You use the Maintenance à Receipt Options window to select various options that affect the output format of your charitable receipts. That brings up the following window:
Receipt Style For
This drop-down list includes options for Canada (English Only), Quebec (bilingual French and English), Quebec (French only), U.S.A., Australia (Deductible Gift Recipient), Australia (non-DGR), and Other.
The first time you start the program, it tries to determine what your language and country are from Windows Control Panel's Regional and Language Options tool, and sets this setting accordingly. (It informs you of what setting it has set.) In some cases, English Canadian users who run version 3.20 or later for the first time may also find that this happens.
Selecting "Canada (English only)" causes the program to include the name and web address of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) on the receipt.
"Quebec (bilingual French & English)" is for organizations in Quebec, or national organizations in Canada that want to provide bilingual receipts. If you select it, all receipts you generate will be bilingual, and will include two copies, one for the federal and one for the provincial tax returns. It also includes the CRA's name (bilingually) and web address.
"Quebec (French only)" is for organizations in Quebec that want to provide receipts that are only in French. If you select it, all receipts you generate will have all of their headings in French, and will include two copies, one for the federal and one for the provincial tax returns. It also includes the CRA's French name and web address.
Selecting "U.S.A." causes a significantly different receipt format to be used. Among other things, the Charitable Registration Number field (called Tax ID / EIN in the U.S.A.) is optional, and is omitted from the receipts if it is not entered in Maintenance à Organization Info. There is no 2nd tear-off section for the donor to keep, because the receipt does not have to be submitted with your taxes. In addition, the receipt includes the required sentence "Pursuant to Internal Revenue Code requirements for substantiation of charitable contributions, no goods or services were provided in return for the Tax Deductible contributions".
In addition, if you select "U.S.A.", the heading "Cheque # / Paid By" for Donations on the main window and the One Date Batch Entry window changes to "Check # / Paid By", and similar spelling changes are made in various other places in the program.
Selecting "Australia (Deductible Gift Recipient)" changes the phrase "Amount of Donation" to "Amount of Gift", and adds in the phrase "All gifts over $2 are tax deductible". It also displays the charitable number you entered on the Maintenance à Organization Info window with the heading "ABN Number". This is for organizations in Australia with DGR status.
Selecting "Australia (not DGR)" is for other Australian organizations. It removes the field for the charitable Registration Number, and does not add in the phrase about gifts being tax deductible. It also removes the phrase "Official Receipt for Income Tax Purposes". It does display the ABN Number, however.
Finally, selecting "Other" is for users in all other countries. The receipt generated is just like the Canadian one, with the exception that the name and web address of the CRA is omitted. Of course, if you need a different receipt format, you can switch to Generating Receipts using Mail Merge, via the option below, and edit the format as desired.
Starting Receipt #
This field, which defaults to 1, sets your starting (or minimum) receipt number for each year to the value that you enter into it. Very few organizations will need to use this, or for that matter should use this!
I am aware of two situations in which this should be used. The first is when an organization for some reason splits its receipting up between two databases, probably on two computers - perhaps for two different campaigns, though they are for the same charity. Charities should not issue duplicate receipt numbers, so one of the two systems could be set up with a Starting Receipt # of (say) 1000, assuming the other system was not expected to issue over 1,000 receipts per year. (The current maximum number of receipts per year in DONATION is 99,999, so the maximum allowed setting for Starting Receipt # was set somewhat arbitrarily at 99000.)
The other situation is when an organization starts using DONATION mid-year, and they have already issued some numbered receipts manually or with a different program. They should set the Starting Receipt # to the next number after the last one that they already issued. N.B. in this situation, it is important that after issuing the first receipt with DONATION, with the correct starting number, you set the Starting Receipt # back to 1. Otherwise, the same starting number will apply again next year, which you do not want!
The actual receipt number given to any given receipt is the last receipt number issued by DONATION for the current year plus one, or the Starting Receipt #, whichever is larger. I.e. as soon as you have already issued receipts starting at the Starting Receipt #, it becomes irrelevant for the rest of the current year. (It is not updated as you issue receipts - it is just a minimum receipt number.)
N.B. If you have multiple databases that you switch between with the Database à Switch Databases menu option, each database has its own Starting Receipt number, which is stored with the database. (This is a change in version 3.30 - prior to that, the Starting Receipt Number applied to all databases, which could cause complications.)
Select Logo and Signature Images
Clicking this button takes you to a window where you can select and view your desired image files for logos and signatures for use in the built-in and mail-merge receipts and some reports and other letters.
Email receipts only to yourself, for testing
There is an option, when you are viewing either the standard receipts or the mail-merged ones, to email them to donors who have email addresses. However, you may want to test this out first, before actually emailing receipts to the donors. To do that, check this checkbox, then create (or reprint) receipts, and select the Email/Print button on the receipt-viewing window. All displayed receipts for donors that have email addresses will be emailed to your own email address (as set in Maintenance à Email Sending Configuration) rather than to the donors' actual email addresses.
Options for Built-in Receipts only (not mail merge)
The four settings in this section only apply to the standard receipts built into DONATION, which are actually created with the same technology as all of the reports. These settings are disabled if you check the "Create Receipts via mail merge instead of built-in report method" checkbox lower down on the window.
Skip Lines
Checking the "Skip Lines" checkbox causes the row of dashes (two rows of dashes in the case of Bilingual or French-only Receipts) on the receipt to be omitted. This may be better for users who use pre-perforated paper. This does not apply to U.S. receipts, as they don't have a tear-off section.
Include
These radio buttons allow you to select which sections are included in the bottom section of the receipt. This is the part that (except for U.S. users) is to be torn off and kept by the donor. Normally (if you check "Both Donation Details and Summary") first there is a section listing each individual donation that's included in that receipt. Following that, there is a section summarizing those same included donations, by category.
Checking the "Details only, no Summary" radio button causes it to omit the summary by category section.
Checking the "Summary only, no Details" causes it to omit the detailed donations section.
Details Section Includes
These radio buttons only apply if the detailed donations section is included, i.e. if "Summary only, no Details" is not selected in the previous section. Normally, if you select "Date, Amount, Category (2 per line)", the details section includes those three fields for each donation included in the receipt, and it is in two columns on the page.
If you check the "Also Cheque No (1 per line)" checkbox, the Cheque Number / Paid By field from the donation (or "Check Number / Paid By" for U.S. receipts) is also printed in the details section, and (because this is wider) it is always just in one column on the page.
If you check the "Also Description (1 per line)" checkbox, it adds the Description from each donation into the details section of the receipt, and again causes it to always print the details in just one column on the page.
The reason you can't select both "Also Cheque No" and "Also Description" is because there really isn't room across a line to show both of them with the normal font size. However, if you really feel a need for this, you can switch to the mail-merge version of the receipts, and edit those options into the «DetailsTable» field. (See below for how to switch to this version.)
Label for Member/Env. #
Donors who have a Member/Envelope # will normally have that number shown on their receipts. This drop-down list determines whether the field on the receipt where this is shown is labelled "Envelope #" or "Member #", or whether this number is always omitted from the receipt (if you select the option "Don't display on receipts").
This field defaults to "Envelope #" if you have not set it yourself, because most organizations that choose to enter Member/Envelope numbers for their donors are churches, who usually call it an envelope number.
Mail Merge Receipts
This section of this window is for when you prefer to use the mail-merge version of the receipts, whose format you can edit.
Create Receipts using mail merge instead of normal report method
If you check this checkbox, receipts being created or reprinted with the Receipt menu options are displayed on the mail merge display/editing window, using your edited receipt format. If it is unchecked, receipts from the Receipt menu options are displayed with the standard built-in receipt formats (which cannot be edited, though they can be somewhat affected by the other options on this Maintenance window). The built-in receipts are created using the same technology as the reports in the program.
If you are going to use this option, you need to make sure that the standard receipt mail merge letter file is to your satisfaction, before you generate any real receipts. To do that, use the Edit Mail Merge Receipt button(s) described below to edit its format.
If you are going to use the mail merge receipts and edit their format, please be aware that you are entirely responsible for ensuring that the content of your receipts is in accordance with government regulations. The default sample mail merge receipt formats distributed with the program are in accordance with those regulations, but of course it is possible for you to remove or change elements that are required!
N.B. when this option is checked, the settings in this window for Skip Lines, Include, Details Section Includes, and Label for Member/Env. # are irrelevant, and cannot be changed, because they only apply to the built-in receipts. However, similar changes change be made in the mail-merge receipt format. The Receipt Style For selection determines which mail-merge letter file is used by default for your receipts, and the Location Issued field's entry can be included on the receipts.
Edit Mail Merge Receipt
If you are using the mail merge receipts, this button is enabled, and allows you to edit their format. After clicking this, make any changes you want in the mail merge editor, and be sure to save the changes.
Edit Mail Merge Gift in Kind Receipt
If you are using the mail merge receipts, you are in Canada, and you check the "Use different receipts for Gifts in Kind / Non-Cash Gifts" checkbox (see below for details), this button is also enabled. It allows you to edit the format for the mail-merge gift in kind receipts. After clicking this, make any changes you want in the mail merge editor, and be sure to save the changes.
N.B. It is also possible to edit the format of the standard and gift in kind mail merge receipts from the Letters à One Letter or Letters à Mass Mailing windows - the buttons on this window are just an easier way to get to editing them.
Options for Canada Only
Location Issued
For receipts to be issued in Canada, the location they were issued must be printed on them. This location can be entered in this field. It is ignored for receipts for all other countries. The CRA is vague about what exactly they want here, but generally the city or town and province is probably appropriate, for instance "Toronto ON". I believe the reason the CRA introduced this requirement was to distinguish which office a receipt came from when national charities do receipting from multiple regional offices.
Use French Dates
If you select either Quebec option under Receipt Style For, you can also optionally check the "Use French Dates" checkbox. You actually must check it if you select "Quebec (French only)". When this is checked, all dates printed in the built-in receipts and in all mail-merge letters and receipts will be in French. The order of the day, month and year elements in those dates is determined by the Long Date Format in Control Panel's Regional and Language Options.
N.B. This option can be overridden in specific mail-merge letters or receipts by including the special mail-merge fields «French» or «English».
Use different receipts for Gifts in Kind / Non-Cash Gifts
In Canada, there are various different data items required on a receipt for a Gift in Kind (what the CRA calls non-cash gifts), and so in order to be completely in compliance with CRA regulations, a different receipt format is needed. By default, this checkbox is checked for Canadian users, so that these different receipt formats are indeed used.
When this is checked, the Gift in Kind Receipts sub-menu appears on the Receipt menu, the regular Receipt menu options only receipt for donations whose Cheque # / Paid By value is not "Gift in Kind", and the Gift in Kind Receipts sub-menu options are used to create receipts for donations whose Cheque # / Paid By value is "Gift in Kind".
When this is unchecked, the program behaves as it always did prior to the introduction of this option in version 3.13 of DONATION: all donations are included in receipts with the standard format, whether they are Gifts in Kind or not. Although this is not technically in full compliance with CRA regulations, large numbers of users have been using the DONATION program this way for a very long time and not a single user has ever informed me that they got a complaint about this from the CRA. So, since leaving it unchecked makes receipting a bit simpler, if you do have Gift in Kind donations, some users may choose to do so. And if you never have any Gift in Kind donations, leaving this checkbox unchecked means that the Gift in Kind Receipts sub-menu doesn't clutter up your Receipt menu.
See Gifts in Kind for more details on all of this.