UW-Madison’s Martha Vukelich-Austin received the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Greater Madison’s Outstanding Fundraising Professional award.
The AFP aims to honor community champions that give their time, resources, and talent to causes they love, and making their community a more vibrant place to live.
Nominated by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Vukelich-Austin has worked in various capacities within the organization and showed distinguished leadership at pivotal times.
After working with Planned Parenthood, Vukelich-Austin served as the president of the Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools. During her time there, she built endowments for all public schools throughout the city. She also co-chaired the Reach Out and Read program, which gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together.
An alumna of UW-Madison, Vukelich-Austin’s career has come full circle and today she serves as the advancement manager for the School of Education’s Office of Communications and Advancement. At UW-Madison, she has also served on the National Wisconsin Alumni Association Board and the Athletic Board.
Vukelich-Austin also works within the Madison community, and has shared her talent with organizations like the YWCA of Dane County and the Downtown Madison Rotary.
Tanya Atkinson, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, commented on Vukelich-Austin’s impact in the community: “Martha embodies a kindness that generates positive energy and momentum. She cares so very deeply about the causes she champions. She connects like-spirited people with each other so we can find ways to conspire to create change.”