Question:

I am currently the fraternity treasurer of a chapter that is part of an international fraternity. For the past few years, national active dues have become a huge burden for our fraternity. These national dues are rising due to other chapters’ irresponsibility regarding alcohol/drug related issues and hazing.

For years, our chapter has upheld a good reputation and has kept risky behavior on check. I hate to have to cough over thousands of dollars just to pay for increasing premiums due to other chapters’ mishaps. What can you suggest for our chapter to do so that our national dues will be cheaper?

There are two aspects to the fees that most (if not all) Greek Letter Organizations (GLOs) charge: Chapter/Member Dues and Risk Management Assessment (RMA) Fees.  Both can be controlled to a certain extent.

Making sure that all members are properly listed on your roster by the billing dates set by your GLO (generally in October & February) can control Chapter/Member Dues.  Members who are studying abroad, men serving in the military (reserve or active duty) who aren’t on campus, and suspended members aren’t usually included in the roster for billing purposes.  This is important for both small and large chapters.

RMA Fees are also affected by the accuracy of the rosters.  Most General Fraternities have some sort of risk management reporting – this allows the chapter the opportunity to tell their Headquarters what they’ve done over the course of the semester/quarter to mitigate or avoid harmful actions/activities.

Some GLOs offer credits for making improvements at the Chapter House (e.g. improved fire alarms, sprinkler systems, local fire department inspections, certain building maintenance completed on a regular schedule, and General Fraternity housing/maintenance checks).

Assuming your chapter does a good job auditing its roster, then the first thing you should do is determine exactly how your General Fraternity generates each chapter’s RMA charge.  For some GLOs it’s easy to do this online; if using the ‘Net isn’t an option, you will need to contact your staff representative.  In either scenario each Chapter can see its actual calculation sheet; it’s possible to get reference material that fully explains each part of the calculation, but it takes effort to truly understand how all the moving parts of the RMA calculation relate to each other.

Ultimately, both parts will go up over time.  The issue for “good” chapters is to control what they can to lessen the increase.

Keep in mind that there are outside influences.  When other chapters make mistakes, as part of the insured group your chapter will suffer.  If or when your GLO loses a lawsuit, your rates will go up.  Since judgments are soaring, it will only get worse!

In some GLOs there are opportunities for a group of chapters to hold another chapter accountable for their actions in some form of judicial hearing or during legislative meetings.  It’s possible in these meetings to clearly indicate your chapter will not tolerate inappropriate conduct on the part of other chapters in your GLO.  This can make a big difference over time.

In addition, colleges and universities have started to become concerned about whether or not fraternities (and sororities) are actually insured, because a few GLOs have lost control of the insurance premiums.  Within the last few years, several institutions have started requiring GLOs on their campus to provide annual proof of insurance.

The bottom line is this: as long as stupid stuff continues, the sky’s the limit on insurance premiums for both “good” chapters and “stupid” chapters.

This answer was written by Bill Foltz, an alumni brother from Lamda Chi Alpha and new contributor for the thefraternityadvisor.com. Bill is also the owner of Courage Communications a freelance company that produces award-winning alumni communications materials for chapters across the country.  If you are interested in writing for thefraternityadvisor.com – let us know (CLICK HERE)!

This question was submitted by one of our readers. If you have a question you want me to answer go here to submit it: Fraternity Advice.

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Question:

I am the newly appointed chairman of Public Relations of our fraternity. What are some new innovative ideas I should begin doing?

Nearly every day I find an article related to a fraternity doing something stupid in a national publication. I post the link on my Facebook Page to make the point that this is the only thing that outsiders see of our chapters.

I’ll be honest with you – it is depressing reading about the kid who was screwing on the roof of his chapter house.  It is frustrating reading about the chapters with hazing, fighting and substance abuse issues.  Of course, these are the stories which form the perception non-Greeks have of us.

Just once I want to see a positive piece written about a fraternity.  I want to read about your community service and philanthropic successes.  I want to read about your scholastic achievements.  I want to learn about how being in a fraternity made a brother a better person and prepared him for the post-college world.

Do you want to make a difference in your PR position?  Write that article.  Put your heart and soul into it.  Write it like you are representing all of us – because you are.

Then send it to the editor of your school paper.  Send it to your local newspapers.  Send it to the Associated Press, Huffington Post and USA Today College. Send it to me.

Tell everyone about something great your chapter is doing.  I promise you someone will post it, and an outsider somewhere will read it.

Think about how awesome it would be to be the guy who enlightens a skeptical critic of Greek Life.  Maybe you can remind a graduate brother from long ago the importance of his membership.  Maybe you can prove to a non-Greek that being in a fraternity is a valuable and cherished experience.

In our digital world it only takes a little time and effort to get your message to reach thousands of people.

I congratulate you on being elected Public Relations chairman.  However, I will admire you if you accept the challenge and actually write the article.

For every brother willing to accept this challenge and actually get published in his school paper, local paper, AP, Huffington Post, USA Today or any other equally reputable news source, I will mail you a free copy of my book The Fraternity Leader – The Complete Guide to Improving Your Chapter.

In it will be a hand-written note, thanking you for representing fraternity men everywhere in a positive light.  Send me an email to get your copy of my book.

It is my sincere hope that many fraternity men take me up on this challenge.

This question was submitted by one of our readers. If you have a question you want me to answer go here to submit it: Fraternity Advice.

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Question:

So I recently lost an election for my fraternity in which I was a lot more qualified for and experienced for than the candidate running against me. The position was Public Relations Chair. I feel that one of the only reason other person got elected was because he knew someone to get him discounts off of shirts.

I used the Article How to Win a Fraternity Election by saying what I plan to do for the future of Public Relations. On top of that I was Philanthropy and Fundraising Chair for two semesters. I’m really having a difficult time getting over losing the election and feeling as though my advice and experience are not properly being utilized in my fraternity. What advice would you have to get over this problem I’m having?

Do not be demoralized by losing an election. Having a title means nothing about leadership. A title does not make one a leader, nor does being a leader necessarily gain you a title. Strong fraternities gain their strength not by those with titles, but by those who lead from the middle.

The more leaders that step up within any organization, the stronger that organization will be. It is when organizations rely on the leaders with titles that the organization loses its ability to function at its highest potential. Think the Pareto Principle, where 20% do 80% of the work. Do not let your organization function that way. Step up and be a leader, regardless of not having a title.

Basically, you do not need to be the Public Relations Chair to be in leader for your fraternity in the area of Public Relations. Speak with the elected Chair and let it be known that you have many ideas and want to work alongside him. No one will ever say no to help. Fraternities are democratic organizations and no one has the power to tell you NO.

Regardless of losing the election, do what you set out to do. Do not let anyone deter you from doing what you feel is best for the fraternity. Stepping up a being a leader is what being in a fraternity is all about. Titles mean nothing.

This question was submitted by one of our readers. If you have a question you want me to answer go here to submit it: Fraternity Advice.

This answer was written by Joe Thompson, the author of thefraternityblog.blogspot.com and contributor for the thefraternityadvisor.com. If you are interested in writing for thefraternityadvisor.com – let us know (CLICK HERE)!

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Question:

What ideas can I propose to get elected as Fraternity Secretary?

Secretary tends to be the consolation prize for a lot of fraternity men that didn’t get their first choice of executive positions. Even during my undergraduate time, I joked that the Secretary was only a glorified note taker that just happened to be on the executive board.

As I moved along in my college life, I came to see that this was not the case. Wanting to get elected Secretary is only slightly different than getting elected to any other position.

Strictly speaking, you’ll want to look at your chapter’s job description for the Secretary. I’m sure they take meeting minutes and keep up correspondence to various entities, so you’ll want to hit on why you fit into that role. Maybe you have excellent rapport with chapter members, other campus Greeks, or campus administrators. That will help with making good use of the Secretary position and your skills.

Often times the Secretary attends Inter-Fraternity Council meetings or is responsible for tracking chapter attendance at events of many kinds. This is again another way to hit on your relationships and cooperation with others to earn their respect.

My best example comes from my own experience as an IFC Secretary. I wasn’t elected for my not taking or the great minutes that I wrote out. I was elected because I had good relationships on campus with other Greeks and with our university officials.

I was also able to bring more to the table than just my job description. I was able to contribute to the bigger picture issues facing the IFC. This can be applied directly to how you can stand out as a candidate for Secretary with your chapter. What do you bring to the table that is bigger than just that position?

As mentioned earlier, Secretaries are usually on executive boards. In my fraternity, the Secretary was considered a “top 4” position, along with our President, Vice President, and Treasurer. Not only were they responsible for their positions, but the direction of the chapter and the legacy to be left during their time.

As a part of that group, the Secretary has to have the ability to provide insight and leadership in many ways. The Secretary does more for a chapter than serves as their note-taker. You need to be the candidate that can prove that with bigger picture ideas, such as how to effectively market the fraternity or how to improve relationships with other Greek chapters. Little things like that improve every other aspect of chapter operations.

If you end up with more specific questions about your individual ideas or concerns, there’s great folks on this site that can give you great advice along with me. Best of luck!

This question was submitted by one of our readers. If you have a question you want me to answer go here to submit it: Fraternity Advice.

This answer was written by Joe Russo, an alumni brother from Phi Delta Theta and contributor for the thefraternityadvisor.com. If you are interested in writing for thefraternityadvisor.com – let us know (CLICK HERE)!

Joe Russo is a Brother in the Bond of Phi Delta Theta’s Ohio Mu chapter at Ashland University. While an undergraduate, Joe served in multiple chapter positions, including chapter president, and was a Phi Delta Theta Peer Mentor. He currently serves as a Chapter Advisor for Phi Delta Theta’s Ohio Kappa chapter at Bowling Green State University. Joe works for American Campus Communities, a student housing company, in Toledo, Ohio.

This question was submitted by one of our readers. If you have a question you want me to answer go here to submit it: Fraternity Advice.

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Your advisor is probably volunteering because he has a special appreciation for the fraternity, and wants to give back.  He feels he has special talents and experiences that can help the fraternity prosper.

The best way to take advantage of this tremendous resource is by having him lead small group discussions on areas where your fraternity needs to improve.

The fraternity will benefit by receiving focused insight from a knowledgeable resource.

The advisor will have the benefit of being able to genuinely contribute, without having to commit a tremendous amount of time.  Your advisor will also become more engaged because he will want to know how much the fraternity improved.

This approach is respectful and should be tremendously beneficial to both the fraternity and the advisor.

As always, remember to always go out of your way to thank your advisor for all his contributions.  If you chapter is doing something fun, be sure to invite him.  Let him know he is never obligated, but always welcome to all the chapter’s events.

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Fraternities should give back to their communities. That belief unifies all chapters of all fraternities. To get maximum participation from your chapter, you need to make it fun for the brothers who need a little coaxing to help out.

The fun factor is lost on a lot of philanthropic events. There isn’t much fun in adopt-a-highway, unless you find a huge wad of five dollar bills like one of my brothers did one fantastic afternoon. There isn’t much fun working the gate at an air show, especially when you aren’t in sight of the planes. These examples are not given to discount the importance of these service activities. Both of these philanthropies are very worth-while. What I am trying to convey is how a chapter needs to be selective when they choose the philanthropies they are going to support.

There is a very simple way to turn service events that would normally be a drag into events that the brothers will want participate in. The solution is to partner with a sorority. If inviting a bunch of sorority girls to join in a charity event doesn’t boost participation, nothing will.

Another way is to incorporate charity into normal fraternity events. Taking donations for a cause the chapter believes in or collecting canned goods for the local food kitchen as entry into a party is an easy way to support your community.

These two tips might help improve participation, but the brotherhood will never fully commit unless they truly believe in the cause.

My chapter had a brother whose sister died in high school. His family started a foundation to help tutor underprivileged kids. Our chapter believed in the cause, and participation was never an issue. We raised hundreds of dollars night for this charity by collecting change from dorm residents. Before soliciting donations (which got us thrown out of a few dorms) we explained why we were collecting donations and what the money would be going towards. And then we explained that we would only accept pocket change as a donation. Nearly everyone we spoke to would donate some change that they had on in their pocket or on their dresser. When the night was done, all these small donations amounted to a significant sum of money.

That showed the chapter the power of a bunch of small contributions. Sometimes it is easier and more effective to string together a bunch of small wins as opposed to always going for the home run. This is true in all endeavors, and was validated with our philanthropy event.

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Despite that, having a house is essential for the fraternity to survive. The house is the center of fraternity life. It serves as the catalysis that brings brothers together. Because of this, it is necessary for brothers to make the sacrifice to live in the house.

However, there should be some benefit to their sacrifice to make it more appealing for brothers. If the fraternity is having a hard time filling the house, the fraternity should offer financial incentives to get brothers to live in the house. Also, by making rent more affordable than the other local living options will make more brothers want to live in the house to save money.

The biggest way to make living the house more desirable is by making the house as clean as possible. Each brother should feel responsible for the cleanliness of the house. Leaving food out or leaving empty beer bottles should never be acceptable.

The fraternity should encourage house improvement projects. These projects serve two purposes. Of course, it will improve the area that is worked on. It will also create a sense of pride and ownership in the house for those who did the work.

Financially, the fraternity should do whatever it can to not have the rent on a house cut into the fraternity budget. Ideally, the rent received from the guys living in the house should create a surplus for the fraternity. This surplus should be poured back into the house or saved as an emergency fund.

Fraternity leases should be for 10 months instead of 12. It is common for brothers to go home for the summer, leaving the chapter on the hook for the summer rent. Don’t fall into this trap because it will cripple your new year before it even starts. Figure out what the fraternity’s financial obligation for the year is, and divide that number by 10. That should be the minimum the house takes in for rent. On top of that, the rent brothers pay by living in the house during the summer will be straight profit for the chapter.

Having a fraternity house is a sacrifice. There is no doubt about that. However, the fun the brothers in the house will have will outweigh the inconveniences many times over.

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The content of the newsletter should be tailored to what the graduated alumni would be interested in. They would want to know how the chapter is doing in recruitment and athletics. They would want to know if the fraternity did anything out of the ordinary this semester. They will also want to know what the fraternity plans on doing next semester and what the fraternities goals are. And above all else, they will want to see a lot of pictures of what the chapter has been doing.

To make this job easier, the alumni chair might want to task brothers to write about specific events. Also, be sure to have each pledge write a little something about themselves.

If there is a financial need the fraternity has, this would be the time to ask for it. Doing so in a professional manner while explaining the need and the reason why the chapter is asking will go a long way in the eyes of the alumni. You will be surprised how many alums will help out if they realize their money is going to something needed and worthwhile.

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This will lead to you accomplishing your second goal – recruitment. You need to post tons of pictures on your site, and show prospective members why they need to join your sorority or fraternity. If you can show non-members what a great time they are missing out on, they are more likely to join.

Neither one of these things will happen if no one knows about your site. You need to put your web address on every T shirt or rush flyer you create. You also need to take advantage of cheap advertising opportunities, like the one offered on our site.

Take advantage of all your site has to offer. By turning your passive site into a living social calendar and rush brochure, you will be better utilizing a valuable asset of your fraternity.

Finally – don’t forget to link to sites that can be a great resource for your brotherhood – LIKE THIS ONE!

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Because of this, it is important to be good at athletics. More importantly, it is important to be good at intramural football and basketball.

Intramural football is probably most important. There are two keys to flag football. First, the defense has to get pressure on the QB. The defense has a serious advantage because the rules in most leagues stipulate that the offensive line cannot block with their hands. The simple formula for success is to rush more guys than they can block. If they have three guys in to block, you need to rush four. The rest of the players on defense should play a zone ensure they don’t get beat deep. And then, wait for the QB to make a mistake. If you get pressure on him, he will. By taking away the deep play, you give the QB more opportunities to make a mistake. Again, eventually he will.

On offense, you need to take advantage of the soft zone. Nearly every flag football team I have ever seen has played a cover two defense. This means that there are two safeties deep, and three LBs covering the middle. To beat this zone, you need to flood the zone. Put two receivers in a spot where there is only one guy to cover them. Also, exploit the seams of the defense. Spend a little time developing a few plays that should work, as well as an audible to call when the opportunity presents itself during a game.

Basketball is a tougher game. Superior strategy can beat superior talent in flag football. Rarely does that work in basketball. Most fraternities can put a decent starting five on the court, and there is a serious drop-off when players come in off the bench.

Because of this phenomenon, each fraternity should decide what they are attempting to get out of their intramural basketball team. If they are looking to win, they need to go with their best six of seven players and have everyone else check their egos at the door. If they are looking for camaraderie, then the better players need to realize that they should share the spotlight with the rest of the team. Either way, a clear objective needs to be set.

One of my biggest regrets from college came from a intramural basketball game. There was a technical foul, and our team had two free throws. I went to take them because the game was close and I thought I was the best free throw shooter on the team. Another brother wanted to shoot the free throws, so he went to the line too. He asked me if he could shoot them. I told him I was going to because I was captain of the team.

Looking back, it was a jerk move. I was being a ball hog, and chances are I was going to take the next two shots in the game anyway. This brother wanted to shoot the free throws, and I should have let him. It would have made him feel better at the moment, and didn’t mean a damn in the grand scheme of things.

The lesson that taught me is to never lose focus of the big picture. A brother’s feelings are always more important than the score of a game.

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