Starting a new community sorority.
 

Hey everyone...Greeks and non-Greeks.
I am currently creating a local community sorority in Fayetteville NC.
It would be non-collegiate of course. We are using Greek letters. We currently have 4 Greek letters. It is for people that have always wanted to be in a sorority but for any reason could not do so. We will still be doing community service and be loving and caring to ourselves and each other. Well I wanted to know would we have to go through anything to make it official. Like go through any boards like NPC....help please!!!!

No. There aren't any governing bodies for community sororities. Have you looked at already established groups like Beta Sigma Phi or Epsilon Sigma Alpha?

Nope. Slap some letters on sweatshirts, go out and clean a highway or whatever. Be prepared, though, for people to jeer at you as "wannabes." If that doesn't sound like something you want, check out ESA or BSPhi.

I think it is great that you are starting a community based GLO. I did some reading on The Red Hat Society and they pretty much just decided to become a society and they established some pillars and such and look at them! Over 40,000 chapters!

I am a sister of Beta Sigma Phi, so I can't help but put a plug-in for us. :) If you are concerned about some issues and would rather have the backing of numerous chapters around the world you can look into BSP (www.betasigmaphi.org), if not I say go for it! Many wonderful GLO's have been started by strong woman who were not afraid of establishing something new.

As for people possibly jeering at you, once you get out there with community service and a positive image people may be more interested in your GLO and will most likely take you serious.

I wish you the best of luck!

Is the Red Hat Society still a big thing?
Red Hat Society =/= sorority

Red hat society is definitely still alive and kicking, but it does have an age restriction so it's not for everyone. And it's not really that kind of group anyway. But there are a million ways to do good things in your community without having to slap on some letters. I would recommend either working within one of the highly respectable community sororities or finding another existing social organization (Red Hat, Junior League, Jaycees, Lions, Exchange) and going that route. As 33 said, you will come off as, well, not cool.

I want to start something fresh and new....those people did....why can't I?
I believe in my future community sorority. I can see us doing the same if not better than the rest.

Better than the rest? Someone sounds like they are mad a certain group.
Plus what you plan on doing isn't fresh and new. I can name 2 sororities off the top of my that do the EXACT same thing and take women of all ages.

Good luck with your acute case of founderitis.

Where is the like button when you need it?

I mean is it wrong to do this? I don't get what's the big deal :(. I just want to do good and help people to do something that they may never had the chance to do. But thanks to all that gave me good advice...

Go ahead, have a great time. What we're trying to tell you is there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Of the 2 community sororities mentioned above, the only one I have familiarity with is Beta Sigma Phi and they seem to vary from chapter to chapter so you would have some freedom to customize.

Why do you need Greek letters and to make up a bunch of principles and colors and whatnot to accomplish your goal? Why do you need something new? Why can't you accomplish this via the Junior League, Eastern Star, BSPhi, etc.?

You ought to address those issues before you take the first step.

Its to give it a feel of being in a sorority. That's all. If you never got the chance too...hard to explain....And I'm typing from my iPhone. Lol. But the othe others ones don't seem to have my vision that I have.

How does one create the feeling of being in a sorority (I'm assuming you mean a collegiate sorority) without being in college? I suppose I get the why, but the how seems to be pretty elusive.

Yes. If you are trying to be like a college sorority, that wont happen if your members are not in college. You wont be doing mixers with other groups. You wont be hanging around at the popular spot on campus meeting members of other groups (and maybe your own) between classes. You wont have Greek/Campus wide participation in events like Greek Week, Greek Sing, etc. You wont have (at least not for QUITE A WHILE) the networking connections/camaraderie of sisters/chapters across the nation that these groups have.

As a member of both a collegiate/NPC and a community based sorority, the experiences are very different as both offer different things and have different traditions. While a community sorority may be a great way for women to meet, network, hang out, and be a part of a group maybe they didn't have in college for whatever reason, a community based sorority/group should never be viewed as "the next best thing" to a traditional college sorority. That line of thinking/expectation will only lead to disappointment for yourself and any future recruits you may have.

But I don't want everyone to think oh she is trying to create a knock off. Like you don't need to go to college. That's not the case. I'm currently in college. I just want to make something for military wives , mothers, community college students , ect. I could keep explaining but I think y'all get the idea :) . Where I'm from I don't have any community sororities around.

Those people could all be served by a chapter of ESA or BSPhi. Look into these. PLEASE.

Most people in the situations that you mentioned who want the sorority experience have either A: joined one while an undergraduate or alumni or b: take part in a community sorority such as Beta Sigma Phi. It sounds like you really just want to start your OWN organization for your wants because the void that you are trying to fill has already been filled.

To put it another way - what will this organization offer that is not ALREADY offered by the many groups already mentioned?

I know a fair number of military women (wives or active duty themselves) and none of them have ever looked for an outside organization to fill any voids. The military wives are really their own sisterhood and to go looking for something outside that would just be silly, ESPECIALLY in a local sorority. If they did want a sorority-type engagement, a national community organization would make much more sense for them since they move around so much.

And the point we're trying to get across is that there doesn't already have to be a BSPhi chapter in your area - you can START one. You just don't have to reinvent the wheel. Your idea is not new and you can work from within an existing structure and in doing so increase your chances of success by about a billion percent. Unless your purpose is ME ME ME ME ME.

How much do you know about setting up a not-for-profit corporation? Are you going to have dues? Who will write and sign your checks? How will you handle a chapter member who embezzles? How will you watch for it? You really need to think about the operations part of this as well. This is another reason to look for an established organization because there will be guidance in those more technical departments.

Thanks Kevin

You making this into something that not even that major. You don't know what you are talking about. How would it be about me? Smh like I said before I'm not about to explain and go into further detail because I'm on my iPhone and I just wanted my questions answers. Not people to basically down something that has not even started yet...it's amazing to me that some people are Greek but don't act like Greeks. You should be encouraging not knocking people down of their ideas. Everybody has different dreams and visions. Yes all Greek lettered organizations do similar things...but are unique in their own way. I'm done with negative people on this site and will only respond to good ideas.

Why did you ask for advice if you didn't want to hear it?

And how do you know how Greeks are "supposed to act" if you're not Greek yourself? Instead of getting so defensive, perhaps you should actually READ what folks are typing to you.

Woo hoo! I finally got my turn at being called a meany! I have arrived as a fully initiated GC member.

And let me see if I have this right. The OP was in a hurry to get a quick answer about how to start an entire sorority from scratch. I also have a quick question I'd like a few simple, positive answers to. I'd like to start a new government that is LIKE a democracy but not a democracy and I don't want to hear anything about how the US or France or Brazil does it because I want to do it from scratch. And quit telling me democracy has already been invented and I don't need to start a new government!

Many of Beta Sigma Phi's oversees chapters were founded by military wives on foreign bases (ie. Germany, Saudi Arabia, etc.). Just FYI :)

boossladybeau, you seem to be construing constructive criticism -- suggestions from people with experience that could help you accomplish something -- as negativity. People who ask for advice should consider all advice they are given.

According to the Beta Sigma Phi website, they have 7 chapters in Fayetteville. Then there's Epsilon Sigma Alpha and P.E.O. Sisiterhood, which may also have chapters there.

What most of us are getting at I think is why reinvent the wheel? The best justification for founding a new organization is because she wants something fresh/new. Is that going to be her marketing concept?

What is going to set this group apart as a group from, for example, a few friends meeting regularly for coffee and donuts?

She has to craft an identity, create an organizational structure, develop a mission, select activities, figure out how to attract membership, figure out why potential members would select her group over the local Junior League, etc., with very little guidance.

It's not that any of us are saying that it couldn't be done. We're just wondering whether she's thought this through, because to get from a few ladies meeting for coffee and donuts to a Greek-lettered organization formed for the purpose of supposedly giving a sorority experience to 30 and 40+ year-olds who missed out in undergrad seems unlikely.

If there are already 7 BSPhi chapters in Fayetville, why not join one or start #8?

If she cannot answer that question for herself, how does she expect to attract members?

I haven't looked, but if she stated above that there are no groups in her area, and you (a non-BSP member) was able to research and find out there were 7 chapters in existence close by, then she has not done her homework for groups in her area that she claims to be seeking.

A search of my own reveals that Junior League is also present in Fayetteville.

I will put my plug in for BSPhi. Each chapter is very much like their own. We all share the same principals, meanings, rituals, etc. but there is a lot of flexibility. There are also different types of chapters. We have online, career, and traditional chapters. And each has different monthly meeting requirements.

I know the feeling of wanting to start your own GLO and it may seem some what difficult when you aren't a part of a GLO in college, but community based organizations can be wonderful and can fulfill the sisterhood bond you are seeking.

If you have really thought out all aspects of starting an organization I wish you the best of luck. :) But you should also look into other organizations and give them a chance. Beta Sigma Phi is known as the Friendship Club by some. We welcome women of different backgrounds, ages, locations, etc. Every state in America and Province of Canada has at least one chapter so there are so many opportunities to meet women all around the world.

If I were you, I would at least email National and ask. It is sooo easy to start your own land chapter as well. All you need is seven women. :) And National will gladly guide you to starting your own.

If you have researched and found that for some reason these organizations can't offer what you need there might be other ones such as the Lion's Club. But if you want to start your own organization just know that the road is a tough one. But if it weren't for people like that none of our GLO's would have been established...and when I think of it that way, you have my support. Best of luck. :)

@ PAS, Thank you for this information. I am very interested in Beta Sigma Phi International Sorority. Your organization its history is out of this world as well. Also, I love the lineage for my children because I believe in the ability to pass down this life long opportunity and sisterhood as a major plus. Please send me a message regarding morning information about your organization.

Thanks,
Tye

Good Morning (it's 2:11am on the East Coast) and I'm new here. However, @Bossladybeau, I do not knock what you are trying to do but, as a non-collegiate sorority, they do take the heat and are joked upon and made fun of by collegiate sororities. Why? I have not the slightest idea because I thought at the end of the day Collegiate or Non, everyone stands together and it's ALL about the "Sisterhood". But, it seems like I'm sadly mistaken.Those of Non-Collegiate status are kind of (if I could use a term) "Cast Out". Do I think it's right? Absolutely not because at some point through EVERY Sorority there is a cause within the communities that cross the path of another Sorority therefore, the goal of it serving the community is all the same. I say start your own, be the leader and if it's a dream of yours, please live it out. Life is too short! Make sure the women you have that stand with you are ready to receive both the positive and the negative feedback you all will receive. I applaud you for this and be not intimidated! Step out on Faith and Make It Happen! You may not know....one day we may cross paths too!

This was an oldie but a goodie about non-collegiate sororities:
http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ghlight=adults

@CutiePie2000 very interesting. Thank you for Sharing.

Please point to one place in this thread where anyone has knocked non-collegiate sororities. Seems to me that this thread is full of plugs for already-existing non-collegiate sororities. What is being knocked is the idea of starting a new group without looking into what's already out there.

Polishing off many age-old threads tonight. Where did you land, bosslady? I am in NC too, and I was looking at BSPhi and ESA...