AA Recruitment and Retention

[ChipHinde]

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[EM1843]

One successful way that our ELC told us the last time we had one, was every semester, the graduating brothers pledge to donate X dollars per year on Founder's Day. Even if it's 5 dollars, it will add up. He suggested $25. I think that would work.

[Tom Earp]

Big M, BN is doing that now.

LX Z is not seeing as how we are concentrating on money for anew house! Can only go to the trough so many times!!!

While Brother Hinde was a lost sole so to speak, he is back in with all force. But, I am sure He would apperciate any help he can get! As you know M, Jono is Pres. of BN Alum Assoc. Heck, you know he is a little bulldog, right Chipster!

M, keep Fl. Rockin with out us!

[lifesaver]

We provide graduating senoirs their first year in the association for free. (we just started that) We also network like all hell and have events all the time. It seems to be working for us so far.

[boz130]

Gents: This is a topic that's been discussed extensively @ Beta-Omicron Alumni Assn. (BOAA) meetings. We had our 30th anniversary in 1999, and our membership count has been dropping since that year.

The usual reasons are given..."I won't know anybody from my era", "I don't have time", etc. These are valid, especially since most members are in that 5+ years since graduating period.

There are a number of issues facing an alum that has been out of school for over five years: job, marriage, family responsibilities, etc.

What I've been discovering though my printing of newsletters for various LCA chapters is that the successful alumni groups have something in common: they provide value for their members.

Value has a number of definitions in this instance, but the most criitical is that a member that's not been involved w/his home chapter needs to know that his donations (financial and time) will be valued by the chapter and his fellow alumni.

I'm working w/a chapter that had a large group of alums from the late 1950's-early 1960's meet at their alma mater's 2003 Homecoming. Many of these men came to a function for the first time in years, and travelled from both coasts for the occasion.

So what kind of reception did these men receive from the undergraduates? It was pretty much, "Yeah, fine, you wanna look around, go ahead...we gotta go party". Basically, these alums (many of whom helped get the current chapter house BUILT) were snubbed by the actives.

Now that the chapter needs to have some work done on that same house, how many of these alums can they expect to count on for a capital fundraiser? Good question...but probably fewer than they could've had if the chapter were more gracious.

Things are being patched up, but there will probably be some fallout.

Something I've noticed in newsletters of successful chapters is the same thing you'll find @ the back of your school's alumni magazine: alumni news.

What's the first thing you look at when yours arrives each quarter? The section in the back listing what your classmates are up to.

People like to see their names (and failing that, the names of their buddies) in print. It's kinda cool to find out that your former roommate, Jimmy, has become the CEO of a company.

If we want to make our alums aware that an Alumni Assn. is all inclusive, we need to show that it's not just the same old group of 8-10 guys doing the same stuff time after time.

As an organization, Lambda Chi Alpha has a rare opportunity coming up in just FIVE YEARS. In 2009 we celebrate our centennial year. We're in the top tier of membership among all NIC groups, and some of them had a 50-year head start on us.

We should all try to get together with or contact our friends from whenever we were in school. LCA's what brought many of us together during college, and it can do the same thing for us as alumni. Just remember, Xalepa Ta Kala!

In ZAX,
Billl F.

[Tom Earp]

Bill, I can totally relate!

As one Graduates, they stay close for a few years, normally! Some never do, it is just a thing to have joined and meet people.

Then as time flys by, family, job become the most imprtant things in their lives!

Then the Chapter does nothing to keep the Alums involved and updated, feeling get hurt and Alums just say screw it! This has happened at LX Z, BN Z, and many others. Then when things calm down, We start wondering about So and So in our Class, The Brothers that we hung with and did silly things with, all of the times that We worked hard to do certain events and programs.

The newbies feel what do we need them for. Times are good! But when times get rough as they always will, why dont the Alums help us=give money, support, etc.

While I can only speak for myself, and some of the Brothers on GC that I have had the pleasure of talking with and seeing what they have done shows me that The Flame is not out. I will not give any names as I sure will embarrase them, but they know who they are!

I guess you can look at Us on GC as A Core Group of dedicated Members who are trying to keep things going with the help of each of us working together.

A Prime example is lifesaver, the New High Pi of UIW In San Antonio, and LXAAlum who worked so hard to help the Un. No Co get reestablished.


So, what do We as Alums do to help?

I am doing what I can just as you all are. I guess the thing is, do not give up the faith in the Newbies, heck, we all went through it at one time or another!

Example:

One of LX Z Alums has a 4 th of July Party=Cook out and it has become one of the Highlights of the Year! Alums come and Actives too with Family and dates!

I guess, it is just the idea of keeping Alums Notifed of what is going on! If you can affor a new letter, mention, status of the Zeta, Events, maybe 2 Alums and what is happening with them, Marriages, Births, etal!

Email is cheap, but still some people are not on it, snail will work wonders, people love to see their names in Print!

Addresses of any kind are only as good as the updates you get from your Brothers!

"In The Loop, or Out of The Loop", I guess, that is the question.

[lifesaver]

GRANTED our assn is only 3 years old now, but one of the unique characteristics of our assn, is that its not an assn for a particular chapter or colony. Its a city assn. Like how the NPC groups do. We do assist the chapters or colony in our area, but a main concern is towards our assn and having events for ourselves and fostering the lifetime brotherhood.

We also struggle with providing value to our members. This is all new to us. We have found that there is VERY little in the way of resources from 8741 for AA's. They'll provide database and management materials. They are trying to do a lot with little, but I would like to see way more than what costs money.

Think about this: There is almost no transition from undergrad to alumni. Yeah, we have the new ritual, but what is it besides the ceremony? Wheres the structure behind it? Where is the mechanism that moves new graduates into an AA in their area? Dont say the Mentor program. Its a great idea, but its a professional thing. Perfect for getting a new grad used to a new job as an engineer, but what does it do for facilitating the move from undergradte active to active alumni? It doesnt. LXA spends so much on leadership developemnt of its members, and then sends them off into the world after graduation without any mechanism to get them involved as an alumni. That leadership at the LXA level might be gone forever.

Why dont we have more city assn's? Its EXTREMELY successful for the ladies of the NPC groups? Why does the constitution (Article IV, Section 1) state that alumni groups are subordinate units of active zeta's? Why cant they be independent groups accountable directly to HQ? Or to the GHZ?

Just some thoughts on the alumni side of things....

[EM1843]

That might be something to propose at GA. I like the idea.

[Ottor 246]

I find myself relating to a lot of things you Brothers are writing about. We say, "Not four years, but for life." Then you graduate and they pat you on the back and send you an newsletter once in a while, and otherwise you're on your own. I'd love to see something that gives alumni an active part in the fraternity, instead of becoming grumpy old men. (Why, in my day...)

As far as newsletters and emails go, I say the more the better. If you want to get alumni coming back, remind them what they're coming back to. You'll never get more involvement by providing less information. I, myself, am a prime example. I stayed involved with my undergrad chapter (Phi-Tau at Shippensburg) until most of they guys I rushed had graduated. After that, I didn't attend a single event for about eight years. But the newsletters and emails kept coming and finally, one day, one of them made enough of an impression that I said "I have to get involved again." I started calling brothers (with phone numbers I got off our AA website) and this spring, I attended Ritual for the first time in eight years.

Anyway, realizing that it's too late to make a long story short, on Sunday, I was elected as a Memeber-At-Large of our AA.

Be patient with your brothers. The flame dims, but it never really goes out.

[Tom Earp]

Otter,
welcome to GC!

There are a couple of Great Phi-Tau Brothers on here as I am sure you can see! You have gone through the steps after Graduation just as we all have.

It is also so great to see pictures of the New Phi-Tau Chapter House! This should guarentee a long and prosperous Brotherhood at Shippensburg!

[BN635]

After reading all of this and seeing as the thread was started by an alum from my chapter, I figured it was about time to write something. What I suggest as an active to the alumni that want to get more involved is, if you never hear anything from the Rho, is get in contact with the Alpha. It is, after all, his job to rum the zeta. You can get in contact with the Alpha at most chapters by going to the student activities section of your universities web page (at least here at fl tech you can get the email of club and greek presidents). Unfortunately, if your Rho isnt contacting the alumni, most of the active chapter wont because, just like the alumni, we have obligations to juggle such as school and in most cases work, girlfreinds and the chapter. Most of the time an active member thinks his responsiblily to an alumni member is just to show them a good time when they are in town. Well this is more to think about. Oh and Chip mentioned the website. It is www.bnzeta.org and it is amazing.

[Tom Earp]

Brother Zach,

Welcome to GC!

As a close friend with Brother Jono and having visited BN, I have a deep love for the Brothers there!

The situation is not uncommon to just your Zeta, but many others. But, it is not just the resoneablity of the Active Chapter to show the Alums a good time when they come to visit, but to keep the Alums informed of the news of the Zeta.

By doing this, The Alums are more apt to assit the Zeta by attending more functions, donating money to the Alum Association and the Zeta. If a Brother for life feels like he is not needed or wanted by the Zeta, then he will be lost. Maybe not forever, but it is always easier to keep a Brother than it will be to try and get Him reinterested once again.

Remember, the Alums went to College and had the same problems that you speak of. What about the Alums who have families, jobs, and other responseabltys. What is so different? Well, the Alums are giving of time and money for what they had as a colleg student, but still have the love even though they are not around to have a group of Brothers to help in a time of need.

The Rho can be one of the most important Officers to keep the pages of Members held together who are not just the Active Brothers who are all together at college.

[boz130]

One of the things that stuck w/me from this spring's Regional Impact Conference in Indy was a comment made by an ELC whose name escapes me at this moment. It's really quite simple:

The High Rho has a position with a different mindset than any other office within the High Zeta. Whereas the other officers deal with their jobs for a one-year period, the Rho's constantly working w/a 5-year plan. There will ALWAYS be alumni.

Unfortunately, many times the Rho is an afterthought office, a throw-away because somebody wanted to be Alpha or Tau and took the Alumni Secretary post as a consolation prize.

I'm not sure if there's a correlation, but two years in a row a member of the Alpha-Iota Alumni Assn. has given a short speech to the actives before the Northwestern chapter holds their election meeting. We've had great Rho's each time.

Might be a coincidence...or it might have been the reason we got guys who actually want to work w/the alumni. We'll see as things progress.

ZAX,
Bill F.

[Tom Earp]

Bill, I have told my guys for years, that the Job of being Rho, is not a throw it on someone Officership Position, but actually one of the Most important jobs to be held.

Why they ask?

Well, I give a response of, "it is up to you to keep the Alums informed, updated on Zeta Events, times dates, ETC!"

But remember it does work both ways, keep the Alums informed and Alums work with your Brothers!

"100% Lambda Chi-Til I Die"

What a Recruitment Theme!