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CRA Compliant Tax Receipts (Canada Only)

Kim Wolcott

Hello!

I have spent the last few days trying to work out how to email merge tax receipts as secured pdfs. Secured as in, password protected against editing only. So far the best route I have found is to export the data file from Mail>receipts. Then I have painfully created a pdf form and installed a trial plugin for that does allow me to send the receipts secured as a mass mailing.

I would love to hear what all the other charities in CANADA are doing to email secured tax receipts?

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Comments

Lucy Ruiz

Yes, the way you are doing it is correct but would a few extra steps. Below is the process I use for my client all the time.

Create a generic outlook account e.g. taxreceipts@abcfoundation.org

Export the file from Mail/Receipts creating a .csv file.

Ensure you have a PDF plug in for word (this usually requires a full version of Adobe)

Use standard mail merge functionality and you are off to the races. (make sure the new outlook account is open on the machine you are running receipts on). You do not have to password protect.

The nice thing about using this process, is an email bounces back you can easily print the receipt and mail to the donor.

Kim Wolcott

Thanks for the feedback. I have tried that process and would love for it to work but it doesn’t secure the tax receipt, it can be easily modified.

Aldera Chisholm

This is exactly why I'm sad EReceipting is going away - it was perfect for us. I had checked with CRA to ensure what was produced and sent from that module was sufficient, and it was. But now, yes, we will be having to modify to a new process.

Lucy Ruiz

@Kim Wolcott - what do you mean by does not secure the tax receipt?

Kim Wolcott

Have a look at this page from CRA:

It indicates that receipts should read-only or in non-editable format. All of the receipts issued from RE and/or Online Express are not/never been secure and are easily edited. Secure as in password protected against editing.

Aldera Chisholm

CRA considers a standard issue PDF to be read-only/non editable. Yes, a smart user can mess with them - but if you have the right software, even the encrypted ones can be edited. I took a great all-day seminar once on Charity law which spent a lot of time on receipts, and they broke it down that our responsibility is to take steps so that the average user cannot easily edit, and that the greatest onus on security was securing the database and records for the issuing of receipts. But of course, you have to make the decisions that are best for you and your org's processes.

Suzie MacMillan

Lucy Ruiz:
Yes, the way you are doing it is correct but would a few extra steps. Below is the process I use for my client all the time.
Create a generic outlook account e.g. taxreceipts@abcfoundation.org
Export the file from Mail/Receipts creating a .csv file.
Ensure you have a PDF plug in for word (this usually requires a full version of Adobe)
Use standard mail merge functionality and you are off to the races. (make sure the new outlook account is open on the machine you are running receipts on). You do not have to password protect.

The nice thing about using this process, is an email bounces back you can easily print the receipt and mail to the donor.

Hi Lucy, I have more questions about this process, does the merge send an email with a PDF attachment of the receipt? or is the email itself the receipt? I have the requirements for this to work, generic org email, the adobe plug in etc. I'm hoping you can elaborate more on the set up/how it works or direct me to some more details instructions - thanks so much

Lucy Ruiz

Hi Suzie - the tax receipt is attached as a PDF to the donor.

The text of the email is generic. We often suggest that organization use a generic email address such as development@helpingourcommunity.org. I would be happy to email you a copy of the document if you would like.

Lucy Ruiz

Yes – the email sends a PDF copy of a tax receipt.

robert badley

Over the years we have had so many problems with sending year-end e-receipts out of RE that we have given up and are going to have a fulfilment house deploy the e-receipts for us. The way that they do it is to send an email with a link and that link will take the donor to their individual receipt that sits on a server that they can then download and print if they wish. It is PDF file that they download.

Robert

Suzie MacMillan

Lucy Ruiz:
Hi Suzie - the tax receipt is attached as a PDF to the donor.
The text of the email is generic. We often suggest that organization use a generic email address such as development@helpingourcommunity.org. I would be happy to email you a copy of the document if you would like.

This is awesome, almost sounds better then RE because you see the bounces, if you don't mind sending what you have as an example, we do have an email already set up and templates etc. in RE, but any help is much appreciated - smacmillan@ecojustice.ca

Aldera Chisholm

Can someone post this in a bit more detail, that is, exactly which of the versions of Adobe you are using, and which specific plug in? I have had two different recommendations for two different plugs ins, so I just want to be sure I'm on the right path. Thank you!

Patty Driscoll

I was just starting to test this out but can't see how to export from Mail>Receipts. The only option in my parameter files is merge (unlike the donor acknowledgement letters that also have an export option). This only applies to my e-receipts parameter files. The print ones do have an export button. Can anyone advise on this?

Suzie MacMillan

Patty Driscoll:
I was just starting to test this out but can't see how to export from Mail>Receipts. The only option in my parameter files is merge (unlike the donor acknowledgement letters that also have an export option). Can anyone advise on this?

Hi Patty, make sure you go to the “eReceipts” tab in mail and uncheck the “send as eReceipt” box and the export button will appear

Kim Wolcott

Are you hosted by Blackbaud?

Kim Wolcott

My new process:

Setting up the template up: Export data from Mail>receipts, you need the field names and some data to test on so don't mark them as receipted. I have adobe pro and have also installed the adobe plugin made by Evermap called AutoMailMerge. I have set up a form in Adobe using the Evermap has instructions on how to set up the adobe merge template (form).

Running receipts: Export from Mail>Receipts. Open adobe, run the merge with out sending the email, check for accuracy. I also check the data file incase I am missing any email addresses or contact info. Once they look good, then I run the merge again and turn on the option to email, and thats it.

This sends individual emails from my outlook with a secured pdf file. It is password secured against editing, they are allowed to print and open with out the password. So you get the bounces and a record that it has been sent. If you want to, you can then add that email as an action using the Outlook Blackbaud Plugin.

NOTE: Make sure you mark gift as posted as appropriate. So if testing and validating don't mark as receipted, if doing a final run, mark as receipted. This is a very common issue that comes up (gifts that have been receipted but not marked as reciepted and such)

Good luck all!

Lucy Ruiz

Hi Suzie - I would be please to send you a document that outlines the steps with screen shots. Shoot me an email: lucy@sentinelconsulting.ca.

Lucy Ruiz

The process via database view to send email tax receipts is terrible. The system stops working if an email is incorrect or undeliverable e.g. robert@gmal.com. I was working with a client who sends out over 10,000 consolidated tax receipts at the end of the year. So a little word + Adobe and life got much eaiser. I completely feel your pain.

Irene Milani

Hi Lucy,

I am looking for a new way to send out e-receipts since Microsoft Integration will no longer be available after Feb. I'm looking at the instructions you gave ie. create a generic Outlook account, export the data from RE, use mail merge… I don't have a PDF plug in, but if I get this, would I be able to generate a mass email of electronic PDF tax receipts?

Thanks,

Lucy Ruiz

Yes, if you get the PDF plug in you will be able to send an email to donors, and attach their PDF tax receipt to the email. Its really seamlessly integrates.

Lucy Ruiz

@Irene Milani - If you run into any issues please feel free to reach out. Happy to walk you through.

Baisa Bayarsaikhan

Hello!

I'm trying to find step by step instructions on doing tax receipts after MS office integration ends on Feb 28. Could you please help me find instructions on how to do tax receipts after MS office gets removed from RE database view? Sorry, just trying to wrap my head around how the gift records be marked as receipted, would they be assigned receipt numbers automatically as before, and how do I merge those receipt numbers on the tax receipt Word document outside of RE.

Many thanks in advance!

Baisa

Irene Milani

Thanks Lucy,

is the PDF plug-in part of Adobe Pro or Outlook?

Baisa Bayarsaikhan

Hi Lucy,

Could you please send me instructions for PDF ereceipts? Will this work after MS office goes away from RE database view? Thank you so much!

Baisa

Aldera Chisholm

I know this is an old thread, but following up, has anyone used one of the Adobe partner plug ins like Evermap which facilitate sending encrypted PDF's? It looks like quite a good service, but I haven't dug too deeply yet!

Kim Wolcott

I do use EverMap any time I have bulk receipts to send and it works well.

Jaclyn Whitelock

I would be interested to hear what the advantage to something such as Evermap- is it simply that it allows for more receipts to be sent in one go? (I vaguely remember that there is a limit with Outlook)

Aldera Chisholm

@Jaclyn Whitelock From my playing around - the primary advantage other than ease of sending in one batch would be that it lets you custom name each file and it emails them from your own mail-box so it's easier to catch bounces and auto-replies. We are just ending up directing more and more of our gifts via CanadaHelps when possible to just simplify. Even though that has it's own challenges.

Lucy Ruiz

Although, I have not found a specific limit to the number of emails to be sent out. My limit is about 200. Some have commented on other threads that are more like 180. The concern is that Outlook will blacklist your email account. That is not something you want as an organization.

Sharon Kareddula

Hi Lucy,

Is the document available for free on the sentinel website the same as the one you mentioned above for e-receipting? Also, do you have a general query template to generate the csv file for year end annual receipting? We are trying to create new queries as the old ones seem to have some loopholes. Thank you