What Do Your Dues Look Like?
 

We all have to pay dues. What do your dues look like, and what are they used for?

I'm really curious about how some organizations manage to pull off some ultra-expensive events such as a foam party or even reserving an entire fancy restaurant for a social.

Are my chapter's dues (total of ~$400/semester) really low, are other GLOs appearing to having more large events than they actually are, or is my chapter just not spending the money in the same places?

Discuss!

I don't know what your budget form looks like but the one our national organization has us use has a line item for "socials." We can either budget for them- which will increase dues, or not include them in the budget and charge those who attend their pro rata share of the cost. Including it in the budget allows the entire chapter to pay and possibly have nicer events. Not including it places the financial burden only on the attendees and may therefore mean a "smaller" event.

You should have an idea of how much other chapters are charging on your campus from the financial information distributed during recruitment. It will vary so much from campus to campus so it is difficult to compare between campuses. Keep in mind that some groups will include all of those kinds of things in dues and some will charge extra for larger events. The "extras" will probably not be listed in the financial information that is distributed. A certain portion of your dues goes to your inter/national headquarters to keep your sorority going on that level. That can be a fairly significant amount that comes right off the top. Therefore, if dues are increased even $10 a month, for 50 women (don't know your chapter sizes), that extra $500 a month is purely the chapter's.

The social budget is generally the most flexible. When creating a budget, the items filled in first are usually going to be the amounts that have to be paid out to your inter/national headquarters, then operating expenses like mailings, recruitment, copies, Panhel dues, website maintenance costs (like domain name/server space), supplies like handbooks, ritual paraphernalia like flowers or candles, or new member guides, etc. Whatever is left usually goes to social. So, a small dues increase can mean a big social budget increase because all the "extra" goes to social.

ETA: Just realized I wrote this from a sorority perspective but I think most of it applies to fraternities also. It may be harder to find out what other chapters on your campus charge but they may be willing to share that info at IFC.

By those ultra-fancy events, when I crunched out the numbers, they tend to hover around $5000 though.

$115 per month, but I don't live in the house so I have to pay an extra $70 for the first month for the parlor fee. Money goes towards GHQ, socials, brotherhood events, paying off the renovations for the house because it was remodeled this past summer.

Our dues were just under $300 for the upcoming semester, which is awesome. However, we have to pay for everything when it comes to events such as formal, or hayride, or whatever else. We even have to pay for some of our mixers when there is food, either by buying it ourselves or otherwise. I personally would prefer it all in one package, that way it would be fewer payments and more convenient.

Keep in mind that chapter size factors in significantly as well. For example, renting out a restaurant is typically going to be a flat rate. If you have 20 members paying dues it might not be feasible, but when there's 200 you have more money available.

Yeah, my chapter's approximately 30 members, but the dues are supposed to subsidize everything.

The only way then is to raise dues. Why not bring the subject up in chapter meeting and see what the consensus is?

when i was active it was $400n a semester with a $25 discount for upfront payment. now its $450 a semester with the $25 upfront discount. they go towards all chapter operations, socials, fees, NIB letters, philos etc.

ps. first post in a long ass time. good to be back?

My Chapter last semester our local dues were under $100 per semester

$400 in the Fall Semester

$300 in the Spring Semester

I don't know anyone else's Chapter that has this kind of disparity between dues, but in my Chapter we did it because insurance is due in the Fall and not in the Spring.

Our dues are more expensive in the fall as well (as in $100 difference). That is because our national dues (including our insurance) is included in those, although I know that we're working on some solutions as to how to change collegiate billing soon. In fact, I'm attending a webinar about it. :)