Morehouse recognizes donors for years of giving, a model small nonprofits can borrow

Morehouse College's Office of Institutional Advancement announced on September 30 two donor societies, starting on Homecoming Day 2026, that recognize how long and how steadily people give. The NonProfit Times reported the program on October 12. The design is simple enough that a small nonprofit could copy it with a spreadsheet.

How the societies work

The newly reimagined Loyalty Society honors donors who have supported Morehouse for at least five years, in four tiers. Member covers five or more years of giving up to a decade; Lux, 10 or more consecutive years up to two decades; Mystique, 20 or more up to 25; and Crown, 25 or more. Membership at the first tier is open to donors who have given five years in a row or five separate years in total, provided they make a gift in the current fiscal year, according to the college. The society is inspired by Benjamin Elijah Mays, Morehouse's sixth president.

The 1867 Annual Giving Society, named for the college's founding year, recognizes annual giving. Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) qualify at $500 or more a year, or recurring gifts of $45 a month. Other alumni, parents and friends qualify at $1,000 or more a year, or $85 a month. The two societies join the existing Legacy Society for planned gifts and the Benefactors Lifetime Giving Society for lifetime giving over $100,000.

"They are more than donor societies," said Willie West, Morehouse's director of Annual Giving. "They are communities of individuals who understand that Morehouse's future is strengthened year by year, gift by gift, generation by generation."

Why the design is worth a look

Two features stand out to us. First, the Loyalty Society tiers count years, not dollars, so a donor at any income can reach the top tier by staying. Second, the annual thresholds come with monthly equivalents, which points donors toward recurring gifts. Morehouse has not published retention figures, so it is too early to say whether the societies will change how long donors stay.

What your organization can borrow

• Count years of giving in your donor database and thank donors at five, 10 and 20 years.
• Publish a monthly equivalent next to every annual threshold.
• Give recent graduates, young members or first-time givers a lower entry point.
• Write the rules down, as Morehouse did, including whether non-consecutive years count.

Recognition like this pairs naturally with a year-end appeal; see how a small nonprofit can prepare for GivingTuesday.