After meeting its $2 billion goal 17 months ahead of schedule, the University of Washington Foundation raised its goal Jan. 26 by $500 million to a total of $2.5 billion.

"When you sit down to design a goal, it is largely guesswork," said Campaign UW Chair William H. Gates, Sr., Campaign UW chair. "We underestimated the outlook of our goal."

The UW Foundation is one of 24 simultaneous campaigns under the umbrella of Campaign UW: Creating Futures, said Connie Kravas, UW Foundation president.

The sheer breadth of the campaign is in large part what makes it so successful, she said.

"A large part of [the success] has to do with the quality of the UW, Gates said. "The audience here — the potential givers — are impressed at what the UW is doing ... the contribution it is making to the world."

The campaign is expected to meet its new goal by June 2008.

"We are working very hard to make sure that this goal is met ... we understand how much the University relies on our success," Kravas said.

The money is going to various projects and departments on campus, but the main focus of the foundation is the Students First Campaign.

"The Students First Campaign is a student scholarship matching initiative, which will provide additional monies to need-based scholarships for undergraduate, graduate and professional students," according to the Campaign UW Web site.

Affordability is the goal, Kravas said.

"We want to assure students in the seventh grade, if they do their part to get good grades ... they won't have to worry about being able to afford furthering their education," she said.

This campaign has strengthened the relationship between insiders of the UW and outsiders, Kravas said.

"We believe that good fundraising is built out of strong relationships; people give to those causes that are most meaningful to them," Kravas said. "As these volunteers become more knowledgeable and engaged in what they see here, they become our strongest advocates and donors ... in terms of the difference it is making in the world, the UW is on fire."

The monetary goals of this campaign are indeed vast, but the personal effect this money has on the students is priceless, Gates said.

"[It's about] understanding the wonderful things that are happening at the UW and the contribution that is made to the students and the community," said Gates. "These are not things that can be measured by a number, or put in a bank account."

Reach reporter Celia Hunko at news@thedaily.washington.edu.