Sentinel Society
The Sentinel Society recognizes a community of leadership donors who make a meaningful annual investment in the university. Together, these donors play a pivotal role in providing gifts that provide financial aid scholarships and fund RIT’s most pressing and immediate needs across campus. Endowment spending only covers about four percent of the annual operating budget but truly unrestricted support provides university leadership the flexibility to prioritize the needs of our students. Unrestricted gifts provide resources that allow the university to take advantage of unanticipated academic and student life opportunities, make life-changing international experiences accessible, offer powerful career-building and research programs, and react to numerous unforeseen challenges our students face.
Sentinel members receive invitations to exclusive in-person and virtual experiences, early registration to select events, and recognition in our online Sentinel Honor Roll. They also receive exclusive membership communications, opportunities to engage with faculty and university leadership, and access to a community of like-minded philanthropists.
You can complete your pledge online or download a form and mail it to the address provided.
Read the latest Sentinel Society news:

Membership Levels
We invite you to join the Sentinel Society and start making an impact today. Membership is granted to those supporters who make a five-year commitment to a Sentinel Society eligible fund, in an area of the university they feel most passionate about. Members are recognized in our online honor roll at the following annual gift levels:
ANNUAL GIFT | RECOGNITION LEVEL |
---|---|
$50,000+ | Visionaries |
$25,000-$49,999 | Innovators |
$10,000-$24,999 | Collaborators |
$5,000-$9,999 | Investors |
$2,500-$4,999 | Champions |
$1,000-$2,499 | Members |
$500-$999 | Entrepreneurs* |
*Current students and graduates of the last decade. |
To learn more about how you can make a difference in a specific area of the university, please read the impact area descriptions below.
You can complete your pledge online or download a form and mail it to the address provided.
Create a Sentinel Scholarship
By pledging $5,000 or more annually for five years, you can create a scholarship in your name or in the name of someone you wish to honor. A full 100% of your gift will benefit the student scholarship awardee.
By creating a Sentinel Scholarship, you will have the opportunity to:
Support one or more students over five years
Assist a student in your choice of college
Learn about your student awardee(s)
Download the scholarship pledge form to create a named Sentinel Scholarship at the $25,000 level or higher.
Impact Areas
Sentinel members play a critical role in the lives of RIT students through gifts that provide direct scholarship support and fund RIT’s most pressing and immediate needs across campus. By giving to one of the areas below, your investment goes to work immediately, providing bright and deserving students access to a transformative educational experience.
of Greatest Need)
Financial Aid
and Design
Engineering Technology
Sciences and Technology
Liberal Arts
Science
and Information Sciences
for Sustainability
of Engineering
Institute for the Deaf
of Business
Individualized Study
Athletics
Inclusion
School
Libraries
Center
Arts
Center
Life
You can complete your pledge online or download a form and mail it to the address provided.
For more information, please contact us at 585-475-5500 or DonorRelations@rit.edu