Donor and legacy files For charity fundraising and legacy teams
Every donor and legacy.
Recorded with care.
FilePlan 365 gives every major donor and legacy its own secure file inside SharePoint. Gift Aid declarations, gift agreements and estate correspondence are filed to the right donor, with the right protection, automatically.
Works inside SharePoint
Donor details from your fundraising CRM
30-day free trial
1
Donor details
Supporter number, name, giving type and relationship manager, taken from your fundraising CRM.
2
Document types
The same labelled folders for every donor, down the left.
3
The donor’s documents
Everything filed to that donor, in the wider panel on the right.
What is FilePlan 365?
A digital filing cabinet, built into SharePoint
Think of a filing cabinet with a drawer for every donor, and the same labelled folders inside each drawer. FilePlan 365 does exactly that inside SharePoint, the place your organisation already keeps its documents.
No new system to learn
Your team works in SharePoint and Microsoft 365, just as they do today. There is nothing extra to install on anyone’s computer.
Filed once, found in seconds
Every document goes into the right donor file and folder, so anyone with access can find it straight away.
Kept as long as it should be
Each document is protected and kept for the right length of time, without anyone having to remember the rules.
Connected to your fundraising CRM
Donor details arrive automatically
You never retype a supporter number, donor name or estate. FilePlan 365 picks up each donor’s details from your fundraising CRM, so every new major donor or legacy has a file ready straight away.
When a donor changes
A new relationship manager, a change of consent or a new pledge is picked up automatically, so every file stays accurate.
When a legacy is settled
The final distribution date flows across too, and the clock for how long the file is kept starts by itself.
For your IT team
A Power Automate flow keeps a SharePoint list of donors up to date from your fundraising CRM. FilePlan 365 reads that list. No custom code, and it stays inside your Microsoft 365 tenant.
The donor file plan
Every donor organised the same way
Each donor file has the same six folders, so everyone knows where a document belongs and where to find it.
1
Consent and preferences
Consent records, contact preferences, privacy notices
Kept for: 6 years after last gift
2
Gift Aid
Gift Aid declarations, cancellations
Kept for: 6 years after last claim
3
Gifts and pledges
Gift agreements, pledges, restricted fund letters
Kept for: 7 years after last gift
4
Due diligence
Donor due diligence, approvals, risk notes
Kept for: 7 years after last gift
5
Stewardship
Thank-you letters, impact reports, visit notes
Kept for: 6 years after last gift
6
Legacies
Will extracts, executor letters, estate accounts
Kept for: 7 years after settlement
Retention periods are examples. You can match them to your own retention schedule.
Templates
Start with our Donor and legacy files template. Make it your own.
You don’t have to design a filing system from scratch. The ready-made Donor and legacy files template gives you the folders, document types and protection settings above in a few clicks. Then change anything you like.
1
Choose the Donor and legacy files template
Pick “Donor and legacy files” from the template gallery when you set up FilePlan 365.
2
Use it straight away
Your donor files, folders and document types are created for you, ready to start filing.
3
Make it your own
Rename folders, add your own document types, and set how long each is kept, to match your fundraising policy and the Fundraising Code.
Find a donor
Any donor file in seconds
Start typing and FilePlan 365 shows matching donors straight away. No more hunting through folders or asking a colleague where something was saved.
1
Type a few letters
Search by supporter number, donor name or estate.
2
Narrow it down
Filter by giving type, campaign, status or manager if you need to.
3
Open the file
Click a donor to see everything filed to it.
People only ever see the donors and documents they are allowed to see.
Advanced search
Answer questions across every donor file
Tick a few options and FilePlan 365 finds every matching document across all your donors. Perfect for Gift Aid audits, legacy reporting and subject access requests.
HMRC Gift Aid auditEvery declaration behind a year’s claims
Legacy reportAll open estates and their latest accounts
Due diligence reviewEvery gift above £25,000 and its approval
Compliance, without the jargon
Protected and kept for the right time, automatically
FilePlan 365 uses the security and retention tools already in your Microsoft 365, known as Microsoft Purview. You decide the rules once, and they’re applied to every document.
Kept for the right time
Gift Aid records are kept for six years after the last claim, and legacy files for seven years after settlement. Retention is applied automatically.
Only the right people can see it
Donor documents are marked Confidential. Wills and estate accounts are marked Highly confidential.
Personal data stays inside
Documents containing bank details or wealth information can’t be shared outside your organisation.
These are example settings. You choose the labels and timescales that match your own policies.
Why teams choose FilePlan 365
Less time searching. More time thanking supporters.
One file per donor
Consent, Gift Aid, gifts and legacies, in one place.
Ready on first gift
New major donors arrive from your CRM with their file set up.
Audits without the scramble
Prove every Gift Aid declaration in seconds.
Legacies kept in order
Every estate letter filed to the right legacy.
Every donor file.
Always in order.
Try the Donor and legacy files template free for 30 days, in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.
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