Amen, madmax! I second you on the "jobs and kids"! Many alums are thrilled to come to chapter events but whether you have 1 child or twenty, you have to do some major juggling to leave for a day.

I do feel your pain. When we first re-colonized the Alumnae chapter in my area, they sent out betwen 250-350 postcards or letters to let people know. For the chartering meeting, we had 50 show up (which was impressive) but then the membership dropped down to about 15-25 active participants. One thing that really helped us is that we have an alum forum on Yahoo with our calendar and events, directions, and everyone's email that we can get. We even have polls to figure out where and when meetings are convinient for the most people to show up. We rotate the meeting place so that alum from the far end of the area can come sometimes (if not all the time) and still feel like they have an active part. We also have 2 chapters in our state, and most of the alum are from one or the other. So, we volunteered to help out both chapters with Rush and any other events they needed us for. Rush is held at different times for the chapters and this allows alum from each chapter to take an active role to help the place they came from. We have Alum weekends at each chapter as well (mine is coming up this next month, I am so exctited!) which helps remind alum to try to take an active role after college. We encourage alum to come to at least one meeting a year (more if they can) and we have a bi-annual newsletter (I think) where you can put info about yourself, family, events or anything which helps to keep contact and ties.

I just returned from our weekend of Founders day, and while I was dissapointed in the Alum turn out, we had from # 1 (me) along with #'s 6,14,16,and 19. We are called the old Farts!:D

But we had more up into the 500's and just Initiated # 595! That was a Very Proud Moment for me ant the Old Farts that attended!

It is a two way street, the Actives have to keep n contact with the Alums and the Alums WILL KEEP in contact with the Chapter!

I restarted the Alum Golf Outing 3 years ago and this last year, we had the largest turn out ever!

I have been working for over 2 years to get @ 200 e-m addresses and still working to get more! The Alums want to hear what is going on with something that is one of the most important times of their lives!

As # 54 says, Fraternity/Soroity is not for 4-5 years, for us it is a lifetime!

I hope # 54 will send me a copy of his Keynote Speach, and I will try to post it for you to read as it will reach each one of us!