Extension team orientation_v6
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Extension team orientation_v6
- 1. Extension Team Orientation ORIENTATION, EXPECTATIONS, AND BEST PRACTICES SEPTEMBER 20, 2012 CHRISTINA MORTON MINDERMAN NCDS-Chapter Development christina.minderman@gmail.com
- 2. Extension Team Orientation Agenda What is the role of Welcome and Introductions an Advisor? Extension Team Org Chart What are the • Who’s Who on the Team responsibilities of • Roles and Responsibilities an Advisor? Colonization 101 • Vocabulary and Timeline Where do I go for information or Communication support? • What are the communication expectations and methods within the Extension team? What unique Reports and Deliverables challenges are part • Colony/Chapter Reports of the colonization • VST Reports process? Advisor 101 • Tips and Best Practices for being a great Advisor
- 3. Host Introduction Christina Morton Minderman VST member of the Extension Team Help train officers and advisors for new colonies and chapters Build and maintain training resources for the Extension Team Help you with whatever you need!
- 4. Welcome to the Extension Team! Webinar attendees Jessi McPherin – NCDS for Villanova Alex Klein – NCDS for Lambda Alpha Mimi Dalaly – NCDS Finance (SME)
- 5. Extension Team WHO’S WHO ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- 6. Extension Team Roles help define interaction with each other and the chapters VP Extension: Vice President oversees the entire Extension process; makes recommendation for extension voting to International Council Director: Oversees either the Extension side or New Chapter Development side of our team; Communicates with other Directors on status and emerging needs/trends Coordinator: Helps facilitate pre-colony activities and relationships; helps recruit Advisors for the Colony NCDS: New Chapter Development Specialist who advises and assists the colony/chapter in liaison with the Chapter Advisor and the LCs; point of contact for all communications and reporting; reaches out to SME’s for assistance SME: Subject Matter Expert on topics that our newest chapters often need the most assistance with; reaches out to NCDS based on chapter reports and predicted needs of the chapter NCDS Member NCDS NCDS Finance Development NCDS Programs Description Description Description Description
- 7. Extension Team Org Chart Liz York Current IVP Extension Adrienne Beckett Pam Young Christina Minderman Director of Extension Director of New Chapter Development Volunteer Development Coordinator Pre- Current Newest Phase I Phase II Phase III Alumnae Training and Chapters Chapters Chapters Finance Colonies Colonies Chapters Recruitment Monitoring Sheila Sola Hope Olsen maternity Campus Alex Klein Therese Marz leave until Patricia Chaffin NCDS – Relationships Volunteer Dev. fall 2012 NCDS for LA NCDS for QY NCDS for BU Jillian Thomas Daphne Daphne Mimi Dalaly Julianne Colonization Olivia Carnaúba Hawkins Everhart Sniekers Coordinator NCDS for QU NCDS – NCDS for LB NCDS for ZW NCDS - Finance A Recruitment Caroline Mahoney Kara Kazazean NCDS for USC Alison Braksick Laura Keath NCDS for DX NCDS – Finance NCDS - LA and LB Member Jessi McPherin NCDS for Laura Development Giamberardino Villanova NCDS for A Dedra Casey Christina NCDS – Finance Minderman NCDS for Univ. of Southern Doreen Kowal USC/ NCDS - California NCDS for DU Recruitment Programs NCDS for San Diego State NCDS for Appalachian St. Last updated Aug 26, 2012
- 8. Extension Team Members NCDS for Colonies/Chapters Directors, Coordinators, and SME’s Liz York – IVP-Extension Jessi McPherin – Villanova – Spring 2013 Adrienne Beckett – Dir. of Extension Caroline Mahoney – USC – Fall 2012 Pam Young– Dir. of New Chapter Dev. Daphne Everhart – Lambda Beta Alex Klein– Lambda Alpha Sheila Sola – Campus Relationships Coordinator Patricia Chaffin – Theta Psi Jillian Thomas – Colonization Coordinator Olivia Carnaúba – Theta Upsilon OPEN – Asst. Colonization Coordinator Kara Kazazean – Delta Xi Hope Olsen – SME VST Recruitment Doreen Kowal – Delta Upsilon OPEN – SME Volunteer Development Laura Giamberardino – Alpha Dedra Casey –SME Finance for Delta Upsilon and USC Therese Marz – Beta Upsilon Mimi Dalaly – SME Finance for Alpha Daphne Sniekers – Zeta Omega OPEN – SME Finance for Theta Psi and Theta Upsilon OPEN – SME Finance for Villanova and USCalifornia OPEN - Univ. of South. Cal. - Fall 2013 OPEN – SME Finance for SDSU and ASU Alison Braksick – SME Finance for Lambda Alpha and OPEN - San Diego State University - 2014 Lambda Beta OPEN - Appalachian State Univ. - 2014 Christina Minderman– SME Programming Laura Keath – SME Member Development Julianne Hawkins – SME Recruitment Last updated Aug 17, 2012
- 9. Colonization 101 HOW A COLONY IS ESTABLISHED
- 10. Colonization Vocabulary Colony: First semester, before Installation. Colonization Week: The week where we host our official colony recruitment events. Those events are Open House, Info-Views, and an Invitation Round. This week ends with Bid Day. Info-Views: Information interviews the PNM’s participate in to show official interest in Alpha Gamma Delta. Interview is conducted by VST and LC’s and is based on the dimensions in our Values-Based Selection Criteria. Colony Growth and Development Plan: a planned program of meeting agendas, events and tasks that are completed by the colony prior to installation and are led by the LC with the help of the Advisor Team. Installation: The initiation ceremony of all new members in the colony followed by an installation ceremony that installs the chapter as a chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta.
- 11. Goal: Pre-Colonization Process Establish Colonies in areas where the campus culture is a good fit for Alpha Gamma Delta and there is local alumnae support for a great advisor team - Campus invites a group to colonize - Alpha Gamma Delta votes whether to colonize at the location and timeline is established for Colonization - NPC Members evaluate the campus as a potential colony - Send information packets to the campus indicating their interest and what they - Alpha Gamma Delta prepares can bring to the campus that for the new colony is unique - Establishes an Advisor Team - Campus invites top 3 groups to present at the - Send LCs to the campus to generate relationships with campus student leaders and faculty/staff - Top 3 meet with campus leaders, both students and faculty/staff - Campus indicates they are interested in Expansion - Sends statistics about the campus to all of NPC
- 12. Leadership Consultant Role during Extension An LC will be staying with the colony throughout the first semester/year. The LC’s role is to connect the support systems to the chapter women Support the colony meetings and facilitate alongside the Colony President and Advisor Team Act as liaison with IHQ Participate in weekly calls with the Extension Specialist and New Chapter Development Specialist to stay updated with resources and challenges within the colony/chapter
- 13. Goal: Colonization Process Have enough recommendations on the names list attend Open House, sign up for an info-view, and become a member of Alpha Gamma Delta. Events held throughout LC’s build a month to gather “Names List” and interested contact all those women and talk LC’s seek on the list to meet about recommendations them and get to membership of women that know them. before would make great colonization members of Alpha begins ES and LC’s begin to meet Gamma Delta. with campus professionals and student Leadership leaders Consultants Observe Formal (LC) and Recruitment if Extension possible to learn Specialist campus norms (ES) arrive on campus.
- 14. New Chapter Development The period from installation through the first 3 years of a chapter’s life. • Starts when Alpha Gamma Delta votes to colonize at a location; ends when the Colony is installed as a Chapter at the first Initiation Pre-Colony • Lots of on location and remote support from IHQ and the Extension Team or Colony • Covers the first year after a Chapter is installed • Special support from the Extension Team is provided Phase I • Joint EC Report used by the Chapter • Typically Covers years 2-3 after the Chapter is installed • Continued support from the New Chapter Development Team is provided Phase II • Emphasis on normal reporting and chapter operations with decreasing direct oversight • Semester or year-long transition period where the Chapter transitions from New Chapter status to regular Chapter status Phase III • Is thereafter supported by a different part of the VST known as Chapter Development
- 15. New Strategic Vision for Extension Target quality campuses to expand our scope and increase our brand value Goals: Install two new Alpha Gam chapters a semester; 4 a year! Evaluate potential colonies with a quantitative matrix Create strategic wishlist of future colonies Host pre-colonization alumnae events to connect with alumnae in the area; fill all CA, EC, and Alpha Advisor positions before Colonization Week Rank in the upper half in relative recruitment strength while also being at 80% of total in the first year
- 16. Extension Opportunities Selected to present at Tulane University, University of Southern California, Georgia Southern, and Villanova this spring Current Invited to Colonize at Villanova in 2013 Invited to Recolonize at Univ. of Southern California in Successes 2013/14 Invited to Recolonize at San Diego State in 2013/14 Colonized at St. Joseph's College at their Brooklyn and Long Island campuses in February 2012 Asked to consider returning to the University of Denver and Celebrate some great Florida Southern in the next couple of years achievements and Submitted packet to North Carolina State opportunities for the New Installations Extension Team! Initiated New Members and Alumna and installed newest Chapter at Austin Peay in December 2011 (Theta Psi) Installations at St. Joseph’s (Lambda Alpha and Lambda Beta in Spring 2012) New Chapter Updates Kappa Delta has increased membership to its highest levels ever Theta Iota has raised their GPA and their chapter size to be competitive on campus Alpha has reached total within their first year Delta Xi has improved their recruitment polish and increased their recruitment numbers to almost twice that of last year
- 17. Communication EXPECTATIONS, METHODS, AND RESOURCES
- 18. Communication Ground Rules Set rules for communication with others Establish a regular meeting / call time (weekly / bi-weekly) Best mode to reach you and her (texting, email, call, lunch) Best times and times that are bad (before 6, 9-5, after 10) Who is your back-up? Emergency procedures
- 19. Where will you host and share information? Google Sites/Documents Wiggio Build a website Extension Team Optional list serv communications hub Create, edit, and share Site basics are in place documents Includes list serv Control access by Post, edit, and share adding other users to documents each document Link to Sample Site Link to Sample Document
- 20. Guidelines for effective Wiggio Use Do people need to spend time reading this? When things are posted on Wiggio, there is an option to send a notification to all groups members that is automatically selected important, but not urgent or relevant at this point in our process – post without notification time sensitive, urgent, or relative - select the automatic setting that sends a notification When a message is sent from Wiggio it is sent to all members in that group. Take a minute to consider if your message needs to go to the entire group, or if you can filter it to be more effective. When sending anything to group members you can unselect people, if needed. Reply All automatically When you hit reply to a wiggio email, it is sent to all members of the group as well. When responding be sure that your response is sent to only those who need it. Ex: If you want to confirm with the sender that you've received it by saying 'Thank you!' you can unselect the group as a whole, so that the whole group doesn't receive an additional email, only the sender receives it. Instructions for Posts Post due dates when needed if an item or task is posted that needs to be read or reviewed Ex: If a chapter report is posted, and you need all team members to read it and give feedback/assistance before formal recruitment, include a Due Date for reviewing in the message when sending the notification.
- 21. File Storage and Naming Conventions IHQ standards for naming files naming convention of chaptername_documentname_year_month Keeping a master copy Files are sent with monthly EC reports
- 22. Lines of Communication to the Big Squirrels • As an advisor team, they should seek input from those Colony/Chapter around them who generally are more informed about the Advisor Team chapter or Fraternity policies. • Main point of communication between VST/IHQ and the Chapter Advisor Colony/Chapter • Answer questions regarding polices and procedures, New Chapter clarification of information and membership issues. Development Specialist (NCDS) • Can connect Colony/Chapter with Subject Matter Experts in Finance, Training, Recruitment, Member Development Director of Extension (Phase I) • Oversee all new Colonies and Chapters for the first 3 years Director of New • Experience with lots of colonies and chapters Chapter Development • Connections to resources everywhere in Alpha Gam (Phase 2-3) • Oversees the Extension process from first inquiries on International VP campus to transitioning chapters out of New Chapter Extension status International • Head of the International Council President
- 23. Team Members should What are your communication endeavor to: expectations? Respond within 48 hours Respond cheerfully and with respect for others Be honest and open For lengthy reviews, give at least 4 days notice Include only necessary details and participants Do the Due Diligence-- Bring all facts to the discussion – do your homework Know the laws and rules that apply Do What You Say You Will Do (DWYSYWD)
- 25. Reports are written at the Chapter level and at the Extension Team level Chapter Reports VST Reports EC Report from Chapter Monthly IC Report Due to you 3 days after EC Email to Director within a Post on Wiggio 7 days after EC week of EC Monthly Chapter Report Due on Wiggio the 15th of the Sample report month Quarterly IC Report Written by the NCDS Read by the SMEs when posted Maintain on Google doc Chapter Documents monthly Upload everything to Wiggio in Final update due the Chapter File at end of the month month before quarterly Officer/Advisor Info meeting Bylaws, etc.
- 26. Reporting Deadlines For a detailed calendar, refer to The E Team Calendar of Responsibilities NCDS: Upload chapter EC reports and docs to chapter wiggio - due 7 calendar days after EC Upload NCDS report to chapter and NCDteam wiggio – due the 15th of every month Update the IC google doc – due the 15th of every month (keep all old items on there until each IC meeting) Upload advisor contact list to chapter wiggio – due at the end of every month For SMEs who don't have EC as a benchmark: Upload any chapter specific goals and plans to wiggio - due 7 days after the meeting outlining the goals and plans Upload a general summary of all tasks and challenges to NCDteam wiggio - due first of the month Update the IC google doc - due the first of each month IMPORTANT NOTE: the NCDTeam wiggio includes lots of people from other teams part of our desire to be transparent updates always need to be written in such a way that anyone could read them and not be offended Fact based statements are best “I contacted Susie Q on x date, y date and z date and she has not responded - I need dates of her planned visit by date so I can coordinate with chapter. Assistance needed to get a response.”
- 27. Advisor 101 BASIC SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE FOR A GREAT ADVISOR NOTE THAT THIS IS A VERY CONDENSED VERSION OF THE ADVISOR TRAINING. PLEASE TAKE TIME TO REVIEW ALL THE TRAINING MATERIALS LOCATED ON THE WIGGIO SITE IN THE NCD TEAM FILES
- 28. What Do Advisors Do? Provide EDUCATION Set EXPECTATIONS EMPOWER Collegians
- 29. What is an Advisor? • Leader • Supporter • Resource • Facilitator • Guide • Role Model • Listener • Visionary • Diplomat • Director
- 30. Benefits of Being an Advisor Connection with Alma Mater Working with Youth to Stay Young at Heart Develop and Grow Leadership Skills "... because the type of leadership at the top is akin to being a leader of volunteers, it is not about carrots and sticks but about persuasion and getting people to grasp and follow your vision." Build and Improve the Fraternity for the future Prepare to hold a future VST position “Because of the joy of service thereby bestowed and the talent of leadership multiplied”
- 31. Recommended Reading List for the Advisor in the Know* I Heart Recruitment: The Eight Steps to Limitless Possibility for Sororities by Jessica Gendron Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins 100 Ways to Motivate Others: How Great Leaders Can Produce Insane Results Without Driving People Crazy by Steve Chandler and Scott Richardson You're in Charge, Now What?: The 8 Point Plan by Thomas J. Neff The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell The Networking Survival Guide: Get the Success You Want By Tapping Into the People You Know by Diane Darling 20-Something, 20-Everything: A Quarter-life Woman's Guide to Balance and Direction by Christine Hassler Alpha Girls: Understanding the New American Girl and How She Is Changing the World by Dan Kindlon PhD * Partial list; Click here to access the entire list
- 32. Common Mistakes Advisors Make During Learning As a Leadership Opportunities… Example… Doing the work for the Quick to judge and blame officer Choosing sides and Controlling and dictating encouraging cliques rather than facilitating Applying rules inconsistently, unfairly or Giving answers instead of arbitrarily teaching to find answers Being unavailable Being irritable, harsh, unsympathetic or even mean-spirited
- 33. Chapter Advisor Team Org Chart 8 Executive Council Advisors Chapter Advisor 17 Chapter Council Advisors Member President’s Scholarship Recruitment Operations Campus Development Finance Team Team Team Team Team Relations Team Team VP Member VP Campus President VP Scholarship VP Recruitment VP Operations VP Finance Development relations Alumnae Sisterhood Social COR Correspondence Philanthropy Activities Relations Risk Alpha Membership Publications Property Public Relations Management Experience Gamma Ritual Website Purchasing Experience Delta Experience
- 34. What if I need help? There are Fraternity Website – many login for all advisor resources documents and resources available if you need Alpha Gamma Delta Fraternity help. COLLEGIATE LEADERSHIP MANUAL The CLM is the first resource for questions about chapter policies, procedures and officer responsibilities Click on a Online resource picture to for leadership visit the training ideas and materials resource
- 35. Help in hurry! Written Resources Training Resources Past Chapter Reports AGD Online Advisor Training Collegiate Leadership Manual The Leadership Institute Web Constitution/Standing Rules site Chapters Governing The Alpha Gamma Delta Documents Advisory Advisor and Team Handbooks The Leadership Conference Resources on the Alpha Gam Convention Web site Training offered by Volunteer Fraternity/sorority Service Team members information on the Web Regional Training Events Leadership Books
- 36. Getting started with your chapter Call or email your CA to introduce yourself. Use this conversation to set up a time to meet in person and talk in depth. Meet at a time and place that is very convenient for her and not inconvenient for you. Get to know each other before you start talking AGD business. Discuss her goals for the chapter and the best way you can support her in these goals. Discuss communication ground rules
- 37. Your part in achieving their goals How the chapter is evaluated What the stakeholders The advisor (sisters, team’s Panhellenic, responsibilities parents) and goals count as success The chapter women and their Get to know the Your goals chapter role as personally an advisor
- 38. Advisors are essential to a chapter’s strength and growth. An advisor is an important part of the Fraternity. Chapters may not grow and flourish as they should without the support of advisors. An advisor communicates to the chapter the Fraternity’s expectations and reinforces its standards. She encourages the chapter to strive for excellence. She In the eyes of the chapter, reinforces the positive, thus instilling you represent confidence. Alpha Gamma Delta.
- 39. Self Paced Learning MY ALPHAGAM Login for alumni/collegians/advisors Document resource center for team handbooks and all forms THE ALPHA EXPERIENCE Familiarize advisors with the booklet and activities Give time to brainstorm first few weeks GREEK LIFE EDU Advisors shall complete the Greek Life Edu training on their own OMEGA FINANCE Advisors can attend a sponsored OmegaFi webinar
- 40. My AlphaGam Resource Center Go to www.alphagammadelta.org Click on Login to My AlphaGam (red tab) Log in or follow steps to create an account Click on Resource Center under the Communications heading on the left side Find, Download, and Read the Member Development Team Resource Guide – Alpha Experience Section *Ask your Director for the files if you do not have access to them. You might not be listed as a VST member yet.
- 41. The Alpha Experience Booklet, styled like a magazine, that all New Members will be given at pledging Guide through 14 Pearls Program Read through to see what they will be learning this fall and to gather ideas for planning meetings and activities with them Email Christina to get instructions on how to download the file
- 42. GreekLifeEdu Go to http://greeklifeedu.com/ In the New User box on the right, enter the New User ID: 11GAGDDEMO Click Submit Create your profile Complete the modules, quiz, and surveys to learn what all new members will be completing later in the year.
- 43. Omega Finance www.omegafi.com Tool for managing and collecting chapter dues Each chapter has a member number and users will request an account for that number Explore the website to learn about their features Training to come for the Finance Team with login information
- 44. Homework – Attend a Webinar this Fall Complete an OmegaFi webinar to learn the basics of the system General Chapter Desktop Webinar To sign up to attend, contact: Keely Ullman, Senior Account Manager at OmegaFi 800.276.6342 x 1117 kullman@omegafi.com
- 45. Extension Team Orientation Agenda What is the role of Welcome and Introductions an Advisor? Extension Team Org Chart What are the • Who’s Who on the Team responsibilities of • Roles and Responsibilities an Advisor? Colonization 101 • Vocabulary and Timeline Where do I go for information or Communication support? • What are the communication expectations and methods within the Extension team? What unique Reports and Deliverables challenges are part • Colony/Chapter Reports of the colonization • VST Reports process? Advisor 101 • Tips and Best Practices for being a great Advisor
- 46. QUESTIONS? CONTACT YOUR DIRECTOR OR CHRISTINA ANYTIME! CHRISTINA MORTON MINDERMAN NCDS-Chapter Development christina.minderman@gmail.com
Notas del editor
- Know that you, as a VST member, are an advisor to your peers on VST and the to the chapter advisors and collegians that you work with.
- Relationship Building is the center of the process.Leadership Consultants (LC) and Extension Specialist (ES) arrive on campus.ES and LC’s begin to meet with campus professionals, i.e. Dean of Students, Greek Advisor, Director of Admissions, Director of Orientation Programs, etc. to build relationship and gather context and information about the University.LC’s gain list of student leaders to meet with to build relationship and ask for recommendations of women that would make great members of Alpha Gamma Delta.Continue to meet people and build a “Names List”. LC’s contact all those on the list to meet them and get to know them. The goal is to have enough recommendations on the names list attend Open House, sign up for an info-view, and become a member of Alpha Gamma Delta. We hold events throughout the month to gather all those interested and get them information about membership before Colonization Week begins.
- There are many ways to stay in contact with your officer. The important thing is to set some ground rules early and then you and your officer will feel connected and comfortable. In the event that you are out of town or unavailable, send an email to the advisor team and provide your officer with an alternative contact person. Be firm when establishing times for calling and whether you are able to take calls at work.In the event of an emergency refer to the Collegiate Leadership Manual risk management section for emergency procedures. Be certain to inform your Province Director immediately in the event of an emergency.It is important to set clear communication expectations for advisors and collegians.Collegians often think they will receive instantaneous responses, forgetting that you may be employed or have other commitments. The Fraternity expects that you respond to her questions in a timely manner. She is calling you! Yeah!! It is important that you respond to her. This improves your credibility and shows your interest in her and the chapter. It is also important to make sure you set clear mutual expectations. Consider working with your officer to show quickly you should respond to each other’s messages. If you decide on 48 hours and for some reason you or she cannot respond fully within 48 hours , make sure to communicate with one another. Be open and honest. If you don’t know the answer. Say so. And then tell her you will find out or research the answer. Make a commitment when you will back to her and then GET back to her when you say. Be that role model. If you need to review something in lengthy detail, ask your collegian to consider the time of all reviewers and to allow some weekend and weekday time to take a look at larger documents. For instance if the collegian was about to submit her recruitment plans, she should give members of the team at least 4 days to review and comment on the final draft before compiling the results and sending in the report. Advisors should be given weekday and weekend time to review these items as some advisors have “Alpha Gam time” set aside during the week, while others set it aside during the weekend.Make sure to discuss with your officer that you expect her to bring or circulate all the documents necessary for discussion at group meetings so that the group can make a good decision. Likewise, if you have additional valuable information, you should bring it to the discussion as well. The more pertinent information that is gathered in advance, the more quickly decisions can be made.Get the facts. Read the rules. In the example of developing preliminary recruitment plans, you might use the Panhellenic Council recruitment rules, Fraternity procedures and directives, budget expenditures from previous recruitments, budget for this year, evaluations of previous recruitment from new members, and suggestions from chapter/members and Leadership Consultants.Above all things do what you say you will do. IF you say you will call on Tuesday…Please call on Tuesday.IF you say you will come to the house and meet with the committee on Friday night, make sure you are there Friday night.IF you say you will help with budget planning, make plans to meet with the VP FinanceIF you expect collegians to respect you and follow thru with what you ask, you need credibility. DWYSYWD.
- It is important to set clear communication expectations for advisors and collegians.Collegians often think they will receive instantaneous responses, forgetting that you may be employed or have other commitments. The Fraternity expects that you respond to her questions in a timely manner. She is calling you! Yeah!! It is important that you respond to her. This improves your credibility and shows your interest in her and the chapter. It is also important to make sure you set clear mutual expectations. Consider working with your officer to show quickly you should respond to each other’s messages. If you decide on 48 hours and for some reason you or she cannot respond fully within 48 hours, make sure to communicate with one another. Be open and honest. If you don’t know the answer. Say so. And then tell her you will find out or research the answer. Make a commitment when you will back to her and then GET back to her when you say. Be that role model. If you need to review something in lengthy detail, ask your collegian to consider the time of all reviewers and to allow some weekend and weekday time to take a look at larger documents. For instance if the collegian was about to submit her recruitment plans, she should give members of the team at least 4 days to review and comment on the final draft before compiling the results and sending in the report. Advisors should be given weekday and weekend time to review these items as some advisors have “Alpha Gam time” set aside during the week, while others set it aside during the weekend.Make sure to discuss with your officer that you expect her to bring or circulate all the documents necessary for discussion at group meetings so that the group can make a good decision. Likewise, if you have additional valuable information, you should bring it to the discussion as well. The more pertinent information that is gathered in advance, the more quickly decisions can be made.Get the facts. Read the rules. In the example of developing preliminary recruitment plans, you might use the Panhellenic Council recruitment rules, Fraternity procedures and directives, budget expenditures from previous recruitments, budget for this year, evaluations of previous recruitment from new members, and suggestions from chapter/members and Leadership Consultants.Above all things do what you say you will do. IF you say you will call on Tuesday…Please call on Tuesday.IF you say you will come to the house and meet with the committee on Friday night, make sure you are there Friday night.IF you say you will help with budget planning, make plans to meet with the VP FinanceIF you expect collegians to respect you and follow through with what you ask, you need credibility. DWYSYWD.
- Know that you, as a VST member, are an advisor to your peers on VST and the to the chapter advisors and collegians that you work with.
- What do advisors do? Part of that answer is pretty easy – just look at the word “Advisor.” Clearly, offering advice is part of the job! But it’s more than that – we’ve found that the best advisors are successful when they educate, empower, and set expectations. But what does that look like? Take the following short quiz to get a better idea.
- Advisors fill many roles for a collegiate chapter. The best advisors are the ones that understand when to wear each of the many hats of sister, friend, colleague, parent, and leader. They do not derive power from their own personality, but rather use the authority of the Collegiate Leadership Manual, the Bylaws, the Purpose and other written guidelines and rules to guide and influence the chapter to be its best. They seek to follow the purpose in all their endeavors, especially those on behalf of Alpha Gamma Delta. Take a look at these key descriptors for effective advisors. Click on each word to learn more about these roles.Advisors are leaders who help the chapter set high expectations that inspire the chapter to improve. It is important for advisors to be present during goal setting and planning discussions and inspire the women be the best they can be by balancing expectations with constraints. This is one way advisors can lead the chapter to make good decisions about their future.Advisors are resources of information and history. Advisors are familiar with the structures and policies of the Fraternity and they help connect the officers with the appropriate guidance and contacts. They know what has been done in the past and how it worked. They know what has changed with the chapter and how it has grown and still needs to develop. Advisors serve as guides to real world issues and strategies. They rely on their experiences in their jobs and in managing their own households and use this wisdom to help the chapter with similar challenges. Experience with finances, home improvement, social engagement planning, fundraising, efficiency, and managing people and projects are all needed to effectively run a chapter. Chapter members many times find this kind of practical experience the most valuable part of their time as an officer.One of the most important jobs of an Advisor is to listen. Collegians need someone that they can trust to be unbiased and open minded. They need someone who cares about them and the work they are doing for the chapter. Advisors also serve as sounding boards for ideas, listening and providing feedback on pros, cons, and operational strategies for the creative ideas of the chapter members.Advisors should always strive to be diplomatic and hear all points of view. Through clear communication and active listening, advisors can help people with different viewpoints, see the common ground and reaffirm the value in working together. Advisors provide emotional support and clear thinking through conflict. Highly committed individuals are passionate and can be emotional. Advisors must stay above the sway of emotions and be the voices of reason when emotions run high. They support the chapter during emotional times by staying level-headed. Advisors are facilitators that help the women come to theirown solutions. By encouraging the chapter to think about multiple solutions and weigh them against each other, Advisors facilitate problem solving and help the chapter develops solutions.Members are always watching advisors to understand the limits of acceptable behavior. Advisors who are positive role modelsrecruit for Alpha Gamma Delta with their actions, words, appearance and manner.The chapter needs visionary leaders that can imagine and articulate a hopeful future for the chapter. Advisors can look beyond the day to day issues and see the vision that the chapter is working towards. They help develop the steps for reaching that vision and they imagine new and creative ways for addressing the problems of the chapter.Advisors direct actions in a time of crisis or when rules or laws are in effect. These are times when clear directive leadership is warranted but it should not be the style for every leadership occasion.Advisors provide structure, coaching, support and advice to the women of our collegiate chapters.
- Alpha Gamma Delta Advisors can be a very positive influence on the collegiate women during this important time of growth. Due to their strong influence, advisors can also impact a chapter negatively if they do not have the time or patience to devote. It is important that advisors do not try to do too much which can lead to burn out and a destructive or indelicate manner. It is equally important that they are involved enough to know what the women want and need. By being engaged and visible, an advisor develops credibility and relationships that help her lead in difficult times. It is crucial that advisors develop rapport with the chapter and especially with her officer team through her day to day actions with the collegians. Take a moment to review these common advisor mistakes. Because of your advising style, which of these will you need to avoid? (give pause for participants to read the slide).
- The basic structure of the advisor team is that there are 7 Teams aligned to the 8 Executive Officers (Property falls under the Finance Team). Each Executive Officer has an Advisor. The 8 executive Officers and 8 Executive Advisors comprise the 16 person Executive CouncilThere are 17 other officer positions* which are called Chapter Council Officers. Ideally, each of those officers would have their own advisor. If this is not possible, then the EC Advisor for that Team serves as the advisor for those Chapter Council Officers.* - Note that these are the 17 Chapter Council positions required by Alpha Gamma Delta. Some chapters, especially large ones, have found they need more chapter council officers for things like Meal Plan, Song Chair, Parent Relations, Assistant Recruitment, etc. Ideally, these additional officers would also have advisors or the EC Advisor for their Team will advise them.
- Everyone needs help sometimes and advisors should not worry that they are alone without assistance themselves. There are many resources available to help you, guide you and assist you. Alpha Gamma Delta supports many resources such as new training courses on the Leadership Institute Web site, the Alpha Gamma Delta Advisory advisor newsletter and the new Alpha Experience Web site, as well as online access to the Collegiate Leadership Manual and many of the team guides. In additional to these resources, Alpha Gamma Delta supports a team of staff and volunteers that are available to consult with you on subjects such as recruitment, finance, member development, and philanthropy. Alpha Gamma Delta staff and volunteers provide formalized opportunities to learn at Convention and The Leadership Conference and they also are available for ad hoc training on request.
- Reading chapter reports can provide some of the history for the chapter and trends on the campus. Reports contain valuable information on: scholarship, recruitment, membership and Panhellenic issues.The Collegiate Leadership Manual provides easy access to information and resources. It is divided into specific sections giving an overview. Additional detail for more specific team information is found in those handbooks.The Constitution and Standing Rules of the Fraternity offer the framework for our organization, while the chapter governing documents are specific to the individual chapter. Chapter documents should be current and dated in the bottom right hand corner. The written manuals provided by the Fraternity and listed on the website contain a wealth of information. They can be accessed in the Members Services Section under Resources/Handbooks, then under Collegiate Materials. Each of the seven officer teams has a manual with three sections: team handbook, resource guide and forms. Additionally, you will find several guides for chapter by-laws, officer elections, and finance. The Membership Handbook and the Ritual Services Guide are also invaluable sources, but cannot be accessed on line. More resources are available on the Web site including handouts and Power Point presentations given during previous training opportunities. Reading the information that other groups have published allows us to know what our competitors are doing and understand trends to stay ahead of the curve. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel if three other fraternal groups have already identified a problem and made strides towards solutions. Strategies and good ideas can come from anywhere as long as you are sure to adapt and customize them to align with Alpha Gamma Delta policies and procedures. As an advisor, you are one of the Fraternity’s best resources. If you have other ideas or wish to use other resources, please consult with your Province Director.Periodically additional on-line advisor trainings will be provided in areas that require more in-depth instruction.The Leadership Institute offers a variety of training opportunities in an interactive format, which can be accessed at your convenience. Some information has been archived to enable you to retrieve topics of interest. This Web site also offers a network of many topics key to women in leadership and the workforce.The Alpha Gamma Delta Advisory is an online publication to offer the newest information and changes in the fraternity. The Leadership Conference is held on the alternate year from Convention. This regional conference is an excellent learning and networking opportunity.Convention is held every other year and allows both collegiate women and their advisors an opportunity for sisterhood through participation in mini workshops, recognition for achievement, networking with sisters from other chapters and a renewal of the ritual, which binds us together.Your Province Director or other Volunteer Service Team members are available to provide training for both advisors and collegiate women.Regional Training events are sometimes held to offer updates and more in depth instruction for target areas.
- How do you get started with your officer?Introductions are important and they can set the tone for the rest of your year working with that officer. A nice introduction from someone she already knows or trusts can help you start off on the right foot. For in depth discussion always invite your officer to meet face to face and make it as easy as possible for her to accept your invitation. Lunch or coffee is always nice and if it is in your means and you feel comfortable doing so, offer to pay for her meal. This is a perfect time to start off in the mentor role as it sets up a structure of respect, caring and advising. Talk about your background and hers, understand where she comes from, her scholastic goals and future aspirations. As you get to know each other, discuss why she decided to take this officer role and why you decided to advise. This sister to sister exchange is a good way to segue into a discussion of the goals you both have for the office over the next year and establishes a bond to each other. Be sure to establish the most effective and acceptable means of communication.
- Much of the role of an advisor is just learning and discovering all the expectations of the Fraternity, the University, the Greek community, the sisterhood, the committee, the officer team, and the officer. Preparing for a year of events works best when you understand what you are trying to achieve overall. Spend time with your officer understanding the expectations and constraints. Help her outline a plan that addresses expectations and meets all constraints. To do this you will need to know the following: Know your officer personally. Learn who she is, where she comes from and what her life circumstances are. You must know the whole person before you can understand how you can best support and compliment the strengths she brings to her office. Next, knowing the women of the chapter and their goals also helps you be an effective advisor. Understanding the multiple definitions of success is also very important. If the chapter expects to raise $2000 for the Foundation and the scholarship team expects $500 to be raised to endow a scholarship and the University expects additional fundraising for the campus philanthropy, the officer and advisor need to factor in all these expectations when determining their plans for the year.Similarly, an advisor must understand how the chapter is evaluated by their Greek community and by the Fraternity. Panhellenic Awards criteria can often serve as a guide for improvement. The Alpha Gamma Delta ACE program outlines expectations for all chapters in every sector of chapter life and is essential to understanding how the chapter is evaluated.Finally, on top of all the expectations and dreams are the constraints. These can be rules, time deadlines, budget limitations or even the number of people available to help. Anything that limits what the officer can achieve should be factored into the planning process. There is a lot to learn, but it is essential to know all these things in order to help your officer and chapter grow and improve.
- The strength of a collegiate chapter may be credited to its advisor support. The time required for an advisory position always varies. It is quality of time, not quantity, that is most important. An advisor’s position actually has a dual role. She is concerned with the specific area(s) of chapter life that she advises and, as a member of the Fraternity, she is concerned with the chapter’s overall operation and performance. In the eyes of collegians, she represents Alpha Gamma Delta.We hope this introduction to advising has helped you understand the role of an advisor, the importance of good communication and that what you have learned will help you provide strong support for the chapters you advise and help you serve as a positive role model and advisor for the women of our chapters.Thank you for the time and commitment that you give to the Fraternity.