Recognition Societies

Carolina recognizes the incredible impact our donors make on every aspect of campus life. The following societies exist to honor their generosity towards the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Annual Giving Societies

Annual giving societies recognize the loyal contributions from Carolina’s alumni and friends. Your annual gift is an investment in Carolina’s students, faculty and staff. It provides the vital resources to meet the needs of the University today and ensure its success tomorrow.

Learn more about Carolina’s Annual Giving Societies

Cumulative Giving Societies

The Chancellor’s Leadership Giving Societies recognize individuals and organizations whose cumulative generosity has made a significant impact on the University. Members in Carolina’s cumulative giving societies have joined us as partners in strengthening our record of student access, faculty excellence and research innovation, and advancing our longstanding mission to educate, investigate and serve.

Learn more about the Chancellor’s Leadership Giving Societies

Planned Giving Society

The Charles Gerrard Legacy Society recognizes the hundreds of alumni and friends who have remembered Carolina through planned gifts. All alumni and friends who document their planned gifts will be welcomed as members of this society.

Learn more about the Gerrard Legacy Society

Like the reverberating echoes of the tower chimes, Carolina Bell Ringers’ support touches every corner of campus to help strengthen the foundation that makes Carolina great. Carolina cannot be all that it is without their continued support. Annual gifts define the University’s ability to be a great research university that excels in educating students at all levels.

Membership in the Carolina Bell Ringers requires donors to have made gifts in the most recent two consecutive academic years. We welcome anyone to join, both alumni and other friends of Carolina. Your gift may be designated to The Carolina Fund or to any school, academic program or department of the University.

To continue your Bell Ringers membership, simply give any amount between July 1 and June 30 of an academic year. There is no minimum gift to continue your membership.

Benefits of Membership
All Bell Ringers will receive:

• a specially-designed car decal.
• an acknowledgement from the Chancellor.

For more information on membership, contact the Annual Giving department.

As early as 1901, “Carolina” was a byword for UNC. Through the years, it has become a term of endearment expressing an appreciation for the beautiful campus, a fondness for the time spent in Chapel Hill and a respect for the education received here. Your gifts to Carolina reflect the depth of your affinity for this great university, and your support helps it become even better. The most generous among you who give each year qualify for membership in our Chancellor’s Clubs. They are:

1793 Society: a distinction based on annual support totaling $2,000 – $4,999
(for students $250. For undergraduate alumni one to five years after graduation, $500. For undergraduate alumni six to 10 years since graduate, $1,000)

The Carolina Society: a distinction based on annual support totaling $5,000 – $9,999.

The Chancellor’s Circle: a distinction based on annual support totaling $10,000 – $24,999.

The Cornerstone Society: a distinction based on annual support totaling $25,000 or more

Benefits of Membership
All Chancellor’s Clubs members will receive:

• a specially-designed thank you gift.
• special invitations to campus and regional events.
• access to the Chancellor’s Clubs liaison to answer Carolina questions.
• school or unit giving recognition as appropriate.

The Chancellor’s Clubs are administered by the Annual Giving department. Individuals wanting more information should contact Annual Giving; organizations should contact Corporate and Foundation Relations.

Established in 2019, The Carolina Fund Society recognizes alumni and friends whose generous annual gift of $10,000 or more to The Carolina Fund is key to meeting the University’s most pressing needs. The Carolina Fund has long been a resource that provides flexible funding to meet critical campus needs and seize emerging opportunities. It gives us the freedom to use your gift to make the biggest impact possible, as well as weather the ebb and flow of state funding, tuition income and federal grants.

Benefits of Membership
All Carolina Fund Society members will receive:

• special invitations to campus and regional events.
• access to the Chancellor’s Clubs liaison to answer any questions you have about Carolina.
• invitations to Carolina Fund Society events.

For more information on membership, send an email to Candace Clark from Donor Relations.

Carolina’s most dedicated donors aren’t generous just once, but over the entire course of their lifetimes. Chancellor’s Council members are a distinguished group of donors who have given more than $100,000 to our University. You are the reason we can continue making Carolina an extraordinary place for learning and discovery.

Benefits of Membership
All Chancellor’s Council members will receive:

• a Welcome Packet and specially-designed thank you gift.
• special invitations to campus, regional and Council events.
• priority Communication: special communication from the chancellor and/or the vice chancellor on breaking news or announcements.
• Annual impact report on overall Council fiscal year giving and Campaign giving
• Direct access to Donor Relations staff for assistance with obtaining receipts, answers to giving questions, etc.

For more information on membership, send an email to Candace Clark from Donor Relations.

Carolina recognizes its most devoted supporters through the Lux Libertas Society. The society takes its name from the University’s motto etched in its official seal—Lux Libertas, Latin for “light and liberty”—and pays tribute to donors who have given Carolina $1 million or more in cumulative lifetime gifts. Society members have shown extraordinary commitment to ensuring that the University remains what former University President Frank Porter Graham described as “an outpost of light and liberty” for today’s generation and beyond.

There are three giving levels within the Lux Libertas Society:

• Bell Tower Society ($1,000,000 – $4,999,999)
• Old Well Society ($5,000,000 – $9,999,999)
• Davie Poplar Society ($10,000,000 and up)

Benefits of Membership
All members will receive:

• a Welcome Packet and specially-designed thank you gift.
• special invitations to campus, regional and Society events.
• priority Communication: special communication from the chancellor and/or the vice chancellor on breaking news or announcements.
• Annual impact report on overall Society fiscal year giving and Campaign giving
• Direct access to Donor Relations staff for assistance with obtaining receipts, answers to giving questions, etc.

For more information on membership, send en email to Candace Clark from Donor Relations.

The tradition began in 1797 when Major Charles Gerrard made a generous bequest. In his will, he left the University a large tract of land, much of which he had received for his Revolutionary War service. When the University sold the land several decades later, the money was used to build Gerrard Hall next to South Building.

This bequest from Charles Gerrard and the planned gifts that others have made to the University have helped to build Carolina and to strengthen its mission of teaching, research and public service.
The Gerrard Society was established to ensure that the University appropriately recognizes those alumni and friends who have created their own Carolina legacy through documented planned gifts.

Benefits of Membership
All Gerrard Society members will receive:

• a Welcome Packet and specially-designed thank you gift.
• the NOW, the e-newsletter of For All Kind: the Campaign for Carolina, featuring updates and progress on Carolina’s $4.25 billion comprehensive campaign.
• special invitations to campus, regional and Society events.

For more information on membership, contact Gift Planning.
 

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