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Focus on the Family Donation Receipt Template

A Focus on the Family donation receipt is the written record of a donation made to the Focus on the Family nonprofit organization.

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woman-holding-box-and-focus-on-the-family-receipt It includes essential information about the donor and the gift, including but not limited to contact information, dates and amounts, and physical descriptions of in-kind donations. Depending on the nature of the contribution, donors can use this donation receipt to claim deductions on their income tax returns with the IRS.

Table of Contents

What is Focus on the Family?

Focus on the Family (FOF) is a 501(c)(3) global Christian ministry. The organization states that its “primary reason for existence is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through a practical outreach to homes.” It offers resources to couples and families struggling with marriage and parenting issues. Six (6) guiding philosophies and seven (7) core beliefs inform FOF’s services.

Six (6) Guiding Philosophies

FOF says contemporary Judeo-Christian morals and the Bible inspired these six (6) principles instead of the “humanistic notions of today’s theorists.” (1) The Preeminence of Evangelism: FOF believes the primary purpose in life is to know God and spread God’s word to attain eternal life through Jesus. It also thinks humanity is suffering and needs to embrace Christianity. (2) The Preeminence of Marriage: FOF believes marriage is sacred because God designed it to represent Jesus’s love for his believers. Marriage is supposed to be a lifelong relationship between a man and woman that remains committed through all difficulties, emotional turbulence, financial problems, and illnesses. (3) The Value of Children: FOF believes parents are responsible for raising their children to live a life of service to God because they are a blessing from God. (4) The Sanctity of Human Life: FOF believes God created humans in “His image,” Therefore, every person from conception to natural death possesses inherent dignity. (5) The Importance of Social Responsibility: FOF believes it has a calling to influence the social institutions of church, family, and government according to “God’s will.” (6) The Value of Male and Female: FOF believes sexuality is God’s gift that couples offer back in marriage (“mutual delight,” procreation, union) or individuals in celibacy (undivided devotion).

Seven (7) Core Beliefs

The Bible: “We believe the Bible to be the inspired, only infallible, authoritative Word of God.” The Trinity: “We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.​” Jesus Christ: “We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father and in His personal return in power and glory.​” Salvation: “We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful humanity, regeneration by the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ is absolutely essential.” Holy Spirit: “We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.​” Eternal Life: “We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, they who are saved unto the resurrection of life and they who are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.​” Body of Christ: “We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.​”

How to Donate (3 Steps)

Step 1: Choose the Amount

Visit FOF’s online donation portal. Choose if the donation will be one-time or monthly, then select or enter the gift amount.

Step 2: Billing Information

Enter the donor’s name, contact information, and billing address.

Step 3: Payment Details

Enter the payment details or login credentials required for the credit card, bank draft, or PayPal account funding the donation. Click “Make a Donation” to submit. FOF will send the donation receipt to the email address provided.

Other Ways to Donate

Charitable Bequest Bequest a gift to Focus on the Family in a trust, will, or other beneficiary designation. There are three ways to bequest a gift: as a specific dollar amount, the percentage of an overall estate, or a bequest of residuary (a percentage of the assets remaining in an estate after the debts, expenses, taxes, and other bequests are paid). Charitable Gift Annuity A charitable gift annuity allows a donor of cash or securities to receive fixed payments from Focus on the Family for Life. Gifts must be at least $5,000 in order to qualify. The donor can claim a tax deduction for the year of the contribution, and payments can start when the donor reaches the age of fifty (50). The longer a donor waits to begin their payments, the larger the payments will be. There are three ways to arrange annuity payments:

  • Immediate: Payments begin within one (1) year of the donation.
  • Deferred: The donor selects a future date for the payments to begin.
  • Flexible: The donor selects a fifteen (15) year window during which they can decide to start receiving payments.

Donor Advised Fund The donor makes cash, complex asset, or stock gifts to a Donor Advised Fund (DAF). Then they direct the DAF broker to send the gift to Focus on the Family. A DAF contribution is tax-deductible for the year it is made. Honor/Memorial Gift To make a donation in honor of a living or deceased loved one, call 1-800-A-FAMILY (1-800-232-6459). IRA Charitable Distribution Donors can contact their IRA administrators to make a “Qualified Charitable Distribution” payable directly to Focus on the Family. To get a tax deduction, the donor has to be at least 70 ½ years old and not exceed $100,000 in charitable contributions for the same calendar year as the IRA distribution. Only traditional and ROTH IRAs are eligible for this type of contribution. The donor must notify FOF of the incoming gift. Life Insurance Contact the life insurance policy administrator to make Focus on the Family the policy beneficiary. Mail Mail this form and the check or money order to: Focus on the Family 8605 Explorer Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80920 Phone Call Call 1-800-A-FAMILY (1-800-232-6459) to make a donation over the phone. Real Estate Donate commercial properties, farms, homes, ranches, undeveloped land, or vacation properties. In most cases, donors can claim a tax deduction for the fair market value of the real estate and avoid paying any capital gains tax on the sale. Securities FOF accepts three kinds of securities donations: Direct Registration Shares (DRS), DTC Transfers, and Mutual Funds. Contact FOF’s Gift and Estate Planning Department at 1-800-782-8227 to learn how to transfer securities.  Vehicle FOF works with Vehicles for Charity (VFC), a national nonprofit organization that accepts vehicle donations on behalf of other nonprofits that can’t manage vehicle donations on their own. VFC can pick up donations directly from donors, and donors can claim tax deductions for the gross sale proceeds of their donated vehicles. Acceptable vehicles include boats, cars, motor homes, motorcycles, RVs, and trucks.

Where Does the Money Go?

Focus on the Family uses the donations it receives to fund the following ministries and initiatives:

Faith-Related Content

FOF produces large amounts of digital content addressing faith in Christianity. This content comes in the form of blogs, books, podcasts, radio shows, and videos. The four main topics covered are: 

General Counseling

FOF offers one-time complimentary therapy consultations with a staff of licensed professional counselors. It does point out that the therapy offered by the organization comes from a Christian worldview. FOF also refers clients to local counselors for ongoing therapy after they’ve completed the initial complimentary consultation. Important note: FOF currently refers clients to practitioners of Conversion Therapy, a practice that is illegal to use on minors and has been disputed for use on adults by the:

Marriage Services

FOF offers three versions of marriage counseling and therapy: Conferences, Digital Resources, and the Hope Restored program. Marriage counseling conferences hosted by FOF address all of the following needs and concerns married couples face:

  • Celebrating Success;
  • Communication;
  • Financial Advising;
  • Marriage Preparation;
  • Mentoring;
  • Navigating Problems as a Team;
  • Pregnancy & Infertility Resources;
  • Sex & Intimacy Therapy;
  • Technology Management; and
  • Work-Life Balance.

FOF also offers a digital program for married couples to learn how to better connect emotionally and spiritually. They participate in a seven (7) part video series learning about heartfelt communication. They receive an online study guide and access to additional counseling resources. Hope Restored is an intensive three to five (3-5) day intensive Christian counseling program for couples facing a crisis. It takes place at one of three FOF retreat centers in Georgia, Michigan, and Missouri. It’s important to note that this program is not free to participate in. The coaching and tools utilized in this program are rooted in the core belief that “God’s design for marriage is a sacred, lifelong covenant between a man and a woman.”

Media Initiatives

FOF primarily invests its time and money in digital media like blogs, websites, and podcasts. It hosts over fifteen (15) radio shows and podcasts ranging in topics from family and parenting to teen suicide and porn. FOF’s three most popular websites are:

Parenting Services

FOF’s parenting counseling and resources are rooted in seven primary traits: 

  1. Adaptability: “Teaching adaptability helps our children find peace — a deep peace that is stronger than the stresses and trials of life. Peace counteracts the unproductive worry that causes us to lose our trust in God.”
  2. Boundaries and Limits: “Being deliberate about boundaries — for media, behavior, relationships, godly living and a vibrant faith — means we do not let culture determine what is healthy for our family….If we don’t set our own boundaries in our families, other influences — culture, extended family or trends — will set our children’s moral boundaries, and we may become surprised and dismayed by what they have learned.”
  3. Grace and Forgiveness: “Christian parents need to be willing to model forgiveness and grace to their children, regardless of the personal cost. Human nature prevents us from easily giving grace and forgiveness, yet we learn from God’s Word that we need to give both or we can’t expect to be forgiven.”
  4. Gratitude: “When gratitude is expressed on a regular basis and in deliberate ways, it helps our children learn to see all the good God does in our lives. A natural outcome of this within biblical parenting is that we learn to naturally praise Him, regardless of how we feel in the moment.”
  5. Intentionality: “Being intentional means talking about and living out our values and priorities before allowing other influences into our home….This is intentionality: making decisions as parents about how we will own the spiritual atmosphere in our homes.”
  6. Love: “Children learn God’s love through the sacrificial commitments we make to them and teach them to make.”
  7. Respect: “Respect teaches us not to treat others as unimportant. Nothing hurts a child more than being treated as if he is useless, and almost nothing encourages him more than being respected and valued.”

Alive to Thrive Alive to Thrive is a preventative training program addressing the spiritual aspects of teen suicide. It uses traditional, nontraditional, and scriptural teachings and practices to facilitate child development.

Social Issues

FOF believes God ordained the “social institutions” of the church, family, and government as a reflection of God’s divine nature. Therefore, its the responsibility of Christians to promote Biblical teachings in the construction, maintenance, and social output of these institutions. The organization actively advocates for its beliefs and provides resources in line with its values regarding the following social and cultural topics:

Welcome Center

FOF has a Welcome Center at its home base in Colorado Springs, CO. It has an art gallery, a bookstore, coffee and soda shops, and guided tours. It also holds a number of spaces hosting activities for children:

  • A Play area with a three (3) story slide;
  • The Discovery Emporium, a space holding a puppet stage and reading area);
  • The KYDS’ Radio Studio;
  • The Narnia adventure room; and
  • Two free party rooms.

Focus on the Family Resources