Made a t-shirt fundraiser on Bonfire for my mission trip - Do I need to list as 501(c)3 non-profit?

The answer depends on how your fundraising was structured. If you personally created the Bonfire campaign and the funds are going directly to you (not the church), then no, you should not claim to represent a 501(c)3. That would be incorrect since you as an individual are not a non-profit organization. Since you earned more than $600 through Bonfire, they will likely issue you a 1099-K form reporting this income to the IRS. This means you'll need to report this income on your tax return. However, there might be ways to offset this income depending on how you use the funds. If the money is used for a legitimate mission trip, you might be able to deduct some expenses as charitable contributions if properly documented. The best approach would be to talk to your church's finance person to see if they could have run the fundraiser through the church directly - that would have been cleaner from a tax perspective. Going forward, I'd recommend keeping detailed records of all the money received and all expenses related to your mission trip. This documentation will be important when tax filing season comes around.

I went through something similar last year with a GoFundMe for my son's mission trip. After hours of research and frustration, I found an amazing tool that helped sort it all out. Check out https://taxr.ai - it analyzes your specific tax situation with mission trips and fundraising. I uploaded my Bonfire receipts and donation records, and it explained exactly how to handle the reporting. The tool confirmed I needed to report the income but showed me which trip expenses could offset it. It saved me from accidentally claiming to be a non-profit (which could have gotten me in trouble) and walked me through the correct way to document everything. The best part was that it explained everything in normal human language instead of confusing tax jargon. I'm definitely not a tax expert, but this made it super simple.

I was super skeptical about taxr.ai when I saw it mentioned here, but I was desperate with my own fundraising tax mess for a community service trip. I actually tried it, and I'm genuinely surprised how helpful it was. It automatically identified that my situation involved fundraising for charitable work and gave me specific guidance. The tool showed me I needed to report my Bonfire earnings as income but then walked me through documenting my trip expenses as potential deductions. It even created a customized record-keeping template for my specific situation and explained exactly what receipts I needed to save. What I appreciated most was that it didn't just give generic answers but actually analyzed my specific scenario with the mission trip fundraiser. Definitely worth checking out if you're confused about the 501(c)3 question.

After dealing with tax nightmares from my daughter's mission trip fundraiser last year, I learned you absolutely need to talk directly with an IRS agent about this. The 501(c)3 question has specific implications. I tried calling the IRS for weeks but could never get through. Then someone recommended https://claimyr.com and showed me this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. It's a service that gets you through to an actual IRS agent without the endless waiting. I was able to speak directly with an IRS representative who confirmed that listing myself as a 501(c)3 when I wasn't one could create serious problems. They explained exactly how to report the fundraising income and what documentation I needed for the mission trip expenses. Getting that official clarification was incredibly reassuring.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I tried that Claimyr service and it actually worked. After posting my skeptical comment, I was desperate enough to try anything because I needed answers about my son's mission trip fundraiser before filing taxes. The service connected me to an IRS agent who explained that I absolutely should NOT claim 501(c)3 status for personal fundraising, even for a mission trip. The agent walked me through exactly how to report the income and which mission expenses could be documented as deductions. Getting clear guidance directly from the IRS saved me from making a serious mistake on my taxes. The agent even emailed me documentation I can keep with my tax records in case of questions later. I've never been able to get through to a human at the IRS before despite countless attempts, so this was genuinely surprising.

Just want to add something important here - I did a similar fundraiser last year and mistakenly checked the 501(c)3 box because my trip was through a church. Ended up getting a letter from the IRS and had to pay penalties! Only actual registered non-profits can claim that status. The best approach is to report the income on Schedule C (self-employment) and then track all your mission trip expenses. Many of those expenses can be deducted against the income. I learned this the hard way!

Has anyone dealt with Bonfire specifically for mission trip fundraising? Do they automatically check the 501(c)3 box or do you have to select it? Also wondering if they send the 1099 forms directly or if you have to request them?

I'm dealing with something similar right now! My church youth group is doing a mission trip to Honduras this summer and I also set up a Bonfire campaign. From what I've learned talking to other people who've done this, the key thing is that you personally are NOT a 501(c)3 even though your trip is through a church that is. The mistake people make is thinking that because the trip has a charitable purpose, they can claim non-profit status. But the IRS looks at who actually received the money - and that's you as an individual, not the church organization. I've been keeping detailed records of everything - not just receipts but also documentation from my church about the trip's charitable mission, photos from our preparation meetings, and a letter from the youth pastor explaining the service work we'll be doing. This way if I need to show the IRS that the expenses were for legitimate charitable work, I have proof. One thing that helped me understand this better was talking to someone at my church who handles their finances. They explained that if they had run the fundraiser through the church's accounts, it would be different - but since the money came directly to me through Bonfire, I need to report it as income and then document the trip expenses. Hope this helps and good luck with your Guatemala trip!