Developed by the Alpha Phi Alumnae Task Force
Fall 1999; Revised September 2001
Alumnae
Chapter Open House
Alpha Phi alumnae are busy women with
numerous demands on their time and energy. They have families,
educational pursuits, professional associations, religious
affiliations, athletics, hobbies and an infinite number of
other interests clamoring for their attention. Our challenge,
as active members in an alumnae chapter, is to promote how
Alpha Phi adds value to alumnae lives. Hosting an Open House
event is an excellent opportunity to provide information to
alumnae interested in learning more about what Alpha Phi has
to offer.
This document is designed to provide step-by-step
instructions regarding how to host an Alpha Phi Alumnae Chapter
Open House. An Open House offers local alumnae the opportunity
to receive information regarding Alpha Phi programming. There
are no stringent time commitments. It is a very social, yet
informative, event that will attract several new people.
We hope you find this "How To" guide
helpful and that you will include it in your Chapter’s programming
if there is a need. For more information, please e-mail the
Alumnae Member and
Chapter Services Department at Executive Office or call
847.475.0663. Thank you for helping Alpha Phi continue to
thrive.
Hosting
an Open House
Alumnae Chapter Programming
What is an Alumnae Chapter
Open House?
An Alumnae Chapter Open House is
an event designed to attract new members by offering information
regarding local and international Alpha Phi activities. It
generally serves as a well-coordinated recruiting initiative
that attracts potential dues-paying members. It provides a
mechanism for new alumnae and alumnae who recently relocated
to the area to meet members of the local alumnae chapter and
to determine if there are activities that appeal to them.
It is primarily a social event, though alumnae chapter and
local collegiate chapter business can certainly be lead topics
of conversation.
Why do we need an Open
House?
If you have a number of sisters
on your listing of area alumnae who are inactive and/or non
dues-paying alumnae, hosting an Open House may be a very appealing
way to introduce these dormant sisters to your Alumnae Chapter.
Attendees don’t necessarily know anyone prior to the Open
House. Indeed, it is a wonderful way to welcome local alumnae
who are new to the area to your Alumnae Chapter. It provides
a forum in which you can present your Chapter’s accomplishments.
It may enhance their interest in getting more involved in
the chapter. The goal of the Open House is to sponsor a comfortable
activity in which Alpha Phi alumnae activity is promoted to
individuals who may not have shown previous interest in the
Alumnae Chapter. It’s an effective outreach activity directed
towards potential dues payers and volunteers.
Getting Started
Hosting an Alpha Phi Alumnae Chapter
Open House is easy. It simply requires a small group of enthusiastic
people, a location to hold the event, a creative plan to coordinate
the promotion of the event and a small budget to create any
documentation you decide to use. Following are the steps you
take to host a popular Open House for your Alumnae Chapter:
1) Recruit a committee of people to work
on the project.
Choose enthusiastic active alumnae who enjoy encouraging
new people to become active in the group. Think of these committee
members as your primary "Rush" team. They will be
the creative people developing the concept and strategy for
the Open House. We suggest that small chapters have a minimum
number of 2-3 people on their Open House Committee and large
chapters would be well served by a core committee of 3-5 dependable
and motivated alumnae.
2) Conduct an Open House Committee meeting
Schedule a "kick off" meeting for the committee.
Several initial decisions need to be made to get the project
rolling, such as:
A) What’s the budget?
Identify how much money your chapter has available to
fund this event. It does not have to be an expensive endeavor,
but knowing any financial limitations at the very beginning
helps you make decisions regarding necessary and not-so-necessary
expenditures. Identify the tasks you need to accomplish and
what each action will cost (e.g., printing/mailing costs,
telephone calls, follow up mailing, handouts, APhi giveaways,
nametags, food, mailing labels).
B) Logistics
1) Determine WHO you want to appeal to. Take a good
hard look at your list of mailables and determine if you
want to cast a wide net by offering the event to everyone
or if you want to segment your mailing list by age and/or
geographic location. Remember that postage is relatively
inexpensive. We suggest that you invite as many as possible
given the constraints of your budget.
2) Discuss WHAT you plan to do.
Think of the tone you want to establish. What would
appeal to your local alumnae? Will it be a casual
or formal event? Casual events are recommended because
they tend to provide people with more freedom to move
around, talk, eat and feel comfortable with a new
group of people. However, if your chapter often has
casual events, perhaps a more formal gathering would
attract a new set of individuals. In addition you
need to determine if there will be speakers or simply
representatives available with information? Also,
who will participate in the Open House in terms of
organizers? Are Regional Team members available for
recruiting purposes? Regional Team members can also
provide interesting news about international Alpha
Phi initiatives. How about having Alumnae Chapter
Officers and active members available to talk about
Alumnae Chapter activities and needs? Chapter advisers
are terrific resources for information from the local
chapters. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to talk with
people who might be interested in supporting local
collegians. When all is said an done, you want everyone
to walk away having had a good time while learning
about what Alpha Phi has to offer. These are important
organizational decisions.
3) Choose WHERE the event will be.
Deciding where you’ll have the Open House is critical
to its success. Consider your members’ needs. Is there
a logical location that is accessible by public transportation
and has ample public parking? Perhaps there’s a local
collegiate chapter who would graciously offer to let
you use their space. Or maybe there’s an alumna with
an impressive home that will accommodate the number
of expected attendees. Make sure you consider the
convenience factor. Do not pick someplace that is
too isolated, too far away from your central geographic
location or that is perceived to be unsafe. If it
isn’t easy to get to and believed to be safe, people
won’t attend. You want the location to attract potential
attendees, not deter them from coming.
4) Decide WHEN to get people together.
They say timing is everything and this definitely
holds true with an Open House. If you live in a snow
zone, picking peak blizzard season isn’t a good choice.
Likewise, if you are in a traditionally hot area,
an outdoor gathering in August may not be appealing.
Most alumnae chapters operate on an academic year
and begin planning for the fall semester in mid-to-late
summer. Late July into Early August may therefore
be an ideal time. Mid-November or early December (avoid
the holidays) may also be a good time to hold an Open
House so you can rejuvenate the group for the spring.
You also need to consider what time of day is most
conducive to people attending (e.g., Sunday mornings
may conflict with some members’ church attendance,
weeknights may be tough for working mothers). A Saturday
afternoon from 3-5 p.m. could be a great time to hold
an Open house -- it doesn’t require a large time commitment
and may not directly compete with other widespread
activities (e.g., church, dinner and/or work).
C) Things to Consider
1) Identify the alumnae chapter’s
critical needs. Are you looking for alumnae chapter
officers? Do you need more local advisors? Focus on
how many "big" positions you need to fill
and see if you can break them down into smaller tasks.
People are more likely to volunteer to help out if
they are comfortable with the commitment level …nothing
too daunting, but enough to be interesting.
2) Create opportunities for everyone.
Establish several one-time short-term opportunities
for people wanting to help, but who don’t know what
to do or who don’t have a lot of time. Look for people
willing to coordinate/host an event, stuff envelopes
for a mailing, visit a collegiate chapter to participate
in a joint function, etc. Many people enjoy lending
a hand as long as they know it won’t take over their
lives. Also, recognize that there may be people who
DO want to work on a major initiative and have the
time, energy and skills to be a driving force. It’s
important to have these opportunities in mind BEFORE
the Open House so you can match people’s interests,
skills and availability.
3) Set the menu. As every Alpha
Phi knows, refreshments are important. Is there a
theme (e.g., tea, brunch, cocktail hour)? Does anyone
need to cook or bake for the event? Note, this is
not the time to test a new recipe. If you’re providing
food, go with tried and true delicacies. Make sure
there are plenty of beverages to wash the food down
with. Tea and coffee? A yummy punch? Iced tea and
lemonade? What’s popular in your area?
D) Establish an Action Plan.
Assign tasks and set deadlines. Ensure that everyone
understands what they are supposed to accomplish and
by when. Schedule a follow-up meeting a couple of
weeks later to prepare the invitations to be emailed
and to check on the status of the other tasks.
Preparatory Tasks to be
Completed
Following is a list of some key
action items that should be assigned to specific individuals
or groups of individuals. Depending upon the type of event
you plan to host, this list may be augmented or streamlined.
For a successful Alumnae Chapter Open House, we recommend
that you…
1) Contact Alpha Phi’s to "Staff"
the Event. Get commitments from people to attend the
event and ensure that there are people available to respond
to questions regarding local collegiate chapters, alumnae
chapter events, volunteer opportunities, and Alpha Phi
International activities. Be clear about these volunteers’
responsibilities. These people will be responsible for
"hosting" the attendees during the event. They
will make sure everyone is involved in conversation, attendees
meet as many new Phi’s as possible, people interested
in specific topics are introduced to alumnae who can respond
to their inquiries and that alumnae with similar backgrounds
and interests are "connected". Remember Formal
Rush? Well, it’s the same approach…but you have a not-so-secret
recruiting benefit – their existing love of Alpha Phi
and the common experiences that affords us all.
2) Get a Mailing List. Request a
mailing list from the Executive Office. You will need
the following information:
| First Name |
E-mail Address (if available) |
| Last Name |
Membership # |
| Address |
Chapter/School Affiliation |
| Telephone Number |
Year of Graduation |
You can request a mailing list in hard copy
format or electronic format via diskette or e-mail. We
recommend that you receive an electronic file if possible.
Electronic files can be maintained on your PC as the "Master
List." In addition, you can easily generate your
own mailing labels with a mail merge if you have your
own electronic file. If you require a hard copy mailing
list, please note that you should also request one run
of mailing labels. The cost for a mailing list and address
labels will be communicated to you at the time of your
request. It will take up to two weeks to process any hard
copy and label requests.
3) Create/Buy Attractive Invitations
(see attached samples for ideas). Be sure to include the
basic What, Where, When, RSVP Date and RSVP instructions
as well as contact information for additional details
regarding the event. Invitations can be formal or casual,
depending on how you want to represent the event. We suggest
that each invitation include an 1) Invitation; 2) Response
Card; and 3) Information Form regarding what will be presented
at the Open House and directions to get there via public
transportation and car. Obviously, there are numerous
ways to economize or vary this combination. For example,
it is possible to provide a phone number for people to
RSVP to. However, people are typically more responsive
when they are asked to submit a response card. Even if
they are not attending the event, you can capture valuable
information via the response card.
Invitations can be created on a home computer
and can be copied on heavy stock at a local copy store
or can be produced on a home computer using paper stock
purchased through a specialty paper company (e.g., Paper
Direct at www.paperdirect.com).
4) Mail Invitation Packets. Have
a small group of people get together for a fun "Mail
Party". Working together to fold, stuff, seal and/or
stamp makes the time fly. After everything’s all set,
have someone drop the invitations off at the local post
office for processing. The invitations should be mailed
4-6 weeks in advance of the event date with an RSVP date
of 1-2 weeks in advance, depending upon the formality
of the event and the lead-time necessary to make any final
arrangements.
5) Collect RSVPs. Update the "Master
List" to track the yes and no RSVPs. At the same
time, this individual can create attractive nametags and
update any bad addresses with Alpha Phi International
and on your local "Master List". For people
who are unable to attend, but who expressed interest in
learning more, create a mailing label and place it on
an envelope for a follow up mailing of any handouts/brochures.
6) Prepare Informative Handouts. There
are tremendous benefits to having materials available
for your guests to take home. Often, attendees are focussing
on meeting new people and are receiving a lot of new information.
They may not have the opportunity to digest all of the
new and exciting facts until they get home. You want to
help them remember by creating interesting and attractive
handouts. They are especially effective when the information
is presented on brightly colored paper with graphics.
Here’s a list of potential handouts:
1) Alpha Phi International News
2) Information Regarding Local Collegiate Chapters
3) Alpha Phi Foundation Programming and Services
4) Alumnae Chapter Volunteer Opportunities
5) An Interest Survey that can be Submitted via the
Mail
6) Contact Information for More Information.
7) Local and International Dues Invoices
7) Prepare an Alpha Phi "Gift"
(optional). Alpha Phi’s love anything with an Alpha
Phi logo on it. Perhaps your chapter has some extra items
with an Alpha Phi insignia on it? Or, you can contact
the International Executive Office or view possible giveaways
on the Alpha Phi International website. It does not need
to be a large or expensive gift. It is simply a token
reminder of their Alpha Phi membership and their attendance
at the Open House for the day.
The Day of the Open House
1) Arrive Early. Arrive at the location
at least an hour in advance to set up food and arrange
a table with handouts. Review the list of attendees with
the official "hosts". Have some people place
the handouts in the pre-addressed envelopes for the people
who RSVPed "no", but who indicated an interest
in the chapter. Adding brief personalized notes ("Sorry
you couldn’t make it!") is a very nice touch. Ensure
that someone is assigned to bring these stuffed and stamped
envelopes to the post office. Determine who will be the
official "greeters" as new people arrive. Put
on your nametags and arrange the guests on a table.
2) Have Fun. All the preparation
and terrific organization will pay off with a productive
and fun event "MAP" your way through the event
– convince these women that they’re welcome additions
to your chapter and that there are numerous ways for them
to get involved. Enjoy yourself as you meet many new and
enthusiastic potential duespayers.
After the Dust Settles
1) Debrief. Spend a few minutes
with the official "hosts" to talk about any
necessary follow up. Ensure that anyone who requested
additional information gets it. Follow up with phone calls;
e-mail and perhaps a note to each attendee to further
enhance the personal contact they received at the Open
House. It’s impossible not to be pleased when you receive
a handwritten note from a friendly Alpha Phi. A few extra
minutes spent on this immediate follow up will make that
individual feel like she’s a part of your Alumnae Chapter
already. Determine how you’re going to further cultivate
the relationship with these new members of your Alumnae
Chapter.
2) Smile! Enjoy the fact that your
Alumnae Chapter successfully introduced new local alumnae
to all the wonderful offerings of your Chapter. Congratulate
each other on a job well done!
