WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement

What WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement does

Wichita State University Foundation and Alumni Engagement (WSUFAE) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as the consolidated fundraising and alumni engagement arm for Wichita State University. WSUFAE was formed in 2022 through the merger of the WSU Foundation and the WSU Alumni Association, both originally established in 1913, and is headquartered at 1845 Fairmount St. in Wichita, Kansas. Its mission is to connect alumni, donors, students, and friends to the university through engagement programming and philanthropy.

WSUFAE operates a portfolio of engagement services including Shocker Central (a hub for communities, mentorship, and an alumni directory, delivered via the 12twenty platform), regional and affinity alumni networks (Shocker GOLD, Shocker Unidos, Kinship, and chapters in Dallas/Fort Worth, Washington DC, and Kansas City), scholarship programs (Alumni Legacy, Core Values, Shocker Pride Scholars), and tiered giving societies (Society of 1895, President's Club, Fairmount Society). Content channels include Shocker Magazine (quarterly), The Shocker blog, Class Notes, and email newsletters; flagship events include Heritage Gala, Shocktoberfest, Alumni Awards, and Founders Day.

The organization's revenue model is donation-based, with no pricing or commercial product sales. Funds are solicited via online platforms (GiveCampus, wsulegacy.org), planned giving vehicles, and dedicated capital campaigns across academic colleges, athletics (Wilkins Stadium Renovation, Women's Bowling Renovation, SASO), special initiatives (Wichita Biomedical Campus, Need-Based Scholarships), and media properties (KMUW 89.1 FM, University Libraries, Ulrich Museum of Art). Notable recent inflows include a $2.5 million Mellon Foundation grant for the Wichita HIREs humanities internship program (spring 2026) and a partnership with Heartspring (March 2024) to deliver pediatric clinical services.

Name

WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement

Legal name

Wichita State University Foundation and Alumni Engagement

Website

https://shockerconnect.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Wichita State University Foundation and Alumni Engagement (WSUFAE) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that consolidates fundraising and alumni engagement for Wichita State University, serving alumni, donors, students, and friends through giving societies, scholarship programs, regional networks, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Foundation and Alumni Engagement

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Alumni Relations & Alumni Engagement Programs (EDALAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alumni Communications, Marketing & Publications (EDALAOAF), Alumni Events, Reunions & Regional Chapters (EDALAOAG), Alumni Benefits, Membership & Affinity Programs (EDALAOAM), Major Gifts, Planned Giving & Endowment Development (EDALAOAC), Corporate & Foundation Relations (Sponsorships, Grants, Partnerships) (EDALAOAE), Alumni Career Networking & Mentorship Programs (EDALAOAL), Volunteer Management & Alumni Leadership Programs (EDALAOAH), Student & Alumni Communities (BPAMABAK)

Keywords

• University fundraising
• Alumni engagement
• Donor stewardship
• Scholarship programs
• Planned giving

Headquarters

HQ city

Wichita

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropy: The primary revenue stream comes from donations from alumni, friends, and corporate partners. This includes annual giving, major gifts, and campaign-specific donations to support Wichita State University's various priority areas including scholarships, academic colleges, athletics, and special initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement (WSUFAE) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that serves as Wichita State University's centralized fundraising and alumni engagement arm. It solicits donations through multiple giving vehicles (online, planned giving, memorials, named gifts), distributes scholarships, and runs alumni engagement programs including Shocker Central, regional and affinity networks, and signature events such as the Heritage Gala.

Product overview

WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement (WSUFAE) is a unified alumni engagement and philanthropy organization formed in 2022 by merging the WSU Foundation and WSU Alumni Association. The organization operates as a single integrated platform offering alumni engagement services through Shocker Central, an alumni directory, and various affinity and regional networks; donation processing via GiveCampus; career accelerator services through 12twenty; event management including Heritage Gala and Shocktoberfest; Shocker Magazine publication; scholarship programs; planned giving options; and giving societies recognition. The organization serves Wichita State University's alumni, donors, and friends to advance the university through engagement and philanthropy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shocker Central A comprehensive alumni engagement hub providing communities, mentorship programs, and an alumni directory to connect Wichita State University graduates.
• Giving/Donation Platform Online donation platform enabling alumni, donors, and friends to contribute to Wichita State University through various campaigns, colleges, and priority areas.
• Alumni Networks Affinity and regional networks connecting alumni including Shocker GOLD (young alumni), Shocker Unidos, Kinship Alumni Network, and regional chapters in Dallas/Fort Worth, DC, and Kansas City.
• Events and Traditions Event calendar and alumni traditions including Heritage Gala, Shocktoberfest, Alumni Awards, and various campus events.
• Shocker Magazine Official publication of WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement featuring alumni stories, university news, class notes, and institutional impact stories.
• Scholarship Programs Various scholarship opportunities including Alumni Legacy Scholarship, Core Values Scholarship, and need-based scholarships supporting WSU students.
• Planned Giving Deferred giving options including bequests, charitable remainder trusts, and estate planning resources for long-term donor support.
• Giving Societies Recognition programs including Fairmount Society, President's Club, and Society of 1895 for donors based on giving levels.
• Shocker Career Accelerator Career services platform providing mentorship opportunities and job/internship connections for current students and alumni.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered significant and core.

• HeartspringsignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership announced in March 2024 where WSU health professions faculty and students provide physical therapy and audiology services at Heartspring's Pediatric Clinic. Heartspring serves children with neurodevelopmental disorders and is expanding its pediatric outpatient services to downtown Wichita's healthcare corridor.
• KMUW 89.1 FMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPR member station owned by WSU. Foundation supports KMUW through specialized giving page and donors can contribute to KMUW through the foundation's giving platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Kansas State University Foundation: Direct in-state peer operating a combined foundation and alumni association for a major Kansas public university with comparable regional alumni base, giving societies, and capital campaigns.
• University of Missouri Foundation: Border-state peer operating a unified advancement arm for a public land-grant university with overlapping donor demographics and affinity-network structure.
• University of Nebraska Foundation: Direct Plains/Midwest peer running the central fundraising and alumni engagement entity for a major state university with parallel giving-society tiers and regional chapters.
• Oklahoma State University Foundation: Regional peer running a unified foundation-and-alumni operation for a major Midwest/Plains state university with comparable academic, athletic, and donor priorities.
• University of Oklahoma Foundation: Direct regional peer managing endowed giving, planned giving, and alumni engagement for a Big 12 state university with similar capital campaign structure.
• University of Kansas Endowment: In-state Big 12 peer operating as the private 501(c)(3) fundraising and endowment-management arm for the University of Kansas, with overlapping Kansas donor pool and similar tiered giving societies.

Broad incumbents

• Purdue University Foundation: Major Big Ten public university foundation operating a combined advancement platform with deep capital-campaign experience and STEM-focused donor pipeline analogous to WSUFAE's industrial/engineering priorities.
• Texas A&M Foundation: One of the largest U.S. public-university foundations; comparable in scope due to its consolidated foundation-and-alumni operations, regional chapters, giving societies, and an endowment built around a state university.
• Indiana University Foundation: Large-scale public university foundation with a unified advancement model (combining alumni and fundraising), a national alumni-network footprint, and a significant endowment — a useful scale benchmark for WSUFAE.
• Ohio State University Foundation: Large-cap public-university foundation with a unified advancement platform, major campaign capability, and large alumni network — a strategic benchmark for trajectory and capital-campaign scaling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wichita-state-university-fae

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement