NEW Dues Structure & FAQs

Over the past decade, Exponent’s dues have remained nearly flat, even as the cost of delivering the high-quality programs, member services, and personalized support you rely on has risen sharply. Despite our best efforts to manage expenses, inflation has increased the cost of doing business by more than 35%. Today, dues cover less than 40% of our annual operating budget. The new model helps us reach a more sustainable 60%, while reducing administrative complexity and strengthening the organization you rely on as you support causes and impact communities that matter most to you.

This new structure reflects a full year of member input. The Membership Committee hosted focus groups, interviews, and a member-wide survey to ensure the final recommendation aligned with member realities — not just internal goals. Your feedback directly informed the final recommendation, which the Board unanimously approved on November 12, 2025.

There are two key elements to the change:

1 – Dues Structure: We’re moving from a flat-rate dues model to a tiered, asset-based structure. Annual membership dues will be determined by your organization’s average assets over the past three years. This model better aligns membership dues with members’ financial capacity and mirrors best practices across the philanthropic sector.

Under the new dues model:

• 19% of members will see no change from 2026 rates.
• 13% will see a modest increase of $130.
• 75% of members will pay $2,000 or less.
• Only 9% of members — those with $100M+ in assets — will pay above $5,000.
• The top dues tier is intentionally capped at $10,000, acknowledging that even our largest members (some with $2B+ in assets!) abide by the lean funder philosophy of keeping costs low so you can invest maximum dollars into the communities and causes you care about.

2- Membership Cycle: Beginning in 2027, all memberships will move to a calendar-year (Jan 1-Dec 31). In 2026, new members and renewing members will have the option of prorating their dues to help ease the transition.

New members: The new dues chart takes effect for new members on January 1, 2026

Current members: The new dues chart takes effect for renewing members on January 1, 2027

Please note that if you are a current member, your 2026 dues remain unchanged: $870 for Signature members and $2,020 for Signature PLUS.

Two-year memberships will be temporarily paused in 2026 and will resume under the new model in 2027. If your organization renewed for two years in 2024 or 2025, your membership term and rate will be fully honored. When your current two-year period ends, you’ll receive an invitation to renew under the new structure.

Grantmaking public charities will calculate dues based only on discretionary assets—excluding donor-advised funds and pass-through dollars.

Individual philanthropists are welcome to join at the base tier, ensuring accessibility for all lean funders regardless of structure.

Dues will be adjusted annually for inflation based on the U.S. inflation rate published each fall. Over the last few years, this has ranged between 4.2% and 5.7%.

Exponent Philanthropy is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 65-0617866). Payments to Exponent Philanthropy—including membership dues—generally qualify as administrative expenses for private foundations and may count toward the foundation’s annual minimum distribution requirement under IRS regulations.

The base membership tier (currently $870) represents the fair market value of goods and services received and covers administrative costs and member benefits. Any amount paid above $870 may be treated as a charitable contribution (grant) to Exponent Philanthropy in support of our work and mission.

To minimize administrative burden, Exponent Philanthropy does not produce custom grant reports for members paying dues as grants. However, we are happy to provide our annual report and audited financial statements to meet standard grant reporting requirements.

We know this is a real concern — especially for small foundations balancing operating costs and community investments. Here are a few points members have found helpful in making the case for membership:

• You are part of the nation’s largest network of funders – more than 1,500 organizations strong! – and the only association dedicated to serving funders who practice philanthropy with lean operations. That scale gives us — and you — incredible access to promising practices, robust benchmarking data, and a strong, unified voice in the national policy arena.
• Your dues are an investment in effectiveness, not overhead. Membership saves time and money by giving your team immediate access to templates, benchmarks, and peer advice that help you accomplish more while avoiding costly missteps.
• A single insight can transform your grantmaking or operations. Many members say that one idea from a peer connection, publication, or program has directly influenced their grantmaking strategy, improved their operational efficiency, or saved them thousands on their vendor relationships or annual tax filings — all hard to replicate outside our extensive network.
• Compare membership dues to professional development costs. Even the highest membership tier is often less than the cost of one staff training or consultant engagement – and membership gives your entire staff and board full access to all that we offer!

Many of our members also participate in their regional associations or issue-based affinity groups — and we encourage that! Exponent plays a distinct and complementary role to our colleague philanthropy infrastructure organizations (PIOs):

• We are the only national network focused exclusively on funders who practice philanthropy with lean operations.
• Our community is practical, peer-driven, and grounded in real-world solutions. We know that our members don’t have the time for theory, bureaucracy, or expensive solutions! Members often tell us that Exponent is the space where they can ask the “how” questions others can’t answer.
• We provide research, resources, and peer connections that go deeper on operations, finance, and governance — the internal work that makes your external impact possible.

We understand that question, and it’s an easy one to answer: Exponent’s value goes far beyond D&O insurance. While the insurance savings are a helpful benefit (average savings are ~$700 a year!), members consistently tell us they stay year after year because of:

• Immediate access to expert answers on legal, tax, or governance questions.
• Benchmarking data that informs our members’ governance practices, investment decisions, annual salary/benefits reviews, grantmaking strategy, and more.
• Peer learning that strengthens both operations and grantmaking.
• Connections that open doors to collaboration and funding insights.

Starting in 2026, we’ll introduce new benefits designed to complement our high-value core offerings, including annual benchmarking insights, an online discussion community, a Q&A service, and a sample resource library.

New benefits already in the works include:

• CEO Peer Network – a confidential space for senior leaders to share challenges and ideas.
• Operations Peer Network – a collaborative space for staff who manage the day-to-day operations of lean foundations to exchange practical tools, strategies, and solutions.
• Expanded Regional Gatherings – more in-person opportunities to learn and connect locally.
• One-to-One Peer Connections – curated introductions to peers who share your focus or structure.
• Discounts & Access to Field-Wide Events – Through Exponent’s strong partnerships with peer philanthropy networks, our members enjoy exclusive access and discounted rates to conferences and events across the sector.

Quite the opposite! The new model includes calendar-year alignment (Jan–Dec) so you can handle your annual renewal in just a few minutes each January. With a consistent January renewal schedule, it’ll also be much easier to remember to keep your membership current!

Our goal is simple: to make this transition clear and supportive. In 2026, we’ll offer:

• Live info sessions and office hours to walk through the new membership model and answer your questions.
• One-on-one conversations to review your new dues tier and help with budgeting or board communication. We’re also glad to join an upcoming board or staff meeting to discuss your member benefits and answer any questions about the dues changes.