Shepherd University Foundation, Inc.

What Shepherd University Foundation, Inc. does

Shepherd University Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization founded in 1961 and headquartered in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, on the campus of Shepherd University. It serves as the exclusive private fundraising and fiduciary arm for Shepherd University, administering 467 named funds—including privately funded scholarships, program funds, faculty excellence awards, and endowments—across multiple academic disciplines. The foundation operates four interlocking donor recognition programs: the Joseph P. McMurran Society (planned/estate giving), the Scarborough Society (library support, $10–$10,000 tiered membership), Women Investing in Shepherd (WISH, a women's giving circle at $500/year that has awarded over $1 million in grants), and the President's Club ($1,000+ annual unrestricted gifts). Distribution channels include scholarships to students, faculty excellence awards, athletics support, and community grants to regional nonprofits across an 8-county tri-state area.

The foundation's revenue model is donation-based, with no product pricing in the conventional sense; it receives tax-deductible charitable contributions through an online giving portal, direct mail, payroll deduction (for Shepherd employees), IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, securities transfers, multi-year pledges, and signature events including the annual Scarborough Society Gala, WISH receptions, and Farm-to-Table Dinners. Its technology infrastructure is a standard nonprofit stack: a secure online giving portal, donor database, email marketing, and website CMS, with no proprietary AI or technical product. The foundation merged with the University Advancement office in 2016 to create a unified development team, and current leadership includes Board President Austin J. Slater Jr. (elected 2024) and Executive Vice President Sherri Janelle (appointed 2023).

Strategic corporate partnerships anchor fundraising events, with the 2026 Scarborough Society Gala featuring Jefferson Security Bank, United Bank, WVU Medicine, Truist, Bowles Rice, and SEK CPAs as sponsors across multiple tiers. The foundation has historically operated with minimal revenue disclosure; the 2011 Create the Future Campaign raised $26 million (126% of target), and the foundation claims one of the highest endowments among West Virginia public universities, though no current asset under management or annual revenue figure is publicly disclosed in the available data.

Name

Shepherd University Foundation, Inc.

Legal name

Shepherd University Foundation

Website

https://shepherduniversityfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Shepherd University Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that administers 467 named scholarship, program, and faculty funds for Shepherd University, engaging donors through multiple recognition societies and distributing community grants through its WISH program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Advancement & Educational Fundraising Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• University fundraising
• Endowment fund management
• Scholarship administration
• Donor recognition programs
• Educational foundation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Shepherdstown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: The foundation receives charitable contributions from donors including alumni, friends, corporations, and organizations. Donations are tax-deductible within limits prescribed by law and support student scholarships, academic programs, faculty excellence awards, and general university initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shepherd University Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises, invests, and distributes private charitable gifts to support Shepherd University's mission. The Foundation manages 467 named funds and more than $89 million in assets, channeling donor contributions into scholarships, academic programs, and university operations. It operates donor recognition societies and enables giving through online, mail, phone, payroll deduction, and planned giving vehicles.

Product overview

Shepherd University Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization that operates as a university advancement foundation offering a portfolio of donor engagement and fund administration products. Its core offerings include an Online Giving Platform for secure donations, Named Funds Administration managing 467 scholarship and program funds, and various donor recognition societies (Joseph P. McMurran Society, Scarborough Society, Women Investing in Shepherd, and President's Club). Additional services include Planned Giving options, Grant Programs through WISH, Athletics Program Support, and The Shepherd Fund for general university support. The organization connects donor generosity to Shepherd University's mission through stewardship and fiduciary management of private funds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Joseph P. McMurran Society: A donor recognition society for alumni and friends who have included Shepherd in their estate plans.
• Scarborough Society
• Women Investing in Shepherd (WISH)

Products and services

• McMurran Society McMurran Society is a donor recognition society that honors contributors to Shepherd University through tiered annual giving. It is intended for individual alumni, parents, and friends who make recurring charitable contributions to Shepherd University.
• Scarborough Society Scarborough Society is a donor recognition society recognizing a higher tier of charitable contributors to Shepherd University. It serves major gift donors who make substantial annual contributions to the institution.
• WISH (Washington, D.C. Internship Stipend for Shepherd) WISH is a Shepherd University Foundation giving program that funds stipends for Shepherd students interning in Washington, D.C. It is targeted at donors who wish to support student experiential learning and professional development opportunities.
• President's Club President's Club is a top-tier donor recognition society that honors the Foundation's most generous annual contributors. It is intended for high-level individual donors and philanthropic supporters of Shepherd University.
• Named Fund Establishment Named Fund Establishment allows donors to create one of 467 named funds under the Foundation's stewardship, directing contributions to specific scholarships, programs, or university needs. It is intended for individual, family, or corporate donors seeking a personalized philanthropic legacy.
• Online Giving Service The Online Giving service is a secure, SSL-encrypted donation portal allowing donors to make tax-deductible charitable contributions to Shepherd University Foundation. It is intended for individual and corporate donors seeking a convenient digital giving channel.

Quantifiable outcome

• 467 named funds administered for scholarships, programs, and faculty awards
• +3 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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, supporting and core.

• Jefferson Security BankmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Presenting sponsor for the 2026 Scarborough Society Gala. Jefferson Security Bank supports foundation events and initiatives as a corporate partner.
• United Bank, Inc.majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Presenting sponsor for the 2026 Scarborough Society Gala. United Bank provides ongoing scholarship support including the United National Bank Scholarship for Jefferson County graduates.
• WVU MedicinemajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Presenting sponsor for the 2026 Scarborough Society Gala. WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center is a corporate sponsor supporting foundation initiatives.
• TruistsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Gold sponsor for the 2026 Scarborough Society Gala. Truist provides banking and financial services support.
• Snyder Environmental Services Inc.supportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Presenting sponsor for the 2026 Scarborough Society Gala.
• Bowles Rice LLPsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Bronze sponsor for the 2026 Scarborough Society Gala and corporate sponsor at Lifetime level of Scarborough Society. Provides legal counsel as corporate advisor to the foundation.
• West Virginia Humanities CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WV Humanities Council provides financial assistance for the Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence program. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of the WV Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
• West Virginia Center for the BookcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with Shepherd University Foundation on the Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence program, supporting the annual West Virginia Fiction Competition and Anthology of Appalachian Writers.
• Shepherdstown RotarysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor at Lifetime level for Scarborough Society, supporting library programs and initiatives.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Frostburg State University Foundation: Regional peer as a University System of Maryland foundation serving Western Maryland donors in the same regional geography, with comparable scholarship and donor society structures.
• Hood College Office of Institutional Advancement: Regional peer as a Western Maryland small-college advancement operation in the same tri-state donor geography, with comparable scholarship endowment and alumni giving programs.
• Shenandoah University Office of Advancement: Regional peer as a Virginia private university advancement operation administering scholarships, endowments, and donor recognition programs in the same Northern Shenandoah Valley donor market.
• Radford University Foundation: Regional peer as a Virginia public university foundation operating scholarship and endowment programs for a comparable-size regional institution in the same tri-state donor geography.

Direct peers

• Marshall University Foundation: Direct peer as a West Virginia public university foundation with parallel scholarship, endowment, and donor society programs serving Marshall University students and faculty.
• Concord University Foundation: Direct peer as a small public West Virginia university foundation administering named scholarships, endowed chairs, and donor recognition societies — closely comparable in scale and structure.
• West Virginia University Foundation: Direct peer as the largest public university foundation in West Virginia, administering scholarships, endowments, and donor recognition programs for WVU students and faculty under a comparable 501(c)(3) structure.
• Fairmont State University Foundation: Direct peer as a West Virginia public university foundation running scholarship funds, planned giving programs, and donor engagement events for a similarly-sized regional institution.

Others

• West Virginia Humanities Council: Existing programmatic partner funding the Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence program; an adjacent grantmaking body sharing cultural and educational programming overlap with the foundation.
• Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE): Adjacent industry association providing fundraising benchmarking, donor-engagement standards, and advancement training to university foundations including Shepherd's peer set.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/shepherduniversityfoundation

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 Shepherd University Foundation, Inc.