existing members (auto-fills contact info)
- Contact Info — Email, phone, address
- Contact Person — Primary contact for company donors
- Donation Summary — Total donated and donation count
- Notes — Internal notes about the donor
Type (All / Individual / Company)
Donations
Record and manage donations:
- Amount & Date — Donation amount and when received
- Payment Method — Cash, Check, Bank Transfer, Credit Card, Mobile Money, PayPal, Online, Other
- Reference Number — Check number, transaction ID, or other reference
- Purpose — General Fund or For Specific Activity
- Designation — Optional designation (e.g., "Youth Program", "Building Fund")
- Receipt Upload — Attach receipt images or PDFs
- Recurring — Mark donations as recurring (Monthly, Quarterly, Annual)
- Thank You Tracking — Mark when thank you letters are sent
Click any donation row to open a side panel with full details, receipt viewer, and quick actions.
Sponsors
Track corporate and individual sponsors:
- Sponsor Type — Company or Individual
- Logo — Upload sponsor logos for recognition materials
- Contact Info — Contact name, email, phone, website, address
- Sponsorship Stats — Total pledged, received, and outstanding amounts
- Notes — Internal notes about the sponsor relationship
Sponsorships
Track sponsorship pledges and payments:
- Pledge Amount — Total sponsorship commitment
- Purpose — General Fund or For Specific Activity
- Already Received — Option to record as received (not just pledged) at creation
- Payment Recording — Record payments with date, method, reference, and receipt
- Partial Payments — Support for multiple payments against a single pledge
- Status Tracking — Pledged, Partial, Fulfilled, or Cancelled
- Payment History — View all payments made for each sponsorship
- Auto-Transactions — Payments automatically create finance transactions
Click any sponsorship row to open a side panel with pledge progress, payment history with receipts, and quick actions.
Linking to Activities
Donations and sponsorships can be linked to specific activities. When you select "For Specific Activity" as the purpose, these contributions will appear in the Activity's Budget tab under Income, helping you track fundraising progress for each event.
Tip: Use activity linking to track fundraising progress for specific events and see the total income generated by each activity.
Exporting Data
Export your donor data as CSV files for reporting, mail merges, or tax documentation. Each sub-module has its own export button.
Donations Export includes:
Donor name, type, email, amount, date, payment method, reference number, purpose, activity, designation, recurring status, receipt info, thank you status, notes, and created date.
Sponsorships Export includes:
Sponsor name, type, email, purpose, activity, pledged/received amounts, balance, progress %, status, payment count, last payment details, notes, and created date.
Finance Integration
Donations and sponsorship payments automatically create transactions in the Finances module:
- Transactions are categorized as "Donations" or "Sponsorships"
- Payments are credited to your General Fund account
- Deleting a donation or sponsorship reverses the transaction
- Activity-linked contributions appear in the activity's budget
Tips
- Link donors to members when applicable to maintain accurate contact info
- Use filters to quickly find pending thank you letters or outstanding sponsorships
- Track thank you letters sent to maintain good donor relations
- Use the "Already received" option for sponsorships that are paid immediately
- Click on any row to see full details and payment history in the side panel
- Export donation data at year-end for tax reporting and donor acknowledgment letters
- Use sponsors for business partnerships with logo/recognition expectations
- Use donors for charitable contributions from individuals