Having Donors Change What FEIN They're Using for Your Organization

Miki Martin

Has anyone run into a situation where your organization has been tied to multiple FEINs and therefore you have donors using multiple numbers? How do you streamline these donors to get them all using one preferred FEIN for your organization?

We have found several of the giving sites (eg, CyberGrants, WePay, YourCause, Benevity) have us listed under two numbers but only one is actually OUR number. The other belongs to the diocese so we need to get those donors switched to the right FEIN. Is it a matter of just reaching out individually to those donors once they're identified? I feel like I am about to open a Costco-sized can of worms with this one but know it is ultimately the right thing to do.

JoAnn Strommen

@Miki Martin When our foundation merged with alumni association we had to reach out to individuals and ask them to change it with their employer. Getting info changed with entities you listed was a challenge.

Carrie Aranda

@Miki Martin I am currently doing this with a couple of platforms because of a merger that happened a few years ago. As we have done this, we were able to have people moved from one organization to the other. But, we were also merging organizations and had all of the paperwork to show that the one organization no longer existed. However, each platform has its own requirements and hassles with doing this. I have just been reaching out to support on each one to inquire how we can merge organizations, clean up names, etc. They typically respond with a list of required documents. Some are simply a request letter on letterhead our IRS Determination Letter while others require all of our merger documents.

Faith Murray

@Miki Martin Definitely important to clean up. In addition to reaching out individually, if you notice it is a widespread problem, you might include an information tag in all your mailings for the next year: “PS. If you plan to make your gift through your IRA, DAF, or employer giving portal, please use our EIN 11-1111111”.