Reactivating Alumni Association

[PsiPhiBetaFraternity1923]

Hello Fellow Greeks,

My name is Frank Filippetti, Alumnus, Psi Phi Fraternity, Beta Chapter (Psi Phi Beta), Buffalo State, SUNY. I'm looking into reactivating Psi Phi Beta Fraternity Alumni Association after 30 years of inactivity. I met with the Director of Alumni Affairs at Buffalo State, and was welcomed with "opened arms'. She pledged her complete cooperation. I have a list of brothers dating back to 1953. I'm going to have the college database accessed for current addresses for a general mailing. Do you have any ideas that will help us? Any similar situations? All your help will be greatly appreciated. Fraternally, Frank R. Filippetti, Fall '69

[PenguinTrax]

Frank,

Your first step should be to identify the members in your immediate area and plan a kick-off event so that everyone gathers together, etc. Then, select officers or a re-org committee to get the organization underway. Send out mailings to all brothers in the country, telling them about the exciting news of your fraternity reorganization and the formation of an active alumni association. Plan (with the collegiate chapter) a homecoming weekend and invite all alumni and their guests. Make it simple, maybe just a pre-game BBQ and a brunch the next morning. Collect dues, ask for donations to help get the college chapter off the ground, etc.

Once things are rolling, elect officers, set up a constituion and by-laws, an organizational structure, goals, etc. Plan regular events for local alumni and one big 'reunion' event each year, pulling in alumni from all over the country. Work with other chapters in the state to host a State Meeting. Provide advisors to the college chapter, help secure funding for housing, etc.

The possibilities are limitless!

[Tom Earp]

Frank, 2 ways to go, talk to the school as they will have a list of any of your Brothers who have graduated, but first, contact you International to get the most current listing of you chapter as they chould send you a disc of the most current address'. what I did is then get on the phone and call all that showed locally. We then started a local KC area alum group.
Then I called Brothers out of the area, thank goodness for the cheap phone cards i sell at my store. I got onsearch engines and found out possibles and called them. If I got a family member they could give me the info. I started with about 20 but now have @ 195 e-m address'.
I started giving them updates on events and in Jan. we had @ 90 some who showed up for the 35 th of the founding of the local and had 50 % of the originals there.
Low and behold i started getting e-m from Brothers I had for ones I didnt have.
We have since the last 2 years started alum group in KC others trying now in their own areas, a renewing of the alum golf tournement, a mentoring group working with the active chapter, and a new house building group.
Trust me it takes a lot of time but when you go back to functions and you see more of the brothers you have not seen, it is more than be well worth it.

[AGDLynn]

Another possibility, but time-consuming is using Internet services like www.bellsouth.com to do reverse lookup on addresses and/or telephone numbers. I know that it takes a lot of time!!
Good luck!