Online donations, are they anonymous?

[jdlessley]

Online donations are only visible to those with finance edit permissions. That includes the bishopric, ward clerk, assistant ward clerk, and assistant ward clerk - finance. There is no way to keep donations totally anonymous using the online system. Donations made directly to church headquarters are anonymous. Not even the bishop can see those donations.

[russellhltn]

As mentioned, those with finance rights will see the donation. That information shouldn't get back to the family.

Any donation made directly to church headquarters will go for general missionary funds, not for supporting a specific missionary.

[lajackson]

Any donation made directly to church headquarters will go for general missionary funds, not for supporting a specific missionary.

Normally, but you can donate to a ward missionary fund and a specific missionary if you are making a Qualified Charitable Donation from your retirement account.

As has been mentioned, the missionary family should not know who else donates. If the donor has a concern, he or she may wish to quietly let the bishopric know that they do not want the missionary family to know they have donated for that missionary.

[davesudweeks]

A few years ago (I was clerk at the time), the extended family of a member of the bishopric wanted to donate to their missionary anonymously. They mailed a check to the bishop each month and he made sure that that counselor was not involved in the deposit that week. We entered the donation as an "anonymous donor" (the bishop informed them that they would have no tax record but that was the only way we, at the ward level, could keep their donation completely private to the bishopric member). It actually worked pretty well overall - and I only mention it as a possible way to work it out in an individual situation.

[BrianEdwards]

Are donations from other ward members anonymous

I think many members (and a few leaders) don't totally understand the visibility aspect of missionary donations. I think most concerns come from a misunderstanding that the family has access to the donor list and amounts. This may have been enhanced in years past by certain leaders making this information available to family members without understanding the restrictions. While I'm sure there are members who want to be totally anonymous, I expect most are satisfied once they realize the limited scope of those who could see who makes each donation.