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As was said earlier - it has to start with the chapter realizing that membership is for life, not just your collegiate years. Of course that is very hard to do when you only have one or two alumnae acting as advisors or just helping in general.
My group also has a rule - I believe that it is three years. This is understandable because the urge to go out with your sisters may be too much to resist - especially if you are in a new area. But, that being said, it doesn't mean you can't help out. When I first started advising I was considered "too young" to be an advisor, but I cam around and helped anyway. I wasn't concerned about having an official title and the women actually were a little more open because I wasn't that "Nationals Lady" or "The Advisor".
So, just because you can't officially be an advisor, doesn't mean you can't help out a chapter. Be there for alumnae brunch (even if it isn't your chapter - hey your alumnae too), founder's day, serve punch or whatever is needed during recruitment. And expect to probably be unappreciated in the beginning - especially with chapter's that aren't used to having help or a lot of alumnae around. It's not that they don't appreciate you, it's that they don't realize that they should tell you so. Many will probably think you are getting paid - I alway had to laugh at that one!
Also, don't be afraid to join an alumnae association. A lot of the women I worked with didn't want to because they were for "old" alumnae. Like someone else said before, it's recruitment all over again. You'd think it was easier this time around - but, no.
I think GC is a great way for all of us to get fresh ideas and to figure out better was to not only help our collegiate chapters but also to help our alumnae become better life long members.
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