Paperless Pledge Manuals
 

Is there any organization which conducts aspects of its new member education with the expectation that the new members have tablets?

We decided to save a few trees when we realized one of our new member classes all owned tablets or laptops.

We still have the option of paper, and some documents we do not transmit electronically, but I have been pleasantly surprised at the results. And it saves us money -- much needed as a small organization.

In my eyes the pledge manual is not just what you use to learn about your organization, its also one of those things you protect and covet similar to your pledge pin. You lose it, expect to get dropped. It just adds to the responsibility of being a pledge in my eyes.

We tried having all-online pledge manuals at one point. The upper-ups thought "this generation is so technically savvy, they could care less about a paper pledge manual and will want to do EVERYTHING on a computer."

Well guess what. We don't have all-online pledge manuals anymore.

The End.

I think expecting that everyone will own any certain device (unless you set it up as a condition of membership before the membership invitation is accepted, like certain schools say you have to have so and so laptop) and curtailing your educational materials as such causes unnecessary divisions and sends wrong messages about certain groups/persons not being welcome.

Like I said, it's optional for us, and more like "We notice that you all have devices, would you prefer to get these as PDFs?" and they said yes.

For APO, I think the main reason for keeping it paper in some form is that there are sections for having brothers and other pledges sign your pledge book (some chapters do competitions during the pledge process as to who gets the most, some require a certain number). Beyond that, I don't think anyone cares one way or another.

I think AOII tried going a least partially digital at one time, but we rolled out a new hardcover New Member Manual/ Keepsake that includes areas to journal, scrapbook and note take during the New Member period. It has been very well received. I think making the NM manual digital makes it almost throw away. This gives the NM a tangible piece of AOII that is hers forever that she can refer back to with her thoughts at the time included for the future.

I agree with you there.