How can newer alums help the collegiate chapters..
 

... that doesn't involve money? I know it probably sounds like a weird question, but I was randomly thinking about it the other day while talking to some other sisters that will be alums very soon (like myself)

I know that unless you already have a fabulous well-furnished apartment, and a decent-paying job immediately after graduation (which I don't have either as of yet even though I graduate in a few months) that the first 1/2-1 year after graduation are usually pretty hard financially.

Hey, sorry to crash your board, but I thought I'd give a few suggestions, if you don't mind!

Volunteer your time! A local chapter may need help setting up for rush or cleaning up afterwards. Or they may need help "assembling" things or painting things around the house/hall or to use during recruitment. Becoming a chapter advisor or a member of an advisory board is also a great way to help w/o having to spend $$$. Get some cheap paint pens and construction paper and make little signs for the girls to give to the new members on bid day ("Welcome to ADPi - we're glad to have you!" or something). Organize a luncheon for all the soon-to-be alumnae and have them all come up w/ suggestions of how ya'll can help w/o spending $$$, so that way you will all be prepared to volunteer.

Ditto! There are many ways to support ADPi, without spending a penny!

1) Recruitment. Offer to serve refreshments or assist behind the scenes. Write a recommendation for a PNM. Help set up/break down the decorations on Bid Day.
2) Philanthropy. Help out the day of an event for the chapter, or better yet, work with the local alumnae association and chapter and CO-PLAN an RMH Fundraiser or RMH Event. For example, you could coordinate to have the alum and the collegians decorate RMH for Halloween or the December Holidays. The RMH will give you the decorations :)
3) Offer to be a guest speaker at a chapter TME.
4) Attend Diamond Days.
5) Give Jewel Degree to Seniors
6) Help the chapter plan an event with the alum, like a scrapbooking social, or pottery class, tae-bo, etc.
7) Contact the CPD and ask her about short-term chapter support, or being a chapter adviser.
8) Send supportive notes to the chapter via the corresponding sec'y, to be read aloud and posted for all to see-- ie: good luck with recruitment, exams, etc.
9) Coordinate with other recent area chapter alum and have mixers together, to keep the ADPi feeling strong with your recent grads. Maybe one of your events can include graduating seniors!
10) Host a brunch for new alpha members. If chapter anniversaries are coming, up, help the association and chapter plan a reunion event.
11) Update your address and alumnae profile on Pride Online.
12) Most important: Remember that as an alum, your chapter of initation is not "your chapter" anymore. There will be situations that may arise. You need to let the collegians and the advisers handle these situations, and not interfere. This is your time to embrace alumnae life and be concentrated with alumnae situations. The chapter will ride out good times and bad times, and when appropriate, will make sure you know of their successes or their troubles. Be an understanding alum and let them make their mistakes and have their successes. You can offer your presence and support in many ways, but also as an alumna, you have entered a different phase of membership, and with this a fuller understanding of ADPi outside your chapter. Don't be hurt that you are no longer in the "know," but consider your alumnae chapter a new home away from home, where you will meet new and old friends and maintain ADPi heritage.

Congrats to all our graduates!

TP-

Right after I graduated I joined the Alumnae Association and became an officer. I think that is the best way to help the chapter without it costing you a red cent! I suggest either joining and becoming actively involved in your AA or House Corp. I didn't even have to pay AA dues my first year, as my local AA pays for the new alums first year of dues. I helped with recruitment and did so many other things as a new alum and it not only helped the chapter, but it helped with my transition from a Delta to a Pi. I now give so much to the chapter as alumnae newsletter editor and alumnae/collegiate web editor and do not have to pay a dime for it!! I love being a Pi!! I think time is just as important as money for some chapters!

thanks for all the suggestions!

I've never been to the "real world" yet, so I don't know about it ;)

Do you really have time working and everything full time? I guess we're just really unsure how everything would work.. but then I guess some college students manage sorority, school, and work so I guess it could be done

Well for me it is easy...I work a 9-5 job M-F with no weekends. All of our AA meetings are at 6:30pm on a weekday every other month.

It all depends on your job and the demand of the AA....if they meet weekly or even monthly and you have a demanding job it may be a little harder. But yes you can balance all of it!

Actually for me I have more time than I ever did in college...because remember now the homework and tests go away!! Unless you have a job (i.e. teachers, etc) that requires at home work!!

OH T*P I'm so excited you ladies are thinking about such things!! I know for a fact the local AA needs each of you, If nothing more than your presenctime and your energy. All of these suggestions are awesome!

Please keep in mind, there will be plenty of recruitment opportunities to help, as well as, sisterhood events. I was just speeking to your chapter advisor yesterday about coming up and having a one on one with the seniors. Give them ways to get involved. But i can tell you from being in the area, that the local AA needs some fresh faces, ideas and support!! Remember how important it was to have that support during your collegiate years. :)

Y'know, I think it would be great to go back to the chapter in Jan/Feb and talk to them what "the real world" is like-- get together a panel of recent alumnae (past 4 years grads) and have them talk about resumes, job hunting, apartment hunting, husband hunting (-grin!-) / dating around a work schedule, what your job is *really* like, real-world business wear, etc.

Sounds like a TME program in the making :)

Adpiucf brings up some really good points. What I'd like to add is that, as younger alumnae, you have a unique perspective that the older alumnae doesn't always have. You're an important bridge between a chapter and the other members of your Alumnae Association!

Although, I would think twice about being an Advisor for your own chapter until you've been out of school for a while - and I say that from personal experience! Being an advisor isn't always a quick road to popularity (to put it mildly!), and it's hard to say no to close friends. Offer to be on an Advisory Committee, or to help an Advisor instead, for those first few years.

There's a LOT of TME ideas that can come out of cooperation!

That's a good idea :) Like skerbow said sounds like a good TME idea! I know Delta Sigma Pi (at least the chapters I have seen) always have workshops like that, and that sort of info would be great for our sisters as well :)

We did this at Alpha Psi-- a couple of alum and the chapter sitting round-robin. The alum talked about their lives and what they "wish" they'd known before getting out in the real world. Then the collegians got to ask questions about the alum's careers and for advice about resumes, grad school, the working world, etc. It was really informal and everyone really enjoyed it. I think recent alumnae are a wonderful resource for TME workshops and presentation. Especially recent chapter alum whom the current collegians "know" and can help lay down the rules at spirit week, et all to keep the legacy alive-- it is a huge morale booster for a past president to come back and talk, etc.

Thanks so much for all the replies!

Correct me if I am misinformed. When I was in school, I was under the impression that in ADPi, one had to wait at least four years before serving as a chapter advisor. Is this correct? Has the policy changed? If it is correct, I can see why there is a four year wait, but it seems like there are alot of women out there that are being unused to fill positions that are available. But what if you move away and it's not your chapter? Just wondering if I was told the wrong information somewhere along the way. Thanks!!

THE Chapter Advisor has to be out of school for four years or more; AN Advisor (Social, Financial, etc) can serve earlier, but not at her own chapter. At least, that's how it was explained to me.

I think it is a bit of all of the above! If there are more mature alumnae, they might be selected before a younger alum, due to the fact that the older women have a few more years of experience and maturity to them. However, younger alum have stepped into adviser roles. It is preferred that those younger women are not alumnae of the chapter they advise, for obvious reasons, especially when she might have friends who are still deltas.

We (ADPi voting delegates) changed the 4-year advisor rule at Convention several years ago (the one in AZ I think). Now it's up to the discretion of the Province Director. Some younger alumnae are fine, some just should not be interacting with collegiates- it depends on their maturity, the situation of the chapter, etc.

Ah! Thank you ladies for clarifying that for me. I think I was already an alum when the convention was in AZ so I wasn't just told those ADPi rumors! Thanks for helping my confused, end of school year brain out!

I know it was especially hard for our chapter to find advisors when we first started out. It was a small town in the middle of nowhere. We had "THE" chapter advisor, but there weren't any other ADPi's around to help with other stuff. So when I graduated, moved away for a year, then moved back to town, I was asked to help out here and there as an advisor. But there really wasn't anyone else.

Hopefully the Alumnae Initiate program will start being used to help chapters such as these. In my district, there were 2 chapters this spring who initiated women specifically to fill advisory positions. Both these women pitched right in and have really helped the collegiate chapters.

My own experience is that I became an Advisor when I had only been out of school for a couple years, and I was NOT ready - I still had friends in the chapter. There were problems that came from this that would not have happened had this been a different chapter, or if I had been able to separate chapter business from friendship better. I stepped down. When I became an Advisor later, I was ready, and so was the chapter.

Being an Advisor is a very rewarding experience, but it IS work. I would highly recommend it to any alumna who loves Alpha Delta Pi!