In 2008-09 Hamilton introduced the 1812 Leadership Circle, a stewardship program designed to recognize the College's most generous donors. The goal is to provide a keener sense of the impact of gifts of $2,500 or more and to more fully acknowledge the people who invest significantly in the ongoing needs of the College.
Hamilton salutes the more than 600 inaugural members of the 1812 Leadership Circle – an excellent start in a turbulent economy!
Impact
Unrestricted contributions impact every area of Hamilton's budget, providing ongoing support and flexibility for the president to respond quickly to new opportunities or to address challenges, both anticipated and unexpected. The most pressing needs of the College are support for financial aid and academic programs —areas that enable Hamilton to attract the finest students, regardless of their means, and to provide the best-possible education to all.
Inform
Hamilton's most generous supporters deserve the highest degree of information, access and recognition the College can reasonably provide, including:
Information: Printed and electronic communications from key areas of the College that provide updates on programs, needs and policies. Members of The1812 Leadership Circle can expect news about admission, fundraising, building projects, finances, and academic and student life. This information will be sent electronically as much as possible.
Access: Invitations to special events on campus and off, with opportunities to meet with senior officers of the College.
Recognition: Acknowledgement as a leadership donor in the annual report of gifts and in an 1812 Leadership Circle brochure.
Note: Members have the option of "going green" by foregoing receipt of print publications. They may also ask to be listed anonymously, or in a lower gift club, in donor listings.
Invest
You can join the 1812 Leadership Circle by making a gift of $2,500 or more. Give once or in installments throughout the year – the total of your contributions, including matching gifts, will count toward your membership level:
Donors of $10,000 and more will receive an extra token of thanks — a book written by a member of the Hamilton community, selected each year by the Alumni Office and imprinted with a bookplate acknowledging their leadership support.
Donors of $25,000 and more impact students most directly. Donations at this level will be applied to student scholarship, Hamilton's most compelling need. For each donor of $25,000 or more, an 1812 Scholar will be named in honor of his or her gift, and the donor will receive information about that scholar.
Graduates of the Last Decade
As a member of GOLD, young alumni are invited to become members of The 1812 Leadership Circle at special levels. Alumni who graduated within the past four years may join with a gift of $1,000 or more; alumni who graduated five-nine years ago may join with a gift of $1,500 or more.
Lead
One of the rewards of investing in Hamilton is the knowledge that you are making a difference. The impact made by members of the 1812 Leadership Circle is evidenced by each talented student and the dedicated professors who teach them. Your investment will continue to grow and multiply — when those students leave College Hill, there's no limit to what they can accomplish.
Please continue the legacy of support born on College Hill nearly 200 years ago by joining The 1812 Leadership Circle.
If you would like to learn more about the 1812 Leadership Circle, please contact John Murphy '85, director of Annual Fund leadership giving, at 866-729-0315.
