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Yes—an Extra Life donation made through extra-life.org for a U.S. Children’s Miracle Network member hospital is generally a charitable gift. The recipient is Children’s Miracle Network, a 501(c)(3) public charity (legal name Children’s Miracle Network, EIN 87-0387205), and U.S. online donors receive an emailed receipt immediately. The campaign money is designated to the participant’s selected local hospital as unrestricted funds. Canadian gifts follow a different process: the hospital foundation issues the receipt, normally by the end of February. The $19 USD Platinum registration fee is not a donation. Whether a U.S. donor receives a federal tax benefit usually depends on itemizing deductions, so keep the receipt and confirm the current IRS rules or ask a tax professional.
Are Extra Life donations tax-deductible in the United States?
For a U.S. donor, an eligible Extra Life gift is generally deductible as a contribution to Children’s Miracle Network, a 501(c)(3) public charity. IRS-derived nonprofit records identify the organization as Children’s Miracle Network (doing business as Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals), EIN 87-0387205, with tax-exempt status issued in April 1983. The organization’s nonprofit profile states that donations are tax deductible.
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That status makes the donation potentially deductible, not automatically tax-saving. A federal charitable deduction is normally claimed on Schedule A with Form 1040. In practice, you generally benefit only when your total itemized deductions exceed the standard deduction you would otherwise take. A 2026 explainer lists standard deductions of $16,100 for single filers and $32,200 for married couples filing jointly; those figures are secondary-source information, so verify the amounts and current Schedule A instructions for the tax year you file.
What receipt should a U.S. donor keep?
Extra Life says an online receipt is emailed automatically immediately after the gift. If it is missing, contact Extra Life support for a copy; support can also provide the EIN and tax-exempt-status information requested by an employer’s matching-gift program. An online card transaction may appear on your statement as “CHILDRENS MIRACLE NETWORK,” which can help you match the charge to the receipt.
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Keep the receipt, confirmation email and any employer-matching correspondence with your tax records. The receipt documents the payment; it does not decide whether you itemize or whether another benefit received in exchange changes the deductible amount. This article is general information, not tax advice.
What is Extra Life, and how is a donation routed?
Extra Life is Children’s Miracle Network’s year-round, do-it-yourself gaming fundraiser. Participants register, select a local member children’s hospital, and raise money through video games, tabletop sessions, livestreams and community events. Game Day Season 2026 runs October 1 through November 15, but fundraising remains open all year.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe program began in 2008 in memory of Victoria “Tori” Enmon of Orange, Texas, who died of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in January 2008. The FAQ identifies Jeromy Adams as founder and notes his 2011 goal of $5,415—$5 for every day Tori spent fighting leukemia. Extra Life now reports $145 million raised since 2008, support for 170 children’s hospitals and 38 million patient visits.
What does “unrestricted funds” mean?
Extra Life says money raised through a participant goes directly to that participant’s chosen Children’s Miracle Network hospital as unrestricted funds. The hospital’s local leadership decides how to use the money for its greatest needs rather than being locked to a project selected by the donor. Examples include research and staff training, life-saving equipment, child-life services, family support and uncompensated care for patients whose families cannot pay.
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The selected hospital is displayed on the participant’s donation page. A participant cannot change hospitals through the dashboard after registration; Extra Life support can update the designation when the participant emails a request.
How do Canadian Extra Life tax receipts work?
Canadian gifts are receipted by the chosen hospital’s foundation, not by a single national Extra Life receipt system. Extra Life says hospitals must send receipts by the end of February following the donation year. Most mail them, while some email them. Automatic receipts are typically issued for gifts of $20 or more; a donor can ask the local hospital for a receipt for a smaller amount.
A Canadian billing address on a credit-card donation causes the online gift to be processed in Canadian dollars. PayPal and Apple Pay transactions are charged in U.S. dollars. If a Canadian resident supports a U.S. hospital, the Canada Revenue Agency will, in most cases, not accept that receipt, although limited circumstances can differ. Check the CRA’s current rules before claiming a cross-border gift.
Are Facebook fundraiser donations eligible for an Extra Life tax receipt?
Facebook fundraisers are treated differently from gifts made through Extra Life’s own donation flow. Extra Life says Facebook donations are converted to U.S. dollars and that donations made outside the United States do not offer Extra Life tax receipts. It also states that the Canada Revenue Agency does not currently issue receipts for Facebook donations.
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If a tax receipt matters, use the participant’s donation page on extra-life.org and retain the emailed confirmation. A Facebook payment record is not a substitute for the receipt rules that apply to the direct Extra Life channel.
Is the $19 Extra Life Platinum fee tax-deductible?
No. The $19 USD Platinum registration fee is a program fee, not a donation to your fundraising page or to the hospital. Platinum provides a badge and, at stated fundraising levels, an official T-shirt, medals and other incentives. Do not report the $19 as a charitable gift.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11More broadly, U.S. charitable-contribution rules generally reduce a deduction by the value of goods or services received in return. Extra Life has not published a goods-and-services valuation for ordinary online donor gifts in the material available here, so do not assign your own value or assume that every payment connected with a campaign is deductible.
Does Extra Life take a cut of donations?
The most accurate answer has two parts. Extra Life, its official account and member hospitals describe campaign donations as going to the selected local hospital as unrestricted or discretionary funds. Children’s Miracle Network’s national office is a separate umbrella organization whose revenue is substantially supported by hospital membership fees and other program services. There is no published current percentage for credit-card or payment-processor fees on Extra Life online gifts, so a precise “after fees” rate cannot be stated.
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What the national organization’s reports show
| Measure | Amount or share | Scope and year |
|---|---|---|
| Total raised | $251,104,184 | Children’s Miracle Network 2024 Annual Report |
| Amounts donor-designated to specific hospitals | $236,923,573 | Children’s Miracle Network 2024 Annual Report |
| Hospital membership fees | $32,858,206 | Children’s Miracle Network 2024 Annual Report |
| National-office revenue | $62,748,149 | Form 990, fiscal year ending December 2025 |
| National-office expenses | $57,362,518 | Form 990, fiscal year ending December 2025 |
| Revenue from contributions | 22.8% | Form 990, fiscal year ending December 2025 |
| Revenue from program services | 64.6% | Form 990, fiscal year ending December 2025 |
| Program spending | 81 cents per $1 spent | Philanthropy.org analysis of the FY2025 Form 990 |
The national-office figures describe CMN’s own finances, not a per-dollar Extra Life pass-through calculation. They help explain why hospitals can say local campaign dollars support the chosen hospital while the national organization receives membership fees and runs shared programs, conferences and tools.
What do hospitals use Extra Life money for?
Because the funds are unrestricted, each hospital sets priorities for its community. Extra Life and CMN identify research, education and training, equipment, patient and child-life services, family support and charitable or uncompensated care as examples. Every patient is treated regardless of a family’s ability to pay.
Network-wide 2024 program-area figures, presented by Cause IQ from Children’s Miracle Network information, illustrate the scale of those activities. They are not an Extra Life-only allocation:
| Program area | 2024 network figure |
|---|---|
| Equipment | $120,666,120 |
| Patient services | $106,743,106 |
| Advancement services | $102,102,102 |
| Charitable care | $64,974,065 |
| Education | $37,128,037 |
| Research | $32,487,032 |
The same presentation cites more than $464 million in combined efforts by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and partners in 2024. That figure, CMN’s $251,104,184 2024 fundraising total, Extra Life’s $145 million lifetime figure and CMN’s more than $473 million raised for kids in 2025 measure different scopes and should not be added together.
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How can you document a donation or request an employer match?
Use this record-keeping sequence for a U.S. gift:
- Donate through the participant’s Extra Life page. Confirm that the page shows the hospital you intend to support before paying.
- Save the immediate email receipt. Match its amount and date to your card or payment account statement.
- Request a replacement if needed. Extra Life support can resend the receipt and include the EIN or tax-exempt-status details.
- Submit a matching request through your employer. Start with HR or the matching-gift portal. Extra Life offers a downloadable tax-ID document, 501(c)(3) status letter and W-9.
- Keep the final confirmation. Retain the employer’s approval or payment notice with the original donation record.
How are offline checks handled?
Make a check payable to “Children’s Miracle Network” or “Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals,” put the Extra Lifer’s name in the memo line, and add the offline donation in the participant’s Extra Life account. Mail the form and payment to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, ATTN: Extra Life (or Accounting), 205 West 700 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84101. Extra Life says to convert cash to a cashier’s check or money order and allow about two weeks for posting.
How can you evaluate the charity’s accountability?
Charity Navigator’s Beacon accountability metrics for Children’s Miracle Network, based on the fiscal-year 2024 Form 990, show 100% for website reporting on the tax form, no material diversion of assets, independently audited financial statements, a records-retention policy and tax-form disclosure on the website. The available profile text does not show a single overall star rating, so that rating should not be inferred.
CMN’s financial-impact materials make available its 501(c)(3) statement, W-9, annual report, Form 990, tax-exemption certificate and financial audit. The FY2025 Form 990 lists President and CEO Aimee J. Daily, Ph.D., with compensation of $721,472 plus $262,279 in other compensation. That is national-office compensation, not a deduction from an individual Extra Life gift.
What distinctions prevent common Extra Life tax mistakes?
- Direct Extra Life gift versus Platinum fee: the gift can be charitable; the $19 registration fee is not.
- U.S. hospital versus Canadian hospital: U.S. online donors receive an immediate CMN email; Canadian donors receive a later receipt from the hospital foundation.
- Direct donation page versus Facebook: Facebook gifts outside the United States do not receive Extra Life tax receipts, and CRA does not currently issue receipts for Facebook donations.
- Unrestricted hospital support versus a restricted foundation gift: a direct, restricted gift to a hospital foundation may involve a different legal entity and EIN.
- Donation eligibility versus tax benefit: a 501(c)(3) receipt does not guarantee a federal tax reduction if you take the standard deduction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What name will appear on my credit-card statement for an Extra Life donation?
Extra Life says online gifts may appear as “CHILDRENS MIRACLE NETWORK.” Use that descriptor to reconcile the charge with the emailed receipt, especially if the participant’s name is different from the charity’s legal name.
Can I support a different hospital after I register?
The participant dashboard does not provide a self-service hospital change. Email Extra Life support with the requested correction so staff can update the designation.
How long should an offline Extra Life donation take to appear?
Extra Life advises allowing about two weeks after mailing the check, form or money order for the offline amount to post to the fundraising account.
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Can a restricted gift to a hospital use the Extra Life EIN?
Not necessarily. A restricted contribution made directly to a hospital foundation may be receipted by that separate legal entity and may carry a different EIN from Children’s Miracle Network’s 87-0387205.
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