I am not in NPC or NPHC but the majority of my college yrs(after I knew more about Greek life) I always heard some women say " Oh you're in a sorority, I used to be Greek." Or women who are asked about their parents college yrs saying "I found out my dad used to be in a fraternity, idk that" I've never heard membership in a fraternal org referred to as past tense when it comes to NPHC. Period.

So that always made me wonder about historically WGLOs vs BGLOs and the percentage of alum involvement. I am Southern so is it regional?

My sorority has always said 'It's not just a time commitment, it's a LIFEtime commitment"

Speaking from what I know and my experience only:

1)AI does work!

2)As it has been said - each sorority does not do AI alike and all function differently

3)One point I like to mention is I trust HQ's fully. The women are amazing from the bottom up to the top positions. They know how to make the appropriate decisions. Everything is on a case by case basis and it really does work in the end. There is nothing wrong with a potential member contacting HQ. We are adults and we can handle contacts in a mature fashion. If the candidate is seen to be a good fit they will then be placed in the process. The candidates that do make it are few, but when a new member is chosen through the AI process it really is a win-win for the whole sorority. HQ's really does know how to weed through and choose the shining stars. This is what it is all about.

4)I agree with SWTXBelle - we must do a better job of teaching young members the concepts and importance of lifetime membership. This is key! If young members graduate and step into alumnae groups - maybe AI would not be in the picture as it is with some orgs. I have thought about this numerous times. We need to continue making strides in this area. The numbers are just not there with membership when it comes to young women leaving after four years, upon graduation. We need these members more than ever once they graduate.

5)Any woman that HQ's grants membership via AI has the same rights and priviledges. They are not looked down upon in any way. I totally and completely respect that.

I can tell you what I know about AST. We do offer AI, and it is described on our national website, but the information is directed at sisters, and not at potential alumnae members. There is actually more to the process than is described on the website. I know this only because I'm in the process of helping someone through AI right now.

In addition to what is mentioned, the initiated alumna must select one among four different "categories" of service. I forget what they all are right now, but two of them are working for HQ, and serving in an advisor position. They must fulfill requirements based on which path they choose.

Potential alumnae members can't just fill out an application and send it in to HQ. They need a letter of recommendation from at least one collegiate member. Actually, the first step for the woman I know going through the process right now was to talk one-on-one with our District President and discuss why it is she would like to be involved with the sorority. This is not something that can be pursued by just anyone.

Thank you for sharing.^^

Your experience is similar (in some ways) to what I know.
A potential member can contact HQ and from there they must go through an interview process, if HQ sees a possible fit. It can be with one person or several different people on various levels. You will be asked point blank what service category you will fill - such as an advisory position. You will need a sponsor and you will also have to be officially voted in by the executive board. All in all, it takes some time for it to come to a final decision.

No because membership at this level (and the undergraduate level for that matter) isn't simply about them having a process that allows such or about the process that they have, but that said person wants to do the work of/work for ABC organization.

I agree here. If people know that for undergrad their are unanimous agreements with respect to recruitment, it is likely that they are extending that understanding of the taking in new members to AI process. They know or have heard of women being initiated post college, so they think all NPCs do this/do it the same way.

I don't know how AST and or its members feel about AI, but if someone where interested in AI for your sorority and stumbled across said information they might think that it is something that is open for inquiry, when in fact that information/knowledge was never meant for them.

In speaking with some people who are higher up in the organization about this issue, none of them are aware of people contacting the national organization on their own looking to join. I think that if it was that big of a problem, and if people were constantly contacting the national organization, they probably wouldn't have that information on the website... no matter who it was directed toward.

EXACTLY. There's no reason to get nasty on GC if a PNAM wants to contact your sorority's HQ, because they will know who "always dreamt of being in a sorority" and who actually deserves membership. At least I trust mine to be able to tell the difference.

violetpretty, you really do represent a true sorority woman and I tip my hat to you!;)

ITA that we don't need to be nasty on GC - it really does all work out in the end.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

I think rather than increasing AI programs, the sororities (all 26 of them) need to look at why alumnae involvement among the women they've already initiated and who have had great experiences is so minimal. I think part of it is because of the way we recruit - the majority of women join ABC because they love the ABCs at their campus. They might move back to their hometown where there's an ABC alumnae chapter - filled w/ women NOTHING like her collegiate sisters. I hope this doesn't come out wrong, but it seems like NPHC groups don't let things like that get in their way as much. They know they need to "take care of business."

Honestly, I just don't see AI ever becoming consistent among the 26 NPC groups unless NPC radically changes the way we recruit at the collegiate and alumnae levels. I would rather we "took care of our own" first - tried to re-engage the members we already have - rather than AIing to make up the difference.

I think my organization is making some inroads here. As president of the alumnae chapter in my area, I have been blown away at the involvement of our youngest alumnae. The percentage of alumnae in our area who are less than 5 years out of school is astronomically high as compared to the rest of the chapter. In addition, they show up to all the events, volunteer on committees and as they move to town have been great about finding *us* (instead of vice versa) and joining. It has truly been seemless- "I just graduated from Big State U and moved to town. How can I get involved in the chapter?" Very refreshing.

I work very hard to recognize their involvement for this exact reason, and hope that some of the older members can see their enthusiasm and loyality.

I am embarrassed to admit that I am not sure what specifics my organization has done to increase the awareness of lifetime membership while members are still in college, but I do know that this has been part of their strategic plan for the past few years. For those orgs who have not yet developed specific programs for such I offer that these programs can and do work.

The benefits are twofold- members involved for a lifetime, and as was mentioned earlier it can decrease the need for AI.

Congratulations Blondie93 to you and your organization! It sounds like you are having great success locally and that is the key when it comes to recent graduates.

I would really love to hear what any sorority is doing now to encourage/improve retention after graduation. Do you have a plan nationwide that your org is implementing prior to graduation of members? Do you just have ideas that you think may help? I was just curious and wondered if anyone had anything to share.

We have a great number of younger alumnae, too. I think it is a result of an increased emphasis on lifetime membership, and maybe through things like sisterlink - it's easier to keep in touch, so it's easier to keep alumnae active.

DoctorD has posted some details somewhere on this board about our new Delta program for collegiate seniors. It focuses both on meeting programming needs specific to seniors as well as some opportunities to "opt out" of some collegiate events to "opt in" to alumnae chapter/club or Junior Circle events instead. Our Junior Circle program is also designed to keep young alumnae involved. Junior Circles are alumnae clubs geared toward women 35 and under and are usually sponsored by alumnae chapters or clubs, but not always. I don't know about other groups, but we're seeing a real trend in which collegiate chapters experience significant decreases in participation by the seniors. The Delta program is aimed at turning that around. More like "We know you're busy and you're focusing on finding a job or grad school apps and here is what we can offer you to help" rather than "These are the collegiate activities and you have to participate" If women start "checking out" in their senior year, I really think they're not likely to be active as alumnae.

ETA: And yes, our new member program is going to be our "Alpha" program and special programming for Sophomores/Juniors is being developed to be the "Gamma" program, creating the Alpha Gamma Delta experience.

Exactly! Alumnae chapters do "recruit", but we recruit women who have already been initiated into our sorority.