Council Comment | September 2024
Welcome to the first Council Comment from your newly elected 2024-26 Fraternity Council. Click here to learn a bit more about who we are.
We are so excited to serve you and lead Delta Gamma Fraternity through the next biennium. You can expect to receive a Council Comment in your inbox and on Delta Gamma’s blog after each of our in-person meetings.
The Fraternity Council typically meets twice per month virtually and once per quarter in person. In the months following the election of a new Fraternity Council at Convention, we also meet for a bonus in-person transition to get to know each other and staff.
Since our usual meeting place, Executive Offices (EO) in Columbus, Ohio, is undergoing renovations, we will be traveling to several different cities over the next year, starting with Chicago for a whirlwind two days of learning and team building.
Day One
Our day was filled with presentations from all of our EO staff teams, sharing more about what they do and how we can work together to do good.
We’ve also begun working with a consultant who specializes in coaching boards of organizations like ours to maximize the working relationship between staff and volunteers, ensuring that it is well defined and strong. Our goal is to identify the most effective and efficient board strategy that is best suited for our organization.
Our consultant emphasized the importance of “building the relationship before we need it.” We know we will inevitably face difficult decisions. Cultivating powerful relationships in advance will allow us to handle things as smoothly as possible.
An anticipated item at this meeting was determining our Council watchword, which will set the tone and focus for our work together. We selected the word spark, and throughout the weekend, we continually referred to the things we wanted to spark in our actions and decisions, such as joy, connection, balance and curiosity.
As the Fraternity's leaders for the next two years, we seek to ignite hope and positive advances in our sisterhood.
At the end of the night, we huddled together on the floor, ate cookies and made friendship bracelets with our watchword while getting to know each other better and laughing a lot. Sparking joy? Check.
Day Two
Our second day started with a photo shoot for our official Council headshots and group photos. We are looking forward to sharing these once they are ready, but in the meantime, here’s a behind-the-scenes sneak peek. Because if there aren’t pictures, did it really happen?
After our glamour shots, we got down to business and discussed things like the volunteer appointment process, programming, communication and more. We will be sharing more detailed information soon, but here are some highlights:
Leadership
Recently, we surveyed Delta Gamma Leadership about communications and at our meeting, we reviewed the initial survey data and brainstormed solutions to help our Leadership team feel more informed and spark opportunities for greater collaboration and conversation.
The Leadership appointment process was also thoroughly evaluated, focusing on identifying opportunities for enhancement and ensuring it meets the highest standards and expectations.
Social Media
We reviewed the purpose and performance of our current social media platforms and a communications team proposal on strategy. The primary focus? Sparking connection through featuring our members (collegians and alumnae) more.
News to note: You will see a decrease in educational content from Delta Gamma’s official social media platforms (including holiday celebration infographics) as we prioritize member engagement and community building in those spaces. Educational content will shift to other platforms that will go directly to members and chapters, such as newsletters and chapter communications toolkits.
Our Fraternity Director: Communications Advancement, a new volunteer position, will take the lead on sourcing member stories and content to share with the incoming social media specialist on EO staff who will manage our social media platforms.
The Fraternity Council will meet again in September in Denver, Colorado, for our fall meeting. At this meeting, we will hear updates on the Strategic Plan, meet with our consultant again and discuss our priorities as a team. We also look forward to hosting a meet-and-greet at the Anchor Center for Blind Children with local alumnae and visiting our two collegiate chapters in Colorado.
You’ll see another Council Comment from us in late September. In the meantime, you can contact us at FraternityCouncil@deltagamma.org.
In the bonds,
Fraternity President | Dr. Amy R. Ayres, Alpha Iota-Oklahoma
Council Trustee: Collegians | Kristina Magovac, Delta Eta-Cal State, Sacramento
Council Trustee: Alumnae | Dr. Melissa Thompson, Gamma Zeta-Louisiana State
Council Trustee: Fraternity Programming | Shenea Stephenson Strader, Eta Iota-Nevada, Reno
Council Trustee: Membership | Natalie Cooper Grindle, Gamma Sigma-Houston
Council Trustee: Communications | Samantha McQuaig Siffring, Epsilon Nu-James Madison
Fraternity Treasurer | Susan Meyer Kornegay, Eta-Akron