Virginia United Methodist Foundation

What Virginia United Methodist Foundation does

The Virginia United Methodist Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1971 and headquartered at 10330 Staples Mill Rd., Suite 300, Glen Allen, Virginia. It operates as an affiliated agency of the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, serving local United Methodist churches and Conference agencies in their efforts to expand programs and ministries through planned giving and endowment funds. The Foundation provides consultation, planning, education, and training services to churches at no charge, and offers its donor base multiple giving vehicles including bequests, life insurance, retirement assets, appreciated stocks, real estate, Required Minimum Distributions, and Qualified Charitable Distributions.

The Foundation's product portfolio spans Planned Giving, Endowments, Wills & Bequests, Ways of Giving, Grants, and Scholarships as core offerings, with add-on modules that include Donor-Advised Funds (no set-up or disbursement fees; minimum 50% of distributions must support United Methodist causes), Capital Campaign support, socially responsible Investment Funds, Church Loans (delivered through the affiliated Virginia United Methodist Development Company / DevCo), Online Statements via a VestServe-hosted portal, investment Fact Sheets, and the Saving Grace financial well-being curriculum. The revenue model is built on professional services (planned giving consultation) and managed services (endowment and investment fund management), with pricing not publicly disclosed and core services delivered at no charge to churches.

The organization has 1-10 employees and is led by Rev. Dr. Steven J. Summers, who serves as President of both the Foundation and the Development Company. It markets through newsletters (E-News, The Foundation Ledger), webinars, community events including the annual Golf Classic benefiting Heart Havens, the Saving Grace program, and organic social media on Facebook, Twitter/X, and LinkedIn. Operating geographies are restricted to Virginia, USA, and there is no public revenue, funding, or M&A activity disclosed. The Foundation is wholly affiliated with the Virginia Annual Conference; it has no external venture or private equity ownership.

Name

Virginia United Methodist Foundation

Legal name

Virginia United Methodist Foundation

Website

https://vaumfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Virginia United Methodist Foundation is a 1971-founded non-profit affiliated with the Virginia Annual Conference that provides planned giving, endowment management, donor-advised funds, capital campaigns, and investment services to United Methodist churches and Conference agencies across Virginia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Financial Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Religious Organizations (81311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Savings Institutions, Not Federally Chartered (6036)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

Keywords

• Planned giving services
• Endowment management
• Faith-based investing
• Donor-advised funds
• Church capital campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Glen Allen

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Planned Giving Services: The Foundation assists local United Methodist churches with planned giving programs, helping donors create deferred gifts through wills, trusts, life insurance, retirement accounts, and other vehicles.
2. Endowment Fund Management: Manages endowment funds for churches, with the principal kept intact and annual earnings used to fund current ministry needs.
3. Donor-Advised Funds: Offers donor-advised funds (DAFs) with no set-up or disbursement fees, requiring at least 50% of donations to go to United Methodist causes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Virginia United Methodist Foundation is a faith-based nonprofit financial services organization that assists local United Methodist churches and Virginia Annual Conference agencies with planned giving programs, endowment fund establishment and management, donor-advised funds, capital campaigns, and socially responsible investment funds. It also administers grants, scholarships, and the Saving Grace financial education program for clergy and church members.

Product overview

Virginia United Methodist Foundation is a faith-based financial services organization offering a comprehensive suite of planned giving, endowment management, and investment services for United Methodist churches in Virginia. The core offering is Planned Giving, which encompasses multiple giving vehicles (bequests, life insurance, retirement assets, stocks, real estate) supported by consultation and administration services. Related products include Ways of Giving (current donation methods), Endowments (permanent funds), and Wills & Bequests planning. Additional services include Capital Campaign support, Investment Funds with social responsible investing philosophy, Church Loans (via DevCo), and the Saving Grace financial education program. The Foundation also provides grants and scholarships funded by its endowment. All services are designed to help churches achieve financial sustainability and expand their ministries through effective stewardship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planned Giving Structured giving strategies for current or deferred donations including bequests, life insurance, retirement plans, appreciated stocks, and real estate gifts, supported by consultation, planning, and administration services for donors and churches.
• Ways of Giving Multiple current donation options including cash/check gifts, stock/securities transfers, Required Minimum Distributions (RMD), and Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD) from retirement accounts.
• Endowments Permanent endowment funds that financially sustain church missions and work. Principal remains intact while annual earnings fund current needs. The Foundation assists churches in establishing endowment programs.
• Wills & Bequests Charitable bequest planning including specific dollar amounts, percentage of estate, specific assets, and residual bequests, helping donors include churches in their estate planning.
• Donor-Advised Funds Private funds administered by the Foundation for managing charitable donations. Donors receive immediate tax deduction while directing fund distribution over time. No set-up or disbursement fees; 50% of donations must go to United Methodist causes.
• Grants Grant program supporting ministries and projects within the Virginia Conference, funded through the Foundation's own endowment and donor contributions.
• Capital Campaign Church capital campaign services to help churches raise funds for building projects and major initiatives.
• Investment Funds Socially responsible investment options for church funds including endowment funds, designated funds, and cash reserves. Includes investment philosophy, fund performance data, and fact sheets.
• Church Loans Church extension loans provided through affiliated Development Company (DevCo) to support church building and expansion projects.
• Saving Grace Financial Education Christian-based financial well-being course incorporating Wesleyan values. Six lessons with three clergy-specific sections covering pastor compensation, clergy taxes, and financial leadership. Offers 1.0 CEU credit for clergy.
• Scholarships Scholarship programs administered by the Foundation to support educational opportunities within the Virginia Conference.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Heart HavensminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Heart Havens operates eight group homes in Virginia empowering adults with developmental disabilities. The Foundation's annual Golf Classic fundraiser benefits Heart Havens, demonstrating community mission alignment.
• Virginia United Methodist Development Company (DevCo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Development Company is an affiliated entity offering church loans for capital initiatives. The Foundation and DevCo share leadership (Rev. Dr. Steven J. Summers serves as President of both) and collaborate to serve church financing needs - DevCo handles church loans while the Foundation handles endowment and planned giving.
• Horizons StewardshipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorizons Stewardship provides expert speakers for Foundation webinars on topics like online giving platforms, helping the Foundation deliver educational content to church leaders.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• West Virginia United Methodist Foundation: Neighboring regional UMC foundation offering planned giving and endowment services to West Virginia Conference churches; directly comparable mission and product mix at smaller scale.
• North Carolina United Methodist Foundation: Direct regional peer providing planned giving, endowment management, and investment funds to NC United Methodist churches; highly comparable in mission, structure, and product set.
• Florida United Methodist Foundation: UM-affiliated foundation offering planned giving, endowments, and church loans to Florida Conference churches; operates a similar integrated stewardship-and-lending platform through a sister Development Company.
• Indiana United Methodist Foundation: Affiliated United Methodist foundation serving Indiana Annual Conference churches with planned giving, endowments, and investment services; closest functional analog serving a different UMC geography.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: Largest U.S. donor-advised fund sponsor with a national platform and significant faith-based donor participation; primary commercial competitor for the Foundation's DAF offering despite non-faith-aligned branding.
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Foundation: National Lutheran foundation managing planned giving, endowments, and donor-advised funds for ELCA congregations; broader incumbent operating similar mission-aligned financial services for a different denomination.
• Presbyterian Foundation: Denominational foundation serving PC(USA) congregations with planned giving, endowments, and investment services; broader geographic scope but comparable faith-based stewardship model.
• National Christian Foundation: Largest Christian donor-advised fund sponsor in the U.S.; competes for faith-based planned giving and DAF dollars from evangelical donors and offers overlapping giving vehicles, though with a broader (non-denominational) mandate.

Emerging players

• Church Extension Fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): Denominationally affiliated fund offering church loans and investment services to Disciples congregations; comparable model pairing lending with stewardship, though tied to a different denomination.

Regional players

• Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond: Geographic-overlapping community foundation serving the Richmond, Virginia region with endowment, DAF, and grantmaking services; competes for local philanthropic dollars but is secular rather than denominationally focused.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vaumf
• Facebookfacebook.com/vaumfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/virginia-united-methodist-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Virginia United Methodist Foundation