Giving Societies

Loyalty. Leadership. Legacy.

Loyalty. Leadership. Legacy. These are more than a gift to UB. They are commitments to the University's future.Leadership giving has been a part of our success story for 175 years. It has helped the University at Buffalo grow into a nationally ranked university, educating more than 30,000 students each year.

The University at Buffalo giving societies recognize our most generous and dedicated alumni, families and friends. We are thankful for our donors’ commitment to our academic mission and recognize and honor the generosity of faculty, alumni, parents, friends, corporations, and foundations through these three distinctive societies, together with acknowledgments, annual reporting, invitations to special events and more.

Loyal Blues.

Loyalty: Loyal Blues

Annual donors to UB – any gift at any level every year – are recognized as Loyal Blues. Loyal Blues receive a variety of benefits from the university, including special discounts at the UB Bookstore, a celebration day each spring, and mailings and exclusive information provided by the university.

Learn more about the Loyal Blues
Founders Society.

Leadership: University Founders Society

The University Founders Society is the UB’s most prestigious donor society. Started in 1994 and relaunched in 2021, the Founders Society is how UB recognizes those donors who have committed $100,000 or more in their lifetimes to better the university and its students.

Like the pillars that represent the Founders Society, these extraordinary donors are foundational partners in the University’s mission of providing a world-class education to all. Their generosity will have an enduring impact on this great institution.

Learn more about the Founders Society
Hayes Society.

Legacy: General Edmund Hayes Society

UB honors those alumni, faculty, and friends who have recognized the importance of planning their philanthropy by providing for the University in their estate plans. These donors who plan to provide a legacy for UB are members of the Hayes Society. Through bequests in wills, trusts, and other arrangements, these donors are leaving a meaningful legacy for UB and its students. Membership in the Hayes Society is granted for life.

Learn more about the Hayes Society
UB Giving Societies Contact

If you have any questions about how UB honors its donors, contact Jennifer Silverman-Van Treese, assistant director of donor relations at js433@buffalo.edu or (716) 881-7482.

Fueling the Future

Your investment in UB has changed lives and the world for the better. Read about some of the people who have brighter futures thanks to you and UB.

  • Keeping Her Blue Bond Strong
    4/28/21
    What motivates a young, federal civil servant—an operations analyst in the headquarters of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—to make a gift consistently—every year—to UB’s annual fund?
  • Close Family, Bold Legacy
    5/10/20
    For David Herer, CEL ’90, family is everything—it’s in the history of his company, the inspiration for his community involvement and the legacy he’s leaving at the UB School of Management.
  • The gift of a lifetime and a lifetime of commitment
    12/29/22
    When Pamela Davis Heilman and Robert Heilman decided to make a game-changing gift to UB School of Law, it was no snap decision.
  • Teaching With a Cause
    1/10/23

    Crump is combining his previous experience with the knowledge gained from the teacher residency program to set a path for his students that he also walked down. With Crump in the classroom, more students can also confidently say, “I’ve got plenty of time.”

  • Autonomy and creativity
    2/14/23

    For most people, getting laid off can be a devastating setback. For Terry Rice, MBA ’05, it was a turning point that propelled him toward success as a marketing expert, business consultant and entrepreneur. 

  • Finding Purpose in Poetry
    3/30/21
    Dan Liberthson’s, PhD ’76, BA’74, love of language inspired him to support his passions at UB.