Kelsey Menefee oversees donor-funded scholarships, from training selection committees to telling recipients they have earned life-changing financial aid.

Kelsey Menefee juggles big responsibilities for a young woman.
The 27-year-old is director of donor relations and special events for the Missouri State University Foundation.

She oversees donor-funded scholarships. She also helps plan events for supporters and friends of the university. It’s the perfect marriage of her passions. “I like that I get to work with both because it lets me have variety in my days. It allows me to engage both sides of my brain: analytical and creative.”

SHE’S AN ALUMNA WITH TWO MISSOURI STATE DEGREES

From the time she was young, the St. Louis native was always involved in organizations and planning, from youth groups to Girl Scouts.

She came to Missouri State to study entertainment management in the College of Business. “A lot of other schools with comparable programs were either too expensive, or they were more heavily focused on the arts. I knew I wanted to have more of a business focus,” Menefee said. “I wanted to manage, not only be involved in the creative side. MSU allowed me to do that.”

She earned her bachelor’s in 2017. But at 21, she felt her college journey wasn’t finished. She enrolled in the MBA program and landed a graduate assistantship in donor relations at the Missouri State University Foundation.

“When my predecessor moved on, it was fortuitous timing because it was only a few months before I was going to graduate. I was in the middle of searching for opportunities,” Menefee said. She joined the foundation in November 2018 and received her MBA that December.

SHE COORDINATES MANY ASPECTS OF PRIVATE SCHOLARSHIPS

Stephanie Smith, senior director of donor relations and special events, knew Menefee was the right person for the job. Menefee was kind, funny, dependable and empathetic. But she is also driven.

Menefee wanted to learn every aspect of the foundation. “She is incredibly detail-oriented, which is critical to her role in foundation scholarships. She analyzes processes remarkably well. She researches her ideas and is always willing to share fresh ideas and ways of doing or creating things. She takes ideas and runs with them,” said Smith.

When the office receives scholarship agreements with donors, Menefee ensures the scholarships are put in the selection software correctly.

She also manages the scholarship applications students fill out. It’s set up so that students fill it out just one time, yet it lets them apply to all donor-funded scholarships at Missouri State.

Communicating with students and making them aware of private aid opportunities is also part of her job. The foundation has more than 80 different scholarship selection committees. The members of these committees help select recipients. Menefee trains and facilitates committee members.

Once a student has been chosen for a scholarship, Menefee runs the selection through financial aid. Then she gets to notify students of the life-changing opportunity. That is a wonderful part of her job.

SHE HELPS CREATE EVENTS THAT LIVE ON IN PEOPLE’S MEMORIES

Another part of her job she loves: organizing the Endowed Scholarship Appreciation Dinner.

“The dinner is an amazing event. Scholarship recipients and scholarship donors get to meet each other. While students do write ‘thank you’ letters to their donors, this event allows for that gratitude to be expressed in a more personal way. It’s really special to be able to create a space where students realize that their scholarships were made possible by Citizen Bears who care about them and their ability to go to school,” Menefee said.

The donors love it because they get to put a face to the student’s name. “They’re able to see very clearly how their generous gift is directly helping students. I’m just grateful to be a part of the event where personal connections are made between fellow Bears.”

Menefee also helps organize other foundation events. A few close to her heart are the Founders Club medallion reception, the holiday party and the MarooNation Ball events.

“One of my favorite things is that an event never really ends — it lives on in people’s memories. Creative thinking and careful planning are necessary to making that memory the best that it can be.”