Connecting with Donors

I wrote this news article as a part of my agricultural communications classes at OSU. This piece won the Writing Award of Excellence in the National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow Critique and Contest.

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STILLWATER, Okla. – College students today should start using their resources to give back to their communities said two Oklahoma State University alumni donors during a presentation on Feb. 13 at the OSU Foundation.

OSU Student Foundation members hosted the Q&A session with donors and opened the event to all OSU students, said Michael Bardwell, Student Foundation campaigns committee member and a political science freshman. Bardwell helped recruit OSU students to attend the event as a part of his role in the campaigns committee.

Bob and Ginny Sherrer are OSU alumni and donors who spoke at the event, Bardwell

said.

“Once students graduate, they become alumni and alumni become donors,” Bardwell

said. “The only way to really become a donor is to know about past donors. Once there’s a

legacy of giving, that legacy will continue on. That’s why students need to be aware of giving to OSU.”

Bardwell said the event was a success because he was able to learn from the donors

alongside other Student Foundation members and OSU students. Bardwell said this was his first time to meet and talk with OSU donors.

The Sherrer’s story of their journey through college was inspirational and interesting,

Bardwell said.

“It really shows the whole ‘pull yourself up from your bootstraps’ type of mentality that

represented their generation,” Bardwell said. “By establishing scholarships and helping fund buildings, Mr. and Mrs. Sherrer really are creating a meaningful impact that will last generations on this campus.”

Donors fund research, campus buildings, and other needs students have to allow them to be more successful, Bardwell said.

“We just wanted to be loyal and true and it’s kind of in our blood to give,” said Ginny

Sherrer, an OSU alumnae and donor, to students at the event. “We want students to be

successful.”

Bardwell said he sees the impact donors make on OSU almost everyday and is excited about becoming a donor after graduation.

“Donors are really important to OSU because they are really the lifeline of the university,” Bardwell said.

According to the OSU Foundation website, over $2.3 million was donated to the

foundation by nearly 32,000 donors in 2019.

The goal of the event was to connect students with donors and bring awareness to how important donors are to the university, Bardwell said.

“I think this event kind of introduced me to a side of OSU I didn’t really know about,”

said Grace Schwall, a strategic communications freshman who attended the donor panel event. “I hadn’t thought about what went in to raising funds for school and that was interesting to hear from donors who really care about this school.”

Schwall said the reasons behind why donors give back to OSU interested her the most.

“It has a lot to do with gratitude,” said Bob Sherrer, OSU alumnus and donor, during the event. “I was taught to tithe and give growing up. If you give first, save second, then live off the rest, it will change your perspective on everything you do.”

Students have the opportunity to be involved with OSU donors while still in college, said Abby Wilton, Student Foundation communication committee member and an interior design sophomore.

Donors are important to OSU and students can start donating now, Bardwell said.

Students can donate money to funds, such as the Cowboy Emergency Fund, or specific groups on campus, Bardwell said.

“I don’t really have the money to be a student donor, so I help the university in other

ways by giving my time,” Bardwell said.

For other students looking to get involved with recruiting and maintaining donors, the

OSU Student Foundation is a place to start, Wilton said.

“Student Foundation is the student branch of the OSU Foundation,” Wilton said. “We

work specifically with donors and student donors allocating funds to be used for the university. Another part of that is we are also big on thanking donors and really showing gratitude and appreciation so they will want to do it continually in their future.”

The donor Q&A event took place during ‘Love O-state’ week, a week long campaign by the OSU Student Foundation, Wilton said.

“Love O-state week is a week encouraging students to express their love for Oklahoma

State University in any way, shape or form and why they specifically love the university.”

Students can share things about what they love about OSU, such as campus buildings, sporting events, organizations or other experiences offered on campus throughout Love O-state week, Wilton said.

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