The Merle-Smith Society was founded in 1982 in honor of Van and Kitty Merle-Smith, former parents, honorary alumni and long-term benefactors of Moravian Academy. The purpose of founding the society was to acknowledge the Academy's most philanthropic donors.

Membership in the Merle-Smith Society is accorded to alumni, parents, grandparents and friends who give at least $1,000 to the Academy in a fiscal year. Gifts of cash or stock for the Annual Fund and/or for capital programs qualify for listing in the Merle-Smith Society.

The levels of giving for membership are: