Alumnae at Formal

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Rather than cards and care packages (and spending the $$$ which the alums are quite aware you don't have), just keep the alums up to date w/ regular emails. I am guessing that if the oldest people are 20 years out they all have emails (as opposed to a chapter founded in 1950 or something).

Be sure to put something in Behrend's alumni bulletin or see if you can get it posted on the website and have a person to contact. Some alums may have fallen out of touch w/ AST & not have updated addresses.

ASK the alums what they want to see - if they want to make it a weekend event, if they want to see a slide show, or what.

And be sure to impress on the actives that even though they're going to have dates with them, they need to pay attention to the alums as well.

Last fall, the Collegiate Alumnae Liaison made it a point to track down almost every single alumnae member. She completely revamped and edited the alumnae list, so the girls have most of their contact information.

The Social Chair did send out an email to all of the alumnae asking them their opinions about formal, and what they would like to see happen for it. But she only received a response back from one or two of them. I'm currently trying to see if I can communicate with some of the alumnae through Facebook (as I obviously know more of them than the active sisters do) to see if their contact info has changed.

As for paying attention to the alum... that's another problem. It's not even that they're more focused on their dates. Half the time the dates all hang out together while the sisters dance. lol. But I don't know if the actives understand the importance of talking to (or at least introducing themselves to) the alumae at formal. But that's kind of hard to gague with there always being so few of them there. But I think that with a much larger number of them, it might be different. I know that it was 5 years ago.

Here's another question to add on...

Are there any extra activities that your members do at your formals? Or something that they bring with them? I know the Delta Chi chapter at my school, during their new member period, paint a brick with their name, their big’s name, a symbol that reminds them of their big, and a symbol that is important to them. At formal, they ask for everyone to bring theirs and they make a small wall with them. It’s actually a pretty cool idea. Maybe the girls could start their own tradition?

Any ideas?

[RaggedyAnn]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

Are there any extra activities that your members do at your formals? Or something that they bring with them? I know the Delta Chi chapter at my school, during their new member period, paint a brick with their name, their big’s name, a symbol that reminds them of their big, and a symbol that is important to them. At formal, they ask for everyone to bring theirs and they make a small wall with them. It’s actually a pretty cool idea. Maybe the girls could start their own tradition?

Any ideas?

What about a tradition that is similar to your big/little match? Find your grand......big and the rest of your family tree?

[ree-Xi]

I was thinking about this. A formal dance might be a hard sell to alumnae. It involves more commitment - admission(?), a dress, a date, an entire evening, a babysitter, etc.

I love the idea of getting collegiates and alums together - my AXiD alumnae chapter is having a brunch with the local collegiate chapter - but I think that a more casual event during the day may work better.

Some ideas -

- brunch - collegiates cook for the alums
- lunch/picnic following a service event (a walk, garbage cleanup, anything where you would have a chance to talk while "working")
- bowling
- afternoon at Chucky Cheese or Dave and Buster's -type place (might be a little more $$)
- schedule a "cocktail hour" (no alcohol) and have hors' d'vours at a restaurant the weekend of homecoming (alums may already be attending that). Contact the manager of the restaurant and ask for a deal based on a group of "X", set the menu and have a buffet-style. Many places have small rooms for this and you can get a decent set up for $10-15 a person. I don't think that it's too steep to ask anyone to contribute.

Whatever you do, make it as less costly (money, time, effort) as possible for the alums, and give as much advance notice as you can. Best of luck!

[33girl]

Most alums have formal dresses from office Christmas parties or else just wear their old ones that they have stashed away. Most often they don't come with a date.

This concept really only works if formal isn't included in dues and only the people who go pay for it.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

I was thinking about this. A formal dance might be a hard sell to alumnae. It involves more commitment - admission(?), a dress, a date, an entire evening, a babysitter, etc.

I love the idea of getting collegiates and alums together - my AXiD alumnae chapter is having a brunch with the local collegiate chapter - but I think that a more casual event during the day may work better.

Some ideas -

- brunch - collegiates cook for the alums
- lunch/picnic following a service event (a walk, garbage cleanup, anything where you would have a chance to talk while "working")
- bowling
- afternoon at Chucky Cheese or Dave and Buster's -type place (might be a little more $$)
- schedule a "cocktail hour" (no alcohol) and have hors' d'vours at a restaurant the weekend of homecoming (alums may already be attending that). Contact the manager of the restaurant and ask for a deal based on a group of "X", set the menu and have a buffet-style. Many places have small rooms for this and you can get a decent set up for $10-15 a person. I don't think that it's too steep to ask anyone to contribute.

Whatever you do, make it as less costly (money, time, effort) as possible for the alums, and give as much advance notice as you can. Best of luck!

The problem is, the alumnae who live hundreds of miles away aren't going to visit for a Sunday brunch.

The point is to get alumnae that aren't around often to come to at least one event a year. Or.. one event every 5 years, in some cases. And if we make it a weekend thing, where they can go out on Friday night, meet up with people they haven't seen in a while, stay in a hotel, have a formal dinner on Saturday, and go home on Sunday, I think they'll be more likely to come. Even if it is a little more money, it makes more sense to travel for something that is going to last more than an hour or two.

We have an alum dinner once a year, at a nice restaurant in town, usually in early December. Last year, I believe there were 6 or 7 local alum who showed up. And some of them come around for ceremonies, also. So the chapter is still doing things to try and keep alumnae involved.

The point is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the chapter, which I think would be even better if we had a large alumnae turnout.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

As for paying attention to the alum... that's another problem. It's not even that they're more focused on their dates. Half the time the dates all hang out together while the sisters dance. lol. But I don't know if the actives understand the importance of talking to (or at least introducing themselves to) the alumae at formal. But that's kind of hard to gague with there always being so few of them there. But I think that with a much larger number of them, it might be different. I know that it was 5 years ago.

Consider a receiving line, at least for the chapter officers to meet the alumnae before they're seated.

Less ideal would be a seating chart, making sure alums and collegians are interspersed instead of segregated.

I know for my APO chapter anniversaries, pledge classes prefer to sit together. So a receiving line may be better.