As an off-and-on member of the board over the past 8 years, holding the office of president of our "little club" has been a huge honor for me. Being an alumnae chapter president was something I aspired to, even as a collegiate member. As a younger alumna, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know many wonderful women from many generations through my involvement with the Columbus Alumnae Chapter.
As my term of office draws near to its close, I have been reflecting on the successes and pitfalls we have experienced as an alumnae chapter over the last 8 years. On one hand, the board has widened our horizons by including different types of events for different members - happy hours, family picnics, volunteer opportunities, and starting the Young Alumnae special interest group. On the other hand, I worry we may have diluted our efforts to further engage you, our members, by trying to please everyone all of the time. The extremely low attendance at meetings and events in the past few years, unfortunately, is evidence that SOMETHING is lacking. "WHAT exactly is that SOMETHING?"-that question has been occupying my mind a lot lately.
At first, my interpretation of our low attendance (as well as many Columbus alumnae) is that we are intimidated by the idea of showing up as "the new girl". After more thought, however, I understand that oversimplifies it. We are all college-educated, self-confident women; we wouldn't be Delta Gammas if we weren't! Not to mention we are all sisters. So why would that be the only thing holding us back from attending events?
However, I don't believe it is enough to ask "What is holding you back?". So my first line of inquiry to you is this: What can I do to help you get there? What can we, as officers, do to help you get to meetings and events? What do we need to do to engage you as a member?
Right now, my perception is that the Columbus Alumnae are content to exist as an association of women who pay dues and consider ourselves part of a group, rather than as a chapter (a group of alumnae who socialize, volunteer, and participate in events as a group). Both options are valid, as long as we (as your officers) have a clear understanding of what our group needs to be and we clearly define this in our bylaws. So my second line of inquiry to you is this: should we continue the Columbus Alumnae as a chapter, planning bi-monthly events and meetings? Or should we transfer our energies into an association with less frequent meetings and a fabulous Founders Day?
Consider this...perhaps it would make more sense to have a few smaller groups spread throughout the Columbus area, since geography and traffic seem to get in the way of attendance at "centralized" group events? In order for our "little club" to move forward we need to hear from you as soon as possible. The board won't know where to steer the ship until you tell us the destination.
I encourage you to consider these questions and to share your thoughts with me in whatever means works best for you - email, blog, Facebook, phone, or postal mail. [Feel free to post comments here as well!] I look forward to hearing from all of you! Hopefully all 1,669 of you Columbus-area alumnae!
ITB,
Nicole Placek Tankovich, Eta - Akron
President - Columbus Alumnae
Delta Gamma Fraternity
dgcolumbus.blogspot.com
Facebook - search DG Columbus
614-264-5430
nicoletankovich at gmail dot com
