Please, any info on how to expand..

[pearl14]

Hi,
I have been a sister of a local sorority for about a year. My school is mainly a commuter campus and Greek Life at my school is small. Although Greeks are the most involved on campus, taking part in student government and campus programming, recently Greeks have been receiving less and less support from the school. Last year all local organizations were forced to get liability insurance, putting locals in jeopardy of being pushed off campus.
My sorority is small but spirited. We currently have only 6 active sisters, with 3 seniors graduating this May. We have no dues, instead we fundraise for everything we do. Unfortunately with the addition of approximately six thousand dollars worth of insurance per year, we don't see much hope of surviving for much longer.

We are currently exploring all our options, and I would really appreciate any advice you may have. Something that has been brought up is possible expansion to other campuses in the area. Where would we start? I know we would first have to see if there are schools in the area that are open for expansion. After that, im not really sure how colonization works.
Please, any information or ideas would be helpful. We are really not sure what to do, and I would hate to see my organization die out in my hands.
Thank you.

[littleowl33]

Firstly, I would recommend taking out some of the identifying details in this post so you can keep your anonymity. You haven't said anything negative about your chapter but it's best to play it safe, and I'm sure there are people on these boards who can figure out your chapter by what you posted.

Secondly, I'm so sorry to hear your chapter is in trouble. I understand being scared about it dying out, but I don't think it's a good idea to expand when your "alpha" chapter is in danger of closing. You need to have things squared away with your own chapter before you think about putting in the time and effort it takes to expand. That time and energy should be going into fixing the problems you already have.

How opposed are your members to paying dues? Will it be a dealbreaker for membership? I don't know your campus culture, but I don't think it's unreasonable to ask that everybody pay dues since 1) pretty much every greek organization requires it, and 2) it looks like that's the only way to prevent the chapter from going under.

I would also recommend trying to talk to the Greek Life advisor (if there is one) about your situation. Even if your 6 sisters start paying dues you're not going to be able to cover $6,000 per year, and I doubt fundraisers to cover your insurance money are going to be very successful. The administration should understand that, and if they want to support greek life I hope they will be more reasonable - maybe you could make a compromise about following certain policies so that you can be covered by the school's insurance as I assume the other student groups are. But reading between the lines, it seems like this may be an effort by your uni to kill off greek life, which doesn't leave you very many options... except maybe going unrecognized by the school, which may or may not be a successful endeavor.

[33girl]

Have the locals considered merging, either with an NPC or with each other?

If you only have 6 sisters (3 at the end of the year) it's going to be very hard to expand to other campuses if your sorority is in trouble.

[pearl14]

We are the only local sorority on campus. I'm not sure exactly what would happen if we tried to merge with another organization, but I'm sure that would be our last option. We are very proud of what we have done, as I'm sure you can all understand.

As for dues, like I mentioned before we were founded on the premise that no one should have to pay in order to be a sister. As a result, we fundraise year-round. That being said, our founding sisters made that decision a decade ago. Things have changed and we understand that. We have recently opened up the dues discussion, but it would require changing our constitution, so it is not something we are jumping into.

Lastly, we have tried reasoning with administration.. that's not going well haha. We feel we are getting the run around, and it has been very stressful. We are trying to be pro-active by researching all our options, so that we can make educated decisions. Once again, any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[OPhiAGinger]

Have you engaged your alumnae in this discussion? Although they've got a little emotional distance, presumably their commitment to the sorority is just as strong as yours. BUT... they may have resources and professional relationships that could help you negotiate with your campus administration.

[pearl14]

We have tried speaking to our alumni about the issue in the past. Once again, we are a small organization. Our alumni are at the point where they are engrossed in their careers, getting married and having babies. A lot of our younger alumni are still in grad/med school, so they're super busy as well. We're asking for help, but at the same time, I'm a little concerned they are not understanding the seriousness of the situation. Our alumni never faced the issues we are facing now, never had to fundraise for an insurance payment on top of our philantropies and the general cost of the sorority.

[SigNuP]

I know that you would have to change your constitution, but dues are really helpful. And they don't have to be ridiculously expensive. Our girls pay 125 a semester and have since 1897.

My sorority is also local and we have been around for a 113 years now. In that time we have gone from having anywhere from 3-30 girls. We have always come back.

I understand the run around feeling, but don't give up. Keep fighting. Things will get better.

[violetpretty]

I don't understand how expanding to other campuses solves the problem of your chapter dying.

[excelblue]

You got to take care of the problems at home first before you look at expanding? If you don't even have the funds to cover insurance, what makes you think you have the funds to do an expansion? Trust me, it's expensive.

The older alumnae may be busy, but dues are something you really should talk about with them. There's a difference between low dues and unaffordable dues. Sometimes, you just reach that situation where the solution is not ideal and you have to compromise. This seems like one of them.

[AOII Angel]

I'm not sure how you go about fundraising in order to run a sorority. The purpose of dues is not to "buy friends" but to pay for the events supported by the group and any incidentals incurred, ie. insurance

Your founders, as idealistic young women, may not have for seen these real needs for dues. It's unrealistic to ask others, ie non members, to contribute to your sorority so that you can pay for parties and insurance. Essentially, they are paying your dues for you. When having a fundraiser, what do you tell you donors that the money will be benefiting? If you say charity, then divert it to operational funds for your group, that is unethical. Save the fundraising for your charity work and pay your own bills like everyone else does. There is no shame in it, and as a local, your dues could still be significantly lower than any of the NPC groups.

Additionally: have you guys shopped around a little for insurance? $6000 sounds pretty steep for such a small group. Try negotiating what you can agree to in order to get a lower price.

[pearl14]

I would like to clarify about the fundraising we do. We are ALWAYS truthful about where the money is going. When we fundraise for our philanthropy we say so, when we fundraise for ourselves we say so. We do A LOT of bake sales and raffles of electronics/baskets. We are always on the look out for places to hold car washes, garage sales, and other opportunitues. The people pay because they get something back.
It's a lot of hardwork, but we always feel like we've accomplished something when we finish. We have recently raised enough to cover our first insurance payment. It's a great relief and something to feel proud of. And we work together through it all, so it's another bonding experience.

As for expanding, we have tabled that dicussion for the time being. I am still interested in what you all have to say about insurance. We are currently on a joint plan with other locals, set up by our school. Next year we need to find our own insurance. After talking to locals from other schools in the area, we are hopeful that the cost will be less than the six thousand we had originally anticipated. I would appreciate if anyone could point us in the right direction.

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by pearl14

As for dues, like I mentioned before we were founded on the premise that no one should have to pay in order to be a sister.

This situation is a perfect example of why paying dues for operational expenses =/= paying for friends.

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

The purpose of dues is not to "buy friends" but to pay for the events supported by the group and any incidentals incurred, ie. insurance

Your founders, as idealistic young women, may not have for seen these real needs for dues. It's unrealistic to ask others, ie non members, to contribute to your sorority so that you can pay for parties and insurance. Essentially, they are paying your dues for you.

They may have also bought into the idea I mentioned a moment ago. It sounds like this obstacle will require changing more than just the constitution.

[DrPhil]

If there are other criteria for membership, why aren't dues just seen as an additional criteria instead of seen as "paying for friends/sisters/brothers."

I rarely advocate changing founding policies and what the founders wanted but this may be one place where the founders weren't forwardthinking. What made sense 10 years ago doesn't always make sense forever. That happens sometimes. I would normally not chime in on another GLO like that but this member came to GC for advice for some reason.

Originally Posted by pearl14

I would like to clarify about the fundraising we do. We are ALWAYS truthful about where the money is going. When we fundraise for our philanthropy we say so, when we fundraise for ourselves we say so. We do A LOT of bake sales and raffles of electronics/baskets. We are always on the look out for places to hold car washes, garage sales, and other opportunitues. The people pay because they get something back.
It's a lot of hardwork, but we always feel like we've accomplished something when we finish. We have recently raised enough to cover our first insurance payment. It's a great relief and something to feel proud of. And we work together through it all, so it's another bonding experience.

There seems to be a sense of imbalance here. The real sweat should come from service to others. Always breaking a sweat to raise money for yourselves seems to outweigh breaking a sweat to raise money for and help others. That doesn't mean that you aren't helping others but there isn't but so much time and energy.

You should be happy that you are wherever you are. There are some campuses and communities where people would eventually stop donating after hearing that you all don't pay dues. I hope that never happens to you all.

[c0sm1c]

Originally Posted by pearl14

Hi,
I have been a sister of a local sorority for about a year. My school is mainly a commuter campus and Greek Life at my school is small. Although Greeks are the most involved on campus, taking part in student government and campus programming, recently Greeks have been receiving less and less support from the school. Last year all local organizations were forced to get liability insurance, putting locals in jeopardy of being pushed off campus.
My sorority is small but spirited. We currently have only 6 active sisters, with 3 seniors graduating this May. We have no dues, instead we fundraise for everything we do. Unfortunately with the addition of approximately six thousand dollars worth of insurance per year, we don't see much hope of surviving for much longer.

We are currently exploring all our options, and I would really appreciate any advice you may have. Something that has been brought up is possible expansion to other campuses in the area. Where would we start? I know we would first have to see if there are schools in the area that are open for expansion. After that, im not really sure how colonization works.
Please, any information or ideas would be helpful. We are really not sure what to do, and I would hate to see my organization die out in my hands.
Thank you.

You need to rush more girls and pledge them, or considering merging with another local. because you need 6 girls to be actually considered a chapter and 3 would make you a colony.
Also you may consider reaching out to other orgs to ask them to make a chapter of their org on your campus. But very few orgs would give permission to a dying sorority.

[adpiucf]

Originally Posted by c0sm1c

you need 6 girls to be actually considered a chapter and 3 would make you a colony.

No. They are a local chapter; they don't magically become a colony if their numbers drop. A chapter doesn't revert to a colony. It would close, at worst.

Also, you just revived a 2 year old thread.