Avenues for Giving

Donor Recognition Societies

The university recognizes its most loyal and generous supporters with membership in three exclusive clubs: President’s Club, Founder’s Club, Heritage Society.

President’s Club

Since 1976, the President’s Club has been the university’s premier donor society. It honors those who make an annual gift of at least $1,500 to any campus or program in the University of Hawaiʻi System or who provide general support by making a gift to the UH Fund for Excellence. As a President’s Club member you will belong to an exceptional group of alumni and friends who share a commitment to higher education in Hawaiʻi.

How does my gift benefit the university?
Private support provides funds above and beyond what is provided by state allocations.

A gift of $1,500 or more made to any of the 10 campuses can be counted towards your annual President’s Club membership. A gift to the UH Fund for Excellence will support the student callers who work to raise private gifts on behalf of the university and Annual Giving campaigns at the UH Foundation. These programs raise funds for all 10 campuses of the UH System.

What are the benefits of being a President’s Club member?
Benefits include affiliation with like-minded community leaders, acknowledgment (with your permission) in the Foundation’s annual donor roll, and invitations to exclusive university-related events and activities.

How can I become a member?
Membership is given to those who make an annual gift of $1,500 or more. You may give in a variety of ways, including:

For more information, contact Martha Hanson, Director of Donor Relations, at (808) 956-3716. Or send email to Martha.

Founder’s Club

The Founder’s Club honors generous donors whose lifetime cumulative gifts have exceeded $100,000.

What gifts qualify for Founder’s Club?

  • A combination of outright and irrevocable planned gifts totaling $100,000.
  • Planned gifts, with University of Hawaiʻi as the irrevocable beneficiary, must be established with a present value of $100,000.

    How have Founder’s Club members benefited the university?
    Gifts from Founder’s Club members have:

  • Endowed academic chairs
  • Endowed scholarship funds to assist students in need
  • Provided "start-up" capital for research institutes
  • Provided discretionary funds for academic heads

    How are Founder’s Club members honored?

  • A framed certificate of appreciation for you to display in your home or office.
  • A special invitation to a biannual event with the university’s president.
  • Invitations to members-only events and gatherings.

    For more information, please contact Martha Hanson, Director of Donor Relations, at (808) 956-3716. Or send an email to Martha.

    President’s and Founder’s Club Calendar of Events
    Throughout the year, President’s Club and Founder’s Club members are invited to member-only University of Hawaiʻi events. Look for invitations in the mail and visit this website often for the most current information about events and details on how to register.

    For more information on special events, contact Donna Gutierrez, Director of Special Events, at (808) 956-4563, or send an email.

    Heritage Society

    Membership
    Members of the Heritage Society are among the University of Hawaiʻi’s most important constituents. Gifts that qualify for the Heritage Society create a legacy that will shape the future of the University of Hawaiʻi. No gift restrictions apply and no minimum gift amount is required.

    Founded in 1998, the Heritage Society honors alumni, faculty, and friends who have made provisions in their estate plans naming the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation as a beneficiary for the benefit of the University of Hawaiʻi.

    To qualify for membership, the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation may be named a charitable beneficiary of a:

    • Will, Living Trust, or Testamentary Trust
    • Charitable Gift Annuity
    • Charitable Remainder Trust or Charitable Lead Trust
    • Qualified Retirement Plan

    Donors also qualify for membership in the Heritage Society when they name the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation owner and beneficiary of a life insurance policy or deed a personal residence or vacation home with retained life estate to the Foundation.

    Invitation to Membership
    The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation invites you to become a member of the Heritage Society. You will join a community of individuals whose commitment to excellence in public higher education will secure the future of the University of Hawaiʻi for generations to come.

    Please contact Lani Starkey, Director of Estate and Gift Planning, at (808) 956-8034, or send an email to Lani.



    A small portion of all gifts to the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is used to defray the cost of administering and raising private funds for the University of Hawaiʻi.