Gift-of-Gratitude Acknowledgment & Stewardship Template (Post-Discharge Window)
IRS-compliant acknowledgment letters and a fast-turnaround stewardship sequence engineered to land inside the narrow post-discharge gratitude window, treating the acknowledgment as the opening move of a relationship.
Draft: pending review
This starter document is signed off by Foundation counsel + gift-compliance/finance (IRS substantiation) + compliance officer + CFRE before it ships. The guardrails below define that review.
What’s inside
- IRS-substantiation-compliant acknowledgment with the 'no goods or services' or quid-pro-quo statement
- Rapid-response timing playbook (acknowledgment within days, not weeks)
- 'Honor your caregiver' variant recognizing a clinician without implying improper benefit
- Retention-focused 12-month stewardship cadence designed to earn a voluntary second gift
Legal & ethical guardrails
The sector-specific compliance points this document must honor.
- IRS §170(f)(8) requires contemporaneous acknowledgment for gifts of $250+ and §6115 quid-pro-quo disclosure when benefits are received
- 'Honor your caregiver' recognition must not transfer value to the clinician in a way construed as reward for referral (AKS/Stark)
- Any reference to condition, treatment, or caregiver relationship must stay within HIPAA-permissible information or authorization
- Stewardship must never imply that giving influenced or will influence clinical care
Held for professional review.
The native DOCX and full working text ship only after sign-off by Foundation counsel + gift-compliance/finance (IRS substantiation) + compliance officer + CFRE on this exact version. The summary and review requirements remain visible in the meantime.
Not legal advice. Not legal, tax, or accounting advice. The Fundraising Co. provides educational fundraising materials and is not a law firm; nothing here creates an attorney–client relationship or substitutes for advice from professionals licensed in your jurisdiction. Laws and IRS rules vary by state and change over time. Review every document with qualified counsel before use.