Every holiday season, small nonprofits ask for end-of-year gifts. Annual appeals go out, major donors are called, emails for #GivingTuesday are sent… We are in a permanent state of asking for weeks on end.

Let’s try a day of giving to offset it. I’m proposing that small nonprofits start the holiday season by showing their thanks and appreciation for the people who make the nonprofit what it is: its employees.

Can small nonprofits really afford to give a bonus?

Yes!

I know how tight budgets are at the end of the year. I have been in your position several years, trying to make sure that final P&L report of the year comes in strong. But it’s worth the expense, even if it’s small. If you can’t cut a check, then buy each employee a $25 gift card to a local shop or restaurant.

Employees at nonprofits understand that they aren’t going to get huge bonuses. If they cared about that, they would work in international finance. They are at your nonprofit because they love mission-driven work (and hopefully, they love your mission in particular).

But a surprise gift will make them feel appreciated. Too many talented employees leave nonprofits not because of pay, but because they don’t feel appreciated. It’s worth a couple hundred dollars to make this happen.

But what if we really can’t afford it?

Then ask your board. Together they should be able to come up with enough to get something meaningful. If you that effort can’t raise enough, then use the funds to take your staff out for a long lunch and let them have the rest of the day off.

Do I need the board’s permission to do this?

Maybe. Ask your board president. Or send an email to the Executive Committee and explain where the money will come from (it could be from extra “profit,” a line item on your budget that won’t get used, or—again—from donations from the board.)

Will donors or volunteers think we have too much money if we give a bonus?

They won’t. Or, at the very least, they shouldn’t. Small nonprofits are especially prone to acting like every cent that doesn’t go toward “mission” is a waste. But your employees carry huge amounts of knowledge about how to implement your mission. Anytime one of them leaves, you have to hire and re-train someone. If a small gift at the end of the year reduces your turnover even just a little bit, it’s well worth it to your bottom line.

Remember, the symbol of Thanksgiving is a cornucopia, a symbol of abundance. Treating staff with abundance and generosity will come back to the nonprofit manyfold. I promise.

Why a Thanksgiving Bonus? Why not Christmas?

First, because not everyone celebrates Christmas, while Thanksgiving is a secular holiday. But Thanksgiving is the start of the big buying season. So your employees will be especially appreciative to have a little extra cash in their pocket. Maybe it will make it easier for them to buy gifts for kids or spouses. Give early!

Let’s make the Thanksgiving Bonus a tradition at nonprofits. And say thank you to the people who do the most for us.