Donor and Pledge Register

Who this is for

Who promised what, and whether it has arrived. Each donor gets a line with the pledge, the payment and the date, so outstanding pledges can be followed up and nobody is left without a thank-you.

Small charities, appeal committees, church and village hall fundraisers and school groups collecting pledges towards a fund or project.

What this helps you track

• Every donor and how to reach them
• What each one pledged and when
• What has actually been received, and how it was paid
• The amount still outstanding for each donor
• Who has been thanked and who has not

How to use it

1. Write the organisation, the appeal or fund, the period and who keeps the register.
2. Add a line for each donor when the pledge is made, with the date and the amount promised.
3. When money arrives, enter the amount, the date and the payment method; the outstanding column is worked out in the browser and the workbook.
4. Tick thanked once a thank-you has gone out, and use the notes column for anything the donor asked for, such as staying anonymous.
5. Before each committee meeting, list the donors with an amount outstanding and agree who will follow each one up.
6. Keep the register somewhere secure; it holds personal contact details.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Can I record a donation with no pledge?

Yes. Enter the same amount in pledged and received so the outstanding figure is nothing. The totals still show the full amount raised for the appeal.

What about donors who pay in instalments?

Keep one line per donor and update the received figure with the running total as each instalment arrives. Use the notes column for the dates of the earlier payments.

Where do I record tax relief declarations?

Any scheme that lets a charity reclaim tax on gifts has its own forms and rules, which differ by country. Note in the notes column where a declaration is held, and check the rules where you are.

How should donor details be stored?

The register holds names and contact details, so keep paper copies locked away and digital copies password protected. The browser version saves only in your own browser.