What is the charitable giving plan form template?
A lot of household giving happens on impulse: an appeal on the doorstep, a friend's fundraiser, a disaster in the news. Planning ahead doesn't stop that — it means the causes you care most about get steady support, and the paperwork is in order when it's time to do your taxes.
This three-page plan starts with the budget and how you set it, the causes that matter to you and what you value in how you give. You then list up to six organisations, each with a registration or tax ID, the amount for the year, when you'll give, how (from direct debit to payroll giving, a donor-advised fund or shares) and whether you'll need a receipt.
The last page covers tax-efficient options to look into, volunteering, goods to donate, money kept aside for unplanned appeals, a mid-year review date and where receipts will be kept. The plan is saved as a PDF in your FileIt vault.
- Best for
- Households, couples and individuals who give regularly
- Filled in by
- Whoever manages the household's giving
- Time to complete
- About 10-15 minutes
- Includes
- Budget, causes, six organisations, timing and method, tax options, receipts
Who uses a charitable giving plan form?
- A couple agreeing at New Year how much to give and to whom
- A family setting up monthly donations to a few charities
- Planning regular giving to a place of worship alongside other causes
- Someone with a donor-advised fund planning grants for the year
- Checking which gifts will need receipts for tax records
- A financial planner sharing a giving worksheet with clients
Questions on this charitable giving plan form
53 questions over 3 pages · includes conditional questions, multiple pages.
1 Budget & causes
- Your name*
- Year*
- Who is giving?
- Total giving budget for the year*
- How did you set the budget? A fixed amount · A share of income · Same as last year · Still deciding
- Causes you care about* Poverty and hunger · Health and medical research · Education · Environment and climate · Animals · Faith community · Arts and culture · Local community · Disaster relief · International development
- What matters most in how you give?
- How many organisations are you planning to give to?*
2 Organisations
- Organisation*
- Charity registration or tax ID
- Amount for the year*
- When* Monthly · Quarterly · Once · At year end · At a specific event or appeal
- How Direct debit or recurring card · One-off card · Bank transfer · Cheque · Payroll giving · Donor-advised fund · Shares or securities · Goods or in-kind
- Receipt needed for tax records?
- Organisation* asked only when it applies
- Charity registration or tax ID asked only when it applies
- Amount for the year* asked only when it applies
- When* asked only when it applies Monthly · Quarterly · Once · At year end · At a specific event or appeal
- How asked only when it applies Direct debit or recurring card · One-off card · Bank transfer · Cheque · Payroll giving · Donor-advised fund · Shares or securities · Goods or in-kind
- Receipt needed for tax records? asked only when it applies
- Organisation* asked only when it applies
- Charity registration or tax ID asked only when it applies
- Amount for the year* asked only when it applies
- When* asked only when it applies Monthly · Quarterly · Once · At year end · At a specific event or appeal
- How asked only when it applies Direct debit or recurring card · One-off card · Bank transfer · Cheque · Payroll giving · Donor-advised fund · Shares or securities · Goods or in-kind
- Receipt needed for tax records? asked only when it applies
- Organisation* asked only when it applies
- Charity registration or tax ID asked only when it applies
- Amount for the year* asked only when it applies
- When* asked only when it applies Monthly · Quarterly · Once · At year end · At a specific event or appeal
- How asked only when it applies Direct debit or recurring card · One-off card · Bank transfer · Cheque · Payroll giving · Donor-advised fund · Shares or securities · Goods or in-kind
- Receipt needed for tax records? asked only when it applies
- Organisation* asked only when it applies
- Charity registration or tax ID asked only when it applies
- Amount for the year* asked only when it applies
- When* asked only when it applies Monthly · Quarterly · Once · At year end · At a specific event or appeal
- How asked only when it applies Direct debit or recurring card · One-off card · Bank transfer · Cheque · Payroll giving · Donor-advised fund · Shares or securities · Goods or in-kind
- Receipt needed for tax records? asked only when it applies
- Organisation* asked only when it applies
- Charity registration or tax ID asked only when it applies
- Amount for the year* asked only when it applies
- When* asked only when it applies Monthly · Quarterly · Once · At year end · At a specific event or appeal
- How asked only when it applies Direct debit or recurring card · One-off card · Bank transfer · Cheque · Payroll giving · Donor-advised fund · Shares or securities · Goods or in-kind
- Receipt needed for tax records? asked only when it applies
3 Tax, time & records
- Tax-efficient giving to look into Keeping receipts for deductions · Gift Aid or similar declarations · Employer matching · Payroll giving · Giving shares or securities · Donor-advised fund
- Employer matching programme details asked only when it applies
- Time you plan to volunteer
- Goods you plan to donate
- Kept aside for unplanned appeals
- Mid-year review date
- Where will receipts be kept? In a FileIt folder · Email folder · Paper file
- Notes
The charitable giving plan form, page by page
1 Budget & causes
The planner gives their name, email, the Year and who is giving. Total giving budget for the year is required, and How did you set the budget? offers a fixed amount, a share of income, same as last year, or still deciding. Causes you care about lists ten causes plus Other. A free-text question asks what matters most in how you give, and How many organisations? sets how many blocks follow, up to six.
2 Organisations
Each organisation block asks for its name, charity registration or tax ID, the amount for the year, When (monthly, quarterly, once, at year end or for a specific appeal), How (direct debit, card, transfer, cheque, payroll giving, donor-advised fund, shares or in-kind) and whether a receipt is needed for tax records.
3 Tax, time & records
Tax-efficient giving to look into lists keeping receipts, Gift Aid or similar declarations, employer matching, payroll giving, shares and donor-advised funds, with a reminder that rules vary by country. Employer matching asks for programme details. The planner adds volunteering, goods to donate, a reserve for unplanned appeals, a mid-year review date, where receipts will be kept and notes.
Make the template yours
- Change the currency to your own
- Rename the tax options to the schemes available in your country
- Add more organisation blocks if you give to more than six
- Add a column for whether a gift is in memory or in honour of someone
- Turn on a copy by email so the plan lands in your inbox
- File the plan in the same vault folder you use for donation receipts
Tips for a better charitable giving plan form
- Check an organisation's registration with your country's charity regulator before giving
- Ask for receipts at the time of giving; chasing them in tax season is harder
- Keep a small reserve for appeals so planned gifts aren't affected
- Review mid-year — it's easier to adjust than to catch up in December
- Employer matching can double some gifts; check whether your employer offers it
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
Your plan is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, and you can get a copy by email. Store receipts in the same folder as gifts are made.
Submit the plan again at your mid-year review to keep a record of changes. The CSV export lets you total planned gifts in a spreadsheet.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Charitable giving plan form: frequently asked questions
Is this charitable giving plan template free?
Yes. It's a starter template in the FileIt Forms app on every account.
Does FileIt make the donations?
No. The plan records what you intend to give. You donate directly to each organisation.
Will this tell me what's tax deductible?
No. Tax rules for giving differ by country and situation. The plan helps you track receipts; ask the charity or a tax adviser what qualifies.
Can I plan giving with my partner?
Yes. Share the link, or fill it in together and both receive a copy.
What if we give to more than six organisations?
Add more organisation blocks in the designer, or group small gifts under one entry.
Can a place of worship use this with members?
Yes. Rename the causes and organisations to suit, and share the link with members who want to plan their giving.