Today's Leadership Circle
The Leadership Circle brings together a distinguished and diverse group of individuals from across the Bay Area and Japan. Members represent a wide range of fields—including U.S.–Japan international relations, arts and culture, finance, international business, and education—united by a shared commitment to strengthening ties across the Pacific.
Leadership Circle members provide invaluable counsel and personal philanthropy to the Society. Their generosity makes possible the full breadth of JSNC’s work: our programs, language classes, cultural events, and the growing Arts from Japan platform. None of it would be possible without these dedicated patrons.
Membership Tiers
Leadership Circle membership is recognized at five giving levels. Friend Circle and Patron Circle tiers are available for individuals or couples. At the Benefactor, Partner, and Champions Circle levels, two named household members are included as a standard benefit of the tier.
All Leadership Circle members enjoy a curated program of exclusive benefits—insider cultivation events, priority access to Arts from Japan programming, and VIP receptions with program speakers—with enhanced experiences at each higher tier. The full membership tier descriptions follow below.
| Leadership Circle Member Benefits | Friend Circle$1,000($1,500 couple) | Patron Circle$2,500($3,000 couple) | Benefactor Circle$5,000(2 named members) | Partner Circle$10,000(2 named members) | Champions Circle$20,000(2 named members) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACCESS & ENGAGEMENT | |||||
| Chairman’s Thank You Reception | • | • | • | • | • |
| Leadership Circle–only events | • | • | • | • | • |
| Innovation Symposium tickets (Stanford) | 1 ticket | 2 tickets | 4 tickets | 4 tickets | 4 tickets |
| VIP receptions with program speakers | • | Priority access | Priority access | Priority access + guaranteed seating | Priority access + guaranteed seating |
| ARTS FROM JAPAN | |||||
| Advance notice & priority access for Arts from Japan events | • | • | • | • | |
| Exclusive priority registration for limited-capacity VIP Arts events | • | First access | First access | ||
| Exclusive artist receptions & backstage access | • | • | • | ||
| Invitation to intimate VIP cultural dinner (e.g., artist dinner at a private home) | • | • | |||
| RECOGNITION & STEWARDSHIP | |||||
| Recognition at select JSNC events throughout the year | • | • | • | • | • |
| Named membership (2 named members per household) | • | • | • | ||
| Event sponsorship recognition (one per year) | • | • | |||
| Private leadership briefing (board leader or cultural official) | • | • | |||
| CHAMPIONS CIRCLE EXCLUSIVE | |||||
| Gala table for eight | • | ||||
| Named cultural event opportunity (in collaboration with JSNC leadership) | • | ||||
Priority access / First access = Guaranteed invitation with advance booking time
Pricing: $1,000 per year for individuals and $1,500 per year for couple members, renewable annually
Access & Engagement Benefits:
- Invitations to exclusive Leadership Circle-only events
- Invitation to exclusive VIP dinners and receptions with program speakers
- Invitation to the Japan Society's annual Chairman's 'Thank You' Reception
- ONE FREE ticket to annual Japan-US Innovation Symposium held at Stanford University
Recognition & Stewardship Benefits:
- Recognition at select JSNC events throughout the year
Pricing: $2,500 per year for individuals and $3,000 per year for couple members, renewable annually
Access & Engagement Benefits:
- Invitations to exclusive Leadership Circle-only events
- Invitation and priority access to exclusive VIP dinners and receptions with program speakers
- Invitation to the Japan Society's annual Chairman's 'Thank You' Reception
- TWO FREE ticket to annual Japan-US Innovation Symposium held at Stanford University
Recognition & Stewardship Benefits:
- Recognition at select JSNC events throughout the year
Arts From Japan Benefits:
- Advance notice and priority access for Arts from Japan events
Pricing: $5,000 per year for 2 named household members, renewable annually
Access & Engagement Benefits:
- Invitations to exclusive Leadership Circle-only events
- Invitation and priority access to exclusive VIP dinners and receptions with program speakers
- Invitation to the Japan Society's annual Chairman's 'Thank You' Reception
- FOUR FREE ticket to annual Japan-US Innovation Symposium held at Stanford University
Recognition & Stewardship Benefits:
- Recognition at select JSNC events throughout the year
- 2 named household members included
Arts From Japan Benefits:
- Advance notice and priority access for Arts from Japan events
- Exclusive priority registration for limited-capacity VIP Arts events
- Exclusive artist receptions and backstage access
Pricing: $10,000 per year for 2 named household members, renewable annually
Access & Engagement Benefits:
- Invitations to exclusive Leadership Circle-only events
- Invitation, priority access and guaranteed seating to exclusive VIP dinners and receptions with program speakers
- Invitation to the Japan Society's annual Chairman's 'Thank You' Reception
- FOUR FREE ticket to annual Japan-US Innovation Symposium held at Stanford University
Recognition & Stewardship Benefits:
- Recognition at select JSNC events throughout the year
- 2 named household members included
- Event sponsorship recognition once per year
- Private leadership briefing with board leader or cultural official
Arts From Japan Benefits:
- Advance notice and priority access for Arts from Japan events
- First access registration for limited-capacity VIP Arts events
- Exclusive artist receptions and backstage access
- Invitation to intimate VIP cultural dinners (e.g., artist dinner at a private home)
Pricing: $20,000 per year for 2 named household members, renewable annually
Access & Engagement Benefits:
- Invitations to exclusive Leadership Circle-only events
- Invitation, priority access, and guaranteed seating to exclusive VIP dinners and receptions with program speakers
- Invitation to the Japan Society's annual Chairman's 'Thank You' Reception
- FOUR FREE ticket to annual Japan-US Innovation Symposium held at Stanford University
Recognition & Stewardship Benefits:
- Recognition at select JSNC events throughout the year
- 2 named household members included
- Event sponsorship recognition once per year
- Private leadership briefing with board leader or cultural official
Arts From Japan Benefits:
- Advance notice and priority access for Arts from Japan events
- First access registration for limited-capacity VIP Arts events
- Exclusive artist receptions and backstage access
- Invitation to intimate VIP cultural dinners (e.g., artist dinner at a private home)
Champion Circle Exclusive Benefits:
- Gala table for eight
- Named cultural event opportunity, in collaboration with JSNC leadership
Recognition and Benefits
The Leadership Circle is JSNC’s premier recognition platform for personal philanthropy. Membership reflects the total of your individual giving to JSNC across all programs during the recognition year—whether your support flows to the Annual Fund, the Arts from Japan Fund, the Gala, program-specific campaigns, or other JSNC initiatives. Reach the qualifying threshold and you are recognized in the Leadership Circle at the appropriate tier, with benefits that deepen your connection to our work and community.
What Counts Towards Your Recognition Goal
Corporate gifts and organizational sponsorships are recognized separately through JSNC’s Corporate Membership program and do not count toward an individual’s Leadership Circle total. For full details, see the Leadership Circle Annual Listing Policy.
Recognition Year
Gifts received between April 1 of the previous year and March 31 of the current year are recognized in the Leadership Circle listing for the current year. JSNC publishes the updated listing by May 1 and continues to add new and renewing members on a rolling basis through June 30.
Sustaining Circle
Donors who give at the Leadership Circle level ($1,000 or more) for three or more consecutive years are recognized as Sustaining Circle members. This designation honors the sustained commitment that makes JSNC’s long-term work possible, and Sustaining Circle members receive dedicated stewardship and renewal outreach from the JSNC team.
History of Leadership Circle
Founded in 1905, the Japan Society of Northern California has spent more than a century deepening the bonds between Japan and the Bay Area. The Leadership Circle was established in 2010 to recognize and celebrate the individuals whose personal philanthropy makes that work possible—and to create a series of experiences offering deeper insight into our programs, meaningful personal connections, and a sense of belonging to a community of visionary supporters.
Join Our Newsletter
Stay up to date on upcoming Japan Society events and activities.
Leadership Circle members will be subscribed to our newsletter to help you stay up to date on upcoming Japan Society programs and events.