The way that 42 private schools, colleges, and universities use gift clubs to motivate donors is examined. Based on a nationwide survey, information is presented on the clubs' origins, requirements for membership, methods of enlisting new members, and ways of encouraging current members to increase gifts. Attention is also directed to the clubs' internal structures, programs, and activities, benefits to members, and approximate costs. The top programs are shown to share one common denominator: all have significant prestige among their own constituents. They accomplish this by making the program a priority, with first-class programming and a thorough, detailed approach. Some strategies the surveyed institutions find particularly effective are: (1) motivation techniques such as stepping stones within a gift society or societies representing different levels of giving; (2) providing members of preferential treatment, such as free parking, free admission to campus events, and use of school facilities, which please members while costing the institution little or nothing; (3) enlisting gift society members' help, both as volunteer leaders and as personal recruiters for the club; (4) persuading trustees or others to pick up the tab for dinners and other events honoring gift society members; (5) combining personalized direct mail solicitation with telephone and/or personal contact; and (6) focusing major giving efforts around reunion classes, with the class chairperson and other volunteers contributing much of the energy behind the drive. Profiles of the 42 institutions' clubs are given, and two articles and authors tell how to build a gift club program: "The Gift of Belonging: Building a Program for Priority Prospects," David C. Ferner and "Building Gift Club Membership," Robert D. Sweeney. (SW)