"Repurposing" Badges?
 

Cleaning out the sorority house I found a box of badges. I am trying to match the with their member to get them into the right hands. I believe a number of these belong to people that resigned their membership.

******I will check with out International to see if there is a specific protocol for these stray badges.*******

If there is not, I would love to come up with something I can do with them to then donate to our annual fundraiser. Any ideas?

I'm sure there is a protocol. Most likely need to be returned to HQ

We have a life-lease on our badges, we don't actually own them. When we die, they are either to be buried with us or returned to IHQ. So, yes, definitely check to see if your nationals has a similar policy.

If this is ADPi, please let me know. I'm willing to do some sleuthing, in order to get them into the right hands.

If these are Gamma Phi Beta badges, please message me pronto!

Otherwise, your effort to contact your headquarters is a great move. I would think that your HQ will ask you to send them back. I can't imagine they would be ok with you "repurposing" them or using them as a part of a fundraiser. Badges are a symbol of our membership and are, in essence, ritual items. And, as UVASquirrel pointed out, it's likely they are the property of the sorority itself and the chapter cannot use them for individual gain.

I commend you for noticing the badges and wanting to give them proper disposition instead of throwing them into a closet or cardboard box somewhere! If any of the badges are especially fancy, old, or jeweled, maybe you can get permission from your headquarters to designate it as a perpetual honor badge to be worn by a chapter officer and passed on from year to year. Or passed each year to the sister with the highest scholarship marks or something like that.

A few years ago, I went to an alumnae event where they gave each us of a piece of paper containing instructions of what to do with our badge if we die without having specifically given out that information in advance. You could fold it up and keep it with your badge, that way if someone is going through your things they will know not to sell it, give it away, etc.

Mine is listed in my will....along with other specific bequests.

Yep...we have a "Badge Disposition Form". I keep mine in the jewelry drawer with my badges (I have two...want to be buried with one and return the other). I also have it in my will.

Shoot - I should put instructions in my will! We have three options: (a) give it to your sister, daughter, or granddaughter who is an AEPhi; (b) be buried with it; or (c) have it returned to nationals.

I have no sisters or children, so option (a) is out for me. I'm leaning toward having it go back to nationals. My husband knows this, but I think I'd better formalize my wishes in case he dies first (or in case he decides to sell it :eek: )

Mine is all diamonds and goes to a chapter to use for a president's pin. It's on a disc and chain. My plain one I already gave to someone.