Donation Receipt

[namladak]

Hi,
I'm planning to do a donation and I'm wondering if there will be a receipt
or a kind of invoice when donating. Or will I only have the amount on my paypal or credit card account?

[Patrickwc]

Greetings,

When I donated, I used PayPal and received only the confirmation email notifying me of my donation. I did not receive any kind of invoice or receipt. I kept the email for reference.

[namladak]

Thank you for your answer. I think that is quite a problem for a company in germany. Normally it is necessary to
have some evidence for the tax authority.

[StrehlIT]

Not wanting to join the discussion about the difference and a donation receipt: We are facing the same problem for one of my clients. They really would like to use the software but since there is no proper invoice/donation receipt with at least the name of the recipient and the name and address of the payer this is simply not an option. I send this question to the email address provided in a test donation, but from what I read here in the forum I do not expect any reaction. Really pity!

[xCSxXenon]

So use the free version?

[StrehlIT]

So use the free version?

Do you believe I would discuss it here if I could/want simply use the free version? Do you believe I have not considered this as an option before posting here?

[Jan3]

Agree also that this is clear problem in most company cases that they are unable to use donation.
Also got not any answers on licensing problems afterward, so be careful.

[Holde]

Same problem here.

[xCSxXenon]

I am guessing that since it isn't paid software, there is no invoice. You would, at best, get a donation receipt. I wonder if that is sufficient?

[StrehlIT]

I am guessing that since it isn't paid software, there is no invoice. You would, at best, get a donation receipt. I wonder if that is sufficient?

No, because it does not fulfill requirements of - at least European - companies for expenses accepted by accountants/tax authorities.
The “receipt” does not fulfill the minimum requirements donation receipts either. Furthermore there is no NGO behind that would really justify the term “donation”. A donation is defined by a voluntary transfer without receiving anything in return.
The business model practiced here in fact is selling a version with more features (I.e. Updates, parallel transfers etc.) - a premium version.
It may be assumed that the term “donation” is only used in order to support a business model avoiding taxes.
That is really sad - because it is good software and for several customers of mine it cannot be used for the “invoice reasons” described above. Furthermore, all my emails have gone completely unanswered.

[xCSxXenon]

Not familiar with EU law of course, just suggestions. Does the Paypal receipt have enough details, or it must be an invoice of some sort? I get the decision, as once it becomes a paid-for product, there are obligations for support/service and opens them up to liability for something that may very well be a weekend project. "Donation" is pretty flexible. There are an endless amount of entities that have will provide a product when someone donates to their organization, whether it's a shirt, wristband, pen, or features here. It cuddles the gray area

[Holde]

This is not about a private person donating something.
For companies, the situation is quite different.
I don't know exactly what the receipt from Ebay looks like, but I assume that there is only an email address of the recipient, a subject and an amount on it.
This is not enough.
No company is allowed to transfer money like this.
I have no idea what it is like in the States, but I can't imagine that money can be transferred in this way and that these costs are tax deductible.

And as StrehlIT already wrote - it is not clear from a payment where the 'donated' money goes to.
An e-mail address alone is not relevant.

If I would donate for the software with a company credit card, I would have massive problems with my finance department and would have to pay the donation myself in the end!

In my opinion, there is currently no way for a company in the EU to legally use the software in the "premium version". (I assume that the situation within the EU does not differ)

[Zenju]

In my opinion, there is currently no way for a company in the EU to legally use the software in the "premium version".

There is no legal obstacle to donating by a company. BUT there is no invoice for donations, so the amount cannot be used for tax deduction.

[StrehlIT]

In my opinion, there is currently no way for a company in the EU to legally use the software in the "premium version".

There is no legal obstacle to donating by a company. BUT there is no invoice for donations, so the amount cannot be used for tax deduction.

That is only half true. Above 150 EUR there is indeed stricter regulations for money flow. Most companies would easily exceed this amount.
But even if it was: And what exactly do you believe a company would prefer such a „solution“ to another where they at least can deduce the effort from the profit?

[xCSxXenon]

I guess it boils down to: FreeFileSync is not a commercial product that can be used in a commercial setting.

[Holde]

Really?
https://freefilesync.org/faq.php#commercial

Did the donation button for multiple devices disappear within the last month?
I do not find it anymore.

[Zenju]

Really?
https://freefilesync.org/faq.php#commercial

Sure. Donating might not be an option for a company however, but that's okay, standard FreeFileSync has all the important features.

Did the donation button for multiple devices disappear within the last month?
I do not find it anymore.

I'm currently working on it. Multi-device management will be moved to the thank-you page and can then be changed dynamcially. ETA 1-2 days.

[Zenju]

It wasn't possible before, but now that FreeFileSync 13 has just released, there is finally a version that can be licensed and used by businesses: https://freefilesync.org/business