OSU Foundation FAQ

We welcome students, friends, family, and alumni of Oklahoma State University to take part in PhilanthroPete. Follow the projects, discover your orange passion, and give to a campaign you love!

Applications eligible to be featured on PhilanthroPete must meet the following requirements:

- Be a unit or organization associated with an Oklahoma State University academic department or student organization registered or recognized with the Department of Campus Life

- Align with existing fundraising priorities and strategy

- Have the ability to access an existing OSU Foundation fund for their specific organization, department or campus entity for the purpose of receiving donations

- Be led by project leaders interested and willing to create and market compelling content

- Have timeline and fundraising goals that are feasible and scalable (project goals may only exceed $10,000 under special circumstances)

- Align with the organizational values and culture of the OSU Foundation and Oklahoma State University Core Values

- Applications are required to be approved by faculty advisors for student-led projects and department heads for faculty/staff-led projects.

All submitted project applications are reviewed by a committee of OSU Foundation staff. The goal of this committee is to review submitted applications, assess eligibility for PhilanthroPete platform, share feedback on fundraising strategy, and provide a recommendation of approval/rejection/referral.

Once projects are approved, OSU Foundation staff review project pages and provide recommendations and feedback to improve quality and effectiveness of projects. Updates must be made before project pages will be approved for launch.

We do not have a cap on accepted projects. Our platform has capabilities to launch as many projects as we approve.

The most successful projects have three components. First, a team committed to reaching a goal. Fundraising teams have broader personal networks, divide project tasks, and can support each other throughout the campaign. Second, a sense of urgency created by a deadline that encourages contributions within the timeframe of the campaign. Third, a compelling case for support that inspires alumni, friends, and students of Oklahoma State University to support the project.

PhilanthroPete campaigns are about a 10-week commitment. Upon project approval, you have 3-4 weeks to set up your page, create a solicitation and marketing plan, and turn in all required details. You can realistically get all of this done in about 6-10 hours of time over the 3-4 weeks. When projects are live, you will be actively soliciting for your projects for around 5 weeks. The amount of time you spend soliciting during the 5 weeks will vary greatly depending on your own individual marketing plans. Lastly, you have 1 week to turn in your thank you cards, which can be done in about 1-2 hours of time depending on how many donors support your project.

You will be soliciting your own personal network of potential donors and actively advocating for your project prior to and during the campaign. It is against OSU Foundation policy to provide contact information for alumni or donors. We want to help you succeed, but the confidentiality of our donors is our greatest priority. If you have an existing signed Confidentiality Agreement with the OSU Foundation, we can discuss additional opportunities.

You might be thinking “But, I don’t have a personal network! Who will I solicit?”. More times than not, you have a longer list of potential donors than you realize. You just need some help discovering them! Ask yourself the questions below to help build a list of potential donors.

- Look at who the members of your organization know. Could those members be asked/required to provide emails/numbers/names of their friends, family, and/or colleagues to help support your project?

- Do you have connections with other faculty, staff, and/or professionals who you could ask to support your project?

- If you are a student, do you have a faculty or staff member who may have contacts to share with you?

- Are there any newsletters you have access to where you could spread the word?

- Are there other organizations or communities like yours that you could ask to support your project?

- Are there members in the local community who you could ask for support?

- Do you personally have any contact information for alumni?

- Do you have any social media channels, personal or University accounts, that could post about your project? Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media websites should be used.

- Is there any marketing on campus you could utilize such as digital signage or A-frames?

Once you explore all these areas, you should be able to start coming up with a list of possible donors! If you have more questions about how to cultivate a list of donors, please contact Kyle Stringer at kstringer@osugiving.com or (405) 517-6694.

Typically, campaigns are live between 20-40 days.

There’s nothing typical on PhilanthroPete as goals are specific to each team’s need. The most successful projects on PhilanthroPete have established goals between $1,500 and $10,000.

Campaign teams receive all gifts raised through their PhilanthroPete project whether or not they reach their goal. The OSU Foundation will work with each team to disperse funds for project related expense.

If you have questions about a project through PhilanthroPete, please contact Kyle Stringer at kstringer@osugiving.com or (405) 517-6694.