For Life, NOT Four Years: Four Ways to Stay Connected to your Organization as an Alumni

To Graduating Seniors,

REALITY CHECK: You graduate college in just a few VERY short weeks. You may be walking around your college town emotionally reminiscing about the tree you first heard Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” Album under. Maybe you are taking the long way home, and maybe you are spending more time in your favorite college town coffee shop.

One thing is for certain: You are definitely thinking about when the next time you’ll see your fraternity brothers or sorority sisters after May will be. Too often, we allow the Greek IFC/CPH experience to be four years instead of a lifetime (like it is meant to be).

Below are four ways to stay connected to your organization as an Alumni

Volunteer More than just Monetary Resources.

Financial Resources are great!! When I was an active member of my chapter, I always wished we had more money. In hindsight AND a more mature vision, I wish we had more volunteers, more wisdom and knowledge to rely on, and more energy coming from our alumni base. Most importantly, I wish we had more recruitment assistance from alumni.

While it may seem like you’re done growing your organization after graduation, you can still be a resource for growth well past your graduation date. One of the best ways to support your organization as an alumni is to help it grow! It is the gift that keeps on giving, so this recruitment cycle, I challenge you to provide your organization with names of potential new members (family, friends, colleagues, connections, little brothers or sisters, etc.)!

During my undergraduate days serving as the VP of Growth for my chapter, we would call on one alumnus to come speak with potential new members. Oftentimes, these alumni talked about their days within the chapter and how the chapter prepared them for life after college. Year in and year out, the attitude of the chapter would shift. They would talk about their failures and successes, the relationships they built, and the things they wish they would have done as undergraduates. The energy was infectious, and the advice was invaluable.

As an alumnus, I challenge you to go back to your local chapter and share your knowledge. I promise they will be very grateful. You will leave an indelible mark on the incoming members and the shoes they will strive to fill—YOURS!

Join Alumni Chapters.

Joining an alumni chapter can be a great way, if not the best way, to stay involved with your fraternity or sorority. Alumni Chapters often host events and support the undergraduates in many unique ways.

An Alumni Chapter’s role is to support the chapter and continue the fraternity experience well after graduation. AGAIN, this experience is “For Life, Not Just Four Years.” When it comes to Alumni Chapters, you can even hold positions on a council to truly strengthen your bond and experience. These roles can be critical in connecting the current members to alumni members. Much of the chapter’s energy, attitude, and morale can be directly connected to alumni relations. A few things you can do as an Alumni Chapter are below:

1.Connect with Undergraduates at a professional level to expand your network and help them find internships and jobs

2.Plan Alumni Weekends back in your college town or in major cities

3.Provide financial support to the chapter via scholarships, donations, and or physical gifts

An Alumni Chapter’s support in the above areas helps connect the undergraduate chapter to future opportunities while also establishing strong foundations to help them grow as well.

Scholarships for active members can help with retention initiatives while scholarships for PNMs help you build pipelines and generate leads to reach out to come recruitment season.

You can learn more about Alumni Chapters by visiting your organization’s website or contacting your local chapter.

Maintain Personal Relationships.

RELATIONSHIPS TAKE EFFORT. Maintaining personal relationships can be the best way to stay connected to your organization for years to come. Many people are recruited on the idea that the connections you make as an undergraduate will stand the test of time. This idea is true, but it still takes effort!

A common practice I utilize to stay connected to people that distance may be in the way of is to schedule time to call them. On my way to or from my office, I pick a friend or someone I have not connected with in a while to call and check-in. I understand that work or just life, in general, can get in the way of long-distance relationships, but it’s up to us to maintain the bonds we built during our undergraduate days. Connecting during time in the car, on a walk, or waiting during a situation is a super easy way to stay connected without having to go so far out of your way to maintain a relationship.

Attend National and Regional Conventions.

If there is one thing I say needs to be on your Alumni Bucket List, it would be to attend a national or regional conference. A National Conference can be the most fun weekend of your life, networking or catching up with old friends! These weekends can be super valuable from a personal and professional standpoint.

Many times regional and national conferences are in fun locations that you can make a trip out of. Gather a group of brothers and sisters and travel to whatever location your organization is meeting. Make it a challenge to connect with alumni and share Greek experiences with one another. Maybe even try to get involved with a National HQ board to continue your experience. The experience of a national or regional conference will make you feel more connected to your organization than ever.

Conclusion: To complete your undergraduate days and become an alumni of your organization is a MASSIVE honor. With new members filtering into your organization every year, your wisdom, financial support, and energy can be such a boost to whatever your organization.

Being an alumni is a different level of involvement, but the four steps mentioned above can give you a deep admiration and love for your organization well past your four years. To be an involved alumni takes effort so THANK YOU for wanting to be an engaged alumni!

  Written by Carter Whaley, Growth Consultant