Getting a Newsletter

Schmeer · #1 02-10-2004, 03:49 PM

I wish that my chapter had a newsletter for whats going on up at KKG at my school for us alums...any suggestions on how to get the girls there to get interested in this....

DGMarie · #2 02-10-2004, 03:57 PM

do they have a website? It would be easier and cheaper to post it there. But it should have the committment from someone to regularly (once per quarter at a minimum) update it.

decadence · #3 02-10-2004, 04:08 PM

Suggest to them it's built into the duties of the publicity chair or something? Or alum chair? Some groups even have a newsletter chair (I'm guessing sometimes those people carry more than one role).
Suggest they make sure all the news that might be of interest to the graduated sisters is fed back so it can be put in the newsletter. Maybe create a template for them or suggest software (e.g. MS Publisher being a simple option); if they don't have DTP skills they might otherwise be scared off by it.
Convey, reassure and reinforce to them when you suggest it that you are interested in hearing about their continued successes, their troubles and their triumphs. Explain the strong bond you still feel toward the chapter and how you understand other alums do too and so want to be kept in the loop so you're equipped with knowledge of the chapter in their hands and as alums can better support them. Indicate though the chapter house (if they had one) isn't home to the alums any longer, home remains where your heart is and that it rests with the suchandsuch chapter of KKG. Well I don't know if any of that helps - if not I'm sure lots of people will have suggestions for you

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Good luck.

As DGMarie said posting it on a website is an excellent idea and keeps costs down. Do a search (in the Lambda Chi Alpha forum) on here too for the word newsletter, they've talked about them a bit and probably have a coupla example links there.

Kevin · #4 02-11-2004, 11:31 AM

When we put together our alumni chapter, we decided that the newsletter would be written by actives, but edited and published by the alumni chapter. Up until that point, there was no newsletter. Trusting someone every year to do it right (and to make sure that the article authors used proper english) seemed like too much of a gamble.

So now I'm our newsletter editor. Using Publisher 2003 (nice program for that). I'm putting out a newsletter every semester. Alumni chapter dues go to pay for it (that's who it's really for anyhow). We as alums feel it's more stable in the hands of the alumni chapter. It's not really a huge effort. I just dedicate space to articles, assign 250 words to various people, the commander gets like 750 words for his article.

The newsletter is printed on one of those spreads that becomes essentially 4 pages. The Commander gets the entire first page and the part of the last page not used for the address labels. I have a 3/4 page section on the second page for Alumni updates (marriages, children born, people getting jobs). There's one 250 word article below that. On the 3rd page are 3 250 word articles.

Maybe someday, I'll make it an 8 page newsletter. But for now, the 4 page format's working great.

Sorry for the tangent.

If you don't like the situation though, as an alum, don't complain about the actives not doing anything. Go do it yourself. They'll probably be very happy you want to do this.

ADPiAkron · #5 02-11-2004, 11:43 AM

I do both for the Akron Area Alumnae Association of Alpha Delta Pi (it is an office- I am the web/newsletter editor). The website is constantly kept up to date and I also publish 4 newsletters a year, which the cost for those are included in the $22 a year dues. If you do not have the time or money for a newsletter, then a website is the best option...anyone can start one...I started ours through geocities.com. Feel free to take a look and ask any questions. www.geocities.com/alphadeltapialumnae
I also started the chapters site that was also! www.geocities.com/adpibetatau

TSteven · #6 02-11-2004, 04:15 PM

You may also send out newsletters and updates via e-mail. You can set up an e-mail group of alums. This can also be done via a web site.

And be sure to add seniors after they graduate.

ADPiAkron · #7 02-13-2004, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TSteven
You may also send out newsletters and updates via e-mail. You can set up an e-mail group of alums. This can also be done via a web site.

And be sure to add seniors after they graduate.

I totally forgot about my email list...I have a list of 165 local Alumnae and 30 non-locals that I send updates to!!

KEPike · #8 02-13-2004, 04:22 PM

These are all very good ideas.

Our chapter has nearly 200 alums over 10 years. We have just begun to produce a newsletter consistently and update our alums monthly on what is going on with the chapter and the alumni association.

A good rule of thumb for newsletters is to keep it 80% alumni-oriented and 20% chapter-oriented. This way the alums will get a good idea of what other alums are up to but also keep abreast of the chapter's progress.

I really like ktsnake's idea of having the undergrads produce the newsletter with an alum to oversee/edit the final version. That way you don't end up with the inevitable "party schedule" or "give us money" blurbs that can creep in.

Tom Earp · #9 02-13-2004, 07:29 PM

News Letter! A Great Idea! Cyber is good if and only if everyone lists their email address!

Printed copy with Mailing address is also very good! But, it too will only be as good as the updated mailing information is. Who sends updates to Your Chapter or Your National to keep it current!

We used to have one Called the Lambda Gram visa vie the Local Chapter but remember, you have the cost of printing, stuffing, licking (

) and postage.

What it did, was come out each Semester outlining the social schedual, important dates, HomeComing, Founders Day or Important Recruitment functions.

Included was a Bio of an Active Member or Two , An New Associate or two, and a couple Alums! Add to that wedding and birth Announcements.

This can be done in a fold over printing of say two pieces of paper but have eight pages for cost. It is also bulk mailing that may go through your school! Forget Pix, to expensive!

If an Alum thing, try to get it run through the Active Chapter or the Alums kick in for expenses!

One very big peice of advise, Keep the Alums and The Active Chapters in contact with each other! You lose that, then you lose all continuity!!

Been there and done it or have seen it done!

adpiucf · #10 03-04-2004, 03:48 PM

If the collegians, can't get it together to have a newsletter for the alumnae, then you can help!

Meet with the area alumnae association and propose that you become Chapter Relations Chairman. This is also a great position for an adviser of the chapter to hold. Attend an exec board meeting and get an update on recruitment numbers, philanthropy projects, chapter accomplishments and chapter needs (IE: A new furnace, etc.) Put together an insert for the alumnae newsletter and send it with the regular alum assoc mailing.

Or, start a free Yahoo! groups list and encourage collegians and alumane to join. Share information, coordinate meetings, recognize monthly birthdays, chapter achievements, etc.

Get involved with the chapter! When alum come around and help out with advising, recruitment, education workshops, etc., it helps the collegians realize that the experience is for a lifetime and they will integrate you into their events.

ISUKappa · #11 03-05-2004, 11:17 AM

In both my undergraduate chapter and the chapter I advise now, it's the Public Relations chair's duty to send out the chapter newsletter to alumnae. A chapter can get a galley of all alumnae from Headquarters (and even get pre-printed labels if they want) so they don't have to hunt down addresses. Our chapter even goes through a GLO newsletter service that takes care of all the pre-press work and printing--all the girls have to do is send in photos and text and the company does everything else. In return, the chapter sends out letters to alumnae asking for donations to help offset the costs of printing and mailing (which can be fairly high). It's worked out well so far--and if/when an alumnae sends in a donation she can also send in an update about herself that is put in a section of the newsletter. A listing of all members who donated is also included in with the newsletter.

Kevin · #12 03-26-2004, 11:02 AM

If you have Publisher 2003, I can send you the template I use for my newsletter.

If it's for alums, I believe the alum chapter should at least coordinate it (if you have an active one). Otherwise the quality will vary greatly from year to year.

One thing I've noticed about articles submitted by actives is that their editorial skills leave much to be desired. If your actives do the newsletter by themselves, you *really* need someone who knows how to write proof the newsletter.

But as an alum, if you're not getting one, that's no cause for complaint. You want a newsletter? Write one!

Lady Pi Phi · #13 03-26-2004, 11:11 AM

A newsletter is a great idea. But only if chapter members are didicated to it.

Our chapter sent out a newsletter by email to all the alums. But they only did it once. I don't know if it was supposed to be a monthly thing or a quarterly things, but I only eveer got one. It was a little disappointing. I would like to know what's going on in the chapter too.

I would talk to someone in your chapter (I don't know if you have a member who deals with alumnae affairs or something similar) and suggest that to them.

Lady Pi Phi · #14 03-26-2004, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ktsnake
If you have Publisher 2003, I can send you the template I use for my newsletter.

If it's for alums, I believe the alum chapter should at least coordinate it (if you have an active one). Otherwise the quality will vary greatly from year to year.

One thing I've noticed about articles submitted by actives is that their editorial skills leave much to be desired. If your actives do the newsletter by themselves, you *really* need someone who knows how to write proof the newsletter.

But as an alum, if you're not getting one, that's no cause for complaint. You want a newsletter? Write one!

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.

ISUKappa · #15 03-26-2004, 12:14 PM

I agree with Lady Pi Phi--what the OP is talking about is a newsletter from the chapter to the alumnae about the goings on of the chapter. It's best if the chapter members produce it.

Usually our PR chair was a girl who was a Journalism or Communications major and she knew that part of the position was producing a newsletter in the fall. It would look great on her resume and give her something to put in her portfolio. And hopefully she would have learned some editing skills in her classes and would be able to work with what the other officers gave her making sure everything was grammatically and factually correct.