Alumnae Volunteer Involvement with Chapter

[Kansas City]

Thanks for all the help everyone. I definitely want her to remain involved since volunteers are very hard to come by. What would you think of her being the "advisory council assistant" so that she can help both the chapter and the council with special needs without having any real voice in operations? The council's appointment is for a two year period of time so maybe she can move up into a more responsible position in a few years after she no longer has family in the chapter. I also thought about suggesting she work with the area alumnae chapter or an advisory council at another school to put some distance between her and her sister. It could be that she wants to get involved with the sorority again but doesn't know about all of the volunteer opportunities that are out there.

[ASTalumna06]

I am the recruitment advisor for my chapter. I am only 24 years old, and just 2 years out of school. But we have a young chapter, and all of the active members were initiated after I had already graduated. I have a good relationship with the girls, and I think that at times they feel more comfortable asking me questions, as opposed to the chapter advisor who is at least 10 years older than I am. I understand that sometimes it could cause conflicts, but other times, it might work out in your favor.

The problem is, this girl has a sister who is still active in her chapter. One solution might be to have her help, but not as an advisor. What positions did she have when she was active in the chapter? How could she be of help?

Let’s say she used to be treasurer, and the chapter just had elections. She could help the new treasurer to get adjusted in her position. Or help with officer transitions in general. She could put on workshops for recruitment or fundraising. She could help with advertising. Maybe her current job or connections outside the school could be utilized.

And since she’s an alumna, to have her educate sisters and/or new members about alumnae relations would be another option.

There are an infinite amount of things she could do to assist the chapter. This way, while she’s not in an authoritative position as recognized by the national organization, she’s still helping out and she can still have a more personal relationship with the active sisters, if she so chooses.

I became an advisor as soon as I became alum. At that time my collegiate chapter was struggling with alumnae advisors and EC got permission from IHQ to have me on board.

It was a great learning experience, but if I could do it all over again, I'd wait until I was older and had more time to distance myself from the collegians...probably until everyone I knew in chapter has gone and graduated.

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

I don't think her age should be the issue. As has been said, I think the issues is the fact that her sister is in the chapter. I think that in itself should preclude her from having any significant role in advising until her sister graduates.