The UCLA LAW CLASS of 2012 GIFT CAMPAIGN is still going -- you can make your gift until June 30, 2012! Please help our class achieve 100% participation by making a Gift or Pledge today. Many thanks to those of you who have already contributed to our Class Gift.

UPDATE: As of May 9, 2012, the Class of 2012 has pledged $20,706.32.  Congratulations to the LLMs for being the winning section in the Class Gift Challenge! You can see the current results here.

Currently, the top three funds that will recieve the Dean's match are Scholarships, PILF, and CRS (beating Law Fellows Outreach by one gift!).

 
 

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.  It's a win-win for our class and the school
Two very generous challenges have been presented to the Class of 2012.

First, Dean Rachel Moran has agreed to match the class gift if the dollar amount pledged is over $5,000 by June 30, 2011. Since each student who contributes has the opportunity to choose one of ten 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. What a great way to leverage your gift and get more bang for your buck!

But that's not all! Jim Barrall '75, founding chair of the UCLA Law Firm Challenge and a partner at Latham & Watkins, has also challenged the Class of 2012 with a generous offer: if 79% the Class of 2012 make five-year pledges to the class gift, Jim and the other partners in the Law Firm Challenge will throw a huge end-of-the-year party for the whole class.

With these two motivators, we feel giving to the Class Gift is a no-brainer.

2.  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 demonstarte alumni satisfaction and enhance the reputation of a law school among law firms, judges and other employers. 

we can continue to recruit law students like you -- the best and the brightest in the country

Last year, 46% of the Class of 2011 made a pledge their class gift.

In 2010-2011, 30.2% of UCLA Law alumni made a gift to the law school, ranking us 4th among law schools nationwide.

Within discrete alumni groups at the law school, we have even higher levels of alumni participation – like the astounding 79% that the UCLA Law Firm Challenge achieved this past year.

These numbers are impressive, but we think our class can do even better. Our goal for the Class of 2012 Gift Campaign is 100%.

3.  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, but mostly it’s 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%.
  • In 2010, state funds only covered 30%, private gifts only increased to 16%, and students had to 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 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 that would’ve taken effect only a few weeks before our fall semester began, Dean Moran (thanks to alumni donations) was able to hold the line by offering scholarship support to offset the most recent 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.

4.  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.

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, 2012 or a larger pledge payable over the next five years. Make your pledge here. Don't forget, the Class of 2012 gets a swanky year-end party if 80% of our class makes five-year pledges. Want even more reason to make a five-year pledge? When you make a five-year pledge, you will not be solicited by the law school for any further gifts over the next five years.

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 2012 Gift" in the comments field!


Class Gift Section Challenge and Current Results!

As our time at UCLA Law comes to a close, we're circling back to where it all began -- our first-year sections. The Class of 2012 has been divided up into our the following groups: Section 1/2, Section 3/4, Section 5/6, Section 7/8, 4Ls and transfer students, and LLMs. These groups will be competing against one another for bragging rights and will gain the satisfaction of knowing your generosity will benefit future law students here at UCLA.

class gift.JPG

What can I give to?

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

How much should I give?

You should give at whatever you feel comfortable. The Class of 2012 Gift committee suggests a five-year pledge of $20.12 per year, though a one-time gift or pledge of $20.12 is also helpful. Any amount is fine – the important thing is that you participate. Remember that if we reach $5,000 in gifts and pledges, Dean Moran will match our gift, so let’s be generous so 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 a campaign event. The Class Gift Committee will have various events throughout the year, so watch your email for announcements of when those will be. Or, look for one of the committee members in your classes or in the halls. They all have pledge cards as well.

3) Call the Office of External Affairs at (310) 206-1170.

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 supporters presented at Graduation and inserted into the Graduation program. Your name and gift will also be acknowledged in the Law School's 2012 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!