Bitcoin Donations For Non-Profits

I originally wrote this post for another publication in the winter of 2014.  Though the price has fallen since then (or perhaps because of this), charitable giving of bitcoin has picked up. Bitcoin offers a nearly free, secure, and simple way that small organizations on a tight budget can accept contributions from donors anywhere in the world.

This is a primer for organizations who might be considering cryptocurrencies as a channel for raising funds.  Clearly, it is not all inclusive and not intended to sell someone who knows nothing about this field, but it has a few ideas that may be useful to someone who already knows about bitcoin. As always, you should check with your tax adviser if you are considering doing this.

Use A Client Or Use An Exchange?

In order for a not for profit to accept donations in Bitcoin, the organization must have a wallet address to receive the coins. The Bitcoin network runs on a variety of different software clients that may be downloaded and installed to a local computer. Though all clients support address creation and will receive and store bitcoins, the best way to establish a wallet is probably to use one of the US-based exchanges or trading platforms, such as BitPay or Coinbase (assuming you are a US based charity). There are three reasons for this:

• Online trading platforms are usually better at producing complete and usable records. Not for profits are required to maintain records indicating where their donations originated and may be subject to donor imposed restrictions on the use of the funds. If a donation is made anonymously, then it must be recorded as such. These organizations may also lack a dedicated accounting staff, making detailed record keeping difficult without outside help.
• Whether due to volatility concerns or a desire to have cash available, not for profit organizations are likely to want to sell their bitcoins right away. Online trading platforms provide options for immediate or preplanned liquidations that may not be convenient with desktop bitcoin clients. Additionally, even if coins are kept on a local machine, they will likely need to be moved to an exchange in order to sell them.
• Storing bitcoins with a trading platform shifts the risk that they could be lost to theft, equipment failure, or natural disaster away from the organization and to the trading platform. Though bitcoins do not enjoy FDIC insurance or many other protections associated with traditional bank accounts, many online trading platforms employ state of the art bank-type security features and store the bulk of their holdings in offline “cold wallets” (or in escrow) to keep them safe. Some exchanges now boast insurance coverage in some form.

  Further, not for profits are prime targets for internal theft. An unscrupulous volunteer who might want to steal the organization’s Bitcoin holdings can do so in a variety of technical ways, but would really only need to take the computer on which they were stored to complete the theft. A number of (not so reputable) online vendors offer services that claim to be capable of breaking bitcoin wallet encryption.

Donation Scenarios

Here are a few different scenarios related to Bitcoin donations that may come up and suggestions for dealing with them.

Scenario 1: Taxpayer donates bitcoins by sending them to the organization’s wallet. The donation is deductible to the donor at its fair market value at the time of the donation. Generally, this would be the value, in dollars, of the bitcoins transferred at the time the transfer is made. Whether the organization liquidates them right away or holds them is unlikely to be a factor in their deductibility to the donor. However, the IRS may consider bitcoin exchange gains to be Unrelated Business Taxable Income to an exempt organization if they are not liquidated right away. The organization should provide an acknowledgement to the donor that includes the organization’s name, the donor’s name and the date and amount of the donation.

Scenario 2: Taxpayer donates a substantial amount of bitcoins (i.e. more than $5,000). A donor must fill out Form 8283 in connection with his tax return for donated property valued at more than $500. For property valued at more than $5,000, an appraisal is usually necessary, but bitcoin’s market value at the time of the donation is likely to be sufficient to meet this requirement. Again, the organization should provide an acknowledgement to the donor that includes the organization’s name, the donor’s name and the date and amount of the donation.

Scenario 3: A third party accepts donations on behalf of the organization and then transfers the funds either in the form of dollars or in bitcoins. This is not recommended, as donations received by an individual or an organization that is not a qualified not for profit may be treated as ordinary income by the IRS and/or may not be deductible to the donor. If you or your organization elects to raise funds this way, ensure that you maintain thorough documentation concerning your intent and also the receipt and disposal of donated funds.

Bitcoin donations are a simple and cost effective way that not for profit organizations can raise money from donors all over the world. If you have additional ideas or want to share how your organization has been successful, please share in the comments.