Alumn i Involvement American Chapter Incentive Program

1. Alumni InvolvementAmerican Chapter Incentive Program Region IX – Regional Leadership Conference April 6, 2013 Ted Schmitt, ABT President, American Chapter ted_schmitt@hotmail.com

2. Introduction “In the usual course of things I should have been forgotten at graduation. This is the keynote of the Fraternity. The Fraternity man never graduates. He receives his diploma and leaves his Alma Mater for the larger affairs of the world, but as long as his chapter stands, he is as much a part and parcel of it as in his undergraduate days. His success is theirs and their success is his. He belongs to the family for life . . . The fellow who leaves should never think that his connection with Fraternity ends with his graduation. It has only begun. He will come across the members all the years of his life. ” - Peter Schermerhorn Johnson

3. Personal Observations • Incoming “E”s want to do everything • Focus on the Compulsory +1 • Communication is priority number one • Tracking, Outreach, Information

4. Where Did This Start? • No Alumni Oversight • No Accounts Receivable (AR) Control • No Chapter Governance – Multiple members filling multiple positions. Maybe five guys holding it all together. “I thought [American] was closed / dead”

5. Where Did This Start?

8. Today’s Chapter Characteristics • Colonized 1990, Chartered 1992 • Approaching 500 Alumni (none older than 45) • Low International Fraternity & DCEF Giving Rates • Many Alumni still reside in Washington DC or mid-Atlantic. • 31 Active Undergraduate Members (Spring 2013) • 14 Seniors • 12 Associate Members • Dues are $415 per semester ($40 senior discount)

9. Current AU Alumni Program • 1-2 newsletters per semester via email listserv & Facebook • Alumni Football Game on Founders’ Weekend • NCAA Brackets • Job Postings / Employment / Internships • ABT Participation • Alumni Ceremonies

10. Event Overview February 2009 Call to Alumni $1200 Raised March 2009 Payment Plan Established February 2011 20th Anniversary $2015 Raised 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Debt Level: $16k Debt Level: $12k Debt Level: $6k October 2008 Founders’ Day Weekend Alumni Event Football Game & BBQ March 2013 Incentive Program Completed $3242.72 Raised

11. Incentive Program • Incentivized the chapter for operations and management • Focus responsibility on Chapter’s Exec Board • Align Incentive actions with remedial needs • Align Incentive Actions to Delta Chi Core Competencies (Awards Packet) • Chapter must participate in Metrics Creation • Document Agreement via email or your ABT minutes • Chapter must agree on results • Incentivize Behavior, not Outcomes • Don’t make winning an award the measured metric, make the award criteria, pre-submittal review by an ABT member by a certain date, and the timely submission of the award application the measured metric.

12. What should you Incentivize? • Any measurable behavior in a weak area. • Goals must be attainable. • Give partial credit for partial success • Critical goals get all or nothing incentive • Individual actions are easier to incentivize and achieve. • Use “No One Ever Told Me” and Officer Notebooks as a Primer for Criteria.

13. Watch Out For… • Avoid Subjective Metric Measurements • “…if the event was a success.” • There will be Ambiguity – Decide on an arbiter like the ABT (which has undergraduate voting representation) • Staleness – There will be a multi-month gap for your alumni who donate. Provide regular updates to all stakeholders • Be diligent in capturing pledged amounts

14. Dissemination Mechanisms • Facebook Group – Multiple Posts • Listserv Outreach – Multiple Posts • ABT Outreach – Personal Conversations • Young Alumni Outreach – Personal Outreach • Peer Pressure from select alumni • 1900s vs 2000s

15. Facebook Outreach

16. Specific Examples at American (1 of 3)

17. Specific Examples at American (2 of 3)

18. Specific Examples at American (3 of 3)

19. Make it Measureable • Recruitment / Retention • GPA changes • Philanthropy Dollars Raised • Date-driven deadlines • Examples: • Submit X by MM/DD/YY • Newsletter distributed by MM/DD/YY • Invitations sent by MM/DD/YY • Raise $500 for V Foundation • Rush Event Attended by 50 prospective members

20. Outcomes - Financial • $2,970 Pledged • Chapter Achieved 77%, owed $2,298.40 • Final Collections of $3,242.72 • Three alumni gave the incentive amount (12%). • Four alumni exceeded their original pledge (16%). • One alumnus gave an amount higher than the incentive amount but less than their original pledged amount (4%). • Fourteen alumni made final payments which were their original pledge amount (56%) and did not account for the subtractions due to performance. • Three additional alumni (12%) joined at the end of the programafter notice was sent out advertising the success of the program.

21. Outcomes – Non-Financial • Established Donor Base; Start of a Culture of Giving • 7 out of 25 donors Graduated ‘00 or later • New High Water Mark for Individual Donation • Increased ABT Participation • Increased Attention paid to Alumni Relations • Improved Chapter Performance • Increased Alumni Interest • Better Contact Information

22. What’s Next? • Run another incentive program – Focus on weak spots • Build a fund • Focus on longevity • American Chapter 25th Anniversary - Dec 2017

23. Wrap up… • Can you implement this at any chapter? • Can this be implemented at other levels?