An advisor destroying a chapter

[33girl]

I'm going to play (I think) devil's advocate and say that if your nationals OKed a recruitment advisor (for a formal recruitment-having school) that had no training or experience in formal recruitment, then part of the stupid is definitely on them. These women need to be vetted to make sure they're right for the position, not just rubber stamped because another advisor OKs them or because they volunteered for it.

I take it none of y'all are actually alumnae of this particular chapter - that would be just another can of worms on top of the one that's already open.

It also sounds like Jenny may have been confused as to what your actual role is - whether you were "official" or whether you were just helping out because you happened to be there.

You def need a 3rd party's help with this - go to your district head or whatever it's called, or your volunteer coordinator, and clear everything up via email as to who is doing what because I think that's a big part of the problem here.

[peachesandplums]

To answer some of your questions: the chapter did not make qouta - by a lot! And the new members that they did get were not ones they really wanted which is causing a lot of problems. All the other GLOs on campus made qouta or got qouta additions.

I found out from the president who forwarded an email that Jenny had sent to the executive council telling them that I was responsible for the bad recruitment because I was the only volunteer there and that because I come from a better chapter (not my words - hers, yes the chapter I come from has a successful history and is competitive in the south) that I didn't under stand that there chapter has to "work" to get girls. And that it was my fault that I didn't understand RFM. And that all the girls should back her when she asks me not to come back and volunteer. The President replied and asked why wasn't Jenny there? Why didn't the membership advisor come when she said that she was going to? Jenny's response was that her friend/the membership advisors friend had come into town for a visit and they wanted to see her and she thought the chapter would be alright.

When I found out about what Jenny had said about blaming the bad recruitment results on me I called her and confronted her. And maybe I did tell her how to do her job a little and that she should have been there when she said she was going to be and that the membership advisor should have been there per our national policy. And that I would not take the responsibility for the entire problem because she knew all along that I was just a volunteer (my work schedule and the distance I live keep me from doing more with the chapter) and that I did not have any training when it came to recruitment except from my own knowledge that is 5 years old. She hung up on me and then wrote me a very nasty email, cc'ing all the advisors and volunteers where she cursed at me and called me names.

A few of the volunteers (some of the former ones who were also run off) have contacted me and just have said its for the best and that nationals knows that it isn't my fault and that Jenny is just trying to make someone a scapegoat because she didn't do her job.

Whoever said that its the chapters responsibility to succeed is based on the chapter itself and not the advisors and volunteers is correct. However, I think in this instance, the chapter relied so hevily on the advisors to help them that when they were left to fly on their own without any support they panicked and felt abandonded. IMO, the chapter should have been "weened" off the help, not just dumped.

[peachesandplums]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I'm going to play (I think) devil's advocate and say that if your nationals OKed a recruitment advisor (for a formal recruitment-having school) that had no training or experience in formal recruitment, then part of the stupid is definitely on them. These women need to be vetted to make sure they're right for the position, not just rubber stamped because another advisor OKs them or because they volunteered for it.

I take it none of y'all are actually alumnae of this particular chapter - that would be just another can of worms on top of the one that's already open.

It also sounds like Jenny may have been confused as to what your actual role is - whether you were "official" or whether you were just helping out because you happened to be there.

You def need a 3rd party's help with this - go to your district head or whatever it's called, or your volunteer coordinator, and clear everything up via email as to who is doing what because I think that's a big part of the problem here.

I think I need to clairfy something: The chapter had a good membership advisor ("GMA") that had attended the training this past summer and was very excited and had a good relationship with the chapter. However, Jenny did not like her ideas and always talked badly about her, calling her a "know it all" and "bossy". GMA finally had it with Jenny undermining her and quit her position in August. Jenny decided that a sister (from her originating chapter and good friend) who had never volunteered or been involved with any alumni stuff would be the new membership advisor. This is the girl who has never had any training or participated in formal recruitment.

Jenny knew I was just a volunteer. In her own nasty email she states clear as day that I am "just a volunteer".

Ya know, the more I write, the more I think Jenny just has serious control issues.

[AGDLynn]

Originally Posted by peachesandplums

Jenny knew I was just a volunteer. In her own nasty email she states clear as day that I am "just a volunteer".

Ya know, the more I write, the more I think Jenny just has serious control issues.

I have no idea who your org is but as for my organization, everyone from the International President to the chapter-level advisors are "volunteers".

So, what is the CA's salary?????? Darn, where's mine for all those years??

The only ones that get paid are the Executive Director and those that work at IHQ. The Leadership Consultants do get paid for certain things; they can only be LC's for 1-2 years. I'm not sure about all the reimbursements for the LeadershipAdvisors who work with chapters while attending graduate school.

In some orgs, the chapters have the opportunity to nominate chapter advisors which gives nationals an opinion of who they want/don't want.

[LegallyBrunette]

Originally Posted by AGDLynn

I have no idea who your org is but as for my organization, everyone from the International President to the chapter-level advisors are "volunteers".

Same with my organization. I'd imagine this is true for most, if not all, NPCs.

My take on the advisor/volunteer distinction that's been made in the OP's post is that all advisors are volunteers, but not all volunteers have the title of advisor. For example, I'm a volunteer who has also been appointed to the position of advisor, which has specific responsibilities to the chapter and to National Office. But there are also alumnae who aren't able to commit to an advisor position, but are still very valuable as volunteers on a more informal ad-hoc basis.

My guess is that Jenny is a volunteer who was appointed to an advisory position, whereas the OP volunteers when she can, but is not in a specific advisory role with clearly defined responsibilities.

And, I'm with the other posters that HQ probably has an idea that Jenny is incompetent, but I would still forward on her nasty email to the powers that be so that there is a record of her handling of the situation.