Advance USF

What Advance USF does

Advance USF is the operating brand of the University of South Florida Foundation, Inc., a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in Florida in 1956 that functions as the primary fundraising and advancement arm of the University of South Florida. The Foundation raises private philanthropic support for scholarships, academic programs, research, facilities, and student services across USF's Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee campuses, and manages the university's endowment (valued at $768 million through FY25 and reported to exceed $850 million more recently).

The Foundation's core technology stack is a multi-channel fundraising platform built around giving.usf.edu, an online donation portal supporting one-time, monthly, quarterly, and annual recurring gifts; the HerdFunder crowdfunding marketplace for project-specific campaigns; and the Digital Engagement Center, an outbound outreach operation staffed by student engagement specialists using phone, email, text, and video to cultivate alumni, parents, and donors. A PCI-DSS compliant payment layer processes transactions without retaining card data, and a separate electronic scholarship application system is integrated with USF Financial Aid.

Revenue is generated entirely through charitable commitments — donations, stock gifts, estate planning, matching gifts, and corporate/foundation partnerships — rather than commercial sales. In FY 2024-25 the Foundation recorded $184,224,867 in total commitments from 59,738 donors, including 14,717 first-time donors. FY 2026 reportedly exceeded $172 million from over 70,000 donors, marking the fifth consecutive year of record-breaking philanthropy. The advancement team numbers approximately 190 professionals, including 60 dedicated fundraisers. Customer segments are deliberately diversified: approximately 409,000 alumni worldwide, corporate and foundation partners, parents, faculty/staff, and students supported through endowed scholarships.

Name

Advance USF

Legal name

University of South Florida Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://giving.usf.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Advance USF is the University of South Florida Foundation — a 501(c)(3) fundraising organization that operates the giving.usf.edu platform, HerdFunder crowdfunding, and a Digital Engagement Center to raise philanthropic support from 409,000+ alumni, corporate partners, and donors across three USF campuses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Fundraising and Advancement

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Advancement Services & Donor Operations (CRM, Gift Processing, Stewardship) (EDALAOAD), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• University fundraising
• Philanthropic donations
• Alumni giving
• Donor management
• Charitable giving

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa, Florida

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private philanthropy and fundraising: The foundation raises private philanthropic support through online donations, stock gifts, estate planning, matching gifts, and corporate/foundation partnerships. FY2024-25 total commitment was $184,224,867 from 59,738 donors including 14,717 first-time donors.
2. Capital Campaign: In June 2017, the USF Foundation completed a $1 billion capital campaign. Endowment exceeds $600 million in value.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Advance USF operates the central fundraising and advancement organization for the University of South Florida. It provides an online giving platform, the HerdFunder crowdfunding portal, and the annual USF Giving Week campaign to enable alumni, parents, friends, corporations, and foundations to make charitable gifts supporting scholarships, academic programs, research, and student initiatives.

Product overview

The University of South Florida Foundation operates a comprehensive digital fundraising platform centered on its online giving portal, which enables secure donations through one-time or recurring gift options. The platform integrates the HerdFunder crowdfunding platform featuring diverse university projects, the annual Giving Week campaign with challenge matching opportunities, and the Digital Engagement Center for alumni outreach via texting, video, and social media. The system manages scholarship applications through an electronic portal integrated with USF Financial Aid, while the USF Advancement Team of approximately 190 professionals supports donor relations across three campuses. All payment processing is PCI-DSS compliant with no credit/debit card details stored.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Baldwin Group School of Risk Management and Insurance: Named school within USF Muma College of Business focused on risk management and insurance education
• HerdFunder
• Digital Engagement Center
• Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP)

Products and services

• USF Online Giving Platform Web-based donation portal that allows alumni, parents, friends, corporations, and foundations to make one-time, recurring, and tribute gifts supporting scholarships, programs, research, and other university initiatives.
• HerdFunder Crowdfunding Portal Crowdfunding platform enabling students, faculty, and programs to launch fundraising campaigns for specific projects, experiences, and initiatives within the USF community.
• USF Giving Week Annual university-wide fundraising campaign that mobilizes alumni, students, parents, faculty, and friends to make gifts in support of USF during a concentrated multi-day period.
• Digital Engagement Center Operational unit that conducts digital outreach to alumni, parents, and donors through phone, email, and other channels to support fundraising, stewardship, and engagement.
• Planned Giving and Stock Gift Program Program that accepts and administers gifts of appreciated stock, estate bequests, and other planned gifts from donors wishing to support the University of South Florida.
• Corporate and Foundation Relations Program Relationship management program that secures major gifts, sponsorships, and endowed partnerships from corporations and private foundations in support of USF programs, scholarships, and research.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5th consecutive year of record-breaking philanthropy with 20% increase in total donors
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 core and minor.

• Florida Surplus Lines Service Office (FSLSO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 July 2026FSLSO invested $1 million to establish the Florida Surplus Lines Insurance Directorship within The Baldwin Group School of Risk Management and Insurance at USF Muma College of Business. The partnership includes internships, on-campus engagements, national and international experiential learning opportunities, and mentorship programs for students.
• The Baldwin Group (formerly Baldwin Risk Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNamed the School of Risk Management and Insurance after The Baldwin Group. Founding partner Elizabeth Krystyn provides ongoing support including $10,000 challenge gifts and dollar-for-dollar matching for student donations up to $5,000. The partnership includes advisory board participation and curriculum input.
• Dogs Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided Snowbird, a Goldador comfort dog, for USF St. Petersburg campus. Dogs Inc. (formerly Southeastern Guide Dogs) has a longstanding relationship with the campus, which is also home to Puppy Raisers Club.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stanford University Development Office: Runs one of the most successful university fundraising operations globally; provides a benchmark for major-gift strategy, capital campaigns, and digital engagement that USF Foundation aspires to scale toward.
• Florida State University Foundation: Fundraising entity for FSU, a direct Florida public-university competitor with comparable scholarship, capital campaign, and annual giving programs aimed at the same Florida donor pool.
• University of Michigan Office of University Development: Advancement arm of a top-tier AAU public research university; comparable scale, multi-channel donor engagement, named colleges, and large endowment operations that benchmark against USF's advancement goals.
• University of Central Florida Foundation: Advancement organization for UCF, another large Florida public university; comparable scale, donor-acquisition strategies, and a similar mix of alumni, corporate, and annual giving channels serving a regional Florida market.
• MIT Office of Development: Advancement function for MIT, a research-intensive AAU member; relevant comparable for major-gift programs, named academic units, and donor stewardship practices in a STEM-heavy environment similar to USF's AI/Cybersecurity push.
• University of Florida Foundation: Fundraising and endowment-management arm of the University of Florida, a fellow AAU Florida public university; operates the same advancement model with a large alumni base, named-college gifts, and an endowment exceeding $2B, making it the most directly comparable Florida peer.

Emerging players

• Givebutter: Modern nonprofit fundraising and crowdfunding platform used by universities and nonprofits for online giving, peer-to-peer campaigns, and event fundraising; functional overlap with USF's HerdFunder and Giving Week programs.

Others

• Blackbaud: Provider of donor CRM, fundraising software, and gift-processing infrastructure to nonprofit and university foundations; supplies enabling technology that Advance USF and its peers rely on for advancement operations and donor stewardship.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/USFalumniAssn
• Facebookfacebook.com/USFalumni
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advanceusf
• Instagraminstagram.com/usf__alumni

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 Advance USF