Purchase College, State University of New York
President's Donor Appreciation Event
For Purchase College’s President’s Donor Appreciation Events in 2016 and 2017, The TAGS Group helped transform traditional donor recognition dinners into evenings built around storytelling, legacy, and emotional connection.
Held at the Neuberger Museum of Art, the events honored philanthropists, alumni, corporate partners, and arts advocates whose generosity helped shape the institution across generations.
The programs blended live remarks, student voices, cinematic pacing, and large-scale video storytelling to create donor experiences that felt deeply personal rather than procedural. At the center of each evening was a series of custom-produced tribute films created by The TAGS Group that were designed to illuminate not simply what the honorees had given, but why their support mattered.
Stories of scholarships, first-generation students, artistic mentorship, and creative opportunity unfolded through carefully layered transitions, live presentations, music, lighting, and video. From longtime arts patrons and legacy donors to alumni returning to support the programs that shaped their careers, the events emphasized the ripple effect of generosity across the Purchase community.
Each evening intentionally moved between celebration and reflection — balancing institutional pride with deeply human storytelling. Student musicians performed throughout the programs, honorees shared personal remarks, and donor tributes unfolded with the pacing and emotional arc of a live production rather than a conventional awards ceremony.
Because the most meaningful recognition isn’t simply about thanking people for what they gave.
It’s about showing them the lives they helped shape.
Photos shown are from the 2017 event.
Fall 2016 and Fall 2017
Neuberger Museum of Art at Purchase College, SUNY, Purchase, New York