What Oregon State University Foundation does

Oregon State University Foundation is a 501(c)-equivalent Oregon nonprofit corporation founded in 1947 (with a 75th anniversary referenced against a 1949 founding date) and headquartered in Corvallis, Oregon. It legally and operationally partners with Oregon State University to raise philanthropic funds, steward endowed and current-use gifts, and engage a global alumni network of 230,000+ former students and supporters. The organization operates as an integrated entity that includes the Oregon State University Alumni Association, Inc., enabling combined donor cultivation, alumni programming, and membership services under one structure.

The Foundation runs a multi-channel fundraising and engagement platform built on third-party payment processors (Authorize.net, PayPal, Benevity, BillGo, Give Lively, MightyCause, OneCause, and others), CRM and fundraising software (EverTrue, Graduway, Double the Donation, PG Calc, Bonterra), marketing automation (HubSpot, Act-On, Salesloft), analytics (Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, HundredX), and athletics-specific CRM (Paciolan). Its product surface includes the OSU Alumni Association membership program (tiered from $30 annual to $1,500 lifetime), the CH2M HILL Alumni Center event venue, the Experience Portal for donor self-service, the Our Beaver Nation athletics giving program with Beaver Points recognition, the Dam Proud Day 24-hour giving event, the Beavs Give crowdfunding platform, planned giving services, donor societies, alumni travel programs, and the OSU Connections networking portal.

Commercially, the Foundation generates revenue through four streams: charitable donations (one-time and recurring gifts), OSUAA membership dues (annual and lifetime subscriptions), event venue rentals at the CH2M HILL Alumni Center, and planned giving/estate gifts. The core GTM motion is direct-to-consumer engagement with alumni, donors, and supporters through the online giving portal, phone outreach, email campaigns, event marketing, and a tiered affinity partner network (Farmers Insurance, OCCU, Fanatics, Nike, adidas, Columbia, MemberDeals, TravelPerks, Church Hill Classics). The Foundation supplements these with regional offices in Portland and Bend, and operates with 252 employees across headquarters, alumni center, Gill Coliseum, and satellite locations. The active $1.75 billion 'Believe It' campaign is the dominant strategic initiative, with 12,400+ gifts received in a single 2026 Dam Proud Day event.

Name

Oregon State University Foundation

Legal name

Oregon State University Foundation

Website

https://fororegonstate.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Oregon State University Foundation is a nonprofit organization that raises philanthropic funds and engages a 230,000+ alumni network on behalf of Oregon State University through donations, membership dues, event venue rentals, and planned giving programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Fundraising and Alumni Engagement

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

Keywords

• Higher education fundraising
• Alumni engagement
• Charitable giving
• Planned giving services
• Donor stewardship

Headquarters

HQ city

Corvallis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Primary revenue stream through one-time and recurring gifts from alumni, friends, corporations, and foundations supporting various OSU initiatives including scholarships, faculty positions, facilities, and athletic programs.
2. Alumni Association Membership Dues: Annual and lifetime membership fees providing access to alumni benefits, events, discounts, and recognition programs. Includes various tiers from annual ($30-$85) to lifetime ($750-$1,500) memberships.
3. Event Venue Rentals: Revenue from renting CH2M HILL Alumni Center spaces for events including conferences, weddings, reunions, and corporate events. Board Room & Balcony packages available at $2,000 per home game.
4. Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: Bequests, charitable remainder trusts, and other planned gifts that provide future support to OSU programs and initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Oregon State University Foundation is a nonprofit fundraising and asset-management organization that secures, stewards, and distributes private charitable contributions in support of Oregon State University. It also operates the Oregon State University Alumni Association, providing membership benefits, alumni travel, event programming, and donor-relations services to more than 175,000 alumni.

Product overview

Oregon State University Foundation operates a comprehensive fundraising and alumni engagement platform comprising multiple integrated products. The core offerings include the OSU Alumni Association Membership program with tiered benefits (Lifetime, Annual, Golden Grad, Recent Grad), the CH2M HILL Alumni Center event venue, the Experience Portal for donor self-service, and the Our Beaver Nation athletics giving program with Beaver Points tracking. The Foundation also manages crowdfunding programs (Dam Proud Day, Beavs Give), planned giving services, endowed scholarship programs (Finish in Four), donor recognition societies, alumni travel, career services with AI-powered resume tools, and professional networking through OSU Connections. The Believe It Campaign represents the current $1.75 billion fundraising initiative. All donation processing is handled through third-party PCI-compliant payment processors including PayPal, Authorize.net, Benevity, and others. The organization maintains extensive digital integrations for analytics, marketing automation, CRM, and event management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Our Beaver Nation: Athletics fundraising and engagement program for Oregon State University Athletics
• Dam Proud Day
• Beavs Give
• OSUAA Membership Community

Products and services

• Alumni Association Membership Tiered membership program for Oregon State University alumni providing access to the Experience Portal, member-only events, affinity partner discounts, and engagement programming. Annual tiers from $65, with three-year and lifetime options available, including age-based pricing for alumni 50+.
• CH2M HILL Alumni Center Venue Rental On-site event venue rental at the CH2M HILL Alumni Center in Corvallis, Oregon, available for corporate, community, wedding, and private events. Includes packaged offerings such as the Board Room & Balcony event package.
• Alumni Travel Program Curated group travel experiences offered to alumni members in partnership with tour operators, providing domestic and international itineraries with alumni-group pricing.
• Gift Planning Services Personalized planned and estate giving services for donors, including charitable gift annuities, bequests, and other legacy-giving vehicles, stewarded by the Senior Director of Gift Planning and the Gift Planning Office.
• Donor Impact Reporting and Stewardship Programs Stewardship and impact communications program that shares donor-funded outcomes, including impact stories of students and programs supported by philanthropic giving to the university.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.75 billion raised through Believe It campaign
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration47 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Farmers InsuranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor and affinity partner providing special offers and discounts to OSU alumni and members through the partnership program.
• OCCU (Oregon Community Credit Union)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffinity partner providing financial services discounts and offers to OSU alumni association members.
• FanaticsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial athletic merchandise partner providing 10-20% discounts on OSU gear with 10% of each purchase supporting OSUAA Scholarship Fund.
• Church Hill ClassicsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDiploma frame partner offering 10% discount to alumni members with 10% of purchases supporting OSU scholarships.
• Nike Employee StoreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExclusive shopping access for OSUAA members to Nike employee stores.
• adidas Employee StoreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExclusive shopping access for OSUAA members to adidas employee stores.
• Columbia Employee StoreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExclusive shopping access for OSUAA members to Columbia employee stores.
• MemberDealsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEntertainment and travel savings platform providing up to 60% off on concerts, sports events, and theme parks for OSUAA members.
• TravelPerksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTravel discount partner offering savings, no booking fees, cash back, and bonus credits for OSUAA member vacations.
• Corvallis ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLifetime OSUAA members are eligible for up to $2,500 discount on Corvallis Club memberships including non-resident and social options.
• OSU Foundation Gift Planning OfficecoreOthersInternal foundation team supporting planned giving strategies including bequests, charitable trusts, and estate gifts. Contact: Jennifer Milburn, Senior Director of Gift Planning, 541-737-6125.
• Oregon State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner. The foundation exists to partner with OSU, engage the community, inspire investment, and steward resources to enhance OSU's excellence and impact.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University of Wisconsin Foundation: The University of Wisconsin Foundation is a Big Ten public university foundation managing major campaigns, alumni engagement, planned giving, and athletics giving (Badger Fund). Direct structural peer to OSUF in scale, mission, and conference.
• Texas A&M Foundation: Texas A&M Foundation is a major land-grant university foundation with very large-scale campaigns, the 12th Man athletic giving program, alumni network, and planned-giving services. Among the largest and most structurally similar peer foundations to OSUF.
• Indiana University Foundation: Indiana University Foundation is a Big Ten university foundation operating combined fundraising, alumni association, and donor stewardship for IU. Similar scale, athletics integration, and Big Ten peer positioning makes it a direct comparable to OSUF.
• Purdue Research Foundation: Purdue Research Foundation is the development and asset-management foundation for Purdue University, a Big Ten land-grant institution. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and the combination of fundraising, alumni engagement, athletics giving, and planned giving.
• Michigan State University Advancement: Michigan State University Development and Alumni Engagement operates a similarly structured advancement operation for a Big Ten land-grant university with major athletic giving (Spartan Fund), annual fund, planned giving, and 500,000+ alumni network. Direct comparable in operating model.
• UCLA Foundation: The UCLA Foundation is the dedicated private fundraising and endowment-management entity for UCLA, supporting one of the largest public research universities with similar annual fund, major gifts, planned giving, and alumni programs. Comparable scale and structure to OSUF.
• University of Oregon Foundation: The University of Oregon Foundation is the most direct peer — a state-mate private foundation supporting Oregon's flagship public research university with combined fundraising, alumni engagement, and endowment stewardship. Operates the UO Alumni Association with comparable membership, event, and planned-giving programs.
• University of Washington Foundation: A Pacific Northwest R1 public research university foundation with combined alumni and development functions, large athletic and academic fundraising campaigns, and a similar land-grant/major-research positioning. Highly comparable structure and operating model to OSUF.

Others

• CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education): CASE is the global nonprofit association serving educational advancement professionals, including university foundations and alumni associations. Indirect peer / ecosystem participant providing industry standards, benchmarking, and professional development that shape how foundations like OSUF operate.

Broad incumbents

• Stanford University Office of Development: Stanford's development operation is the same fundamental function (fundraising, alumni engagement, planned giving for a research university) but operates at materially larger scale and with a broader, global high-net-worth donor base. A useful broad incumbent benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/oregonstatealum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/campaignforosu
• Facebookfacebook.com/OregonStateFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/osu-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/oregonstatefoundation

Compliance3 records

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 Oregon State University Foundation