Giving Societies

The Tower Society was established in 1997, San Diego State University’s centennial year, to recognize and honor donors who have made lifetime contributions of $50,000 or more to support the university’s educational mission.

The society is named for the landmark tower completed in 1931 at the northwest corner of the original campus quad. Officially renamed Hardy Tower in 1976 to honor the university’s second president, Edward L. Hardy, this tower is an iconic symbol of San Diego State.

Like Hardy Tower, members of the Tower Society are an integral part of the university and their generosity is a catalyst to building excellence. We are grateful for the steadfast support of our Tower Society members.

SDSU LOYAL recognizes the university’s most loyal donors who provide consistent ongoing support to advance the university.

Donors who have made gifts in each of the two most recent fiscal years are SDSU LOYAL. Members are honored for the total number of years they have made annual gifts of any amount to any area of the university.

More than 9,200 members are currently recognized for their loyal giving—including close to 1,800 who have made gifts for at least 20 years! Thanks to their dedication, SDSU students, faculty, and staff have the resources they need to explore opportunities, discover solutions, and accomplish dreams.

The SDSU Annual Giving Circle was established to recognize compassion-driven gifts from donors supporting SDSU through cumulative annual giving of $1,000 to $49,999. Those who have made lifetime contributions of $50,000 or more are recognized through the SDSU Tower Society. 

Philanthropic contributions have a tremendous impact on areas across the campus. In 2020-2021, more than 2,100 donors contributed over $9.5 million to provide vital support to the university. These critical funds enabled SDSU to support student success, promote faculty excellence, fund meaningful research and much more. SDSU Annual Giving Circle donors are invited to exclusive events and receive information about the impact of their support. To learn more about the SDSU Annual Giving Circle or how to create a fund, please email Aura Martin at SDSUAnnualGivingCircle@ sdsu.edu.

The Heritage Society recognizes the extraordinary loyalty and support of donors who have named San Diego State University as a beneficiary in their estate plans, such as a will, living trust, life insurance policy, retirement account, donor-advised fund, or charitable trust. Heritage Society members take pride in leaving a legacy that will make a difference in the lives of our students and campus community.