How Much Money Should Board Members Give?

Guest Post by: Jane B. Ford, The Joy Path and  Speaker at the February 10th Non-profit Toolbox Mini-Conference, and author of Get Grants Now

Creating A Board Giving Policy Can Help

Jane Ford - The Joy Path

Having worked most of my life with smaller community-based and faith-based nonprofits, I understand that the giving capability of their board members is far less than a board member at Harvard University or the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I also know that these smaller boards have members of greatly varying means. A $25 gift from one member is a larger stretch than a $5,000 gift from another. How then can a board establish its giving policy to include everyone and embarrass no one?

The best answer I have heard to this question comes from Andy Robinson (http://www.andyrobinsononline.com) . He is a trainer, author and consultant who has been raising money for social change since 1980. We were at a resource development conference together in Denver when this question of board giving arose. Let me paraphrase his response: all board members should make their financial gift to a nonprofit on whose board they serve be the second or third highest donation they give to charity. Why didn’t he say the highest? When asked this, Andy replied that most people give their highest gifts to their religious affiliation and he doesn’t suggest interfering with this.

Creating a board giving policy based on Andy’s idea will not only help you attract new members, it will clarify for your existing members what giving expectations are. It is also an equitable policy which does not differentiate between those of means and those whose finances are less. Such a board values the $25 gift as much as the $5,000 because these gifts are significant to the giver.

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