The familiar sight of flamingos covered UW-Madison’s Bascom Hill on Friday for the annual Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association Fill the Hill fundraiser, bringing in a record-breaking $752,377 as of Sunday evening.
While the campaign is still open, the amount has flown past last year’s $511,877 raised from more than 3,300 gifts. This year, 4,470 gifts were received, and any gift of $5 or more is represented via a plastic flamingo on Bascom Hill.
The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association told The Cap Times the fundraiser, which has been active for over a decade, was important this year due to federal funding cuts affecting university research.
The campaign began at 5 a.m. Friday, and lasted for 24 hours, though online donations are still being accepted for the UW-Madison homecoming fundraiser.
