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DUES! Money paid out from your pocket to the Greek Organization.

1. Local dues: Paying for Chapter House or Lodge. Money for recruiting, setting up partys, charity events, insurance, aminities for your lodge or house.etc.

For those not living in our House, we have parlor fees for those who use the House as they do place wear and tear on it just like the people living there!!

2. National dues: Rish Management Insurance being a larg peice of the pie. Office staffing at headquarters, traveling represenatives on paid staff, or expenses for voluntary members visting Chapters in their area.

It is getting harder for young men and women to want to join Greek Organizations because of the economie and rising costs at most schools. There must a strong reason for newies to join and spend that little extra money.

Now look to why you joined or want to and that should answer the above question.

As far as getting a house early... DON'T! Your dues money should go to the bigger and better if at all possible. Like the kickass party you're going to have when you get a charter.

You'll soon find out that ALL things you do as a chapter rely on $$$. With no $ you are pretty much stuck. If you're only an interest group you have a great opportunity to get off on the right foot -- so actually do some planning now. It's no good being 4 years down the road and still suffering from the mistakes of yore financially.

Set aside money for your initiation fees, your initial dues to your HQ and for events. Maybe ask someone in another GLO about what resources and costs are involved in planning social events.. Just do your homework.

FYI, our initial dues were $45/month. We got a house they went up.. then we got our charter (and insurance bills to go with it) and dues increased again! Just be ready for all that in advance!

Like tomearp said, your local dues fund your operating budget.

My chapter, as an example, has 2 budgets: operating & program. Our program budget goes to fund things like our Delta Academy, Health Fair, HIV/AIDS Conference...any activity that falls under our 5 Point Program Thrusts and our 2 Comissions. The operating budet goes to handle everything else. To budget appropriately, you need to sit down and figure out, in as much detail as possible, what you're going to do as far as programs and socials and what you'll need to pull those activities off. And don't forget to budget for office supplies.

Fundraising is another thing you need to consider as a suppliment to your operating and/or program budget. Plan your fundraisers and their timing carefully. You want to maximize your fundraising potential in two areas: members participation and dollars raised. Ideally, you don't want to have a fundraiser every month. It doesn't look good if everytime the student body turns around you're asking them for money. If you have any business majors or folks who just like to do this kind of stuff, defer to them as subject matter experts. There's also a Fundraising Fourm on GC where you can get ideas.

Hey!

Since I am a member of an academic greek letter society (similar in style to your law fraternity), I think I have a good idea of what an organization like yours might spend money on. In your situation, I imagine that the chapter dues would go towards the cost of things such as:

- advertising
- office supplies
- parties/socials
- t-shirts, goodies
- paying an honorarium to guest law speakers
- scholarships
- annual dinner, awards banquet, initiation

For my org, the biggest chapter expenses were always office supplies and the initiation dinner/awards banquet!

Getting a house is actually easier, and perhaps cheaper, for you than it would be for our counterparts in the States. This is something to consider in the future.

I understand that you will have a bit of a harder time convincing students that what they're paying for is worth the price. Students here are seen as perpetually skint (though everyone seems to be able to afford a pint and a vindaloo three times a week!).

You know what? PM me with your mailing address and I can send you a whole host of documents you might find handy for starting up your org.

.....Kelly :)