How to Send Year-End Giving Statements with myChelper

The January job nobody enjoys

Every January, someone at your church sits down with a spreadsheet, a stack of envelopes, and a long evening ahead. Statements get typed, totals get checked twice, and a few still go out late. Then the questions start: "Can you send mine again?" "Is this the right total?" "Why did my wife and I get two?"

Your donors need a record of what they gave so they can file their taxes. It's also one more chance to say thank you. This guide walks through sending your 2026 statements with myChelper, one step at a time, so the job takes an afternoon instead of a week.

A quick note before we start: this is a how-to, not tax or legal advice. Rules depend on your country and your church's situation. When you're not sure, check with your tax advisor.

What a good giving statement usually includes

Most churches aim for a statement that a donor can hand straight to whoever prepares their taxes. That usually means:

• Your church's legal name (not just the name on the sign out front)
• Your church's EIN, or Tax ID outside the U.S., if you choose to include it
• The donor's name
• Each gift, with its date and amount, and the total for the year
• A line saying no goods or services were given in exchange for the gifts, where that's true

myChelper statements include each of these once your church's legal name is on file. They list every gift with the amount the donor gave and any processing fees they chose to cover. Cash and check gifts you've recorded are included, and refunded gifts are left out. Your tax advisor can tell you if anything else applies to your church.

When to send them

Many U.S. churches aim to have statements out by January 31, so donors have them in hand before they file. A good plan is to finish recording December's cash and check gifts in the first week or two of January, then send. That leaves time to answer questions and resend anything that bounced.

Statements are part of myChelper Giving. On the free Ready-To-Go plan, online giving is the optional $5/month Giving add-on; Ready-To-Go+ and Branded include giving in the plan.

Step 1: Record and assign every cash and check gift

Online gifts are already tied to the person who gave them. Cash and check gifts need a little help. When you record one on the Donations page, pick the giver from your People directory so the gift lands on their statement.

If a gift was recorded with no name or email, the statements page tells you how many there are and their total, because they can't go on anyone's statement. To fix one, delete it on the Donations page and add it again with the giver picked.

Do this before you send. If a donor's gifts change after their statement has gone out, myChelper flags it ("Gifts changed after it was sent"), and their private link shows the new total. You can send their statement again with one click.

Step 2: Check your church's tax info

In the admin portal, go to Donations, open Year-end giving statements, and choose 2026 as the tax year. The page walks you through four steps: check your tax info, review donors, send a test to yourself, and send to all donors.

Statements need your church's legal name and a confirmation that it's a nonprofit. Without them, a statement isn't valid for your donors' taxes, so sending stays turned off until they're on file. If anything is missing, the page links you to Giving Setup to add it. Filling in your legal name fixes every statement, including past years.

Step 3: Choose one statement per person or per household

Under Who gets a statement? you pick one of two options:

• Each person: everyone who gave gets their own statement with their own gifts.
• Each household: people in the same household share one statement with all their gifts, sent to the Head of the household. It shows which member gave each gift. People who aren't in a household still get their own.

Households cut down on the "why did we get two?" questions from couples who give together. Statements per person suit churches where family members give and file separately. If you choose households, take a few minutes on the Households page first to make sure families are grouped and each has the right Head.

Choose carefully. Once statements for 2026 start going out, this choice can't be changed for that year. If you're unsure which suits your donors' tax situations, ask your tax advisor.

Step 4: Review your donors

The page shows how many statements you'll send, how much was given in 2026, and how many donors have no email on file. Search by name or email, and filter the list by Ready to send, Sent, Didn't send, No email, or Left out.

• Use View PDF to open a few statements and check them.
• Use Leave out for anyone who shouldn't get one; you can include them again later.
• Look for "No email on file" so you know who will need a printed copy.

Step 5: Send a test to yourself

Press Send test to me. Open the email the way a donor would, read it, and open the attached PDF. Check your church's name, the wording, and that the totals look right. The page remembers when your test went out and to which address. If you try to send to everyone without a test, myChelper suggests checking one first.

Step 6: Email every donor

When you're happy, press Send to all donors and confirm. Each donor gets an email from myChelper on behalf of your church, with their statement attached as a PDF and a private link to download it again later.

• Statements go out a few at a time, and a progress bar shows how many are sent and how many are left. Keep the page open while it runs.
• Need to stop? Press Pause, and pick up later. Nobody gets their statement twice, even if you pause or close the page and come back.
• If some emails don't go through, the page tells you how many and why. A button under the progress bar ("Try the 3 that didn't send," for example) retries just those.
• If a donor says they can't find theirs, use Send again next to their name.

Step 7: Print statements for donors without email

Some of your most faithful givers don't use email, and that's fine. Press Download to print (ZIP) (the button shows how many) to get every statement for donors with no email in one file, ready to print and mail or hand out after service. You can also open any single donor's statement with View PDF and print just that one.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Sending before December is recorded. Wait until the last cash and check gifts are entered and assigned to a giver.
• Skipping the legal name. Without it, a statement isn't valid for tax purposes, and myChelper won't let you send.
• Picking households before the households are right. A missing or wrong Head means a statement goes to the wrong person.
• Forgetting a thank-you. A short note in your next church email or from the stage goes a long way. A statement is a record, but it's also a reminder that their giving mattered.

Before you close this tab

You don't have to do it all today. This week, pick one small step: check that your legal name is on file in Giving Setup, or tidy up your households. In January, record December's gifts, send yourself a test, and let myChelper handle the rest.

Donors can also download their own giving statements from the app for any year or date range, so a lost email doesn't have to mean a call to the church office.

Want more practical guides for church leaders? Browse our blog for strategies that actually work.