College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources // Monticello Society

Pride, Partnership, Pre-eminence

The Monticello Society was established in 2001 and was so named to honor the commitment of Thomas Jefferson to higher education and his belief in the importance of agriculture. Through the Monticello Society, the College shows its gratitude to major benefactors, whose commitment to secure the future of the College and affirm the importance of American agriculture in today’s global economy set the standard for all our donors.

The power of private philanthropy helps shape the future of teaching and research, while making a tremendous impact on the lives of our students.

It is the gifts of these benefactors that provide the College a legacy of generosity and, in partnership with the College, sustain Jefferson’s vision of excellence in higher education.

Join Us!

Become a part of this exceptional group of dedicated alumni and friends who desire to have an impact on the ability of our College to achieve ever higher levels of excellence. Contact the Office of Advancement for additional information.

Membership

Membership eligibility is established through gifts or pledges to any department or program within the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. In the case of husband and wife, membership may be joint.

Donors may also designate their gifts as unrestricted to allow the Dean the ability to support current priorities of the College as needed. Unrestricted funds are a key tool for the Dean to use throughout the College.

Sustaining Members

Six levels of sustaining membership are available to donors who meet one or more of the following criteria:
Contribute or pledge a gift over 10 years at one of the listed amounts (Sustaning Membership Levels).
Prior gifts, including company matching gifts, equaling one of the listed amounts.
Planned gifts through wills or trusts may qualify for recognition at half the face value of the planned gift.
Faculty, staff and retirees reach membership levels at half face value.
Irrevocable trusts qualify as outright gifts at full value.

Sustaining Membership Levels

Membership Levels	Outright Gifts/Pledges	Estate Gifts
Member	$25,000	$50,000
Fellow	$50,000	$100,000
Distinguished Fellow	$100,000	$200,000
Very Distinguished Fellow	$250,000	$500,000
Diplomat	$500,000	$1,000,000
Ambassador	$1,000,000	$2,000,000

Annual Members

Annual membership is granted to donors who contribute at least $1,000 to the College during any calendar year. Faculty, staff and retirees are granted membership with gifts totaling at least $500 to the College per calendar year. Memberships are renewable on January 1.

Benefits

Monticello Society members share the pleasure of partnership with the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources in preparing today’s scholars and those of upcoming generations and supporting programs and research that have an impact far into the future.
All members receive a Monticello Society lapel pin.
Sustaining members’ names are permanently displayed on our Donor Wall of Honor in the Agriculture Building.
An annual Monticello Society event honors society members and inaugurates new members.
Sustaining members receive dual membership in the Jefferson Club and Monticello Society.
All Monticello Society members are invited to special events hosted by the dean throughout the year.

We celebrate our Monticello Society members at an annual brunch.