Our guild has a monthly program and a monthly workshop. Guild members who teach a workshop are paid $100. Guild members who present a program are paid nothing. We revised the bylaws 2 years ago to allow paying a program presenter up to $50 but there was so much resistance to it that no presenter is willing to ask for payment.
Some programs take only a few minutes to create and others take many hours, depending on the topic and the presenter. Many that are against paying the presenter have never given a program. They think we should give freely of our time yet are unwilling to give their time. As a presenter, if I spend 20 hours preparing samples and researching the topic, I would appreciate some token of appreciation. If it is a topic I know so well I don't need much preparation, well, some token of appreciation would still be nice. If everyone took a turn presenting so that it is shared and not imposed on a select few, then that is a different story.
I like the idea of a small gift, whether quilting related or not. Something that recognizes that my time and knowledge are important and have value. So, that's what we do and what I think.