Oklahoma State Solicitations: Fill & Download for Free

If you’re willing to step out and test the waters you’ll find friends quite easily. There are a ton of things to get involved in and everyone is there to learn and make memories.I bleed orange. I was born in Stillwater as my dad was finishing his degree after which we wound up in Fort Worth, Texas. Growing up I adamantly wanted to go to Oklahoma State. How badly? I memorized the alma mater when I was in middle school. My dad was shopping at “For Pete’s Sake” and they were selling a shirt with it printed on the back. My fanaticism was well established and it really spoke to me:Ever you’ll find us loyal and true.Oklahoma State was the only school I applied to. So how many of the 512 people I graduated with followed me north to Stillwater? Exactly zero. It was entirely new territory, but it was the same for a lot of students. It’s the most freedom and least responsibility you’ll ever have. So how do you “fit in” with the student body? Find your flock.Live on campus. Eventually you may enjoy the freedom and independence of an apartment or shared home, but I’d highly encourage you to start in a dorm. You get built in socialization and are at ground zero for activities. Walking is good for you, parking is a nightmare.Take freshman classes. I know that a lot of high school kids today graduate with a ton of hours, some even with an associates degree, but the freshman classes are catered to new college kids and the professors take time to help cultivate social interaction. If you can swing it, take advantage of figuring out what learning is like at a college level and start at square 1 with your class.Get involved. I started with marching band, which was dramatically different than high school and a lot of fun. Still one of my proudest heights of fanaticism is not just having OSU’s fight song as a ring tone, oh no, it’s having it where I’m one of the trumpet players. You need some general credits so have fun. I ended up committing most of my time to ROTC, first two years Army and switching to two years Air Force. My closest friends were those I met in the first two years. I don’t know if that’s more a factor of starting as freshmen, being in the Pershing Rifles fraternity, or an indictment of Air Force camaraderie compared to that of the Army, but the folks I keep in touch with and still consider brothers were Army cadets. There is so much to get involved in I promise you can find like-minded folks if you look.Wear orange. There’s a lot to be proud of at Oklahoma State and you’ll be adding to the legacy. Who hasn’t marveled at sliced peanut butter or stood in awe of parking meters? Seriously, though, OSU has made some amazing contributions to society in a wide array of fields. We are also in a golden era for Oklahoma State athletics. The Cowboy Brand is ever growing. We don’t have a lot of “t-shirt fans” so Pokes you see in the wild more often than not have a strong affinity with the school and will want to connect with you. I was just in an airport in Arizona and saw another passenger with an “OSU mom” shirt. I was, of course, wearing orange myself so I said howdy and got to hear about her engineering student.I cherish so many memories of Oklahoma State. Every year I get a call or two from the good old 405 and spend 5 or 10 minutes talking to a current student who easily solicits a donation to help make our orange shine bright. Step out onto the beautiful campus, look for opportunities, and I promise you will love it as much as I do.GO POKES!!!

Echoing the previous answer, the top names you really need to know are:DeShone Kizer, Notre DameDeshaun Watons, ClemsonMitch Trubisky, North CarolinaBrad Kaaya, MiamiPatrick Mahomes, Texas TechLuke Falk, Washington StateMason Rudolph, Oklahoma StateDavis Webb, CaliforniaThe more interesting question is: how many of these guys will actually declare for the 2017 draft? The only guy on this list that’s a Senior is Webb.Watson will graduate in December, so he's the only guy who is basically "100% gone."Kizer will likely declare (he's already soliciting draft evaluations).Trubisky is the hottest name on that list, but with only 12 total starts in college, he could stand to go back one more year (though if Larry Fedora leaves UNC for a better job, Trubisky will likely declare).Many people believe Kaaya will declare, but that's far from guaranteed.For the other three guys, it's still a total toss-up. My guess is that Rudolph and Mahomes will declare, and Falk will go back to school (and be the headline quarterback for the 2018 Draft).

"Charity Checkout" (formally referred to as "Point of Purchase") fundraising is a form of cause marketing that has become ubiquitous in stores across America, and for good reason: they work. In fact, they raised $441 million for charity in 2016 alone.While that number may seem impressive, it represents a tiny fraction of the estimated $282 billion donated by individuals in 2016, and it is important to examine Point of Purchase campaigns in the greater context of philanthropy as a whole.Not all fundraisers are created equal, and Point of Purchase campaigns have 3 important drawbacks that justify your hesitation at the register.1. Point of Purchase Campaigns "Force" ParticipationIf the situation above seems familiar, you aren't alone.While the ability to donate a dollar or two at checkout may seem convenient, many feel ambushed by the solicitation. In fact, the latter sentiment is so common it was parodied by South Park:This tactic is very much intentional. So much so that Leslie Lenkowsky, a professor of philanthropy and nonprofit management at Indiana University, admits that while effective, checkout fundraisers "can be annoying and coercive".This opinion isn't just anecdotal, either. According to a survey referenced by Joanne Fritz of the balance, 35% of shoppers who donated at the register did so to avoid feeling guilty.With numbers like those, one can't help but question the long-term viability of checkout fundraisers.Speaking of the long term...2. Checkout Fundraisers Can Lead to Donor BurnoutNonprofit industry experts generally malign the concept of "donor burnout," which posits that donors can gradually become exhausted by over-solicitation.Arguments against the theory, however, typically refer to donors who have made an explicit commitment to a particular charity. These donors have "opted-in" to solicitation."I've already given six times. The seventh time is enough"The same cannot be said about point of purchase campaigns, which solicit a donation with every purchase regardless consumer's giving history. These repeated requests can frustrate consumers, even if they have donated before."I've already given six times. The seventh time is enough," said one Santa Monica resident in response to an NPR interview, adding, "they don't know if I've given, [so] they ask. They don't have to ask again and again and again."But six donations is better than none at all, right? Unfortunately, that may not be the case...3. Cause-Related Marketing Can Actually Decrease Overall DonationsYou heard that right, checkout fundraising can actually decrease overall giving. A study from the Journal of Consumer Psychology (referenced here) found that consumers who participate in cause marketing campaigns tend to substitute it for actual donations, resulting in a net decrease in donated dollars.This finding echoes that of a 1999 study conducted by researchers at Oklahoma State University and U-Mass Amherst (referenced here), which concluded that cause marketing can lead consumers to believe that their participation is equivalent to donating directly.At its core, point of purchase fundraising gives people a means to donate within their daily routine. However, the drawbacks of this method, in my opinion, severely restrict its potential as a primary fundraising tool.If you're interested in a better (admittedly biased) solution, GiveTide offers all the benefits of POP fundraising, while still allowing you to give on your own terms.