Campus Ministry Matters

Category: Board Development

5 Big Questions for Boards #5- How Much Should Your Board Give?

Question #5: How much should the board give?

Today we close out our week long discussion on board with an important question on giving by the board of directors.  Come along as we close out the week.

I am the executive director of a campus ministry.  I was given that title by my board of directors and use that title on my business card for a number of reasons, including at the request of the board.  Don’t get me wrong; I am a campus minister, providing a unique spiritual component to my work and serving as a pastor to college students.  But I am also a fundraiser, a developer and leader of a non-profit organization that is being built for a 21st century reality of the church.  We are building a ministry with the support of others, including through their financial commitments.  But what about the board of directors.  How much should they give?

I have found that the first answer to this question is SOMETHING.  Do I always know what, no.  But I require that anyone who joins the board would make a financial contribution.  This is expected of nearly every non-profit board I have ever found in the secular world.  To be on the board is to be a financial contributor.  With 100% board commitment, the door to many grants open up and without such a percentage, many doors are closed.  So, first and foremost, SOMETHING.

But that’s where the plot thickens.  What is the amount that should be given?  That’s where all of you might provide some insight.

Do we ask for a minimum?

Do we ask for a total amount that the board give?

Do we ask that a certain percentage of individual donations be from the board?

Do we look for a commitment that exceeds the average gift?

And do we count the board offering as a part of the individual giving or is it exterior to any fundraising pyramid we use?

I would love your thoughts.  Instead of trying to answer my own question, I’d like to honestly have yours (and maybe I’ll put down what I do later)… So please join in the conversation and help to figure out how and how much you ask your board to give?