Hi Everyone - we recently had a donor request tickets that amount to a FMV over $500, but we already issued their tax letter a couple of months ago stating their gift is fully deductible.
Our Gift Officer argues that we need to provide these for stewardship and relationship building purposes, but in Development Operations (Advancement Services), we think the Museum should probably re-issue a tax letter documenting the donation has essentially changed to a quid pro quo contribution.
Have other organizations encountered a situation like this? If so, do you all have policy/procedure documentation that you would be willing to share?
We would be grateful for the help! Thank you - Tele
Tele, your instinct is correct. It seems clear this this "stewardship and relationship building purpose" would not be possible had they not made a contribution. If you issued a receipt that said "no good or services" then this would be technically breaking a (IRS) law.
Another way to look at this would be to ask if ANYONE would receive the same valuable benefit, then fine, but I'm guessing that's not the case.
Thank you, Anita! The perspective of asking if anyone would receive this benefit is really helpful - we appreciate it!