ideas for alums to help the collegiates

pinkyphimu · #1 08-07-2002, 01:28 PM

i just recently got word that the collegiate women from my chapter are in need of some help. there is a general apathy sweeping through the chapter, and with rush right around the corner, the alums are trying to come up with ways to boost their spirits and get them all excited for a new year. anyone have any ways that their alum group has helped out in the past? we have alums who go to rush parties, etc, but we have never had alums try to help build team work, etc. any suggestions would be great! thanks for your help!

PenguinTrax · #2 08-07-2002, 01:51 PM

Hold a welcome back to school party.

Send little notes and gifts throughout the week of Recruitment to let them know they're in your thoughts.

Make sure your alumnae chapter provides a full and functioning advisory board.

Work with current advisors to 'fill in' for special needs events.

Whatever you do, be sure your assistance is welcomed, otherwise your alumnae may be viewed as trying to 'take over' the chapter. Always work with your regional officers in this regard to make sure you aren't contradicting a national program being implemented at the chapter in question.

Good luck!

dzandiloo · #3 08-07-2002, 01:58 PM

We recently formed a chapter association, which is basically an alumnae chapter composed of all initiates of a particular chapter. This makes it possible for those of us who don’t live near the school to keep up with the chapter’s goings-on, and to support them as much as possible. Even though many of us are members of alum groups in our areas, we still want to provide specific support to our college chapter. Although the chapter is strong, we wanted to make them stronger & help boost their confidence—we have worked closely with the chapters Alumnae Relations Chairman and Advisor to make sure we don't step on any toes. So far, everything we have done has been welcome & seems to be working, in that the actives are really seeing that DZ is forever, and not just 4 years. Here are a few of the things we have done:

1. Post positive messages to their web-site.
2. Study Bags: We also initiated a drive to make study bags for them during finals, which basically meant each of us donated $X for gift bags (plain pink or green ones from a vendor on-line), smarties, mints, chocolates, individual packets of instant coffee, pencils, scantrons, blue books and cool toys from Orientaltrading.com to help them get through finals. (We spent about $200 on that…we had 80 bags to stuff…a local alum donated the scantrons, some extra food, and stuffed and delivered the bags for us).
3. BE THERE! We made sure a group of alums were there for Regional Weekend, and will have a large group attending recruitment and homecoming. We also had a couple of sisters go to their recruitment workshop weekend and give the newer rushers some hints & pointers, and just generally reinforce that they are great women, and anyone would be fortunate to have them as sisters.
4. We have about 25 active members of our chapter association, 52 total, and we are thinking about having an alum/collegiate secret sister exchange of some sort (probably by assigning each alum to 2 or 3 actives and sending them e-mails, snail-mails, little trinkets, etc.) Just to say we are thinking about them.
5. Send notes of encouragement to the chapter throughout the year—even for no reason at all, or to say-“Heard you all did great in the Beta-500, Congrats!”
6. Support their fundraisers – Our chapter is currently raising money to endow a scholarship at the university in the name of one of our distinguished alumna. As alumnae, we are doing our own little drive so we can present them with a large donation at homecoming/Founder’s Day, and have decided to do so in honor of the new members class that they get during recruitment.

Anyway, as you can see, there are many ways to support the chapter & show them you care. Not all of them require huge sums of money. We have found it most effective to have someone there, and involved—and showing them that even though we live 5 hours away from our school, we still care deeply about their successes and want then to know that sisterhood does not end with graduation.

BTW-we set up a Yahoo!Group (go to groups.yahoo.com and set it up there…it’s pretty easy) in order to get our Xi Nu Chapter alumnae back in touch. We are constantly looking for more of our sisters…but we think 50+ is a good start. Once you get a good base of alumnae interested, you will be surprised at how much enthusiasm there will be.

Good luck to you!

Edited to add that you could probably take the study bag thing and do it for recruitment...although they are probably planning to pamper their new members, it might be good to pamper the actives as well, and give them a little boost. And since you wouldn't be doing scantrons, etc., it wouldn't be quite as expensive.

AOIIalum · #4 08-07-2002, 02:01 PM

Here's some suggestions, let me know if any of them do help!

Ask the chapter's Executive Board and their Chapter and Recruitment Advisers, "What does the chapter need for Recruitment? How can your area alumnae help you attain your goals? What can we do for you?" Once you establish what the chapter and their advisers feel is needed, then the alumnae hopefully can make it happen!

Simple things that various alumnae can do are send flowers to the chapter (during recruitment and afterwards too!) with a card that it's from the alumnae! Send down bags of mints for sisters to grab between rounds. Donate items needed for decorations or skits, as allowed. Donate money to assist with expenses, as allowed.

If the chapter has a house or a suite with an external entrance, make sure the exterior landscaping is gorgeous for them (check with the House Corporation and Recruitment Adviser to make sure you're not stepping on toes or breaking Recruitment rules.) Let the chapter see the alumnae taking an active interest in them and show by your example the joys of your sisterhood! Let them see the alumnae excited about helping the chapter grow and be successful! The chapter will see the teamwork and sisterhood being shared with them by their alumnae sisters. Hopefully that will help them to be excited about the new school year and their sisterhood! Keep supporting them throughout the year, it's wonderful for collegians to see their alumnae celebrating the sisterhood you all share!

Another thing that can mean the world to a chapter is to have help with the "dirty work" of Formal Recruitment. Setting up and breaking down displays and skits and such each night, general cleaning, making sure there's plenty of healthy snacks, junky food

and cokes or whatever available to the members at the end of each night. If there are alumnae who can help do those tasks, then the collegians and their advisers can focus on accomplishing those things they must focus on during Recruitment. The chapter won't have to think about cleaning the bathrooms or washing the china and crystal if there are enough alumnae willing to help with the "dirty work". In my experiences, *anything* that alumnae can do to lessen the (potential) stress of Formal Recruitment so the chapter can focus on the PMNs and the parties themselves makes a world of difference to a chapter.

Make sure whatever you do is allowed by your International organization's guidelines and Panhellenic rules, of course! Best of luck to your chapter, let us know how things go for them. I've got my fingers crossed that they'll have a wonderful time!

Christin

HotDamnImAPhiMu · #5 08-07-2002, 02:36 PM

I'm so excited you want to help out your girls!

PLEASE send them little notes..... show up, introduce yourselves. Some of us have never met you.... some of us are VERY intimidated by you..... and you will NEVER know how much it means to each girl that you're thinking of us! And approve of us "taking over" your chapter.

~ Jacquelyn.

dzandiloo · #6 08-07-2002, 04:24 PM

QUOTE]Originally posted by HotDamnImAPhiMu
some of us are VERY intimidated by you..... [/QUOTE]

Excellent, excellent point! (well, all of your points were excellent--but this one really struck a chord with me!). We forget how nervous our alums made us as collegians...I know I would stand for them when they entered the room, and never even know who they were-and since they usually didn't go out of their way to introduce themselves, it was even more awkward! Some alums even think collegians SHOULD be intimidated by them. AGH! Just like hazing, that will not go very far in breeding respect or unity or pride in an organization that is supposed to be like a home away from home!

Tom Earp · #7 08-07-2002, 04:42 PM

Sometimes, the Alums can be real Yutzes! We have been here and done it what is wrong with you type attitude! Right?

Well we started a mentoring group. Leadership if you will and we as Alums fo down to campus once a Sem to work with them! Trying to help them iron out things!

I drove 2 hours so I could be there for 2 hours for Fresh Orientation!

It is 2 way street, the Actives need to keep the Alums advised and vice versa! We have been there and don it but we are also there to help when we can!

My Chapter quit contacting and sending Info out to the Alums so the Alums got complacenet and vice versa again the vice versa!

It takes to to go to the dance and make a team on the floor!

Many on both sides forget that after a while!

I am having the privlaged of going down to one our Chapters in Fl for their 30 th Founding! There are Brothers coming from around the Country to e there!

Please as Alums, you may get sluffed off but do not worry about it as remember, with out us they more than likely would not be there in todays climate on Campui!

Actives this goes for you also, where would you be if not for the Alums who have come back and spent our time and money to work with the Chapter!

M&M · #8 12-03-2002, 03:15 PM

I know this thread was started as a pre-rush thread, but I'd like to add something I witnessed the other day. My office is near the local University campus, and I frequently drive through the campus area/greek town. I was stopped at a crosswalk, and I happened to look over and see a groups of ladies of all ages in their letters outside one of the chapter houses. They were putting lights on the house, the trees, etc. and decorating for Christmas.

I don't know if this was an organized alum association event or if this was just a dedicated handful of alums, but I thought it was lovely that a group of ladies was braving the cold to make their local chapter house look beautiful for the holidays. With finals just around the corner, I am sure the actives greatly appreciated this effort! What a great way for the alums to be involved with the collegiate members!