International Stewardship Award Spotlight

Oklahoma State University Foundation: President's Fellows Annual Impact Event
2018 ISA Winner

View original submission

2020 Update: New Innovations, Retention, and Growth

Kelsi Jones
Assistant Director of Donor Programs
Oklahoma State University Foundation

As I mentioned in the award submission, President’s Fellows is a giving society that recognizes Oklahoma State University supporters who invest in OSU every year with leadership level annual ($10,000 annually) support that empowers the OSU President to address urgent needs and major campus priorities. This event is one of many ways we commit to offering our Fellows select opportunities to stay connected to the university that are reflective of their commitment to the society. Because Fellows donors do not choose the specific need or project their funds will be designated for, this event serves as the primary outlet for sharing stories of impact, showcasing how their gifts have shaped lives on campus and what ideas were made a reality through funds received from this program.

This event hasn’t continued in the exact format that we held it in 2018, but we have followed the same idea that led us to that format in 2018. Which is to provide a fun, impactful, yet intimate experience for our donors to showcase the depth of impact the President’s Fellows program has had across OSU. As such, the event has taken many shapes – some years an intimate dinner at the home of our President, some years a food truck party. This year, we plan to host the group for dinner on one of the performance stages in our brand new, state-of-the-art McKnight Center for the Performing Arts. Following dinner, they will be given tickets to the live performance of The Buddy Holly Story also taking place in the building.

Our retention of this group remains around 90% and we have since grown to 52 households from the 45 reported in our 2018 submission. Total dollars committed to the President’s Fellows Priorities Fund exceed $2.5M.