HELP! terrible alumni relations!! need ideas!
 

My chapter has ZERO alumni relations. literally, zero. our chapter really needs a lot of work, and I just got elected VP programming and I am determined to make alumnae my first priority! I need ideas how to get in touch with Alumni and get a relationship going with them!! Is it appropriate to ask them for money?? We don't have a sorority house, just a suite, so I don't know if it is appropriate to ask for money for our chapter use, would it be more appropriate to ask for money for philanthropy??

thanks for any ideas!!! :)

While it's common to expect small donations from alumnae, it's probably not the greatest idea for your first move. Your HQ could likely give you a mailing list of your chapter's alumnae. Why not invite them to something (a brunch or something) first before begging for money. Another idea is to create a simple newsletter to let them know what's going on with the chapter. Keep in mind that creating and mailing out newsletters will cost the chapter some money so perhaps someone can do an e- version.

Don't you have alumnae advisors?

I suggest starting out with an alumnae newsletter to stir up interest and trigger a trip down memory lane. Alumnae love to hear what's happening with their Chapter. Tell them what ya'll have been doing on campus, any awards you may have won, philanthropy events you've done, etc. Tell them about upcoming events and activities. Alums love pictures too! Create a general email address and encourage them to send brief updates on their lives to be shared in future editions.

Email versions are cheaper and easier, but hard copies seem to generate more interest/response (at least in our experience). You should be able to contact your I/natl for a list of e/mail adresses.

My initial thought was also to start with a newsletter. I would LOVE to get news from my old chapter- as well as the one near me. But I get neither so that makes me a bit less interested in working with them or donating.

Whatever you do, do not start out asking for money. You said you have no relations, so if you start out asking for money you will really be getting
off on the wrong foot.

What are your goals for being more involved with alumnae? Be sure you're considering their needs too. If you only contact them when you need something (like donations or initiation), they're less likely to help out. Invite them to fun things you already do, like special lunches or dinners- without asking them to bring anything. Better yet, host a lunch, tea, or dinner in their honor and make it an annual (or semi-annual, or quarterly) event. And if you do, be sure the chapter is motivated to show up physically and mentally. Try to give them multiple opportunities to be involved with the chapter throughout the year.

I agree with everyone above. Also, if you do hold an alum event, make sure the collegians talk with the alum. If they are ignored, they will let other alum know and it will be a wasted effort...however, if people introduce themselves and talk with the alum, the will let others know about it.

Also, at the beginning of the semester, you could provide the alum with the calendar of major events that they most likely would be interested in attending (since ideally you'll have all those dates planned) and remind them as those dates get closer, ie. initiation, homecoming.

And above all, don't expect miracles. Alum relations take a while to repair, if they are that bad.

another important thing to remember is to notify alumnae of any activities you are inviting them to well before the event happens- at least 2 weeks,(for local alumnae) if not earlier and several months in advance if you expect alum. sisters to travel.

if there is a local alumnae chapter in your town or near you, you could seek out a contact in the alum. chapter that you could work with.

Be careful -- if the alumnae relations are bad because of "drama" it might not be so simple as a newsletter, but that's a start.

First and foremost, you should track down any and all alumnae that you can (if you're clearly missing contact information for a lot of them). One of my sisters took this on when she was Collegiate-Alumnae Liaison, and she found nearly all of them.

Before even sending out a newsletter, I would probably send out a formal letter to all of the alumnae explaining your situation. It's never a bad thing to admit your faults. Explain to them that you are currently working on improving the nearly non-existent relationship between the collegiate chapter and alumnae. Even sound a little disappointed that it has reached the point that it has (without sounding like you're blaming those who came before you, because let's face it.. this probably didn't happen overnight). But finish up the letter with things that you hope to implement over the next couple of years, and give them something to look forward to.

THEN send out your newsletter updating them.

My chapter also had poor alumnae relations when I was active, as we usually only had about 10-15 active members, and things like this were kind of put on the backburner while trying to improve the chapter in other ways. But the girls have now implemented an annual alumnae dinner. It was a little shaky last year, but they had it planned and invitations sent 2 months in advance this year. It's in a few weeks, and they've already heard back from about 15 alumnae who will definitely be attending.. one is coming from OH, another from NY, another from MD, and another from FL!

One of the most important things about alumnae relations is to PLAN AHEAD!

And you don't have to have a ton of events geared towards alumnae, just make sure you invite them to many things your chapter already does.. or at least inform them that they're taking place. But don't feel the need to tell them EVERYTHING you're doing. While alumnae won't want to go to mixers, they might want to support one of your philanthropy projects.

And use technology to your advantage! Facebook is a very easy way to keep everyone up-to-date. Another site that is great (if some of those older alumnae don't want to join Facebook) is myfamily.com. You can create a group for your chapter of your sorority. Users can create a profile with a picture and some basic information, but all that is required is their name. The chapter can post pictures, discussions and events. And when things are posted, members can automatically receive emails about them. It's such an easy way to keep in touch and keep people informed.

And a great way to get money without asking... fundraising! Those candles you're selling that some college students don't want to buy might look very appealing to an alumna decorating her house for Christmas.

Just a few suggestions :) Sorry it was so long!

I second what everyone's said about not soliciting during the first newsletter. I've received two different newsletters in almost 7 years of being an alumna that asked for money straight off the bat. Not very endearing. No one wants to be hit up for money the first time you hear from your chapter. Imagine if your college did that!

Those newsletters also happened to be the last ones I received; I guess they got discouraged and/or busy and decided to stop doing it If you're going to do this, make sure you follow up--appoint a VP-Alumnae Relations whose responsibility it is to create the newsletter and issue it in a timely manner (once a year, after initiation? Twice a year? Quarterly? It's up to you!). It needs to come out on a regular basis, even if you alternate electronic and print versions. If money is a problem, you can send e-versions to younger alumnae and hard copies to the older ones (my chapter is about 30 years old, so we didn't have many women who don't use the Internet).

Having a brunch during Homecoming sounds like fun! I go back to my college every year right around Homecoming (I don't go to the game), and I run into sisters ALL. THE. TIME. There's not anything to bring us together, so a brunch just before the game might be a fun way to get people together. I know that some chapters tailgate for their alumni, but if you don't go to a big football school, that could alienate people who don't want to go to the game.

At my college, graduation and reunions take place at the same time, and if it's not too hectic a weekend, a tea for the returning alumnae might also be a good idea. Even if you only have five alumnae attend the first event, don't give up! As people hear that the chapter is actually doing things to make alumnae feel welcome, more people will attend events and give of their money and time.

Alumnae relations can take a long time to repair, but there are a lot of small improvements you can make quickly. You do have to remain committed. If your chapter is committed to this, appointing or electing a VP-Alumnae Relations, if you don't already have one, is probably your best bet. I would recommend that this person not have another office--this needs to be their top priority within the chapter.

Sorry for the long post. Good luck!

My own chapter has been using FaceBook a lot lately, too. It started out as some sisters from roughly 4 years in the early 1990's, but it's grown overnight.

Everyone has given very sound advice. I'll just add two thoughts:

-Realize that every alumna's time is already being split by family, work, worship, and other activities. Some will gladly donate money, others will gladly donate time. Some will disappear - not always for a bad reason.

-When you do get some alumnae participation, FOLLOW THROUGH!! Nothing is more disappointing than giving your time and/or money and never hearing how an activity turned out! Even when my chapter was having problems, they were sure to say something on the lines of, "we didn't make our Quota of (number), but have been working on our COR skills. We are up to (number) New Members and hope to reach Quota by (month)." Alumnae understand this. They are not very understanding about the Whine-O-Letter, so if you must write one, do so and don't send it. It should be for cathartic reasons only.

dzdz---you've received great advice so far!

I'm also wondering if you have an alumnae chapter near you (even if it's not in the same city, perhaps one within an hour or two drive from your college). It might be a good idea to bring alumnae from the nearest chapter into the loop, too, because even if they're not alumnae of your chapter, they may love to know what's happening with your chapter and may be willing to help in the future. I live halfway across the country from my collegiate chapter, but I love keeping up on the events of the nearest collegiate chapter, too.

I just got an email from my college chapter - they were tracing "big sister/little sister" family trees. There was an award for the current collegian who could trace back her "family" the farthest. The advantage of this was that it immediately connected collegians to alumnae and alumnae to each other.

This is an AWESOME idea.

The local college chapter contacts our alumnae chapter via evite to invite to events on a regular basis. We get invited to their philathropy events, they host halloween parties for alumnae with kids and last night I was invited to a holiday party (that I will not be able to attend). I don't think six weeks to two months goes by that I don't receive some form of communication from them about an event that they want to do with the alumnae in the area.

I live three time zones away from my home chapter and for a while they were not including me on their alumnae newsletters, assuming (correctly) that I would not attend the events they routinely invite alumnae to. I was so happy when they started including me, too, and I've shown my appreciation by supporting them financially when they have a specific, well-thought-out project that needs alumnae support.

I'm going to disagree with some of the earlier advice you got about hosting alumnae brunches, etc.... Maybe it's just me, but I am much more responsive to a specific call for help ("We need alumnae to conduct a special ritual for our graduating seniors!") than I am to a more generalized social gathering aimed at alumnae. Think about it. Out of the entire history of the chapter, I really only share memories with a tiny fraction of their alumnae. The chances of someone from my era showing up at one of those events is remote, so I would end up "reminiscing" with people I don't really share memories with.

It would be different, though, if one of my sisters from my era contacted me directly ("OPhiAGinger, I'm going to the Alumnae Tea next month. Will you go, too? Let's get all our old gang together!") because that ensures that I'll know somebody there. Once you start connecting with some of your alumnae, leverage their emotional arsenal to appeal to other alumnae they know from their collegiate days.

I think that's kind of a narrow view to take. We recently had a reunion at Atlantic City - approximately 25 sisters attended. We had a very large age range, and the youngest girl there had only physically met 2 of the other sisters that were attending. After the first evening, it didn't matter a bit. We may have been there at different times, but we all went through similar experiences at the same campus. It's not just about reminiscing, it's about making new memories and becoming close to new people as well. If all alumnae get togethers serve as is "remember when" fests, it will help the chapter very little. There are alums out there who don't want to meet new people - forget them. They contribute nothing.

Very true.

And those "remember when" stories are actually kind of fun to hear if you're from a different generation. Being an advisor, I know the sisters sometimes ask me questions about when I was an active member. They got really excited reading one of the older issues of the Anchor (our magazine), and are actually considering repeating a fundraiser we did 5 years ago.

And in the alumnae chapter that we're trying to start around here, I know that I enjoy listening to stories from the older alumnae. I especially love looking at their compostite pictures from the early 90s... oh, the hair :p

At our formal this past April, we had some of our charter members attend, and the chapter was founded 20 years ago. Those woman said they had an amazing time and felt welcomed by everyone.

The whole point of attending alumnae events is to not only see the people you went to school with, but to meet NEW people... as in, more sisters. And who wouldn't want that?

I agree 100 percent. I actually love meeting with older alumni and hearing all the stories about stuff they did when they were undergrads.

I completely agree that 33girl's example, which was apparently an event at least two days long, provides a wonderful opportunity to form new bonds. My GLO's annual convention offers a similar opportunity to really get to know other sisters beyond a superficial level, and I love it! I remember hanging out in the alumnae suite at our last convention, looking around the room and really loving the other women who were there with me. Collectively, our active years spanned four decades and we were from all different chapters. Half of those sisters I had just met earlier that day, but I felt very close to all of them.

But I question whether it's reasonable to expect to form a bond like that when you're gathering for a 90 minute luncheon with 50 people you've never met. Yes, there is something similar in your character that brought you all to the same GLO, but.... I might attend an event like that if it were convenient, but it wouldn't rank high on my list. I've just got too many other competing priorities in my life right now with a demanding career and a busy family... a situation that is probably common to many of the OP's alumnae. I don't claim to represent all alumnae for all GLOs, but I doubt if I'm all that unusual. The OP needs to understand the challenge of getting past those competing priorities and some strategies to do that.

Like I said, I'm more likely to be drawn into an event where we are actively doing something to help the chapter rather than just eating a meal together. In my experience, that's a great vehicle to forming new shared memories. :)

Well, you've got to start somewhere. It's one thing if alums use reconnecting with others of their era as a start, but if they continue in the mindset of "I only want to see/hang out with/talk with people I was in school with" then quite frankly, their input is not needed...they can set up a reunion for themselves somewhere else. Too many times these are the people who are only returning to open old scars and create drama - their lives are so boring that the drama has actually become a fun and pleasant diversion. It isn't pleasant for the collegians who get caught in the crossfire, though.

Honestly, it is a two way street. Good alumnae try to keep up at least second or third hand. Especially nowadays with facebook, if you fall completely off the map, it's because you don't want to be found, and there's no point in busting your (as in collegiate chapter your) butt trying to get that recalcitrant sister to come back into the fold.

Wow. I'm talking about busy people who will carve out time from their hectic lives to reconnect with old friends but not for the more generic alumnae gatherings. But in your view, they are drama queens with boring lives? I don't see the connection.

Umm, thanks for cutting my quote to suit what you think I'm saying. If that's the only part you read, I'm not going to bother explaining it to you further. Try rereading the ENTIRE post.

Okay. I'm trying -- really trying -- to give you the benefit of the doubt. As instructed, I've reread your entire post several times. And I still think you reached a powerfully wacko conclusion.

Here is my perspective, boiled down to its essentials. Adult people can get very busy. They make hard choices about how they can spend their limited free time, and not everybody can carve out time to volunteer with their GLO, no matter how much they love it. So what if they only show up to a subset of the social events? How does that make them a drama queen who is just there to stir up trouble? Are they worse than the majority of alumnae who don't show up at all?

OK, let me make this as simple and rudimentary as I can POSSIBLY make it.

Annie Alumna gets a communication from her collegiate chapter that an alumnae tea is coming up. Fine. Annie asks if any other alums from her era are attending, and lo and behold, several are. Annie gets to the tea, and not only does she only talk to the women she knows and ignore the collegians and alumnae older or younger than her who are trying their hardest to engage her, she confronts Allison Alumna about stealing her boyfriend 10 years ago. She also confronts the chapter about "why they aren't as good as they used to be."

I do not think this is a "wacko" conclusion, more that you are willfully misunderstanding what I'm saying. If the ONLY reason you are going back to your campus is to see people you already know - don't friggin' bother!! Yes that can be part of it, but as someone who has had chapter alums who WORKED ON CAMPUS completely ignore the chapter because it's "changed so much" - trust me, no one needs that kind of alumna around.

And if the only reason you invite alums back is to do a needed ritual, it's a better idea to invite those who are geographically the closest, rather than those just from that collegiate chapter. Ritual is ritual. It's supposed to the "bonding" thing for all chapters, so who cares what chapter the alums are from?

Incidentally, I'm talking about NPC groups, and you are talking about a service sorority. The way you form bonds is different, and I think you're comparing apples and oranges. If you ask someone to come up for a service project, that makes sense - your primary focus is service. That's how you've bonded in the past. However, if a sister just asked me to come up to pour chili at the chili feed or whatever, after no communications in years, I think I'd be a little irritated.

I'm not sure that the purpose of a collegiate chapter hosting alumnae for brunch is to form a convention-like bond. I think brunches are a great way to meet other sisters (collegiates and alumnae alike) while learning more about the collegiate chapter and finding ways to eventually feel comfortable helping out.

I know you said you're more responsive to a specific call to action, but keep in mind that the OP's chapter has maintained few, if any, relationships with alumnae. Before alumnae are asked to give of their time and money, it may be nice to meet some of the women in the chapter, learn about the events and activities in which the chapter is engaged, and meet other alumnae with whom you may be eventually volunteering. I would find it odd to be asked for time or money completely out of the blue, if this chapter had not previously tried to form or maintain any relationship with me; to me, that just seems contrary to basic manners.

That said, I also disagree with you that it is not possible to form close bonds with alumnae with whom you did not attend school, or who were at your college during a different era, even over 90 minute activities instead of conventions (and the like). Because I went to school far away from where I currently reside, I have really benefitted from being invited to the nearest collegiate chapter's events (homecoming events, teas, brunches, nights out in Madison, etc.). I have learned a great deal about this chapter, met some great women, and am overall significantly more inclined to contribute than I otherwise would have been.

My collegiate chapter uses a facebook group and they encouraged those of us who knew other alumnae to keep inviting and inviting until every alpha gam we knew was a member. It's been pretty great, even though I live 8 hours away I'm still relatively connected to my chapter.

Also keep in mind that there may be alumnae living in the area who were not initiated at that Chapter. I'm a prime example. I moved to the deep South from the Midwest and didn't know a soul in the area. The Chapter got my address from Inatl using a search of all members within the geographical area. When I received a random invitation to a tea at the sorority I went because I simply wanted to meet some local women who I had something in common with.

That was 16 years ago. I've been active first as a member of House Corp, then as an Advisor ever since. Over the years we've had other fabulous advisors and active alumna who also did not go to school here. Point being, it's not only about shared memories and common experiences.

This is an excellent point! My chapter is only three years old, so the majority of our alumni support system are from other chapters. We've found it more difficult to reach out to alumni who don't have a connection to the university, but they are a resource that should not be overlooked! A lot of alumni move too far away to be involved with their collegiate chapters, but still really want to be actively involved after graduation.

Wow @ this last page ;)

Discussions like these remind me of how grateful I am that many organizations put a lot of emphasis on the chapter never becoming bigger than the organization. This is why alumni activity is extremely important, and preferably with an alumnae/graduate chapter where you get to interact with alumnae initiates and collegiate initiates (who have graduated).

Everyone's busy. But, what I gathered from OPhi's earlier comments is not just being busy/having priorities (who woulda thunk adults have priorities? :)) but almost an unwillingness or inability to connect. A specific call to action for the chapter shouldn't come before knowing who you are working with. Instead of going into it thinking that it is impossible, try it and go into with an open mind.

Sorors who move to new areas know how to meet Sorors in professional and personal settings. I think it is really not as difficult as people insist on making it. With every busy person, there are often two people who really think it is worth the time and commitment to maintain bonds/plan programs/attend meetings/etc. I have seen MANY home chapter Sorors reunited this way and many Sorors motivated to give back to their home chapters.

And some of us had close ties with members from other chapters as collegiates, including chapter road trips and chapters strongly supporting each other's events. :)

I think there are a lot of shared memories and experiences across chapters. Sorors don't have to be from my chapter to have experienced many of the things that I did.* But, people won't know that unless they connect with people outside of their home chapter.

*Granted we didn't experience these things together as collegiates but that doesn't matter so much when we're bonding as Sorors.

why do alums have to come down and try to tell us how to run the chapter. who are they to tell us.

Didn't you initiate 413 years ago?

Your brothers with a crap load of collective experience? Almost all organizations I know of the undergrads run the show with alum providing advice.

dont pay attention it's tom tryng to be a new front person username.

I know it's Tom. Didn't you see me call him out in the CoA thread? But even though it is Tom, there are quite a few people who feel that way.

Ahhh!! All is clear now. The part that threw me is the bold part of your post, which came out of your own head. I never suggested that the hypothetical alumna should ignore or disrespect the other sisters, whether they be alumnae or collegians. And she certainly shouldn't pick petty fights over something that happened long ago!

I think you have a good point with the part I highlighted in blue, though. I was trying to illustrate activities that would underscore the ongoing bond between all sisters regardless of when they pledged. In OPA, that includes service projects and rituals, which I presumed carried over to NPC sororities, too. In addition, you might invite alumnae to help prep for recruitment or spruce up the house.

I would be pretty irritated if my first contact from my old chapter after a long break in communication was just a request for money. But whether your chapter's "break the ice" technique is a shared meal or a more hands-on active project, the point is to re-establish the bonds by inviting alumnae to an activity that best illustrates the shared bond among all sisters.

I like that concept of the chapter never becoming bigger than the organization. Easier said than done, though, since so many members never meet sisters beyond the boundaries of their own chapter. Still, it's a worthy goal and something my org could improve upon.

As for your other point, the unwillingness to connect made me smile. I have been active on the national level for so long that my bonds with sisters from other chapters far outshadow the ones I formed back in college. My point is and has always been about setting priorities among opportunities in OPA. It's a special treat for me to get to catch up with a dear sister that I served on our national board years ago when our lives were simpler. Those are the invitations that really tug at my heart and motivate me to shift things around! I am not closed off to new relationships -- just very time constrained.

It's this kind of attitude that keeps the chapters in trouble all around the nation. Y'all too hard headed and think you know every *&^ thing when in fact, you really don't know your head from a hole in the ground.:mad:

Why does a random guy, who never went Greek, come on a greek chat site to make remarks about fraternities and sororities? I think it is weird.

Wait. He's not Greek?