Charitable Collective ‘Pokes with a Purpose’ Launches to Provide NIL Opportunities for OSU Student-Athletes

A group of Oklahoma State alumni have started a nonprofit, which launched this week, with the mission of providing NIL opportunities for OSU student-athletes and fundraising opportunities for charitable organizations.

Tabbed “Pokes with a Purpose,” the collective will pair student-athletes with community charities, of the athletes’ choosing, and enable the student-athletes to receive compensation for use of their names, images and likenesses with those charities, according to the release. Pokes with a Purpose will also act as a matchmaker between businesses and players, according to the release.

Pokes with a Purpose has some big names attached to it. Former OSU quarterback Brandon Weeden, linebacker Kenyatta Wright and former Stillwater Mayor Gina Noble are all on the Pokes with a Purpose Board of Directors.

“We’re different than most NIL collectives because we offer opportunities for All OSU recruited and walk-on athletes,” Weeden said in the release. “The fact that this NIL helps all varsity sports, men and women, whether it be a full scholarship, partial scholarship, or a walk-on athlete, sets us apart from any collective out there … and reinforces the culture of family at OSU.”

This is the second OSU-centric collective that has come out in recent months, joining “Unbridled.” Unbridled, whose initial donation came from OSU alumnus (and ISN CEO) Joe Eastin, was announced in April. Former OSU baseball All-American Garrett McCain is a front-facing man with Unbridled.

“Unbridled was created as a stand-alone entity registered as an LLC that will foster and facilitate NIL opportunities for OSU student athletes by connecting them with businesses and alumni from around the nation,” McCain said in Unbridles’ release. “We plan on being leaders in this space and are going to do so with integrity and honor.”

Collectives are something the NCAA mentioned it would keep an eye on in its NIL Guidance release in early May, though, the NCAA’s power of the space has been called into question.

For more information on Pokes with a Purpose, you can find its website here. Unbridled released information pertaining to its cause on social media.