Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Flat per-seat target
$6,667
Standard tier target
$5,000
High-capacity tier target
$10,000
Board share of annual fund goal
16.7%
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How to use this
- 1Enter total board fundraising goal ($).
- 2Enter number of board seats.
- 3Enter total annual fund goal (org-wide) ($).
- 4Enter seats in higher-capacity tier.
- 5Enter multiple for high-capacity tier.
- 6Read your flat per-seat target on the right — it updates as you type.
- 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
A give-or-get policy sets an expectation that every board member either personally donates a target amount, raises it from their network, or some combination of both, and it should be sized realistically against your annual fund goal and board size, not picked out of thin air. This calculator divides your target board contribution to the annual fund by the number of board seats to get a baseline per-member figure, then lets you weight it by tiers since asking a retired executive and a 26-year-old emerging professional to give the same amount either overreaches on one or underreaches on the other. It also shows what percentage of your total fundraising goal the board is expected to cover, since healthy boards typically contribute 10-25% of total annual fundraising through combined give and get.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Total board fundraising goal: 100000 $
- Number of board seats: 15
- Total annual fund goal (org-wide): 600000 $
- Seats in higher-capacity tier: 5
- Multiple for high-capacity tier: 2
Results
- Flat per-seat target: $6,667
- Standard tier target: $5,000
- High-capacity tier target: $10,000
- Board share of annual fund goal: 16.7%
What each field means
Inputs
- Total board fundraising goal ($)
- The total board fundraising goal used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 100000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Number of board seats
- The number of board seats used in the calculation. Starts at 15 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–60.
- Total annual fund goal (org-wide) ($)
- The total annual fund goal (org-wide) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 600000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Seats in higher-capacity tier
- The seats in higher-capacity tier used in the calculation. Starts at 5 so you have a working example on load.
- Multiple for high-capacity tier
- The multiple for high-capacity tier used in the calculation. Starts at 2 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–10.
Results
- Flat per-seat target
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Standard tier target
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- High-capacity tier target
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Board share of annual fund goal
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What's a typical board share of the annual fund?
BoardSource and sector benchmarks generally put healthy board fundraising contribution, combining direct gifts and money raised through the board's networks, at 10-25% of the total annual fund goal. Below that, the board is likely under-engaged in fundraising; well above it, staff and other channels may be under-leveraged.
Should give-or-get include in-kind and event ticket purchases?
Most policies count personal cash gifts and money actively solicited from others, but exclude the board member's own gala ticket purchase since that's really just covering their attendance cost, not a fundraising contribution. Be explicit in your written policy so nobody's surprised at year-end.
How do I introduce tiered giving without offending members?
Frame it around capacity, not commitment level, tie tiers to publicly known indicators like being a company founder or C-suite executive versus an early-career member, and always let a 'get' (raising money from others) substitute for a 'give' so nobody is excluded purely on personal wealth.
What happens if a board member can't meet the target?
Most well-run boards build in an alternative, like committee leadership, in-kind professional services, or committing to introduce the ED to a set number of new prospects. A give-or-get policy without alternatives quietly filters out board members who bring expertise but not wealth.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Board Give-or-Get Target Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/board-give-or-get
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/board-give-or-get" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Board Give-or-Get Target Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Board Give-or-Get Target Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/board-give-or-get) (2026).