Higher Purpose

“The more I’ve done, the more I want to do.”

So says Jeffrey Manderfeld. Today he is a managing director and financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual. He also is an active supporter of the Carlson School.

Manderfeld began his involvement with the Carlson School by speaking to classes, then mentoring students, and eventually helping to raise $125,000 for Hanson Hall, the new undergraduate building, and for the scholarship endowment fund. “Out of 105 financial advisors in our firm, 12 to 15 of them are Carlson School graduates,” he says. “We believe in giving back to the community we work in and started raising money for the Carlson School two and a half years ago.”

In 2008 Manderfeld and his alumni coworkers—with the help of Northwestern Mutual, which matches employees’ scholarship donations—made a commitment to contribute $62,500 to the scholarship endowment fund and another $62,500 to the new undergraduate building over a five-year period. “The Carlson School helped me get to where I am today,” Manderfeld says. “I have a lot of pride in the school, and I want to make sure it continues to be highly regarded.”

Over the years, Manderfeld also has served as a mentor to several Carlson School students, including 2009 scholarship recipient Conner Kolodge. “He’s a very sharp young guy; very impressive,” Manderfeld says. “I’m a big believer in young people doing big things. We currently have 15 people in our firm who are formally in the University of Minnesota’s mentoring program.”

Manderfeld’s commitment to the Carlson School and to his community belies his age—he is only 34. He also is involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Minnesota Military Appreciation Fund, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and several other charitable and service organizations. “There comes a time,” he says, “when you’re financially comfortable and you need a higher purpose than just going to work every day.”