Names on Donation Slips

Not sure this is the place to ask this question so redirect me if need be, please. We were told to always use the same name on all our donation slips prior to online donation availability. I typically made out the donation slip yet put my husband's name on the slip. With this new online donation capability, my name will appear on the donation and it will create a new record. I have checked the box so my husband's name will be added also. Is this sufficient, or should I create the online donation account using my husband's name, MRN and LDS.org account, or is it a mute point because of the new technology?

caroleighatch wrote:Not sure this is the place to ask this question so redirect me if need be, please.

You posted in the LDS Account forum, which is not the right place, but no worries -- I moved your question to the correct forum (Online Donations).

caroleighatch wrote:We were told to always use the same name on all our donation slips prior to online donation availability. I typically made out the donation slip yet put my husband's name on the slip. With this new online donation capability, my name will appear on the donation and it will create a new record.

With your both your previous donations and your online donations, it is the case that a donation can only be associated with one donor. Because you manually wrote your husband's name on donation slips for your previous donations, those donations were credited to his name. With the online donations system, when you are signed in as yourself you can only make donations in your name. So if you make online donations, you'll end up with the earlier donations in his name, and the online donations in your name.

caroleighatch wrote:I have checked the box so my husband's name will be added also.

Checking the box for adding a spouse's name doesn't change the person to whom the donations are credited; it simply adds the spouse's name to any statements that are generated for that person.

caroleighatch wrote:Is this sufficient, or should I create the online donation account using my husband's name, MRN and LDS.org account, or is it a mute point because of the new technology?

As I explained above, making online donations with your account will result in those donations being credited to you, regardless of whether you've checked the box to include your husband's name on statements.

If you want all the donations to be in his name, then your only option is for online donations to be made using his LDS Account, because that is the only account tied to his MRN.

Thank you for moving my question to the correct forum. I guess my real question is does it matter who's name donations are under, if at end of year, we can print out the previous donations under his name and the remaining donations for the year under my name since for donation purposes we are one in the same? I.E., we have different W-2 forms but file taxes jointly.

caroleighatch wrote:. . . does it matter who's name donations are under, if at end of year, we can print out the previous donations under his name and the remaining donations for the year under my name since for donation purposes we are one in the same? I.E., we have different W-2 forms but file taxes jointly.

I am not a tax advisor, but it is my understanding (and experience) that in the U.S. if you are filing a joint return you will not have any problem at all. You will have two donation statements just as you do forms W-2, and they will both count.

Sorry, the tax reference was just an example--not asking for tax advice. I am just trying to have our donations recorded the way the church prefers them to be done. What I'm understanding is that it doesn't matter if it's my name or my husband's or both. Thank you.

caroleighatch wrote:I am just trying to have our donations recorded the way the church prefers them to be done.

What the church wants is some kind of consistency. You wouldn't want donations done under a mix of

John Q. Public
John Public
Johnathan Quincy Public
etc.

and then having to combine them.

I think the online donations system will enforce consistency, so there's less to worry about.

I'm not the finance clerk, but he's told me he can combine husband/wife donations into a single form for tax purposes. I don't know if that's the same thing as checking the box, or if it's something that the finance clerk can do. I also don't know if what he can do has changed with the new online system.

mevans wrote:I'm not the finance clerk, but he's told me he can combine husband/wife donations into a single form for tax purposes.

I am assuming your finance clerk is talking about adjusting all MLS donations to be under one account by editing the donation batches. This is doable for MLS donation batches but takes time to do.

Having both spouses names on a tax valid statement merely requires checking a box in MLS before printing a married donors record. However, checking that box does not combine the married donors' records. So if donations are made with some in one spouse's name and others in the other spouse's name and the check-box to print the spouse's name is checked on both donor records then there will be two tax valid statements with the other spouse's name on it but after the donor's name.

I don't think your finance clerk is aware he cannot change who the donor is for online donations. All he can do there is edit the donation categories. He cannot change the total donation amount or the donor [name].