Donations & Grants
Track gifts, recurring donors, in-kind contributions, and grants in one working register, with thank-you queues, report deadlines, major-gift alerts, and a Monday acknowledgment digest.
Included with every MangoApps plan.
Rolled out to every employee at AutoZone (125,000), PetSmart (50,000+), A.S. Watson and Raley's (20,000) — and at larger retailers we are not permitted to name.
Built for: Nonprofit Organizations · Community Foundations · Arts And Cultural Organizations · Faith Based Organizations · Membership Associations
Overview
Donations & Grants is a working giving register for nonprofit and community teams that need one controlled place to record incoming support and the follow-up attached to it. Managers and admins add records for One-time gift, Recurring gift, Grant, and In-kind contributions. Each record requires Donor, Type, Amount, and Received, with optional Fund, Report due, and Notes fields and a required Acknowledged status of Pending or Sent.
The app is designed around the operational work that follows a contribution. Thank-you pending shows records where Acknowledged is Pending, This month filters contributions received during the current month, and Grant reports due in 30 days surfaces approaching Report due dates. The Overview screen presents metric and card summaries, while Register provides the full grid and action bar for maintaining records.
Automations keep follow-up visible without turning the register into an accounting system. Major gift alert notifies the app owner when a record is added, and Monday thank-you list runs every Monday at 08:00 over Thank-you pending, sending the app owner an AI summary digest titled Donations awaiting a thank-you. Use this template when managers need a shared giving log and deadline queue. Do not use it as the sole ledger for financial reporting, as a substitute for donor-management records, or as a repository for formal grant agreements and official receipts.
Standards & compliance context
- Use this register alongside your organization’s accounting controls, gift acceptance policy, and official donor records; it is not a substitute for required financial record keeping.
- For grants, retain formal agreements and supporting documentation in the approved repository while using Report due to monitor operational follow-up.
- If contribution acknowledgments support tax or audit requirements, define an authorized review process for Donor, Amount, Received, and Acknowledged before marking a thank-you Sent.
- Restrict record entry to managers and admins as configured, and apply your organization’s access, retention, and privacy policies to donor information.
General regulatory context for orientation only — verify current requirements with counsel or the relevant agency before relying on this template for compliance.
How to use this template
- Add Donations & Grants to your MangoApps workspace and review the Overview and Register screens before entering live contribution records.
- Decide which managers and admins can add records, and define who verifies the Donor, Type, Amount, Fund, and Received details before saving.
- Log each contribution as it is received by selecting One-time gift, Recurring gift, Grant, or In-kind, entering the Amount and Received date, setting Fund where relevant, and adding Report due and Notes for grant follow-up.
- Use Thank-you pending, This month, and Grant reports due in 30 days to work the acknowledgment queue, review current receipts, and identify approaching reporting obligations.
- Respond to the Major gift alert and the Monday 08:00 Donations awaiting a thank-you digest, then update Acknowledged from Pending to Sent after the acknowledgment is actually completed.
- Review the Register and Overview regularly, correct authorized changes promptly, and keep each record’s status and deadline current rather than relying on a separate spreadsheet.
Best practices
- Enter the Received date based on your organization’s agreed receipt rule so This month remains consistent with finance and development reporting.
- Set Fund for every contribution that is restricted, campaign-specific, or program-designated instead of leaving the classification implicit in Notes.
- Add Report due for every grant with a reporting obligation and verify the date against the grant agreement before relying on the deadline view.
- Leave Acknowledged as Pending until the thank-you is sent, then change it to Sent immediately so the Monday digest reflects the real queue.
- Use Notes for concise context such as a pledge installment, in-kind description, or required follow-up rather than copying entire agreements into the register.
- Review the Major gift alert with the app owner and document the next action in Notes or the organization’s approved stewardship process.
- Correct duplicate or mistaken records promptly through the authorized manager or admin workflow, especially before monthly or grant reporting.
- Keep accounting totals and official donor records aligned with this register through a defined review cadence rather than treating the app as the financial system of record.
What this template typically catches
Issues teams running this template most often surface in practice:
Common use cases
Frequently asked questions
What does the Donations & Grants template track?
It records the Donor, Type, Amount, Fund, Received date, Acknowledged status, Report due date, and Notes. Type distinguishes One-time gift, Recurring gift, Grant, and In-kind contributions. The register also provides saved views for acknowledgments, current-month receipts, and upcoming grant reports.
Who should add and maintain records?
Only managers and admins add records in this template, which keeps financial entries controlled. They can edit or delete records when corrections are needed. Assign a small group of people who receive gift or grant information and can verify Amount, Fund, and Received before saving.
How often should the register be updated?
Add each gift, grant, or in-kind contribution when it is received or confirmed. Review Thank-you pending throughout the week and use the Monday thank-you list at 08:00 for a scheduled check. Review Grant reports due in 30 days whenever grant deadlines are approaching.
What happens when a major gift is recorded?
The Major gift alert automation notifies the app owner when a record is added. The template does not replace your organization’s definition of a major gift or approval process, so document any follow-up in Notes or your established internal workflow.
How does the Monday acknowledgment digest work?
Every Monday at 08:00, the automation reviews the Thank-you pending saved view and sends an AI summary digest titled Donations awaiting a thank-you to the app owner. The app owner can use that list to assign or complete acknowledgments, then change Acknowledged from Pending to Sent.
Can this template support restricted funds and grants?
Yes. Fund includes General fund, Programs, Capital campaign, and Restricted, while Type separates Grant from other contribution types. Add the relevant report deadline in Report due and use the grant deadline view, but keep formal grant agreements and accounting records in the systems your organization requires.
Can we customize the fields or views?
The template is a starting point added to your MangoApps workspace, so your team can tailor it during rollout. You may need additional fields or views for campaign codes, receipt methods, grantors, pledge terms, or internal approvals. Keep the required Donor, Type, Amount, and Received fields unless you have a documented replacement process.
Does this replace an accounting or donor-management system?
No. It is a working operational register for capturing contribution details, acknowledgment work, and grant deadlines. It should complement, not replace, your accounting ledger, donor-management system, official receipts, or grant-management records when those systems are required.
What is the main risk when moving from a spreadsheet?
The common failure is recording the amount but leaving Fund, Acknowledged, or Report due incomplete or inaccurate. Establish one entry owner, define when a record counts as Received, and change Acknowledged to Sent only after the thank-you has actually been issued.
Related templates
Ready to use this template?
Donations & Grants runs on a platform app included with every MangoApps plan — pick a suite and it comes along.
Rolled out to every employee at AutoZone (125,000), PetSmart (50,000+), A.S. Watson and Raley's (20,000) — and at larger retailers we are not permitted to name.
