Giving to Cornell | Gift Guide

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Giving Societies

Giving Societies

Play an important role in sustaining Cornell

What does it mean to be a giving society member? By making an annual gift at one of the giving society levels, you can play an important role in the financial well-being of Cornell and demonstrate how much you value a Cornell education. Since 1961 Cornell's giving societies program has helped the university foster its tradition of philanthropy by recognizing its most generous supporters. All giving societies (except the Cayuga Society) recognize members on an annual basis.

President's Circle ($25,000 and above)

Dean's Circle ($10,000 and above)

Tower Club ($5,000 and above)

Quadrangle Club ($1,000 and above)

Charter Society ($500 and above)

Ivy Society ($250 and above)

Cayuga Society (Planned Gift)

To start a conversation about one of these opportunities, contact:
Maya Gasuk
mlg2@cornell.edu or 607-254-6187

Giving opportunities

President's Circle

$25,000 and up

Honoring Cornell's most generous supporters

President’s Circle members are Cornell’s leaders and pacesetters in philanthropy. Giving at the annual level of $25,000 and higher signals confidence in Cornell’s mission and provides significant resources for students and faculty. For example, this past year, President’s Circle gifts helped to:

Provide scholarships and reduce loans for the 60 percent of undergraduates who qualify for financial aid
Fund field work and service-learning experiences across every college and unit
Advance life sciences research through the opening of Weill Hall and the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology
Recruit and hire new faculty like engineering professor Darrell Schlom, who works on the technology of storing electronic information, and historian Claudia Verhoeven, who focuses on the history of terrorism and related forms of political violence

By becoming a member of Cornell’s topmost giving society, you can make an immediate and substantial difference.

For more info, contact
Vicki Simarano Donor Relations 607-254-4386 vs232@cornell.edu	Maya Gasuk Cornell Annual Fund 607-254-6187 mlg2@cornell.edu

Dean's Circle

$10,000 - $24,999

Recognizing generosity that sustains Cornell

Make an online gift to Dean's Circle

Gifts at the Dean’s Circle level can help Cornell excel in research, teaching, and discovery. Within every college and unit, gifts provide critical support for students and faculty. For example, gifts this past year made it possible for students to achieve excellence both in and out of the classroom. Dean’s Circle gifts helped to:

Provide an unprecedented level of scholarship support for undergraduates
Deploy veterinary medicine students to destinations around the world to improve animal health
Fund graduate students in the College of Human Ecology’s 50-year old Sloan Program in Health Administration
Support Cornell’s first-prize winning team in the 12th annual International Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International competition and its top-ranking team in the Solar Decathlon
Fund a team of students and professors to create a groundbreaking eco-design for a Chinese city that is crippled by pollution and transportation issues

Your gift at the Dean’s Circle level can ensure that students and faculty have access to resources they need to find new solutions and address pressing challenges.

For more info, contact
Vicki Simarano Donor Relations 607-254-4386 vs232@cornell.edu	Maya Gasuk Cornell Annual Fund 607-254-6187 mlg2@cornell.edu

Tower Club

$5,000 - $9,999

Celebrating a commitment to excellence

Make an online gift to Tower Club

The Tower Club has recognized the leadership and generosity of donors since 1961. Gifts at this level help keep Cornell competitive, offer a campus environment where students flourish, and reach the public through programs that teach, inspire, and improve lives.

Recent gifts have made it possible for Cornell to:

Significantly enhance student aid to keep Cornell within reach of deserving students
Provide graduate fellowships and leadership workshops that are essential to training the next generation of academic and professional visionaries
Preserve and expand collections at Cornell Plantations, the Cornell Library, and the Johnson Museum of Art that are used for scholarly work and enjoyed and studied by an appreciative public
Fund over 800 student organizations, allowing students to pursue passions that lie beyond classroom learning
Help our Big Red athletes and champions compete

Inspired by Cornell’s beloved McGraw Tower, the Tower Club honors members whose generosity makes it possible for Cornell to remain “far above.”

For more info, contact
Vicki Simarano Donor Relations 607-254-4386 vs232@cornell.edu	Maya Gasuk Cornell Annual Fund 607-254-6187 mlg2@cornell.edu

Quadrangle Club

$1,000 - $4,999

Saluting members who sustain Cornell

Make an online gift to Quadrangle Club

Established in 1978, the Quadrangle Club recognizes alumni and friends by providing resources for innovative, new projects as well as for Cornell’s excellent and longstanding research, teaching, and outreach programs. This past year, Quadrangle Cilub gifts helped to:

Purchase microscopes for chemistry students, maintain pianos for musicians and composers, and invest in many other essential tools and equipment vital to the work of students and faculty
Maintain the Legal Information Institute, an international leader of the free and effective distribution of public legal information
Host a series of enormously popular readings with several of Cornell’s renowned alumni novelists and writers
Ensure the improvement and well-being of the planet and its people through the support of such efforts as the inaugural Cornell Global Forum on Sustainable Enterprise

Just as the Quad serves as a crossroads for all Cornellians, your gift at this level creates pathways for many worthwhile endeavors.

For more info, contact
Vicki Simarano Donor Relations 607-254-4386 vs232@cornell.edu	Maya Gasuk Cornell Annual Fund 607-254-6187 mlg2@cornell.edu

Charter Society

$500 - $999

Acknowledging contributions to Cornell's success

Make an online gift to Charter Society

The Charter Society takes its name from Ezra Cornell’s charter gift of $500,000 to found Cornell. This amount served as the foundation on which Cornell was created, and gifts at this level are critical to the success of the university. Last year Charter Society gifts helped Cornell to:

Admit the best students, regardless of their finances, and prepare them for a rapidly changing world
Create unique intellectual and social communities at five West Campus houses through programs and visits from more than 200 prominent guests
Support the Greek community’s “Call 2 Action” initiative to improve membership recruitment
Fund the New Student Reading Program that brings together first year students and faculty for a shared reading experience
Reach out to local and regional schoolchildren by offering programs such the OMNI program at the Johnson Museum and Judy’s Day at Cornell Plantations

As a member of the Charter Society, you provide core support for Cornell’s students and faculty.

For more info, contact
Vicki Simarano Donor Relations 607-254-4386 vs232@cornell.edu	Maya Gasuk Cornell Annual Fund 607-254-6187 mlg2@cornell.edu

Ivy Society

$250 - $500

Recognizing the generosity of a new generation

Make an online gift to Ivy Society

All alumni within 10 years of their graduation (including those in their 10th Reunion year) who make an annual gift of $250-$500 are recognized as members. Gifts at the Ivy Society level can help enhance campus life for Cornell students. For example, your Ivy Society gifts could provide supplemental scholarship funds to a deserving student, help recruit a top-notch faculty member, or sponsor one or more of the more than 6,000 students who participate in community service through Cornell’s award-winning Public Service Center.

For more info, contact
Vicki Simarano Donor Relations 607-254-4386 vs232@cornell.edu	Maya Gasuk Cornell Annual Fund 607-254-6187 mlg2@cornell.edu

Cayuga Society

All sizes

Make a lasting difference

When you designate Cornell in your will or in a bequest, you will be invited to become a member of the Cayuga Society. This society recognizes the generosity of donors who have established charitable annuities, life income agreements, bequest intentions, or other planned gifts. For more information, visit the web page for the Office of Trusts, Estates, and Gift Planning.

For more info, contact
Chip Bryce
697-274-6147
wlb5@cornell.edu

Gift guide | Cornell Annual Fund | Giving Societies

Giving Societies

Play an important role in sustaining Cornell

Giving opportunities