The UCLA LAW CLASS of 2013 GIFT CAMPAIGN is underway, with events happening throughout April. Watch your emails to see when and where -- and feel free to give early (and often!) online. Make your Gift or Pledge today. Once you do, we'll list your name here, along with other generous members of the Class of 2013.

BREAKING NEWS: Dean Rachel Moran has agreed to match the class gift if the dollar amount pledged is over $12,500 by June 30, 2013! Since each student who contributes has the opportunity to choose one of eleven funds to which to designate their gift, if the match amount is reached, Dean Moran will distribute the matching gift among the three funds that receive the greatest number of student donations.

CURRENT TOTAL DOLLARS RAISED: $12,766.69
The match has been triggered! Now your dollars are doubled!

Last year, the Class of 2012 gift totaled $20,826.92. Dean Moran generously agreed to match the gift that year as well, and the match went to Scholarships and PILF, with CRS and Law Fellows Outreach tying for third place.

 
 

What is the Class Gift Campaign?

Established in 2008, the UCLA Law Class Gift Campaign is a way for each graduating class to have an impact on the future of UCLA Law and begin their lifelong connection to the law school as contributing alumni. We ask that each graduating law student make a gift, demonstrating support for your class, future UCLA Law students, and the law school as a whole. The gift total will be presented to Dean Moran at graduation.

Why should I give?

1.  UCLA Law needs your financial support (aka, “Tuition doesn’t cover everything”).
Have you noticed that the cost of attending UCLA Law has gone up dramatically in the last several years?  A small part of that increase is due to inflation and increases in education costs, but much of it is because of the dramatic decline of state funding. Consider this:

  • In 1986, state funds provided nearly full funding of student fees and tuition.
  • By 2001, state funds covered 70% of student fees, private gifts covered 12%, and student fees covered 18%.
  • Today, state funds only account for 30% of student costs, private gifts have only increased to 16%, and students must cover the remaining 54%.

That means that the tuition you pay covers only about half of the cost of law school. The more private philanthropy that UCLA Law can count on, the less financial burden will fall on students. Future UCLA Law students will benefit from your gift, the same way that you have benefited from the generosity of those donors and alumni (and students!) who have come before you.

Here’s a recent example of how alumni donations have made a difference: When the Regents approved the tuition hike over the summer of 2012 that would’ve taken effect only a few weeks before the fall semester began, Dean Moran, thanks to private philanthropy, was able to hold the line by offering scholarship support to offset that increase in tuition.  Dean Moran realizes that it is crucial for UCLA Law to provide financial aid and scholarships to ensure that our school remains accessible to the very best students regardless of their economic background.

2.  Class giving is standard practice across the board at our peer schools
At most top tier law schools, class giving campaigns are well-established traditions, and many law school graduating classes achieve participation above 90%. Established in 2008, the class giving campaign at UCLA Law is still quite new, and we have a lot of work to do to catch up.

This year, we'll be tracking our progress against our cross-town rival's -- USC Gould School of Law. Watch this space to see how our class gift campaign is doing compared to theirs. Last year, they reached 56% participation to our 48%, so beating them is definitely within our reach! 

3.  Higher participation rates benefit students and alumni alike.
One of the factors that influence a law school's reputation is "alumni participation." Participation is defined as the percentage of alumni who make a gift to their alma mater. Higher rates of participation demonstrate alumni satisfaction and enhance the reputation of a law school among law firms, judges and other employers. 

Increased giving also means increased expenditures per student -- another major factor in law school rankings. And with greater resources, UCLA Law can continue to compete for the best and  brightest law students in the country, which also plays a major role in national law school rankings. 

Last year, 48% of the Class of 2012 made a pledge their class gift.

In 2010-2011, 30.2% of UCLA Law alumni made a gift to the law school, ranking us among the top law schools nationwide.

Within discrete alumni groups at the law school, we have even higher levels of alumni participation – like the astounding 80% that the UCLA Law Firm Challenge achieved this past year.

These numbers are impressive, and we think our class can do better than it has in the past. Our goal for the Class of 2013 Gift Campaign is 65%.

What is the difference between a gift and a pledge?

With a pledge, you may complete your gift by making regular payments over time, allowing you to give more generously than you originally may have considered. You can pledge a one-time gift payable by June 30, 2013 or a larger pledge payable over the next five years. Make your pledge here.  Want even more reason to make a five-year pledge? 

When you make a gift, it means that you are making a one-time contribution to UCLA Law. The easiest way to do this is online, though if you want to write a check or make a cash gift, that's OK too (contact the law school's development office to do that). To make a gift to support the Dean's Discretionary Endowment (which goes towards the law school's most pressing needs), Student Scholarships, Faculty Research, Library and Technology, the Public Interest Law Program, or Law Student Organizations, go to law.ucla.edu/GIVING. To make a gift to support the Critical Race Studies Program, the Entertainment Law Program, the Law Outreach Program (which funds the Law Fellows Program), or The Williams Institute, go to law.ucla.edu/DONATE. Don't forget to write "Class of 2013 Gift" in the comments field!


Current Results!

We will post results here of the Class Gift Challenge once it gets underway.


Which UCLA Law funds can I support?

There are so many options! You can make your gift to one of eleven funds at the law school:

How much should I give?

The Class of 2013 Gift committee suggests a five-year pledge of $400 ($25, $50, $75, $100, $150) or a one-time gift of $20.13, though larger gifts are also gratefully accepted. Remember that if we reach $5,000 in gifts and pledges, Dean Moran will match our gift, so let’s make sure that our impact is doubled!

How do I make my gift?

1) You can make your gift or pledge online.

2) Fill out a pledge card during one of the campaign events this spring. The Class Gift Committee will have various events throughout the year, so watch your email and MyLaw for when those will be. 

3) Stop by the Records Office to get a pledge card and fill it out. They will have a box for you to turn it in as well.

4) Or, look for one of the committee members in your classes or in the halls. They all have pledge cards as well.

5) Call the Office of External Affairs at (310) 206-1170 or stop by in A105 to make your gift or pledge.

Once you make your gift, your name will be listed here, along with all of your generous classmates. It will also be included on the list of class gift supporters presented at Graduation and inserted into the Graduation program. Your name and gift will also be acknowledged in the Law School's 2013 Honor Roll, an annual list of all donors to the law school, distributed to our entire alumni community.

The value of your UCLA Law credential depends on the excellence and strength of your alma mater.

You can make a difference!