The DC Bar Foundation's annual Call to Action campaign kicks off this month with a goal of raising $533,000 in unrestricted funds for DC's civil legal aid network.
This year, we will base the campaign's giving tiers on the gift amount divided by the number of attorneys in the firm's DC office, creating a more equitable recognition system for firms of all sizes. We are excited to announce the following new tiers for Call to Action:
Change-Makers (Firms who give $100 or more per DC office attorney)
Visionaries (Firms who give $75 - $99 per DC Office attorney)
Network Builders (Firms who give $50 - $74 per DC Office attorney)
Ambassadors (Firms who give $25 - $49 per DC Office attorney)
Friends (Firms who give up to $25 per DC Office Attorney)
We hope our adjusted tier recognition system will allow DC-area law firms to expand their generosity to reflect their footprints within the District's legal community more accurately. Though our ask amounts vary by firm, we invite all firms to support the District's civil legal aid network with a donation of at least $50 per DC office attorney.
Through this campaign, local law firms and corporations generously fund civil legal aid for District residents who are financially disenfranchised or otherwise underserved each year. Dollars raised through Call to Action support training programs for legal aid lawyers, provide financial support to those same attorneys through our Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), and bolster the Foundation's operating grants, which provide critical unrestricted funding to legal aid organizations in DC. These grants help some of our grantee partners keep the lights on to continue offering life-saving services to residents in need.
Last year, 94 generous law firms and corporations in DC helped us exceed our Call to Action goal by more than $12,000. This year, to continue building strong legal aid networks that meet the needs of our community's most vulnerable residents, we are asking over 140 firms, corporations, and faith communities to contribute $533,000. We know we can meet and exceed this ambitious goal with your support.
We thank those who have given to Call to Action consecutively over the years, particularly those who have increased their gift amounts. Your continued support expands the Foundation's civil legal aid community reach. It helps make it possible for us to transform DC's civil legal aid network so that all District residents have a fair and equal legal experience.
To learn more about how your workplace can support Call to Action, please visit our website or contact Daryl Byler, Director of Development and Communications, at byler@dcbarfoundation.org.