Giving Societies

Russell Sage College’s giving societies recognize the alumni, friends, parents, faculty and staff who provide support for our students and programs:

The Polaris Society and Founders Society honor those who have reached extraordinary cumulative levels of lifetime giving.

For ages, Polaris, the North Star, has been a guiding light in the sky, illuminating the way for those who journey. Members of the Polaris Society are luminaries whose exemplary gifts pave the way for future generations. The Society recognizes those friends of Russell Sage College whose cumulative gifts and pledges, along with their documented future commitments, have reached a level of $1 million or more.

Inspired by the ideals of Sages Founder Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, the Founders Society was established to recognize benefactors who have distinguished themselves by their support of Sage over a lifetime.

Sage owes much of its success to these individuals who have believed in our dream and provided the means to realize them. We are ever grateful that they have chosen to share their support, their counsel and their gifts of many kinds. Their vision, like that of our founders, will make real our new dreams for Russell Sage College’s future as a vital, contemporary place of learning.

The Founders Society honors those individuals with exceptional lifetime gifts to Russell Sage College.

The 1916 Society was established to provide much-deserved recognition to those donors Russell Sage College can count on to contribute each and every year. Members of the 1916 Society set a philanthropic example for fellow alumni, parents and friends — and play a vital role in ensuring that we continue to thrive and grow with each incoming class.

Loyal donors are the cornerstone of Russell Sage College’s success, providing the means by which Sage can carry out its mission of educating women and men in service to others.

In recognition of this important commitment, the 1916 Society honors donors with various years of loyalty — from our third-year donors, who are just beginning their lifelong giving commitment, to those who have given to Sage for 20 or more years.

Regardless of how much a donor chooses to give, the impact of the gift is powerful. Collectively, annual gifts influence Sage’s ability to meet new opportunities and emerging needs while also honoring the timeless tradition of giving to Sage.

Simply make a gift three years in a row. To sustain your membership and reach new recognition milestones, continue to make a gift every year. To learn about different ways to give and to make a gift, visit Sage Giving.

Gifts of any amount are counted towards 1916 Society membership. Consecutive years of giving are counted by fiscal year, which runs annually from July 1 to June 30.

The Sage Ring legacy society was established in 1994 to recognize generous alumni, friends, faculty and staff, who have made provision in their wills and other estate plans for a gift to Russell Sage College.

Learn how you can help Russell Sage College through your gift planning.