Law School wins Give Green Grand Prize

Tulane Law School topped its previous record in what was the most successful Give Green day of giving on the books.

Held April 11, the law school:

• Won the Big Green Grand Prize for the third year in a row in the A category, adding $8,000 in bonus money;
• Reached a whopping 644 donors, the most ever;
• Unlocked every single law school donor challenge, which topped $86,000;
• Raised the most money university-wide, with more than $279,000 raised in just over 24 hours.

“What an amazing Give Green for Tulane Law School,” said Interim Dean Sally Richardson  “The excitement of our alumni, our faculty, our staff, and even our students in Giving Green to support Tulane Law School is truly unparalleled.  This support and enthusiasm for the Law School is what makes Tulane such a special place to be.  I could not be prouder to be a Tulanian!”    

Give Green, now in its 7th year, helps provide a 24-hour window to celebrate Tulane and Tulanians with money raised going to programs and student scholarships.

In a nod to history, this year’s Give Green campaign started at 18:34 (6:34 p.m.) April 10, marking the year Tulane was founded, and ended at midnight the following day.  Throughout the day, Weinmann Hall was abuzz with revelry, with donors scooping up law swag, and sampling coffee cart java and the donuts used as sweet bargaining chips for potential gifts.

 There were lively updates from Richardson on social media, and the occasional announcement to rally the troops when the law school was up or fell behind in the horse race for the Big Green Grand Prize, a friendly competition for bonus dollars. Students in the graduating class were signing up other students for giving, and faculty and staff encouraged donors from amongst their ranks, as well as from alumni and friends of Tulane.

“The generosity of Tulanians on Give Green will make an immediate and profound impact on our current students”, said Madison Hurwitz Gettes, Senior Director of Tulane Law School’s Annual Fund and the architect of the law school's Give Green campaign. “This year’s growth in participation not only amplifies the impact of each donation but also strengthens the sense of community and shared commitment to advancing education and fostering a thriving academic environment.”

Faculty and staff didn’t disappoint this year: More than 70 of them gave to unlock $10,000, a challenge gift from alum Dan Kusnetz (A&S ’80, L*82).

Alumni, too, came through, with the reunion classes ending in 4 and 9 delivering more than $50,000 in unlocking dollars. Michael Lee (L *94) challenged his fellow reunion celebrants in the classes ending in 4 with an unlocking $25,000 challenge as long as there were 50 donors. Similarly, Jeff (L *89) and Leslie (NC '92) Frost and Chris Ralston (L *99) challenged reunion classes ending in 9 to unlock $25,000, gifts tied to 50 donors giving.

Dick Crowell (L*65) challenged 100 student donors to give to unlock $10,000, and Dean’s Advisory Board members Meredith Hathorn (L*83) and Michael Rubenstein (L*93) challenged the Tulane Law community to have 500 donors for an unlocking $15,000 challenge. Students and community members far surpassed those totals. 

Finally, more than 100 donors gave during the afternoon hours of 2 to 6 p.m., which unlocked a $1,967 challenge from alum Jimmy Nieset (L*67), of course, in honor of his graduating class of 1967.

At the university level, the effort raised more than $1.6 million, up 9 percent in the number of gifts and about 17 percent in dollars as compared to 2023, the highest ever raised during Give Green.