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dzsaigirl,
Thanks for starting this really educational thread. I agree with dzrose that contact with your national organization is a very good way to begin. First I would recommend you go to the DZ national site. I know the ADPi site asks all Alums who log on whether they would be willing to serve the sorority. They also ask what types of volunteerism they are interested in; I would imagine that DZ has something similar. Another option is calling your Executive Office, they will, I'm sure, have an alumnae relations person to talk to about your options in serving the sorority. They would probably put you in touch with women who are already working with the collegiate members and will most likely be very welcoming.
I think the important thing is to keep an open mind about serving DZ as a whole. Alumnae Associations, especially in the North where you are located, are nowhere near as strong as they are in other areas of the country, serving in this capacity could be a very rewarding and challenging experience. Also, Alumnae Panhellenics are usually thrilled to have more volunteers, as a great representative of DZ on GC I'm sure you would be an asset to your local Alumnae Panhellenic.
Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that collegiate officers change every year. So maybe the women with whom you had contact initially were reluctant about your offers of assistance, next year's executive board might be completely different.
Finally, I was Greek at a Northern school and as a collegiate we were guarded about alumnae who came to help. We felt we would be compared with huge, Southern Greek systems and be found wanting in comparison. (We were the largest sorority on campus, but we had heard stories of chapters with 350-400 women and we were definitely not that size!) But really the advisors who were careful not to start each sentence, "Well, in my chapter...." were very welcome and were a huge help. These women taught us so much and to this day I admire their commitment to Alpha Delta Pi.
Thanks again for starting this thread and good luck with future contributions to Delta Zeta.
violets
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