The Time is Now! Get Involved!

Gift and Recognition Opportunities

CED Tiles

With Your Help, We can Change Even More Lives!

Click here to download a pledge form Click here to donate securely online

The Urban League Center for Economic Development & Workforce Training will be located at a key gateway into Madison in one the city’s oldest multi-cultural neighborhoods. Our strategic location at The Villager puts us at the heart of one of Madison’s busiest and most vibrant community spaces. This offers a number of highly visible opportunities to recognize your support.

Visionary Gift Opportunities are available at levels over $25,000 and up to $100,000 or more. This can also include major in-kind donations such as office furniture, IT infrastructure and computer training workstations, and much more. Recognition will be customized to fit your needs. Please contact us to discuss the details.

Leadership Gifts - $25,000: Engraved name listing or dedication/tribute on a beautiful landscape planter, community patio seat or sponsorship of a key piece of artwork inside the building.

Pacesetter Gifts - $10,000: Engraved name listing on a computer workstation in one of our state of the art training classrooms.

Dedication tiles and bricks - $200 to $5,000: Engraved ceramic tiles will be a focal point in the main lobby of the building and dedication bricks will outline the sidewalk along the beautifully landscaped walkway leading up to the Center. See the tile order form for more information on how you can offer a lasting tribute for years to come.

All donors with a cumulative giving total of $10,000+ since the year 2000 will be recognized on the Millennial Donor Wall in the main lobby.

Founders, Guild, and Equal Opportunity Legacy Campaigns

The main lobby in our new facility will include historical displays commemorating several key aspects of our local history. You may opt to direct your gift to support one of the three Legacy Challenge Gift Campaigns described below. By doing so, your name will be engraved on a permanent plaque alongside that display.

1. Urban League Founders Campaign: At the height of the Civil Rights struggle, a group of visionary Madisonians formed the Friends of the Urban League. While the legal barriers to civil rights had started to crumble, discrimination in employment, housing, and education remained rife. In 1963 the group approached city leadership requesting a study of Madison's “non-White population and their interrelationship with the White population for the purpose of determining a need" for a local branch of the Urban League. Their requests were repeatedly denied on the basis that “discrimination as it exists in other communities does not exist in Madison.” Undeterred, the group persisted and officially opened the Madison Urban League in 1968.

In carrying on the spirit of our founders, the League has committed to accelerate its empowerment agenda with renewed vigor. Our current Board of Directors, an all volunteer group, has issued an unprecedented challenge gift of $125,000. Former board mebmers, their family, and their friends are asked to help us match this gift.

2. Urban League Guild Legacy Campaign: Throughout the last 20 years, the Urban League Guild has served as a vibrant and important volunteer arm of the League. The Guild has worked tirelessly to increase public awareness of the League, to support and volunteer for its programs, and to raise funds to support programs. The Guild emerged as the leader of what would become the most important public occasion for the Urban League - the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast where thousands of student recognition awards and scholarships have been presented over the years. Though many of the Guild members are now reaching into their 70’s and 80’s they can still be found volunteering at most every Urban League activity.

It is important that their legacy live on. Marshall Osborn, a longtime Urban League volunteer and former board member, along with his wife Millie, have pledged a $50,000 challenge gift. Their hope is that an additional $75,000 can be raised from Urban League volunteers and other friends of the Guild.

3. Champions For Equal Opportunity Campaign: Throughout history, the American legal system has served as both a beacon and a barrier to the movement for civil rights and equal opportunity. Locally, countless attorneys played a central role in the battle to reverse the perverse history of legalized discrimination. Many in Madison’s legal community have been staunch allies in the continued fight for equal opportunity: volunteering their time to conduct roundtable discussion groups and provide pro bono legal services to clients in our Fatherhood Responsibility Program; helping our youth develop critical thinking skills while also exposing them to career paths in the legal field as part of the annual Middle School Mock Trial Competition; and providing grants and sponsorships of Urban League programs over the years.

In continuing this tradition, nearly $75,000 in cash and in-kind legal services have been pledged to the campaign from local attorneys at Boardman Law Firm and Mohs, MacDonald, Widder, and Paradise Law Firm. Together, they have challenged Dane County’s legal community match this commitment.

The Time Is Now

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is the Urban League moving?

A: The Urban League has been in its existing building, a small century-old house, for more than 30 years. This facility is too small, lacks space for programs and training, and is inconvenient for our constituents to access. Click here to see the many reasons why this facility is an impediment to serving more individuals and learn how the new facility will be a dramatic improvement.

Q: Can I make a gift that benefits Urban League programs and services rather than the new building?

A: Absolutely. Our $4 million dollar campaign goal includes $1.2 million that will be set aside for expanding and enhancing our programs over the next three years.

Q: How can I help?

A: Your help will be critical to making this vision a reality. You can help in a number of different ways:

Make a donation to the campaign.
Be an ambassador for the Urban League! Visit us at StoryBridge TV, watch the two 5-minute episodes and then use the "Share" button to send this link to at least one friend, family member, or colleague and let them know why this project is important to you.
Volunteer to serve on one of the Legacy Campaign Teams
Host a "house party" and invite an Urban League representative to come share the Urban League message.
Download a free copy of the 2008 State of Black Madison Report or share it with a friend to help them understand why the Urban League's expanded programs & services can help improve the quality of life for all of us!
Contact us to discuss other ways you can get involved.

Q: How can I make a gift?

A: Numerous options exist for making your gift. You can submit the pledge form below or make a secure gift online. The Urban League is able to accept gifts of stock and other securities. Gifts of $5,000 or more can be paid in monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual payments for a period of up to 3 years. Gifts under $5,000 can be paid over a period of up to 2 years.

Click here to make a secure credit card donation online.

Click here to download a pledge form.

Q: Is my gift tax deductible?

A: Yes. All gifts to the Time is Now Campaign, including in-kind gifts, are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Consult your tax specialists for details.

Q: Is the Urban League accepting donated equipment or services as part of this campaign?

A: Yes. In fact, donated equipment and services can count towards our Kresge Foundation challenge goal for goods and services already part of the project budget. Examples include office furniture, IT infrastructure, computer training workstations, and more; please click here for our complete list. Please understand that we must be selective in accepting in-kind donations. For example, we will likely not be able to accept individual computer workstations or outdated technology equipment.

Q: What if my financial situation does not permit me to make a major gift to the Urban League at this time?

A: Remember that options exist to pay your pledge in installments over a period of up to three years - and possibly even longer in some instances. This is also a great time to think about leaving an Urban League legacy by designating a bequest in your will or through other planned giving options.

Q: Who can I contact for more information?

A: Edward Lee, President & CEO, (608) 251-8550x27 or elee@ulgm.org.

2222 S. Park Street, Suite 200 · Madison, WI 53713 · ph 608.729.1200 · fax 608.729.1205