✨ Fundraising

In the communication about your Employee Appreciation Fund to residents, how do you deal with communicating an expectation for giving to the fund. In other words, residents often ask how much should I consider giving. How do you answer that question?  

The CCRCs have a fine line to tread as there are state and federal laws prohibiting pressuring seniors for money which is considered financial elder abuse. Here is an overview of the issues and how many CCRCs manage it:

To avoid being seen as elder financial abuse, CCRCs manage Employee Appreciation Funds by strictly prohibiting staff from accepting individual tips and instead routing all holiday giving through a centralized, transparent process. This "no-tipping" policy protects residents from feeling pressured to give to specific caregivers for better service. Instead, the "ask" is typically handled by a Resident-Led Committee or the community's Foundation rather than the employees themselves. This creates a professional boundary where donations are pooled and distributed fairly among all staff, including those in "behind-the-scenes" roles like housekeeping or maintenance.

To ensure these holiday gifts remain ethical and legal, the CCRC frames the fund as a voluntary community gesture rather than a requirement. Solicitations are usually made through group announcements or letters, ensuring that residents do not feel targeted or intimidated. By removing the direct "caregiver-to-resident" financial exchange, the community eliminates the risk of undue influence, ensuring that the spirit of the gift remains a genuine thank-you rather than a coerced payment for future care. (ai generated response)

Maura Conry, NaCCRA

At my CCRC a specific dollar amount per resident is suggested. But those who can't afford that are urged to give what they can, so that the employees can be informed that all residents contributed.

Philippa, Thanks for your response. This is what I gather from my facility. While a number of residents are asking for guidance on what they should consider as their contribution to the appreciation fund, we know that we need to be sensitive to others qho may not be able to contribute. Dick

I think it's important to provide some simple statistics. Tell residents how the amount each employee receives is determined. Let's say it's proportional to the number of hours the employee worked in the preceding year. You could say that a typical employee that worked 2000 hours (a full-time year) receives a certain dollar amount. You could say what the median resident donation was (half higher and half lower).

Most residents have a good sense of what such amounts mean to the individual employee, and whether it's enough to be a morale boost at vacation or holiday time.

Richmond Shreve

NaCCRA Board Member & VP

Forum Moderator