Only the recipient can tell you, they must give you a written receipt if your donation is more than $75.
The problem is that you might be donating to an organization that is exempt but for a purpose that is not exempt. I found one "Gulf Coast Village" that is a VOA-owned retirement community, and the VOA is certainly a tax-exempt organization broadly speaking. However, making a gift to thank an employee for their service might or might not be tax deductible, depending on how it is handled by the organization. In general terms, a gift to a specific person is never deductible, no matter how deserving they are. A gift to an employee benefit fund might be deductible, if the benefit fund is correctly established.
Bottom line is, you have to ask the organization.
