Annual Giving Statements

Every January, churches across the country prepare annual giving statements for their donors. These year-end documents summarize each donor's total contributions for the previous calendar year and serve as the official tax receipt donors need when filing their returns. Wired Church provides a dedicated annual statement workflow that streamlines the entire process — from previewing individual statements to bulk emailing and printing the full batch.

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The Year-End Workflow

Generating annual statements is a multi-step process. Here is the recommended workflow from start to finish:

1. Finalize all outstanding batches for the tax year.
2. Verify contribution data — spot-check a few donors and resolve any discrepancies.
3. Configure statement settings — update the header message, footer, and EIN if needed.
4. Generate and preview annual statements.
5. Distribute — email to donors with valid email addresses, print and mail for the rest.
6. Track delivery — monitor which statements have been sent and which remain.

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Step 1: Finalize All Batches

Before generating statements, ensure every batch from the tax year is finalized:

1. Navigate to Contributions > Batches.
2. Filter the batch list by date range: January 1 through December 31 of the tax year.
3. Filter by status: Open.
4. If any open batches remain, review and finalize each one. See Recording Donations Manually for finalization steps.

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Step 2: Verify Contribution Data

Take a few minutes to verify data quality before generating statements:

1. Navigate to Contributions > Reports and run a Year Summary for the tax year.
2. Compare the grand total against your bank deposits and accounting records. They should reconcile.
3. Spot-check 5-10 individual donors by opening their member profiles and reviewing their Giving tab. Verify that their totals look reasonable compared to their giving history.
4. Check for common data entry issues:
   • Duplicate contributions — The same gift entered twice in different batches.
   • Misattributed contributions — A gift assigned to the wrong member (e.g., two members with similar names).
   • Missing contributions — A known regular giver showing an unusually low total.

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Step 3: Navigate to Annual Statements

1. Open the admin sidebar and click Contributions.
2. Click Statements in the sub-navigation.
3. Click Annual Statements.

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Step 4: Configure and Generate

Select the Tax Year

1. On the Annual Statements page, select the Tax Year from the dropdown. This defaults to the most recently completed calendar year.

Set Filters (Optional)

2. Minimum Amount — Optionally set a minimum total giving threshold. Only donors whose total giving for the year meets or exceeds this amount will receive statements. The IRS requires written acknowledgment for individual gifts of $250 or more, but most churches generate statements for all donors regardless of amount as a courtesy.
3. Fund Filter — Optionally limit statements to specific funds. Leave blank to include all funds (recommended for annual statements).

Generate

4. Click Generate Annual Statements.
5. Wired Church processes every donor who made at least one contribution during the tax year (subject to any filters you set). A progress indicator shows how many statements are being generated.

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Step 5: Preview Before Sending

Once generation completes, you see the annual statement results dashboard:

Summary Panel

• Total Statements Generated — The number of donor statements created.
• Total Donors with Email — How many can be emailed.
• Total Donors without Email — How many will need printed/mailed statements.
• Total Giving for the Year — The aggregate amount across all statements.

Statement List

Below the summary, a table lists every generated statement:

Previewing Individual Statements

6. Click any donor's name to open a preview of their annual statement.
7. Review the statement carefully. Verify that:
   • The donor's name and address are correct.
   • The itemized gift list matches what you expect.
   • Fund totals are accurate.
   • The church EIN is displayed.
   • The tax-deductibility notice is present and appropriate.

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What Annual Statements Include

Each annual giving statement contains:

Church Information

• Church legal name
• Mailing address
• Phone number
• EIN (Employer Identification Number)

Donor Information

• Full name
• Mailing address

Full-Year Itemized Gift List

Every contribution for the tax year, listed chronologically:

Split gifts are itemized as separate lines under the same date.

Total by Fund

A summary table showing the aggregate amount given to each fund:

Tax-Deductibility Notice

The standard IRS disclaimer language, configured in your statement settings. For contributions that are not tax-deductible (event fees, merchandise, etc.), a separate section lists those items with a note that they are not deductible.

Non-Cash Gift Disclaimer

If your church receives non-cash gifts (vehicles, property, stock), the statement includes a note that non-cash contributions are the donor's responsibility to value and report. Wired Church tracks cash contributions; non-cash gifts may require separate IRS documentation (Form 8283 for gifts over $500).

Church Signature Line

Space for an authorized church representative's signature, as required for written acknowledgment of contributions.

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Step 6: Distribute Statements

Bulk Email

1. On the annual statement results dashboard, click Email All Statements.
2. A confirmation dialog shows:
   • Number of statements to be emailed.
   • Number of donors without email addresses (these will be skipped).
   • The email subject line and preview of the email body.
3. Review the confirmation and click Send All.

4. Statements are queued and sent via MailerSend. Each donor receives an email with their annual statement attached as a PDF.
5. The Status column on the results dashboard updates to Emailed as each email is dispatched.

Print-Ready PDF Batch for Mailing

For donors without email addresses, or if your church prefers to mail physical copies:

6. On the results dashboard, use the filter to show only donors without email (or select specific donors using the checkboxes).
7. Click Download Print Batch.
8. A combined PDF is generated with all selected statements, each starting on a new page.
9. The layout is designed for standard letter-size paper (8.5" x 11") and positions the donor's address for use with window envelopes.
10. Print the PDF, fold each statement into a window envelope, and mail.

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Deadline Reminders

January 31 Deadline

The IRS does not set a hard legal deadline for churches to provide annual giving statements, but the widely accepted best practice — and the standard many denominations recommend — is January 31 of the following year. This gives donors time to use the statements when preparing their tax returns.

Recommended Timeline

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Handling Corrections After Statements Are Sent

Mistakes are discovered after statements go out more often than anyone would like. A donor calls to say a contribution is missing, or you realize a batch was entered with the wrong date. Here is how to handle corrections:

When a Contribution Was Missed

1. Enter the missing contribution in the appropriate batch (you may need to unfinalize and re-finalize the batch).
2. Navigate to Contributions > Statements > Annual Statements.
3. Find the affected donor in the statement results.
4. Click Regenerate next to their name to create an updated statement.
5. The new statement reflects the corrected data.
6. Email or print the corrected statement and send it to the donor with a note explaining the correction.

When an Amount Was Wrong

1. Correct the contribution amount in the batch (unfinalize if needed, edit, re-finalize).
2. Regenerate the donor's statement as described above.
3. Deliver the corrected statement.

When a Contribution Was Attributed to the Wrong Donor

1. Open the contribution in the batch and change the member assignment.
2. Regenerate statements for both the incorrect donor (whose total decreased) and the correct donor (whose total increased).
3. Deliver corrected statements to both donors.

Corrected Statement Labeling

When you regenerate a statement after the original has already been sent, the new statement is automatically labeled as "Corrected Statement" in the header, with the regeneration date. This distinguishes it from the original for the donor's records and for any IRS inquiries.

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Best Practices

1. Start early — Do not wait until January 28 to begin. Data verification and previewing take time.
2. Verify EIN — Your church's EIN must be on every statement. Double-check it in Contributions > Settings before generating.
3. Update addresses — Run through your member list in December and update any known address changes. A mailed statement to an old address is a wasted statement.
4. Encourage email — The more donors with email addresses on file, the faster and cheaper distribution becomes. Promote email updates in your December announcements.
5. Keep a record — Download the full print-ready PDF as an archive, even for donors who received statements via email. This gives you a complete record of what was distributed.
6. Communicate proactively — Let the congregation know in early January that statements are coming. A brief announcement like "Annual giving statements will be emailed by January 15" sets expectations and reduces individual requests.

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Related Articles

• Recording Donations Manually
• Understanding Contribution Funds
• Donor Management
• Generating Giving Statements and Tax Receipts