I paid bills for a charitable organization. Can I treat these as cash contributions?

[mikeB61]

I am also the treasurer of the organization. I assume that has no bearing. But I would prepare an acknowledgment letter listing as cash contributions all of the dates and amounts when I paid a bill for the organization. 

[BMcCalpin · Accepted solution]

Yes. If the charitable organization is a qualifying charity (see IRS Pub 526 - https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf), and the payments were for the use of the charity (as most bills certainly are), then these can be reported as cash contributions, just as if you had written a check to the charity, which turned right around and spent the money on paying the bills.

And, yes, prepare the acknowledge letter as if you were an arms-length donor.