Getting a Newsletter

[Tom Earp]

ktsnake, is there a way you can get this to me. Dont have what you said and to lazy to look back and get it!

IF, a newsletter is sent out each Semester, many times it can go through the School Bulk mail mailing, but it has to be given to them well in advance as bulk is usually the last thing to go out! You also need to keep on the mail room.

Email is great, but I think you will find the emails are getting to a lot less people than snail mailings!

When we would send out mailings, Brothers would get together for stuffing , Licking and stamping partys.! (Alums).

To cut costs down do a 4 fold so it will keep the cost down.

Damn sure gaurantee you that most Alums thirst to heart what is going on at the Chapter!

It is no different than when we get a Cross & Cresent from IHQ!

Maybe we are not in it, but will see someone we may know at other Chapters! I know I have had some Alums that I know say they have seen something in Our Mag. with my name on it!

Someone has to keep the interaction up no matter waht! That is what keeps all of us interested!

[Kevin]

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
I have to say no. Alums would like to know what's going on with the actives in their chapter. They would like to know who recruitment is going, what kind of activities they are doing. News about their philanthropy. Etc, etc. She's purely interested in keeping in contact with the active chapter and are interested in what the active chapter is doing. If she was looking to find out what the alums were doing she would have started her own alumnae newsletter.

But they do actually write probably about 80% of the newsletter. I reserve a column for myself and usually do an alumni update that takes up about half of one page -- it goes through marriages, jobs, births, etc. of our alums and their families. Great for making our alums feel more attached to the chapter and like we still care about them in their lives after college (which is true).

I give the President the first page to write about 750+ words describing the state of the chapter. That covers all the major events, how we did in recruitment, etc. Then I'll pick out officers to write 250 word columns (or 150 or so if they have a picture). I'll have them write about their plans for their office or upcoming events, etc.. Occasionally, we'll let a candidate (new member) write one of those "Why I joined" articles as well.

What I'm trying for here is a newsletter aimed at alums. We're working on an alumni chapter right now (have to get a few more people to graduate in order to get where we want to be). We're aiming to have our alumni chapter resemble something like a Lion's Club, Kiwanis type organization that emphasises mentoring our undergrads, being the driving force between large fund drives and even taking on a local philanthropy. Our newsletter is the primary means of communication for this organization (we're just in our very early stages right now as the chapter was only founded in '02, so we don't have but around 30 people we send newsletters to at the moment).

I edit and mail 3 newsletters a year. One for each semester: Spring, Summer, Fall. Our actives are great as far as getting the stuff in. I've had a really good response so far, so it's a good program for us.

Anyhow, yeah, like you're saying, before a chapter or alumni chapter takes on the putting together of a newsletter, or any external communication campaign, they need to consider their audience, what the audience is going to want and then the best way to do that. That's what I did, and this newsletter is the result of that.

If anyone wants a copy, PM me, I'll email a pdf of it.

[Boodleboy322]

My chapter puts out a Newsletter and it's coordinated with the actives, primarily the Alumni Secretary (an active). The chapter website also lists info. on alumni. The key to a healthy alumni chapter is maintaining good contact and/or relationships with the actives. It means a lot when alums show up to initiation rituals and events. Especially when you're a fresh to the alum status and still relate to many of those senior members. ~Boodleboy322

[Measi]

It takes a while to get it rolling, but my suggestion would be to have a representative of your alumni chapter get in touch with whomever is the alumni secretary (or similar title) in your chapter. Talk to them about a newsletter, offer to help, etc. Then simply get it going. Design it much like alumni newsletters for universities are designed-- a section for happenings in the active chapter, a section with important upcoming dates in the chapter (Rush, degrees, founders day get-togethers, other social events, etc), and then a section that has news from any alumni sister/brother who wishes to spread the news of events happening in their lives. A newsletter is also a great way to help find those missing alumni on your roster list. (i.e. a "have you heard from Sister XYZ? If so, please help us!"

Depending on the frequency, it might not be that long of a newsletter-- gear for a four-page newsletter (11x17, printed both sides in quarter sections). Make sure it goes out with regular frequency, and encourage participation by both actives and alumni!

I'm in the works of restarting one with my active chapter, and in doing so, I've realized how overwhelming it can be for the office holder to set such a thing up, PLUS try to keep the list of alumni updated. I'm hoping we can do four per school year-- about one every two months.

~ Mel.