Bryant University’s vibrant culture of philanthropy has been built year by year, donor by donor, gift by gift. It continues to thrive and grow, thanks to the many members of Bryant’s Consecutive Giving Society. The Society’s 1,589 current members are alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends who have made an annual gift to Bryant for the past three or more consecutive years. Their loyal support allows Bryant to allocate critical resources toward emerging needs and priorities, providing flexibility that has proved especially important during the past year. During fiscal year 2021, of the nearly 6,100 donors who made gifts to Bryant, more than a quarter of them were members of the Consecutive Giving Society.
Society member Bernie Jackvony ’67 made his first gift to Bryant a few years after he graduated, and has remained a loyal donor — most recently giving for 20 consecutive years — since 2000. “Bryant has been such an important part of my life and gave me the tools to be successful,” he says. “I’m proud to give back each year.”
Bryant has been such an important part of my life and gave me the tools to be successful. I’m proud to give back each year.
His annual contributions have helped drive the University’s rising reputation and the continued success of each new class of Bryant graduates, including recent graduate Renee Lawlor ’15. She is one of many young alumni who have established an unbroken record of annual giving since making her Senior Class Gift and walking through the Archway at Commencement.
“Almost daily, I recognize the value of the skills I learned at Bryant,” Lawlor says. “I give each year because Bryant is a part of my accomplishments and the foundation I continue to
build on, and I see it as a responsibility to pay that opportunity forward.”
Loyalty is strong among the faculty and staff at Bryant, and they are well represented in the Consecutive Giving Society. Associate Athletics Director Jason Sullivan made his first gift
in 2004 and has been giving each year to Black & Gold Athletics since 2011 through automatic payroll deduction. “I am grateful to be part of the Bryant campus community,” Sullivan said. “My annual gift reflects the appreciation I have for so many of my colleagues who work hard to
make Bryant a special place.”
Many in the Bryant community continue to make the University a philanthropic priority long after they leave campus: more than 400 Society members have given to Bryant in 10 consecutive years or more, nearly 150 members have given in 20 consecutive years or more, and 51 members have given in 30 consecutive years or more.
Danny Lamere, Associate Director of Stewardship, says that Bryant has begun to acknowledge the extraordinary support of Consecutive Giving Society members with a series of newly designed membership pins that commemorate their milestone years of consistent and loyal giving to Bryant. “The generosity of our Consecutive Giving Society members is inspiring,” he says, “and our gratitude to them is as steadfast as their loyal support for Bryant.”
