What's going on?

[winneythepooh7]

What are some good events to have that cost little to no money? The difficulty we have here is lack of space. It is hard to have a group of women over in a small apartment. Plus many people also have roommates that doesn't make it do-able. A main reason I don't have people over is because some people think it is a trek from Manhattan to Queens although I really don't think so since I live 10 minutes away from Mid-town and 2 blocks from the subway. Oh yeah, and I have pets and some people may be allergic.

I really like doing the Breast Cancer Walk. Some of us did it last year. You put in a donation and get to walk with your sisters/meet new people.

I tried planning a mani/pedi day but no one really signed up (this was awhile ago though).

We met at a Cosi once and had a good response.

We also had a huge turnout and random new people show when we planned a co-ed event with Russ's group (it was him and one of his brother's and I think at one point, there were probably at least 15 of us).

Whenever we have had the get-together's at an Irish pub, there always seems to be a decent response.

I am trying to stay away from the Happy Hour theme because when a few of us recently attended a Volunteer Conference, we learned that we are known as the "Drinking/Partying Alumnae Association". We are SO NOT though which goes to show how rumors fly when using things like a listserv in yahoogroups .

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

Well, the events I was thinking of our happy hours and things like that. And my response to you about the "rumor", at least you're having fun. And if people are showing up, then continue doing it. The only thing that's important is doing what your members want to do. As long as you aren't making fools of yourselves, I don't see what the big deal is. And besides, if a member complains that all you have is happy hour type things well then that's the exact time to solicit ideas from THAT member on what the group should do. Complaints mean little if they aren't going to offer ideas to help.

When my alumnae chapter first formed in 1999, our PAD at that time constantly passed along a negative opinion of events with alcohol at them (even if it was wine at a holiday party). She has since admitted that "those are the events that young people want to go to" and I would think that's even more prevalent in NYC.

I say don't discontinue the happy hour. When we have happy hours, we do them in addition to the regular events.

One event that turned out to be very popular was a day at the horse races. Emerald Downs here only costs $4 to get in and then the money you spend (bets, food, etc) is all up to the individual. Some of the members brought husbands and kids as well.

Pottery painting was good too for us. You just pay the price of whatever piece of pottery you paint.

We have micro-breweries and wineries here as well and we've toured them (no or minimal cost).

We volunteered at a place called Treehouse that helps foster kids. We basically folded clothes and things like that for a few hours on a Saturday.

I have no idea where you are, so this may be totally off the wall, but are there events in Central Park or one of the museums or something that are low cost or free? Those are already planned and you can just tag on. And I am forgetting where this is every year but what about ice skating (when winter comes). I have only been to NYC once (during the summer) but I've always wanted to do that.

[Tom Earp]

Granted, they only want to deal with THEIR Chapter, but what about Sisters that are around and need a Sister fix as it were?

[AGDee]

We had a big group of new alumnae show up to our September alumnae club meeting last September and they were SO excited to find out that it's not like undergrad was at all! They couldn't believe we didn't have reports and paperwork and all that junk to deal with. It was a huge relief to them. They were also relieved to find out that our dues are only $30 a year! Do they have a clear understanding of what it will be like, or are they afraid that they'll end up doing paperwork and sitting at long business meetings?

Perhaps you could ask for volunteers on the list serv to be responsible for planning one meeting. That way, they feel more empowered and like they own it rather than being told what will be happening. Our May meeting always consists of brainstorming the next year's calendar (over a potluck dinner and lots of desserts!) We identify a hostess and a co-hostess for each meeting so that everybody knows in advance who is planning what.

Given that we have 9 Alpha Gam chapters in Michigan and get women from out of state too, and have over 1000 alumnae in the metro Detroit area, we consider a turn out of 10 women pretty good. There are a few other alumnae chapters/clubs in the metro Detroit area too. The 10 women who show up vary each month also. You may have 2 or 3 who make almost every meeting and the other 7 vary. It gets even harder when there are spouses and kids to work around so sisters who thought they would be there can't always make it if the baby is sick or hubby has to work late, etc.

Dee

[pinkyphimu]

maybe you are having too many events. if you are trying to do more than one thing per month, then that might be too much. maybe even one event is too much for your group.

have you tried meeting at a museaum? have you polled the group lately about things they would like to do? do you send out recaps after each event? if people know how much fun they are missing then they will be more likely to come next time. even if there were only a few people you can talk it up. tell something funny that happened to the group, etc. send pics with everyone who attended.

we have the same issue here. we have many more lurkers on our list than we have people who attend events. personally, i am glad that being in an alumnae group is so flexible. it is great to know that if i can't make a few events in a row, people won't give me a hard time!

[xo_kathy]

You know why Happy Hours work - because people feel comfortable strolling in and out as they please. As opposed to a set "meeting" where you are expected at a certain time.

We do bowling events - we did Bowlmor once but found the alley at the Port Autority is cheaper. ALso, this week we are doing "Martinis and Manicures". For $10 at Beauty Bar (231 E. 14th Btwn 2nd&3rd) you get a manicure and a martini. We have 25 people signed up to attend!!!

Also, Book Club is a good, free event. We have a point person who sends out an email saying "Then next book is ____ and we'll meet towards the end of October. If you'd like to attend or host the event, please email me at ______" Then if no one can host, the point person picks the date and a location - like DTUT.

Another thing is to poll your members on not only what they are interested in, but what they might like to contribute. We have a spot on our membership form for occupation. When we started talking about a finance semincar we remembered one of our members is an investment advisor. We emailed her - she rarely comes to any other events - and she happily said she would do it no charge. We're using the Yorkvillle library - the libraries that have meeting rooms usually rent them for cheap - I think we are paying $45 which came from the budget so no cost to the members.

Hope this gives you some ideas!!

[winneythepooh7]

These are great ideas ladies! I am starting a new less stressful job next week, which is also located in Manhattan, so hopefully I will have more time to devote to planning. I like the idea for the Manicures and Martini's. Have you city girls found a good day that tends to attract people? I am thinking of doing it on a Tuesday. I figured, Monday is hectic with being back to work, and lots of people have classes on Wed & Thurs. A lot of us plan random stuff on the weekends too that is not necessarily sorority-related (like b-days) and people come to that kind of stuff also. I also wanted to tell you guys about an event I had that totally bombed. Stay away from theme restaurants! I thought it would be fun to go to Lucky Cheng's. Well, this is one particular event that a bunch of people signed up as "yes" and then never showed. It ended up being only three of us, and it was kind of uncomfortable and awkward being put on the spot like that and having to get up on stage with such a small group. Afterwards, one of my sister's shared that she had spoken with a couple of other alums who said they didn't go because they had been there before for bachelorette parties and once was enough. I would also be interested in networking with the other alumnae groups in the city. I have been meaning to get to a NYC Panhel event for the longest, but the fact that I haven't I guess is proof right there of what you are all saying about life getting in the way!

[ZTAMich]

I'm going to echo what the other ladies have said here in my comments.

We hand out a survey at our first Fall event, held in mid-Sept, which asks what events ladies are interested in. Tho we have a full calendar of events planned before this event, some are more specific than others so it's helpful to see what ppl would be interested in.

We usually plan just one event a month, on a different day of the week for each event. Happy hours are good ideas for the reasons Kathy suggested, people don't feel like they have to come on time or will be stuck there for a long time either. We've done dessert nites, book clubs, pottery painting, and are tryig to expand our volunteering events as well. Our co-ed events are well attended by both us & the fraternity too, and are pretty fun as well. Some people want a formal meeting so we usually have that in the general purpose room of someone's office/apt building. Events where we work with the local collegiate chapter , during recruitment, new member meetings, etc, are highly attended as well, and we have to go to Jersey!

This year we made our dues slightly lower for returning members & recent grads too...and had cute party favors at our fall event too!

I just met a lady yesterday at Race for the Cure who's a Zeta and had lived in NYC. She spoke about how membership & interest goes in cycles for alumnae groups...I think she's very right! We seem to have a core group after a good year plus of building the group back up.

[winneythepooh7]

How often do you guys have E-board meetings and that kind of thing? How do you gain structure with such a small group of women? I am finding that several people have these big ideas, but we just are not there yet. Especially because several of our regulars have been faced with serious events lately (ie. Peaches, CyberDPhiE). I don't want to step on anyone's toes, but in order for these things to happen, even as simple as sending out a card to acknowledge the death of a sister's family member, there needs to be organization. We don't even have a bank account opened yet. I get frustrated because I get emails like this from "members" of the group saying more or less why aren't these things done, but then no one is coming together as a group to address these things (especially the ones wondering why they aren't done). Does that make sense? I also don't think it is fair that a couple people have to take on all the responsibility. Do you guys have these same kind of issues with your groups? I swear, sometimes I feel like I am still in college when this stuff comes up!

[paulaKKG]

Have you tried coordinating interest groups? Any idea the ages/background of these individuals?

Our local alumnae organization has 225 active no-kidding members at the moment; and ironically it is because we are very decentralized. We have 14 active interest groups and this is where 96% of our membership comes from. We have a day and evening book club (evening is mostly working women/women with kids, day is mostly retirees, some stay-at home moms); we have a day and evening bridge group, a needlepoint group, a happy hour group, a wine-tasting group, a runners group, a moms and tots playgroup, and a few "zip code" groups - groups of people that meet to do random gatherings based on area. Most of these groups have 20-30 people on the list, and any given meeting is 8-12 of them getting together once a month. This solves the get-to-know people problem - once these core groups get established it is very easy to connect because now you are not trying to get to know 200 people, you are connecting to 20-30 people.

We have 4 "big" events a year (they are fairly well attended - 50-60 people) but otherwise all events are done on a small scale. There is no obligation to attend any given event, and participation in an interst group does not require the person to attend other functions. Each interest group has a "chair" that organizes meetings, and we do have an executive board - but otherwise it is a very low-key approach.

As these eager members email you - suck them in. Have them be the chair for one of your groups.

[winneythepooh7]

Hi Paula. I think one of our major issues, as was pointed out by one of the other NYC women that posted, is that NYC is such a transient, and busy city. I get interest emails quite often, but no one really willing to take that extra step to make a committment. We also do not have OLDER alumnae. I would say honestly that all the women who express interest are in their 20's and 30's tops. A long time ago I got a couple of women who actually took themselves off our list because as they put it "They don't do happy hour and we are too young for them". I would love it if I had more people that were older expressing their interest but they don't. I have tried to have interest meetings in the past specifically geared to new people, but no one shows. I can still keep trying, but it does get discouraging after awhile planning all these events and no one shows. I am not discounting the regulars who do by any means. That's another thing too that I think hurts us. As I mentioned, we have had some serious things happen with the regulars. So when we don't have them, unfortunately, the group gets even smaller and smaller to the point where it is almost like "What group?".............

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

Originally posted by winneythepooh7
I get frustrated because I get emails like this from "members" of the group saying more or less why aren't these things done, but then no one is coming together as a group to address these things (especially the ones wondering why they aren't done). Does that make sense? I also don't think it is fair that a couple people have to take on all the responsibility. Do you guys have these same kind of issues with your groups? I swear, sometimes I feel like I am still in college when this stuff comes up!

We had those issues for a LONG time. For the first couple of years of our existence, our chapter was run by myself and our Treasurer (the MOST important position in a chapter). Both of us were of the opinion that if someone complained that such and such should be happening, then it was time to tell that person to step up and do it. Usually, they shut up. You can only do so much so just prioritize what you want to do and complete the things as you get women to help.

I like the phrase "that's a great idea but we just don't have anyone to head it up, would you like to?"

It does get easier and you will eventually get a good base of people attending and helping out with things. It took us about 4 years before we had a good core.

And..........most of our members are in their 20's and 30's. It can be done. If that's your age group, then play to that group. It might sound bad, but don't worry about the older women. Start with what you do best and go from there.

I agree with Paula, as women email you get them to help.

[winneythepooh7]

Originally posted by SmartBlondeGPhB
We had those issues for a LONG time. For the first couple of years of our existence, our chapter was run by myself and our Treasurer (the MOST important position in a chapter). Both of us were of the opinion that if someone complained that such and such should be happening, then it was time to tell that person to step up and do it. Usually, they shut up. You can only do so much so just prioritize what you want to do and complete the things as you get women to help.

I like the phrase "that's a great idea but we just don't have anyone to head it up, would you like to?"

It does get easier and you will eventually get a good base of people attending and helping out with things. It took us about 4 years before we had a good core.

And..........most of our members are in their 20's and 30's. It can be done. If that's your age group, then play to that group. It might sound bad, but don't worry about the older women. Start with what you do best and go from there.

I agree with Paula, as women email you get them to help.

OOOOOoooooooo that's a great line. I definately plan on using it. It's an interesting observation as well that I will send multiple emails out to the person that has these ideas and I don't hear anything, or I hear a negative response. As soon as I plan something though, they jump in with all these ideas, or more negative reaction to them. I guess until we get a bigger group of people that are actively planning things, I am not going to worry about it. Yeah, I see your point about the treasurer. We definately need to get that into place. That is my main goal for the next few months.

[ZTAMich]

Originally posted by winneythepooh7
OOOOOoooooooo that's a great line. I definately plan on using it. It's an interesting observation as well that I will send multiple emails out to the person that has these ideas and I don't hear anything, or I hear a negative response. As soon as I plan something though, they jump in with all these ideas, or more negative reaction to them. I guess until we get a bigger group of people that are actively planning things, I am not going to worry about it. Yeah, I see your point about the treasurer. We definately need to get that into place. That is my main goal for the next few months.

Our re-organization in '03 happened this way. There was the past pres who was pretty much the only carry over from the last EC and 6? of us new gals who wanted to do something. Depending on the time we could commit, we almost chose positions on EC ourselves. Since then we have had ppl move away from NYC & new ppl have filled the positions in more formal elections. And as a whole our EC is very different women, different collegiate chapters, personalities, jobs, which helps bring different ideas & opinions to planning. That original EC from '03 came to be bc we spoke up & said we were interested in helping somehow and the old Pres took us up on our offer ASAP.

I realize you have a few 'regulars' who have some things going on right now but that's why you need a Treasurer, a Secretary, a Service Chair, etc. If you don't delegate tasks & planning it will always be just you & you'll get frustrated. Consistency is key. People aren't going to like every event & they'll tell you so but it seems with us that as long as there's one event per month, we get a core group of women coming out. This tho is after 2years of working at it.

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

I think the biggest things to understand are:

1) You won't please everyone. Worry about those people who actually come to the events, do what they want.

2) Those who complain need to be offering to help. For our chapter, a lot of those complaining were (are still) women who are not even dues paying members and sorry, but their opinion doesn't matter AT ALL.

3) It takes TIME. Years to be exact, not weeks or months.

4) Get as many people involved as possible. Even if it's just planning one event.

5) You aren't unique, apathy is very common among alumnae.