Women in Leadership & Philanthropy

What Women in Leadership & Philanthropy does

Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP) is a giving program housed within the University of South Florida Foundation, a 501(c)(3) direct support organization of USF. Founded circa 2005 and administered as part of USF Advancement, WLP engages women alumni, executives, and philanthropists through leadership development, networking, and structured giving opportunities. Its core offerings include the Cherokee Townsend Endowed Scholarship for finance students, the WLP Operating Support fund, and integration with the broader USF Foundation giving infrastructure, including the online giving portal, HerdFunder crowdfunding, and annual Giving Week campaigns.

The program operates a donor-funded, non-commercial revenue model: it does not sell products or services but channels contributions from individuals, alumni, corporations, and estates into scholarships, endowed funds, named professorships, and program support. WLP sits inside USF Advancement, which comprises approximately 190 professional staff including 60 fundraising professionals, and leverages a Digital Engagement Center that conducts phone, email, text, video, and social outreach. Donor acquisition runs through multi-channel engagement (events, alumni association communications, social media, crowdfunding, and direct development officer outreach), with the parent foundation reporting $184M in FY 2024-25 total commitment and over $172M in FY26, supported by an endowment that grew from $768M to $850M and total assets exceeding $1B.

Strategically, WLP is positioned within a high-momentum institutional context: USF became an AAU member in 2023, ranks #45 among U.S. public universities (U.S. News 2024), and has recorded five consecutive years of record-breaking philanthropy. Notable 2025-2026 catalysts include a $40M Bellini gift (with $5M match) to launch the Bellini College of AI, Cybersecurity and Computing, and a $1M FSLSO investment to establish a named insurance directorship. WLP's customer base spans 70,177 FY26 donors globally, anchored by a 409,000-strong alumni network across 146 countries, with average gift size around $2,451 implying a long-tail donor model supplemented by episodic transformational gifts.

Name

Women in Leadership & Philanthropy

Legal name

University of South Florida Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://giving.usf.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Women in Leadership & Philanthropy is a giving program within the USF Foundation that engages women alumni and executives in philanthropy, leadership development, and scholarship support, channeling donations into endowed scholarships and university initiatives at the University of South Florida.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Philanthropy & Donor Engagement

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDALAOAD

Advancement Services & Donor Operations (CRM, Gift Processing, Stewardship)

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Alumni Relations, Development & Campus Community Engagement

SECONDARYEDALAJAB

Scholarships, Grants & Donor-Funded Awards Management

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Financial Aid, Scholarships & Student Accounts (Bursar)

SECONDARYEDALAOAE

Corporate & Foundation Relations (Sponsorships, Grants, Partnerships)

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Alumni Relations, Development & Campus Community Engagement

Keywords

• University philanthropy programs
• Donor engagement programs
• Endowed scholarship funds
• Alumni giving societies
• Women leadership networks

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa, Florida

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions: The organization raises funds through individual donations, alumni contributions, corporate partnerships, and estate gifts. Donors make one-time or recurring gifts to support scholarships, programs, and initiatives at USF.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP) is a giving program within the USF Foundation that engages women alumni and supporters in philanthropy and leadership development at the University of South Florida. The program facilitates donations through endowed scholarship funds such as the Cherokee Townsend Endowed Scholarship and connects donors with networking, mentorship, and recognition opportunities. WLP operates as part of USF Advancement's broader philanthropic infrastructure, supporting student success and women's leadership initiatives.

Product overview

Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP) is a giving program within the USF Foundation that connects women alumni and supporters to leadership and philanthropy opportunities at the University of South Florida. The program operates through the USF Foundation's online giving infrastructure, offering donors various giving mechanisms including the WLP Operating Support fund and endowed scholarships such as the Cherokee Townsend Endowed Scholarship for finance students. WLP functions as part of USF Advancement's broader ecosystem, which also includes the HerdFunder crowdfunding platform, annual giving, and campaign-specific initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• USF Foundation: The direct support organization of the University of South Florida that handles private philanthropy, alumni engagement, student mentorship and community involvement.

Products and services

• Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP) Program A giving program within the USF Foundation that engages women alumni and supporters in leadership development and philanthropic giving to support USF scholarships, programs, and women's leadership initiatives.
• WLP Cherokee Townsend Endowed Scholarship An endowed scholarship fund created by a WLP alumna to support USF finance students by removing financial barriers to education. Part of the Giving Week 2026 campaign to empower future finance leaders.

Quantifiable outcome

• $3 million+ raised through WLP Cheeroke Townsend Endowed Scholarship campaign during Giving Week
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 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 core.

• 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 supports educational and experiential learning opportunities in risk management and insurance, with focus on excess and surplus lines insurance.
• The Baldwin GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Baldwin Group School of Risk Management and Insurance is a named school within USF Muma College of Business. The partnership includes curriculum development assistance, student recruitment, special events, and internship placement from the advisory board of industry professionals.
• USF Alumni AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirect support organization of USF that supports the university through contact with alumni, students, and supporters, offering events, publications, and fundraising programs. Has distributed more than $7.7 million in student scholarships to date.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Women's Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Women): Penn's women-in-leadership and philanthropy network, structured similarly to WLP as an alumnae-led giving and engagement initiative within a major research university's central advancement operation, focused on scholarship creation and major-gift cultivation.
• Princeton Women in Leadership Network: Princeton's network engaging alumnae in leadership development and philanthropy. Comparable to WLP in mission and operational model (university-hosted women's giving/leadership program within central advancement).
• Women's Philanthropy Leadership Council (Indiana University): Indiana University's women-focused philanthropy council. A close functional parallel to WLP - both engage female alumni and community leaders to fund endowed scholarships and university priorities, and both operate within a public state university's foundation structure.
• MIT Women's Initiative / Technology and Women's Leadership Funds: MIT's women-focused philanthropic and leadership initiatives within its central advancement operation. Comparable to WLP in structure and approach, though at a private institution with a STEM-tilted donor base.
• Stanford Women's Impact Network (SWIN): Stanford's women's collective giving and leadership network. Comparable to WLP in purpose (women's leadership + philanthropy) and scholarship/fellowship focus, though operating within a private university context with a substantially larger donor pool.
• Cornell Women & Philanthropy: Cornell University's women-focused philanthropy initiative. Most directly comparable to WLP - both are university-affiliated women's leadership and giving programs that steward endowed scholarships, engage alumnae donors, and operate within the host institution's central advancement organization.
• Yale Women's Network: Yale's alumnae-led giving and engagement network. Operates as WLP does - within a host university's advancement organization, engaging women alumni for endowed giving, scholarships, and leadership programming.
• Northwestern University Women's Board: Northwestern's long-standing women's philanthropy board that supports student scholarships, faculty initiatives, and community engagement. Mirrors WLP's model of mobilizing women leaders for endowed giving at a major research university.

Emerging players

• Women's Funding Network: Global network of women's foundations and funds. Thematically adjacent to WLP - both advance women-led philanthropy - but WFP supports community-level women's funds rather than university-affiliated giving programs.

Broad incumbents

• American Association of University Women (AAUW): National nonprofit advancing gender equity through education and philanthropy, including the largest fellowship and grant program for women in higher education. Comparable to WLP in mission focus (women + higher-ed giving) but operates nationally across many institutions rather than within a single university.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/USFalumniAssn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1-E65tqPqDOzDlFm-kmoqQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/USFalumni
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/women-in-leadership-philanthropy
• Instagraminstagram.com/usf__alumni

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Women in Leadership & Philanthropy