Gifts for board members are some of the hardest recognition gifts to get right. Trustees have usually been handed every branded mug, umbrella and fleece an institution can order, and many of them are also among its most generous donors. A board member appreciation gift has to thank someone who governs, raises money and gives their own, often for years at a time. It should feel as considered as their service.
Across 585+ bespoke projects for 300+ institutional clients, the board gifts that work best share a quality. They mark belonging. A trustee wearing the board's silk tie or the society's cufflinks is telling the room, quietly, that they help lead the institution. Here is how we think about gifts for each role on a board, whether it governs a university, a school, a hospital, a museum or a foundation, and how to plan them around the board's year.
What makes a board gift different
A board member stands in a different place from a donor. They govern, so they carry the institution's reputation as well as its budget. They usually serve a fixed term, which gives you natural moments to say thank you: joining the board, taking the chair, finishing a term, retiring. And they meet as a group several times a year, which makes a shared emblem more meaningful than a gift chosen for each person.
That gives us 3 tests for any board member appreciation gift. It should be exclusive to the board, so receiving it means something. It should be worn or used where the board gathers, at meetings, dinners and commencement. And it should be made well enough that a trustee who sits on several boards still notices it.
Gifts for board members by role
New trustees
A welcome gift sets the tone for a term. A pair of enamel cufflinks, a lapel pin or a brooch in the institution's colors gives a new trustee something to wear to their first meeting, and it ties them visually to everyone already at the table. Lapel pins start from $15 and enamel cufflinks from $45, which makes them a practical place to begin a board recognition program.
The full board
For the whole board, a matched silk scarf and tie suits every trustee and can be worn together at board dinners. For the Northwestern University Alumni Association, we enlarged the University seal on a long rectangular silk scarf in purple and white and ran the words 'Northwestern Alumni Association Board of Directors' inside the outer border. Because the seal is so intricate, the matching tie was woven with great attention to detail. Carrying the board's name in the design makes the gift belong to the board alone.
The board chair
A board chair holds the most visible role and often the heaviest workload. A desk piece or something for the home suits the role: a hand-forged brass or nickel paperweight, a set of brass coasters, embossed coasters in English bridle leather, or a Churchill throw, originally woven to keep Londoners warm during the Blitz. These gifts live where the chair works and reads, and they last for decades.
The campaign cabinet
A campaign cabinet works as a team for a fixed stretch of time, and a gift can make that team visible. For the launch of the For Every Child campaign at Lurie Children's Hospital, we took icons from the campaign's branding guidelines to create a handmade pashmina and silk tie. The gifts went out with the invitation to the campaign kickoff, with a request that donors wear them to the event. A cabinet gift can do the same work, giving the volunteers who lead a campaign a shared piece to wear when they host, ask and celebrate.
Retiring board members
A retirement gift should be about the person. When Purdue's College of Engineering wanted to honor Dean Leah H. Jamieson at her retirement dinner, we made a silk scarf and tie in secret. The scarf carries the text of her final remarks from a Homecoming Dean's dinner, and her signature appears on the scarf and in the tipping of the tie. The same thinking suits a long-serving trustee. A design built on their own words, the year they joined, or a building they helped bring about will mean far more than a plaque.
Planning around the board calendar
Board gifts land best when they are tied to a date the board already keeps: the annual meeting, the first meeting of a new term, a campaign launch or a retirement dinner. Work back from that date. A bespoke project takes 8 to 16 weeks or more from first sketch to delivery, and that window includes reviewing hand-drawn sketches from Emma, our designer and co-founder, and approving samples before production begins.
The other practical question is quantity. Our minimum is usually 125 pieces per design, or 150 pairs for cufflinks, and many boards are smaller than that. There are 2 good ways to handle it. Order enough for several incoming classes of trustees at once, or share a single design across the board, emeriti trustees and leadership donors. Because we only make what you order and never sell your design to anyone else, the stock you hold stays exclusive to your institution.
Presentation is part of the thanks
When a board gift is presented at a meeting or a dinner, the unwrapping is part of the moment. Emma inspects every piece before hand-wrapping it in a foil-embossed luxury box branded for your institution. Your message of thanks is printed on a thick, high-quality notecard, and the reverse describes the provenance of the gift. That card gives a trustee a story to tell when someone at the next dinner asks about the tie.
"Harris Made designs are made with such precision, sophistication, and embody a rich story of tradition. They are the perfect recognition gifts for our most loyal alumni and friends." Emily Abrahamson, Donor Engagement, University of Chicago
If you are planning gifts for board members this year, start with a conversation. Tell Emma who sits on the board, what it has achieved and when you want to say thank you, and she will draw from there. You can read more about how we work, or start a project whenever you are ready.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good gift for a board member?
The best gifts for board members are exclusive to the board and used where the board meets. Silk ties and scarves that carry the board's name, enamel cufflinks and lapel pins, and desk pieces such as brass paperweights or embossed leather coasters all work well, because trustees can wear or use them for years.
How much do board member appreciation gifts cost?
Our bespoke gifts start from $15 for a lapel pin. Enamel cufflinks start from $45, silk ties from $48 and silk scarves from $65. The final price depends on the piece, the materials and the quantity.
What should we give a retiring board member?
Something personal to their service. A design built on their own words, their signature or a place they championed turns a retirement gift into a keepsake. For a retiring dean at Purdue, we made a silk scarf and tie that carried her final remarks and her signature.
Our board is smaller than your minimum order. Can we still work together?
Yes. Our minimum is usually 125 pieces per design, or 150 pairs for cufflinks. You can order enough for several incoming classes of trustees, or share a single design across the board, emeriti trustees and leadership donors.