Encourage brothers to pay bills?

[lucgreek]

Originally Posted by TDmkr19

I am planning on running for treasurer of my chapter and one problem we have is with financial commitment. People aren't paying things like live out dues or damage deposits. Also I don't want it to have to come to putting up peoples names who haven't paid, I feel like this is overstepping boundaries and stepping on peoples toes, which creates animosity between the brotherhood. Any suggestions are appreciated. Also any insight on the treasurer position itself would be great too.

Public shaming sometimes works. The chapter has a right to know who is not fulfilling their obligations. The people who do pay their dues on-time and in full most likely resent that people get away with not paying.

Have you tried developing a payment plan? If brothers aren't paying because they use their money on booze, that's no excuse. If a brother is having issues with paying because their parents were laid off and he's working two jobs just to support his education, that's a different story.

Find out why people aren't paying.

[TDmkr19]

These are all good ideas, but how can I get liveouts to pay. A lot of them feel like they have already made their contribution to the fraternity so they shouldn't need to pay.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by TDmkr19

These are all good ideas, but how can I get liveouts to pay. A lot of them feel like they have already made their contribution to the fraternity so they shouldn't need to pay.

If they're not fulfilling their financial obligations, they need to be brought up to standards. If that does nothing, membership needs to be terminated.

Is this a national fraternity? You should have guidelines on how to handle people who aren't fulfilling their obligations.

[lucgreek]

Originally Posted by TDmkr19

These are all good ideas, but how can I get liveouts to pay. A lot of them feel like they have already made their contribution to the fraternity so they shouldn't need to pay.

Paying is a part of membership. Just because they don't feel like paying doesn't mean they don't have to. Not having people pay dues can lead to financial destruction and closure of your chapter.

Tell the guys to grow a pair and man up on their obligations. Entitlement has no place in the world of fraternity finance.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by TDmkr19

These are all good ideas, but how can I get liveouts to pay. A lot of them feel like they have already made their contribution to the fraternity so they shouldn't need to pay.

Tell them that's not how it works.

My sorority had payments for those not living on the hall, and those were part of the bylaws. People complained constantly, but the reality is that the chapter can change bylaws. If that's the case for your chapter, remind them that if it's a really big deal to them they can change that. In the meantime, this is what they signed up for, end of story. Be the bad guy...it's your job. Part of taking on jobs like treasurer is realizing people will get mad at you, but what you're doing is for the good of the chapter. That's the bigger picture.

Being a good member means living up to ALL obligations from activities to finances. Tell them that if they have a real problem financially they can come work something out with you, but otherwise they are not being a brother. Having a house requires money. That's all there is to it. Those that don't live in probably come hang out and participate in parties, right? That's what those extra dues are for. They shouldn't get to use the house if they aren't supporting the chapter.

You can take away privileges from those that don't pay (cannot come to non required events, cannot vote, cannot buy t-shirts etc.). Again, I know fraternities are structured differently from sororities and that that won't be a good solution for every chapter, but it seemed to work well for mine. Those that didn't meet their obligations (unless they had good reason...it's certainly important to accommodate members that are having a genuine financial crisis) lost social privileges, for instance, and that was a big motivator.

[excelblue]

I'm in an unhoused chapter, and even we have dues. After all, events aren't free; if there's a party, the cups have to come from somewhere. There are fees from nationals so the ultra-helpful chapter consultants can eat. Recruitment also eats a good part of the budget; hosting websites and printing flyers do cost money.

In fact, with my chapter's current situation, we currently have an unofficial house where several brothers share. Almost all events are hosted there, and there have even been talks about getting all brothers to subsidize part of the rent.

Public shame is OK if you've given them enough notice. If someone is not paying their dues, they're not being a good brother, and everyone deserves to know.