Keeping Interest

[boz130]

My wife & I just returned from the Lambda Chi Alpha General Assembly, and she came up w/an interesting observation while we were in Indianapolis. This may have more pertinence for male organizations (in my opinion).

It's her contention that the reason it's so hard for fraternities to keep their alumni involved after graduation is that many of the members joined solely for the social aspects. In other words, our rituals (and all the meaning they hold) take a back seat to the kegs we quaffed from as undergrads.

Since I'm an alumni board member for the LCA chapters @ my alma mater (Illinois State) & Northwestern, I can attest to the fact that many of the alums who stay involved probably took the fraternity's tenets/creed to heart and weren't just "in it for the beer". This is just a general observation--there's always room for variance.

With that said, do other GLO alumni/ae have any thoughts on this issue? If this is a problem for your chapter, how do you "bring 'em back"? I'll be interested in seeing the views of other GCers (BTW, we had 12 GC members attending the LCA convention!).

Interfraternally,
Bill F.

[AGDee]

I agree wholeheartedly, even for women. The members who joined for just the social aspect never came around again after graduation.

I don't know if you "get them back" after you've lost them. What I always wonder is how we emphasize life long membership while they are still in school, rather than after we've lost them. Also, how do we make sure the members are there for the right reasons?

Dee

[boz130]

At Lambda Chi Alpha's 2002 General Assembly, we approved use of an "alumni ritual". It's done in two versions: "open" (like our Associate Member ceremony) or "closed" (performed in a "ritual-like" ceremony).

Each graduating senior is presented with an "alumni pyramid", a small plexiglass pyramid that can be used as a paperweight or decorative piece on a desk or mantle.

The ritual was created to let graduating seniors know that the idea of "not four years, but for life" isn't just an empty phrase. Since it's A)only been around for two years, and B)not mandatory, we're not sure of how much impact it's had to date.

This sort of thing is no guarantee that people will continue to be involved after graduation, but it's a start.

-BF

[Firehouse]

It seems to me that alumni who stay involved with the fraternity have stayed in touch with their friends, their contemporaries from undergraduate days. When these alumni are together, even forty-something-year-olds seem to revert back to their undergraduate personalities. Among my chapter alumni I see very few "singles", alumni Brothers who are involved independently of their old running mates. The involved alumni group themselves together naturally, sort of like knots along a length of rope.
And although it is hard to quantify, I think the status of the undergraduate chapter has something to do with it. If the chapter has a consistent theme, and it something that the a;umni can still identify with, that seems create a kind of gravity that pulls them back.
It's rare to see a great alumni base and a weak chapter. Much more common to see a strong undergrad chapter and an alumni base that has never been developed. Most often, the strong chapter and the strong alumni support is concurrent.

[TSteven]

Originally posted by Firehouse
It seems to me that alumni who stay involved with the fraternity have stayed in touch with their friends, their contemporaries from undergraduate days. When these alumni are together, even forty-something-year-olds seem to revert back to their undergraduate personalities. Among my chapter alumni I see very few "singles", alumni Brothers who are involved independently of their old running mates. The involved alumni group themselves together naturally, sort of like knots along a length of rope.
And although it is hard to quantify, I think the status of the undergraduate chapter has something to do with it. If the chapter has a consistent theme, and it something that the a;umni can still identify with, that seems create a kind of gravity that pulls them back.
It's rare to see a great alumni base and a weak chapter. Much more common to see a strong undergrad chapter and an alumni base that has never been developed. Most often, the strong chapter and the strong alumni support is concurrent.

Co-sign. (Good thread by the way.)

Basically, it seems like fraternity alumni are more *chapter* orientated than regional or internationally orientated. As such, alumni may be more likely to show their support to, and or become involved with, an individual chapter than the fraternity *as a whole*.

Thus, the stronger the connection between the chapter and alumni, then the stronger the commitment by the alumni to the chapter and the fraternity as a whole.

So as stated, perhaps the key is to get the undergraduate members connected with alumni from the get go. To understand that joining is a commitment for life. And to keep alumni involved.

[AnimalCrackers]

I know that to keep in touch with alumni/alumnae, our chapter sends out newsletters to all of the alumnae we have addresses for. Make a constructive effort to keep in touch with all of your alumni, especially the most recent ones. Keep your database updated as often as possible. The sooner after graduation you are able to keep in touch with them (and the longer you can keep in touch), the better. Maybe you can plan a day for alumni to come and visit as well. Ask your alumni to share personal experiences with your new actives by writing letters or visiting-- let them know that they were--and are-- important members of your GLO. Remind them what your GLO is all about, and maybe they'll want to stay in touch and involved.

[winneythepooh7]

I always wonder why in a city of millions here in NYC, why more Deephers do not surface. We were talking about this recently at one of our alum meetings, and I am sure what is mentioned earlier in this thread ties into it. I mean, so many of us from different chapters and we know so many other sisters that live in the city but they never seem to show interest in the organization after undergrad One alumna who comes regularly from the NYU chapter where our org was founded can't believe either that NO ONE from NYU has surfaced, especially since they currently have an active chapter here in the city that has been in contact with us ??????!!!!!!

[Tom Earp]

Having Met Brother Bill F at General Assembly after seeing Him so long on G C, it was so great to meet another dedicated Alum.

We had @ 12 GCers at the LXA G A!

There were @ 40 Alums there, not counting Grand High Zeta Officers and others who were there in other capacities.

To find the dedication of these Brothers is really something to behold. One was a Brother from My Chapter, # 82, who I had not seen in years. He is now the Advisor for UNLV, giving back what He was given as an Active Chapter Brother.

We all fight the same battle, keeping Alums interested and coming back for events.

If someone could come up with a idea of how to cure this, they would make a fortune.

But, I guess the only thing to do is keep up the battle of trying to get and keep Alums involved. There has to be somebody keep the faith and do the job.

So, my thanks go out to All Greek Alums who are doing just that!

[pinkyphimu]

ok, this is taken strictly from my personal experience with my friends in fraternities....

the guys stay in touch with one another, meet up for homecoming, etc., but they do not participate in any other way. a few may donate money. i would hazard to say that most of them would say that although they love their brothers and their group, they have "grown up."

i wonder if collegiates were able to see the benefits of remaining active as an alumni throughout their college years if they would be more likely to stay active. every group says, this is a lifetime committment, but can the collegiates PERSONALLY witness this? probably not...i know i didn't. perhaps if we invited them to some type of event...not a founder's day...to let them experience what we do.

i think the other issue is that we are always saying we should "give back" to our fraternities, so we highlight the ways we can help out....volunteer as a national officer, mentor collegiates, etc. this is great, but i don't think we focus as much on the ways that we personally benefit from being active. let's face it...most people are "me" people. if they can't see in the first few minutes what they get...then are not likely to participate.

i apologize if i am confusing...i am completely doped up on cold medicine....and am sitting at the computer with vicks vapo rub on my chest and neck...with a towel in my shirt. lovely sight, i know.

[Firehouse]

There's an interesting dynamic that wouldn't have occurred to me until I saw it. Somewhere in here there might be a hint of what inspires alumni loyalty. Let's assume that the strongest bond with the fraternity is found among friends who were together in school, and that they identify as a group with their chapter. What I saw was interesting. A half dozen fraternities on our campus conducted large capital campaigns; it all took place over about a six year period. Now, if you pick ten active alumni out of my fraternity, they might represent a span of a dozen years on campus and the same is true of other fraternities. So, if your leadership core of a dozen guys represents 12 years, and if the majority of donors represent, say, 25 years, then there's going to be a considerable overap with alumni of the other fraternities.
What I saw was a dynamic of renewed rivalries, ten, twenty even thirty years after graduation. "We're by-gawd not going to let the Phi Delts raise more than us. We're going to have the best house and the Lambda Chis can [choose a verb]."
We actually had a meeting of alumni from the six fraternities raising money to build houses.; most guys were in their 40s and 50s. There was a lot of good cheer and remembering the old days. At one point an alum of one fraternity said that maybe we should build a common dining hall where the different fraternities could all eat dinner at the same time, each of course having their own separate area, tables, etc. A Lambda Chi who everyone respects responded by saying, "Guys, you know, the truth is none of us liked each other very much when we were in college, and these guys today don't much like each other either. Let's all eat in our own houses."
He was right. But what i saw was the power of those long-lived rivalries. And the truth is, the fraternities who were in the top tier in 1974 are the same ones who are in the top tier in 2004. I would never have thought that the rivalry factor would be so telling, but it is a strong element to be used in alumni development.

[boz130]

The "top-tier" theory works...to an extent. At Illinois State, we've had a large influx of new GLOs (male and female) since I left Normal in 1977. Most of the houses came to campus in the mid-1980's-early 1990's.

At the time I graduated, our Lambda Chi chapter could've been considered "top-tier" because of numbers, as could a few other chapters on campus. In the years that have followed, though, things changed for some of the fraternities.

Due to various factors (primarily the type of individuals that were recruited), some of the "top-tier" houses have now fallen upon hard times. Risk management issues have reared their ugly heads in every chapter on campus.

They've been a factor at LCA/ISU, and it's been a long, hard struggle. However, the chapter is back in that aforementioned tier. The current officers even came up w/the idea of sending their parents a newsletter 2x/year...smart officers, eh?

In some instances the biggest (and many would argue best) chapters have now been suspended or have left campus entirely. A few fraternities are just now staging a comeback.

I think it's extremely important that the alumni be made aware of what's going on w/the chapter when they receive their annual/semi-annual/quarterly newsletter. By the same token, it's even more important for them to find out how their buddies are doing, so each newsletter should include a healthy dose of "Alumni News/Notes".

In my work w/various chapters I've seen instances where alumni take a great deal of pride in their membership and come back to Homecoming in droves. During one memorable Homecoming weekend I remember watching a chapter holding a pig roast on their front lawn, complete with a tent and band.

The guys I was visiting were throwing some frozen burgers on the Weber and watching the fraternity across the street in awe (maybe it was shock AND awe).

I'd love to find out what it is that's kept the pig roasters alumni coming back each year...if I get the chance I'll share the info here.

I hope we can keep this dialogue going! I'm taking copious notes.

Thanks-
Bill F.

[Kevin]

Bill and others --

How long are your respective newsletters (how many pages 8x11.5)?

What % of the newsletter approximately is devoted to what?

I'm the editor of my 'alum newsletter'. It's 4 pages (about 1 page is taken up by graphics) and out of the 2/3 remaining, I'd say about 1/3 is about alumni goings-on and the rest about the active chapter.

I've been considering making it a longer newsletter by adding an inside page. Unfortunately, that means I'll have to come up with more than twice the content that I am coming up with now.

[TSteven]

Originally posted by ktsnake
Unfortunately, that means I'll have to come up with more than twice the content that I am coming up with now.

Not sure if you are already doing any of these, but here are a few suggestions to help fill in content when you need to do so.

1. Add general information regarding the campus and the town. It can be quite interesting to hear about old haunts both on and off campus.

2. Pick an alum and showcase them.

3. Publishing pictures from the past.

4. Information, news or even trivia about Sigma Nu. You should be able to find this on your web site.

[TSteven]

Originally posted by boz130
I think it's extremely important that the alumni be made aware of what's going on w/the chapter when they receive their annual/semi-annual/quarterly newsletter. By the same token, it's even more important for them to find out how their buddies are doing, so each newsletter should include a healthy dose of "Alumni News/Notes".

In this day and age, e-mail is such a wonderful tool for keeping alumni connected.

As such, every chapter should get all it's members addresses before they graduate or go alum. Then keep them posted on what all is happening with their chapter etc.

And this can save on the cost of mailings.

[TSteven]

Originally posted by boz130
In my work w/various chapters I've seen instances where alumni take a great deal of pride in their membership and come back to Homecoming in droves. During one memorable Homecoming weekend I remember watching a chapter holding a pig roast on their front lawn, complete with a tent and band.

The guys I was visiting were throwing some frozen burgers on the Weber and watching the fraternity across the street in awe (maybe it was shock AND awe).

I'd love to find out what it is that's kept the pig roasters alumni coming back each year...if I get the chance I'll share the info here.

In my experience, it seems like what keeps alumni coming back usually has to do with strong traditions.

And as part of that, you want to come back because it is a big deal to do so. With the pig roast group, I would venture to guess they do something like this ever year at homecoming. And with tents and bands, it's a fun event. So what's not to like?

Frankly, it's something I know I would like to attend.