News

This is the first in a series of articles which will communicate the results of several surveys and assessments conducted in the 2020-2021 school year. The intent is to provide greater transparency to the membership, enable the membership to have access to the same data as the Central Office and discuss how feedback from members is used to improve Fraternity offerings.

In the summer of 2020, the Fraternity staff conducted its annual assessment on communications. The staff’s mission is to deliver important information to the membership in a way that is informative and entertaining. Nearly 2,000 members of all ages completed the communications survey. Another communications survey is scheduled for this coming winter.

Among the key findings from the 2020 survey:

• Email appears to still be the preferred method of outreach from the Fraternity across all demographics. Although there is some fluctuation among the various age groups. The younger generations express an affinity for social media, but email is still preferred.
• In terms of social media use, there are a few specific trends to be mindful of. The first is the audience representation across various platforms. It is clear in this data and is confirmed from other national data sources, young people are less likely to be engaged on Facebook or even have a profile. Students are rapidly moving to Instagram and Snapchat. In the 2020 data, 90% of students identify as operating an Instagram account and 91% identify as operating a Snapchat account.
• The Fraternity website continues to be a key source of information for members. The three most important pages within the website for members are:
• Fraternity Programs / Events
• News and Announcements
• Resources for Members
• The printed edition of the Rainbow is as important as ever. Data shows there is some connection between the print publication of the Fraternity and its members, more so than a digital version. It is difficult to say how the connection between the Fraternity and members would be affected by disrupting the delivery of a print version, but based on the data, the Fraternity should feel confident that the print version of the Rainbow is building affinity among its members.

Based on these findings staff implemented the following changes to our communication strategy in 2020-2021.

• Increased Instagram presence to meet target audience, especially specific to programming
• Began work on a re-imagined format of Delt Stories for a fall 2021 launch to amplify the coverage of news and events.
• Updated sections of the printed issues of The Rainbow as of summer 2021 issue to enhance alumni news and reformatted content to provide more consumable/shorter pieces of information.

Read the full executive summary of the survey here.

Founded in 1858 at Bethany College, in Bethany, W.V., Delta Tau Delta is actively affiliated at 131 colleges and universities in 39 states and the District of Columbia. It has a membership of more than 9,000 undergraduates and 120,000 living alumni. The Fraternity’s most recent aggregate grade point average was 3.1, making it one of the highest achieving men’s fraternities academically.

The results of a recent Gallup Survey show Fraternity membership is tied to strong college experiences, development of career skills and post-graduate wellbeing.