Partners At Work

We invite law firms with five or more alumni to participate and compete against other firms for the honor of being one of the firms with the highest percentage of alumni to make a gift to the Law School. The winning firms will receive special recognition. The program aims to strengthen our alumni’s connection to the Law School through events, volunteerism, and fundraising.

• The Partners at Work participation number is the percentage of alumni at your firm who make a gift of any amount to any area of the Law School during the campaign — July 1–June 30.
• Along with the participation program, firms who raise the most total dollars from alumni to any area of the Law School during the campaign will also be recognized. We do not publish individual firms’ giving amounts, but may combine the top three firms’ to announce total dollars contributed.

The results of the program will be posted on the Law School’s website, printed in  Minnesota Law Magazine, appear on the Law School display screens in Mondale Hall, and will be featured in the alumni Digest. Recognition will also be given to participating firms as well as individuals who participated in the Law School’s Impact of Giving report.

Partners at Work Agents serve as ambassadors of the Law School by encouraging giving among fellow alumni at their respective firms, circulating information about exciting developments at the Law School, and keeping their colleagues apprised of the firm’s standing in the program to help inspire 100% participation. 

The program runs throughout the Law School’s fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). All gifts made during this period will count toward your firm's participation rate. The "Final Sprint" of the program will take place from May 30 to June 30, during which time Agents will contact fellow alumni at their firms to encourage them to make a gift and to keep them informed of the firm’s standing in the program. The final results of the program will be announced in mid July.  

The goal of the program is for each participating firm to achieve 100% participation. Our objective is to strengthen the Law School’s relationship with alumni and the broader legal community, as well as to encourage consistent giving among alumni. The program also benefits participating firms by highlighting each firm’s commitment to philanthropy. Further, the program benefits alumni at these firms by building camaraderie within the firm and vitalizing alumni networks in the larger community. 

A gift of any size and to any designation made to the Law School between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 (the Law School’s fiscal year). This includes, among other things, all outright gifts and pledge payments, a contribution to a Reunion Class Gift, a gift that is restricted to a specific area of the Law School, or a gift to the Annual Fund.

There are numerous ways to support the Law School in the way that best works for you, including:

Recurring gifts: Monthly gifts are automatically processed each month, saving you time and meaning you won’t need to remember to renew your PAW gift next year! Pledge payments: If you make a pledge to the Law School, any payments you make on the pledge during the fiscal year count towards Partners at Work. 

Corporate matching gifts: If you work for an organization that has a matching gifts program, you can double or even triple the amount of your gift, simply by completing a form with your employer. You can check here if your firm has a matching program.