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i just became the president of my chapter's alum association which is only for people from our chapter. i just finished a fabulous newsletter (if i do say so myself!) and have a few suggestions on how to get involved.
1. regular newsletters to the alums. be sure to include a section for people to fill out news and change of info...and let them know when the next one will be out. at least a general idea. i said that all news sent in by oct. 1st would be included in the next issue to give you an example.
2. in phi mu, we have chapter associations (all alums from same chapter) and alum chapters (alums in a certain area, not necessarily from same chapter). for our ca, we are asking for $10 donations to pay for the newsletter and mailing costs. depending on how much money we have, we may donate something (like the new edition of the history book or purchase gifts for the new phis) to the collegiates. our alum chapter dues range from $15-$50 depending on the chapter.
3. everyone receives the newsletter regardless if they have sent a donation. you can give donors some incentive...like all donors will get color copies or a directory of current addresses.
4. get a listserve together. we have one on yahoogroups. it has both collegiates and alums which is great. plus, the collegiate chapter secretary has her own special address, so she can always send out little notes about things happening in the chapter!
5. use of the alums: some of us are advisors, but you may not want to advise a chapter if you just graduated. last year, we collected a basket full of items to help relieve some stress during rush week and we wrote letters to all of the collegiates to get them excited for the new year. in addition to those, this year, we are also going to write letters to the new phis! we also have alum chums- seniors are paired with an alum to help them enter the world of alumnae. oh, and we also plan a reunion in conjunction with the collegiates. it is basically during homecoming. the chapter provides food...alums provide refreshments and it is just a great way to meet casually!
i will let you know if i think of anything else! good luck!
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