For a select group of donors, giving to UNH is about sharing in what philanthropy at the university can accomplish.
Granite Society Facts
All alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends are invited to join The Granite Society annually by participating with a gift at one of the following levels:
Investor: $1,000–$2,499
Stakeholder: $2,500-$4,999
Champion: $5,000-$9,999
Insider: $10,000-$24,999
Visionary: $25,000 and up
Believer: An invitation into the Granite Society for recent alumni — $100 annually for the first five years after graduation or $500 annually the sixth through 10th years after graduation.
The Granite Society was founded in 2015 as a way for the university to recognize its most generous donors who affect positive change for nearly every area of UNH — from scholarships and academic programs to labs and classrooms, playing fields and equipment lockers.
Donors in the Granite Society are alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends who have chosen to become more deeply connected to the life of the university. Not only do they financially support the school, but they take part in the on-campus and online benefits of being Granite Society members — including phonecasts with UNH experts, special on-campus lecture series and webcasts of lectures.
“We were hearing from donors who give at the leadership level that they wanted to be more involved and understand what their gifts were helping the university accomplish," says Jackie Peterson, director of annual giving. "So we listened and created The Granite Society as a way to ensure these generous donors were more engaged in the work we are doing every day on campus and that they would have access to university leaders, faculty and students.”
Nowhere were the Granite Society members more active than during The (603) Challenge in June.
One of those members who played an important role in the challenge was Blake Skidmore ’07, a communication graduate. Skidmore was one of nearly a dozen donors who provided matching and bonus funds to motivate others to make gifts of any amount while the impact of their gifts could be doubled. More than 4,200 donors made gifts during The (603) Challenge to more than 150 programs and raised $414,905 during 150 hours of online giving.
“The (603) Challenge was a fantastic way to support UNH students and faculty to continue to make the world a better place. Being part of this effort to continue to support UNH and knowing that we are helping make a global impact with The (603) Challenge is truly exciting,” says Skidmore, who works as a senior engineering manager in greater Boston.
Skidmore points to the cutting-edge research coming out of UNH, especially in the areas of the sciences and public policy, as the reason he believes current students will be the changemakers and problem-solvers of the next decades. “I hope that my support offers the best of luck to the brilliant minds at UNH,” he says. "My wife Allison and I are honored to support such a great institution. Go Wildcats!”
