Alumni Relations

During your time as an undergraduate Delt you have had the chance to see many Delts come and go. Some you may never have heard from again. You may believe that these "missing" alums are too busy or have lost interest, but more than likely they just don't know how to get involved. Consequently, alumni represent the most under utilized resource of Delta Tau Delta. Thousands upon thousands of Delt alumni have the potential of continuing their involvement in the Fraternity. However, because of poor alumni relations, we have not been successful at maintaining lifelong contact. Why is it so important to keep in contact with our alumni? There are three main reasons. First, alumni are interested, believe it or not, in how the Fraternity is doing, especially the chapter they belonged to. Secondly, alumni are needed to fill positions such as advisors and house corporation members. Thirdly, alumni involvement enables you to establish contacts with a variety of people from all walks of life, contacts that can benefit you when trying to find a job after graduation. Alumni are valuable assets to the Fraternity. No chapter will reach its full potential unless it maximizes this resource.

The Alumni Relations Committee

As a member of the alumni relations committee, you are responsible for building strong relationships with your alumni. Although this task requires the efforts of everyone in the chapter, the committee serves as the central point of activity. The committee must be well organized and should accept advice from current alumni, who better understand alumni needs and desires. Your duties are outlined in this section to give you a better understanding of how to establish a good alumni relations program.

A Good Alumni Relations Program

How exactly do you design a good alumni relations program? First, you need to understand the interests of your alumni. Once you determine their interests, you can easily design a program that includes activities that match their interests. However, please keep in mind that the word "alumni" is not synonymous with money. Don't establish an alumni program solely with the idea that you will receive contributions. If you do, you won't get far.

In this section, we discuss the five components of a good alumni relations program. These suggestions should help get your committee started. You should be able to add many others as you gain experience.

1. An informative newsletter: Publish a newsletter specifically designed for your alumni. It doesn't have to be lengthy or fancy, but it should be well-written. This is a good way for your chapter to build and maintain relations. To help you get started, we have inserted a section on how to set up your newsletter.

2. Alumni events: Every year you should dedicate at least two events primarily for inviting alumni back to the campus. Homecoming is a perfect time to invite alumni to the house and allow them to recall their years as undergraduate Delts. Each event should be well planned and semi-formal.

3. The Rainbow: You may already be aware of your chapter's annual article that appears in the "The Delt Chapters" section of the Rainbow. This section allows all members to read about what is going on in other chapters. In addition to informing, "The Delt Chapters" section reaches fellow undergraduate chapters and alumni who also receive the Rainbow. Although you are not responsible for writing this article, you are responsible for seeing that it is written and sent in on time.

4. Training: As seniors reach the end of their undergraduate Delt experience, they must be reminded of their commitment to lifelong participation in the Fraternity. Training instills in them a strong sense of loyalty to the Fraternity and encourages them to become involved in the Fraternity after graduation.

5. Alumni in your area: If you are lucky enough to have a Delt alumni chapter near your university, you should take the opportunity to stay in close contact.

The five components of a good alumni relations program are not difficult tasks to undertake. All it takes is a strong commitment and lots of help. It will take some time, but your chapter will benefit so much more from a good program then a half-hearted one.

It Won't Happen Overnight

Building a good alumni relations program won't happen overnight. In fact, it may not start coming together until after you've graduated. But remember a chapter that doesn't utilize all of its resources is restricting its potential for growth.

YOUR ALUMNI RELATIONS COMMITTEE

Even though an effective alumni relations program will at times involve the entire chapter, your committee will be the catalyst and focal point of activity. You will want to remember the following points:

1. The alumni relations committee should be a compact and effective group.

2. The chairman should oversee all planning and arrangements and have at least two assistants.

3. Underclassmen should be on the committee so that ideas developed in one term of office are passed down and a consistent program is maintained over a period of years.

4. The committee should use the ideas of the Chapter Consultants and Central Office staff. You don't have to invent your own program if you use the good ideas and experience available to you.

5. The chairman should:

a. Serve as editor for the alumni newsletter.

b. Oversee the planning of all alumni events.

c. Maintain an active liaison with the school's alumni office.

d. Attend all administrative committee meetings.

e. Coordinate all alumni activities with other committee chairmen.

6. His assistants should:

a. Have real responsibility delegated to them.

b. Be in charge of keeping alumni addresses up-to-date with the Central Office.

c. Research and write articles for the alumni newsletter.

d. Work on all the details of a successful program.

ALUMNI ADDRESSES

An alumni relations chairman should recruit as many members for his committee as are interested and can be kept reasonably busy. The committee can create enthusiasm and awareness of the importance of good alumni relations throughout the chapter. Your chapter advisor is an essential man on your committee. He has the knowledge of alumni tastes and the experience that can make your efforts and hard work worthwhile.

The crucial service offered to you by the Fraternity is the computerized membership records. The Central Office is constantly updating the list of current addresses of all Delt alumni. Chapter or geographic area listing of alumni can be offered to chapters either in the form of self-adhesive mailing labels, which are simply peeled off and placed on your envelopes, or directories, which you can use as a ready reference. For example, you can get either a list of all Delts from all chapters in your area or any given geographical area or you can get a listing of all members of your chapter in any geographical area.

To review the membership records available to your chapter, they include:

1. Self-adhesive mailing labels.

2. One chapter directory listing all alumni of your chapter in alphabetical order.

3. Lost members directory available from your Central Office. By taking this directory to your school's alumni office, you can help the Fraternity keep your records up-to-date.

4. Any additional labels or specialized directories your chapter might require are available at very low cost. Be sure to enter your order well in advance of the date you need the labels.

A GOOD ALUMNI RELATIONS PROGRAM

Be sure to think ahead and anticipate the extra sets of labels you will need to make a series of

mailings for a big event. The Fraternity updates its master file on a day to day basis. Therefore, your orders can be processed at any time, so be sure to order your labels well in advance.

Briefly, these are the essentials of a good chapter alumni relations program:

1. An interesting, well edited chapter newsletter sent twice a year.

2. Two major alumni events each year to which all alumni are invited. These would include Homecoming or similar events in the fall, and Founders Day or Commencement in the spring.

3. Use of the Rainbow to promote alumni contact.

4. An active training program to make your current undergraduate members active and involved alumni.

5. An active and ongoing relationship with either the nearest alumni chapter or any alumni chapter or any alumni you have in your local area. This means inviting your chapter advisor, house corporation, and other local alumni over to the Shelter for dinner and other suitable occasions.

These are the essentials that every chapter can and must include to make any alumni program worth the effort. These areas will be discussed separately in detail. You might already have a working program incorporating these essentials or one that suits the unique needs of your alumni body. However, these five points include the items every chapter can and must do if you hope to develop an active and concerned alumni group.

YOUR NEWSLETTER

Your chapter newsletter is a direct pipeline to your alumni. It is the best way to stay in touch with your alumni and keep them up-to-date on how their chapter stands on the campus. Newsletters do not need to be costly or printed on expensive paper. Nor do they need to be sent first-class, as third-class mail will get it into the hands of your alumni at a fraction of the cost. The two most important factors in a successful alumni newsletter are: 1) how often it is sent out; and 2) its content. All of the other variables you can decide for yourselves as to how they can best be handled, but these two important points must be strictly followed if your newsletter is going to be worth the effort.

How Often:

Common sense will tell you that you have to publish a good newsletter often enough to keep your chapter fixed positively in the minds of your alumni. An advertising and marketing man would use the term "Saturation." You must saturate your alumni with just the right amount of exposure to the plans and accomplishments of your chapter. For most chapters, this means three newsletters a year, and certainly, no fewer than two a year. Even two newsletters is a half-hearted effort, and clearly, one newsletter a year will have no cumulative effect on your alumni whatsoever. If you feel you need to send more mailings as part of a special drive or anniversary event, go ahead. The more contact the better, so long as all the pieces are well written and edited.

Bulk Rate Mailing:

If you are mailing your newsletter to more than 200 alumni, it makes sense to use a third-class bulk mailing permit. Perhaps your chapter or campus IFC already has a bulk permit that you can use. You can save 12 1/4 cents on each letter you mail over first-class, and those savings really mount up. On a mailing to 350 alumni, first-class mailing at current rates would cost you $52.50. Third-class bulk rate would only cost $10.60. When using third-class mail, you must remember that it will take up to two weeks longer for your letter to arrive, so you must plan accordingly. Full details on applications can be obtained from your local post office.

Timing:

It does no good if an alumnus receives his invitation to Homecoming two days after the event or even two days before the event. Alumni with family and business responsibilities must plan their travel months in advance, so an invitation to a specific event should be in the mail no later than six weeks prior to the date of the event. Timing of your newsletters is also important to the success of your program. In general, one should be sent early in the fall as an invitation to Homecoming, listing opening of school news; another sent shortly after the first of the year, listing fall term accomplishments; and one right at the end of the spring term, summing up the year and listing Homecoming plans for next fall. You may want to modify this outline to suit some special need of your chapter, but in any case, make sure your newsletters are well spaced and contain timely news.

Printing:

With the proliferation of "quick print" franchises around the country, a good looking newsletter with pictures can be printed for you by professionals at a very reasonable cost. A big cost in professional printing is typesetting, which can be eliminated if you work with the printer and type up your articles into prescribed column widths. This would allow you to do your own "paste-up", which means arranging the articles as you want them to appear in the final printed copy. Anyone in the chapter with high school newspaper experience or a journalism major will be able to help you work out the technical details of publishing your newsletter.

Graphics:

The use of pictures and good art work can really add to the attractiveness and reader response of your newsletters. Perhaps there is a talented artist in your chapter who can work with you in brushing up the /image of your newsletter. First, you need an eye-catching masthead, which is the banner at the top of the first page carrying the title of your publication. Pick a catchy title, using your chapter's Greek designation or traditional name (examples: "Gamma Pi Punch" at Iowa State, "Choctaw Pow-Wow" at Allegheny, or "Beta Tau Blaster" at Nebraska). Other examples include: "The Gammacron" at our Gamma Omicron Chapter at Syracuse and "The Cordelt" at Beta Omicron Chapter at Cornell. Why use a dull name like "Delt News" when a little imagination will cause alumni to sit up and take notice of your efforts.

Pictures:

You should remember the following items in using pictures:

1. Always use black and white glossy prints. Color snapshots do not reproduce well and some printers will not use them.

2. Be careful as to what kind of pictures you use. You should concentrate on pictures of:

a. Alumni groups.

b. Your pledge class.

c. New officers.

d. New house improvements.

e. Charitable projects.

f. School events and homecoming.

3. Do not use pictures of parties, drinking, or beach shots from Florida; these make a very bad impression on alumni.

4. Always project a positive /image with your pictures and art work.

5. Remember that your newsletter is for alumni and not for undergraduates to see their pictures published.

Content:

What do your alumni want to read? What you put in your alumni newsletter is even more important than how it looks and how often it is sent. Here are some ideas for articles you may want to consider:

1. Homecoming and other alumni gatherings.

2. Rush results with the names and hometowns of pledges.

3. An article by the President on recent chapter accomplishments.

4. A chapter advisor's column.

5. Chapter intramural accomplishments.

6. Feature on chapter members on your varsity teams.

7. Chapter charitable projects.

8. Feature article on your housemother or cook.

9. Feature on any member with unusual talents, skills, or accomplishment.

10. Scholastic achievements of the chapter.

11. Graduate school acceptances of chapter members.

12. Recent alumni visitors to the Shelter.

13. Changes in the school's administration or policy.

14. Recent improvements to the Shelter.

15. Division Conference or Karnea attendance.

The news alumni will always read, that will always spark their interest and loyalty, is news about other alumni. Short capsule reports that tell of new addresses, marriages, new jobs or promotions are the best ways to keep alumni in touch with their fellow Delts. The best way to get this kind of information is to write or call alumni directly and interview them about their lives and try to get information about their pledge brothers with whom they are still in touch. Many chapters devote a special section of their newsletter to alumni news. Some of the following subheadings might be helpful:

1. Delt Updates (marriages, births, etc.).

2. Delts on the move (new jobs and addresses).

3. Delts in the news.

4. From the scrapbook (old pictures -- ask alumni to write in and identify).

5. Twenty years later (give occupations for an entire pledge class after twenty years).

6. Lost Delts (try to obtain current addresses).

7. Anniversary classes (5, 10, and 20 year reunions).

8. Feature articles (prominent alumni, longtime employees, etc.).

9. The Chapter Eternal.

You can also obtain this kind of information by sending out a short questionnaire as part of your next newsletter. Be sure to use some of the information sent to you by each alumnus, because everyone likes to see their name in print.

SPECIAL NOTE: Many Delts make mistakes in the usage of the words alumnus and alumni. Alumnus refers to a single former student. Alumni refers to two or more former students. "Alumns" and "Alumnis" are not proper terms, no more proper than saying an older Delt "used to be A Delt." Regardless of whether a Delt is currently in school or not, he is always considered an active member of Delta Tau Delta.

Other areas that you might want to consider for articles in your newsletter include:

1. Graduating seniors, their majors and what kind of jobs they are seeking.

2. Forms for rush recommendations from alumni.

3. Thank-you's to specific alumni who have recommended rushers.

4. Lists of alumni who have attended the chapter's last alumni function.

5. A regular column by the chapter advisor. As an alumnus, he can speak objectively to the alumni and stimulate their interest.

6. An article by or about a Delt member of the faculty.

BAD NEWS

Since we have spent some time talking about the kind of subjects and articles that should appear in your newsletter, we should also talk about articles that should not appear. Remember, this newsletter is for alumni, not the undergraduate chapter. Everything in it should be of interest to Delt alumni.

1. Alumni are not interested in last Saturday night's party or your social calendar in general.

2. Avoid inside jokes about chapter members, the use of nicknames, and reports of who got pinned to whom. Alumni consider this to be garbage.

3. Do not make any derogatory remarks about the school, the faculty, administration, other fraternities or sororities, or anybody associated with the chapter.

It may be that alumni are invited to your chapter's formal in the Spring or Fall, and if this is the case, it should be given a big play in your newsletter. A traditional party, one that has been held for more than eight years by your chapter, can also be a newsworthy item. You need to exercise good judgment in the content of your newsletter to make it worthy of your chapter and Delta Tau Delta.

NO MONEY

A cardinal rule -- do not ask your alumni for money in your newsletter. Too many chapter alumni programs have fallen flat on their faces because the newsletter was nothing more than an appeal for money with a little window dressing. How would you feel as an alumnus if you only received a newsletter once every year or two with always the same pleas -- send your dollars? All of these kinds of pleas end up in the trash can. Blatant requests for money should be avoided at all costs.

Many alumni will contribute generously to capital fund campaigns for the purchase of a new house, remodeling, or renovation. Such a fund drive should be undertaken by the house corporation. The experience throughout the Fraternity has been that only alumni can effectively ask and receive monetary support from other alumni. Your house corporation can work with the Educational Foundation to receive the assistance it will need in organizing and directing such a capital fund drive.

Remember:

a. One newsletter does not produce immediate results. You must develop your program over a period of years to develop alumni loyalty.

b. Constant contact through an alumni newsletter is the cornerstone of a good alumni program.

c. Again, do not ask for money.

ALUMNI EVENTS

The second essential of a good alumni program is stated as two major alumni events each year to which all alumni are invited. These events take many different forms and go by many different names. At your chapter, it might be homecoming, round-up, Founders Day, Commencement, The Rainbow Formal, or summer alumni picnic. Whatever events you are now sponsoring, or have sponsored in the past, you need to annually review these events to organize them better and make them more enjoyable to your alumni. Remember that most of your alumni will have traveled long distances, at your invitation, to attend your chapter's alumni gathering, and the impression they take away of your chapter will be based on how well the program is organized.

Homecoming:

This is a time that your school's alumni office goes all out to entice alumni to return to the campus. They organize reunions and special events, and hope that these, combined with the efforts of the football team, will draw alumni to the school and enhance their loyalty. You can capitalize on the school's effort to get alumni back to the campus with your own campaign aimed at getting them back to the Shelter. Here are some time-proven ideas to consider.

1. Send your first announcement mailing well in advance, listing the date and activities. The end of spring term is not too early.

2. Follow up with an early fall mailing, listing alumni who have indicated they will come.

3. In your mailings, be sure to list the time of the game, time of activities at the Shelter, where alumni should park, and any other special arrangements.

4. Organize five, ten, and twenty year class reunions, using chapter Presidents of those eras as reunion chairmen.

5. List the names and phone numbers of local motels, and offer to make reservations for alumni who need accommodations.

6. List the cost of meals, the game, and chapter-sponsored events. Alumni will not mind paying a fair price for a first-class affair.

7. Review all of your plans with your chapter advisor and house corporation officers. They can give you advice from an alumnus point of view.

8. Schedule your activities so that they do not conflict with those of the school.

9. Consider sponsoring a pre-game brunch for all home football or basketball games.

10. During the event, make sure all chapter members are present and properly dressed. Once again, you want to sponsor a first-class affair.

11. Invite members of the faculty and administration to your event.

12. Have the Shelter decorated with banners welcoming alumni outside, and posters displaying chapter accomplishments inside.

13. Shop around to get the best facilities, prices, and service when scheduling a banquet outside of the Shelter.

14. Arrange for a good speaker who will be of interest to your alumni. The Central Office can help, if you are planning a really big event.

15. The Central Office has a Special Events Outline that can help you organize a really big event.

Don't be afraid to charge a fair amount for the food, drink, and services you supply to alumni. The best guide is to charge what a comparable meal or drink might cost in a local restaurant of moderate price. Do not charge outrageous prices and call it a "contribution;" alumni will be sensitive about the costs to the chapter, if you put on a first-class event. You should not look at homecoming or any alumni event as a money making project. A discreetly placed bowl marked "donations" seeded with some five and ten dollar bills should be the extent of any effort to solicit money at an alumni event. The purpose of the event is to allow alumni to gather to enjoy fellowship and Delt brotherhood.

Other Events:

At other times of the year, you will also want to maintain an active slate of alumni events. Founders' Day, traditionally held on the first Friday in March, honors the eight founders of the Fraternity and offers an excellent opportunity to rally local alumni of all chapters. Founder's Day is usually celebrated with a dinner, followed by a speech on the past, present, and future of the Fraternity.

Commencement offers another opportunity to gather alumni who return to the campus for class reunions sponsored by the school's alumni association. Since parents also come to campus for graduation exercises, many chapters sponsor a suitable event to entertain these two important groups. Many chapters organize summer reunions around picnics, baseball games, or just a special weekend set aside for an alumni golf, tennis, or softball tournament. The spring inter-squad football game might be a good weekend to organize an alumni event on campus. Work up your own theme and time of year based on what you feel will be most successful with your alumni. Whatever you plan, plan it thoroughly to reflect the taste, class, and pride of Delta Tau Delta.

Beyond setting up programs, sending out newsletters, and staging homecoming celebrations, a very basic question is how do the members of your chapter treat alumni when they return to the Shelter. Whether they drop in unexpectedly or return for a large alumni event, you and every brother in your chapter should treat each alumnus as you and your parents would treat a guest in your home. You should greet them at the door, help them with their cots, and introduce yourself and other brothers close by. You and your brothers are his host and you should endeavor to make him comfortable. Be friendly and give him a tour of the Shelter. Remember, he is a Delt brother.

Another important point is keeping the Shelter clean, particularly the bathrooms. Nothing shows more lack of consideration, self-respect, or Delt pride than a dirty Shelter. Put yourself in the position of an alumnus coming back to the Shelter after being away anywhere from one year to ten or more. He really doesn't know any of the current undergraduates, but he knows and loves Delta Tau Delta enough to take time away from his business and family to travel sometimes hundreds of miles to stop at the Shelter. If he is slighted or not treated as a guest, he will never come back; but if he is well treated and has a good time, his feeling for the Fraternity will be rejuvenated and enhanced. Make sure your alumni get what they deserved.

THE RAINBOW AND YOUR ALUMNI RELATIONS

As you know, the Rainbow is the quarterly magazine of the Fraternity and is sent to all Loyalty Fund Life Members. Alumni often write to the Central Office to ask why their chapter's letter was not printed in the section provided in the current issue. Invariably, the alumnus is told that his chapter did not send in its letter or that it was too late to be included. The one section of the Rainbow that your alumni will always read is "The Delt Chapters" section to see what the news is from your chapter. If there is no letter there, if it is poorly written, or contains trivial news about chapter social events, you will have lost a good measure of that alumnus' confidence. You should make sure that your chapter submits a well written chapter report that will be of interest to your alumni and to other chapters. The same rules that apply to the content of your chapter's newsletter apply to the Rainbow report. You should look at your Rainbow report as a free alumni newsletter provided to you by the Fraternity. Take full advantage of its power to reach your alumni and drive home your message.

TRAINING

When a senior graduates from your chapter and enters the alumni ranks, he does not automatically become a good Delt Alumnus. Unless he is reminded of all the good times and important lessons he learned through his association with the Fraternity, his involvement may end when he picks up his diploma. Delta Tau Delta is a lifetime experience and commitment. It is not for the four years of college alone. The continued strength of your chapter and the Fraternity depend on an active, concerned, and involved group of alumni who realize this lifelong commitment, and work in their alumni years to insure that each succeeding generation of Delts can experience Delt Brotherhood. This type of alumni just doesn't happen, they are developed.

TRAINING GOOD DELT ALUMNI

There are a number of important ideas you and your chapter's Executive Committee will want to keep in mind to help your brothers to develop a strong feeling of loyalty as alumni. First, Delta Tau Delta as a lifelong commitment must be stressed from the first day of pledge education to the day of graduation and beyond. If your members take part in an active alumni relations program and see that alumni are treated cordially as honored guests when they return to the Shelter, they in turn will want to return to the Shelter when they are alumni. If your chapter advisor, house corporation members, and other alumni take an active role in the affairs and welfare of the chapter, they will provide a role model that can be followed when your brothers become alumni. From pledge education onward, the chapter should stress the opportunities for alumni involvement in Delta Tau Delta, from service on the local chapter level as an advisor, to sending in rush recommendations, and supporting the alumni programs of the chapter and the Fraternity. On the divisional level, he might serve as a Vice President or even have the opportunity to serve as a member of the Arch Chapter.

One idea used by many chapters to thank seniors for their contributions to the Fraternity as undergraduates and remind them of the opportunity and responsibility of alumnus status is the Senior Dinner or Senior Send-Off. This is best done by holding a special coat and tie dinner just before graduation. This dinner would be held to honor those seniors about to graduate with the chapter President presiding. After dinner and an introduction by the President, each graduating senior would be asked to stand and say a few parting words to the chapter about what Delta Tau Delta has meant to him during his college career. Many times seniors will become very emotional when talking about the Fraternity and its effect on their lives. This serves as an inspiration to all the underclassmen in attendance. Many chapters add a formal ceremony where the chapter's gavel is given to each senior when it is his turn to speak. This is also an appropriate time to present awards to the members of the senior class and the chapter for high scholastic achievement and contribution to the chapter. It is also very appropriate and recommended that the chapter present each graduating senior with a gift to serve as a memento of their undergraduate years. Some examples of an appropriate gift might be a Delt Coat of Arms lapel button, an eight by ten framed color picture of your Shelter, or some other memento of your chapter. Another idea might be a Delt tie or a copy of "Sing to the Royal Purple" about the Fraternity's history. Books are available from the Central Office.

ALUMNI IN YOUR AREA

Many chapters are located near an urban area that has a Delt Alumni Chapter. If you have an alumni chapter nearby, you will want to give your fullest cooperation to its President and secretary. They may ask you to be their guest from time to time at a luncheon or dinner and, if asked, you should be ready to give an oral report of chapter activity. Depending on your local situation, you may want to work out jointly sponsored alumni functions, since both your undergraduate chapter and the alumni chapter have the same interest.

If there is currently no active alumni chapter in your area and, you feel there is sufficient interest, you and your chapter may want to spearhead an effort to start such a group. Remember that a Delt Alumni Chapter is for all Delt alumni, not just those of a particular chapter. However, if you are the chapter that gets the ball rolling, and a large number of your chapter's alumni are involved, you may become the focal point of the alumni chapter's activities. This could reap benefits for your chapter in the forms of direct alumni assistance, rush recommendations, and alumni sponsored functions.

If you have made it to this point, you can see that alumni relations is not a once or twice a year flurry of activity. It is a year-round job that requires and deserves your best efforts. There is no stronger ally in time of need nor a greater friend in time of strength than a chapter's concerned, informed, and involved alumni. If your chapter is to realize all the potential that your alumni represent, you must work to earn their sympathy. It is one thing to complain that you never see your alumni and quite another to do something about it. A good alumni program takes lots of time, manpower, patience, and some money from the chapter budget. The chapters of Delta Tau Delta who have made the effort over the years are living proof that a good alumni relations program pays big dividends.