Kari Thrasher
Introduction
I am a good candidate for the role of Vice President of Philanthropy because I have a sincere
passion for helping others, and I think I can add a lot of value to this position. I have always
believed that philanthropy benefits the donor just as much, if not more, than the receiver and I
think when people recognize this, they place more value on it. Personally, I have experienced
this myself though the mission trips and other general service trips that I have been on. What I
find to be the most rewarding, however, are the personal connections made with people from
different financial, ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds. Therefore, I will work to find
events that allow brothers to interact and connect with other people.
My Qualifications
I have served on the brotherhood, philanthropy, and was a committee head for the recruitment
committee. Through the tasks I was assigned on the various committees I was able to obtain
some “practice” if you will on the best and most efficient ways to organize events. There’s
always a learning curve to any new responsibility, but I think the experience I obtained in
delegating tasks, organizing events, and communicating with others will help me hit the ground
running.
My Plan
I plan to host approximately three events plus a service trip each semester. I think the key to
getting brothers to participate in events is to not wear them down by asking them to sign up for
too many activities. Just as with anything else, things start to lose their value if they are too
available. My goal is to offer ample opportunities for brothers to participate in, but not too
many so that brothers are apathetic to another event.
Some events that I plan to continue/ introduce are:
Meal and activity at a women’s shelter—Working through UpSpring, a non-profit
organization, we would go to a women’s shelter in Cincinnati and plan a meal and play a
game with the children staying at the shelter.
Feeding the homeless—We would volunteer to serve food at one of the local soup
kitchens
Knolls of Oxford—Donate time at the local retirement center in Oxford where the
brothers could play bingo, or perform other volunteer work as required.
Pen Pals—Brothers would write weekly emails to some of the children at Winton Hills
Winton Hills Trip—Arrange biweekly trips to Winton Hills to read and visit with the
students there providing encouragement and support
I also plan to continue to use subcommittees. From what I have personally seen the utilization
of subcommittees allows events to run more efficiently, while also giving other brothers the
chance to gain experience in leadership roles.
Changes
If I were to be elected I would plan events that center on helping people, and opportunities that
allow our members to make connections with others. I understand that many of us are very
busy and don’t always have the time to commit extensive amounts of time to service work. I
don’t think meaningful work is necessarily correlated to time, but rather the activities you
engage in. I would plan some short duration events that allow people with limited availability to
feel like they’ve made a contribution, and not stress about neglecting their homework or other
obligations.
Another thing I would change would be the times set for various activities. Personally, I would
really enjoy going to Winton Hills, but I always have class during the scheduled time when
people go. While I understand that someone is always going to have a conflict, my main goal
will be to maximize the number of people who can participate through surveys gauging
people’s free time at the beginning of each semester. I think the optimal time for activities
would be late afternoon or early evening during the week, and therefore I will try to find places
and activities where our preferred time slot is also conducive for them.
Conclusion
Overall, my passion for helping others in addition to my strong communication and
organization skills make me well qualified for this position. I genuinely enjoy helping and
connecting with others, so the obligations and responsibilities of this role are something I
would enjoy doing, and thus things I would prioritize. Thank you for your consideration.