‘tis the most stressful time of the year

Well, the holiday season is here and that means the stress of getting the perfect gift. …and nope, that stress doesn’t apply to just family and friends! Let’s share the stress right through to work as well. Whether its your team, your board, or the mail carrier that’s sooo good to you, finding the perfect work gift can be just as hard. Here are a few thoughts on how an executive director can take the stress out of holiday gifts.

Chances are you have a policy about what gifts your non-profit gives to your people, for how much, and all the reasons. You have a gifts policy, right?!

Let’s start with the board. We don’t pay our board of directors (legislation where I live prevents payment) and our gifts policy doesn’t cover holiday gifts to board members. Still….it is nice to do a little something to say thank you for their volunteer time over the last year.

All my board members live in different communities of varying sizes. A Tim Hortons gift card simply isn’t going to work for everyone. My parameters are affordable and mailable. In the past, I’ve sent shirts, fudge, fancy lapel pins, and embossed folios. I stumbled on something last year that works even better.

There is a local company that publishes a provincial magazine. It promotes our province, features articles by provincial authors, and is entirely designed and printed locally. For the last two years, everyone on my board received a one-year subscription. It is really affordable, and it aligns with our strategic priorities. How awesome is that!

Look around your non-profit neighbourhood. You might just find a gift that supports a good cause.

Next, let’s talk the staff team. This is where a policy is helpful, but also where you need to communicate with your team to understand what they want. We had a long history of giving gift cards to staff for the holidays, but my team told me two things they really hated about the gift cards. First, they wanted cash, not a gift card. Just a simple bonus, on their pay, even if the amount was very modest. Second, they didn’t like being forced to pay the tax on the gift.

So, I went back to my board, and though not everyone agreed, it was decided that gifts to staff would be a cash bonus (extremely modest amount) and that the employer would pay the taxable portion. This was so welcomed by my team, that all gifts to staff (except a simple card here and there) were converted to cash bonuses using the same policy.

It isn’t common in my non-profit neighbourhood for an employer to pay the taxable portion, but it can happen. What I like best about this is that employees all get the same amount, regardless of their tax status. Yes, the taxable portion means the organization’s costs are a little higher, but the gifts are modest, and a little budgeting can make it work.

Work with your payroll provider, or auditor, to be sure you are following all Canada Revenue Agency rules.

Finally, its those little gifts, here and there, for vendors. These are easy. A simple box of chocolates left for the mail carrier, or even a heartfelt note, go a long way.

Yeah, sure, big gifts are awesome, but they just aren’t realistic for most non-profits. A little creative thinking, taking the time to talk with your team, and making a policy, will help an executive director handle holiday gifts without the stress.

Leave me a comment with your gifts policy. Share your work!

I hope you’ve found these ideas helpful. If you have a question, please leave a comment, or send me a message. I’d love to help you out. Talk to you soon. 😊

-Christie

© Christie Saas 2021 All Rights Reserved

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Hi, I'm Christie Saas, former board member, current Executive Director, and non-profit volunteer. I remember well, those early years when I lacked the training, the confidence, and the work-life balance to focus on becoming the best non-profit leader I could be.

Fast-forward past many bumps in the road, lessons learned, and you’ll find me still in the trenches, but a little wiser, a little calmer, and a whole lot happier. I love my work and I want to help you love yours too.

I created ChristieSaas.com to give you tools, tips, and templates to remove the mystery of learning to run a small non-profit. If you’re a brand-new non-profit leader, or a little more seasoned, someone who’s looking to make a meaningful contribution and still have time for a full life away from the job, you’re in the right place.

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