Membership Experience Team #

Best Practices: Monthly ME Team Meetings #

• Meet at least once, if not two times per month 
• Discuss happenings & upcoming events 
• Discuss individual officers goals and events 
• Ensure ME Advisor or another Advisor is present 
• Assign meeting dates in the beginning of the semester 
• Have an agenda 
• Discuss not dictate 
• Take and share notes as follow up from the meeting 

Chapter Retreat #

 

Transfer & Affiliation Procedure #

Members who transfer institutions for any reason should not be marked for membership cancellation. If a member is transferring, regardless of an Alpha Delta Pi chapter being at the new university, they are to be marked as “Left School/Transfer” on Pi Portal. 

1. The member completes Section I of the Transfer Approval Form  and sends it to the leadership of their chapter of initiation (Chapter President, Vice President of Operations, and Vice President of Membership Experience).
2. The chapter of initiation verifies the member was in good standing and has no financial indebtedness to the chapter, and the Chapter President completes and signs Section II of the form. Note: If for any reason the chapter does not favorably recommend the member, they should notify their Collegiate Province Director before sending the transfer form to the new chapter. 
3. The form is sent to the leadership of the chapter (Chapter President, Vice President of Operations, and Vice President of Membership Experience) of affiliation via email. 
4. The chapter of affiliation votes upon affiliating the member.  
   1. If the vote is favorable, the Chapter President completes Section III of the form and uploads to Pi Portal for Executive Office approval (Pi Portal > Membership > Actions > Update Chapter Roster > hit continue and follow instructions to add member to roster AND mark the affiliation). 
   2. If the vote is not favorable, the chapter should notify their Collegiate Province Director before informing the member.  
5. Once approved by Executive Office, the VP of Operations sends a copy of the form to the chapter Advisory Board, Collegiate Province Director, and Membership Experience Director.  
   1. The VP of Operations can then add the member to the chapter roster and upload the completed form to Pi Portal. 
   2. Officers determine who and how any campus/Panhellenic rosters are also updated. 

If the affiliate member feels they have not found a fit within the new chapter, the affiliation status can be removed. This request can be made by chapter leaders via Membership > Actions > Update Chapter Roster and is reviewed by Executive Office staff for approval. The affiliation removal is not to be used for financial or standards concern purposes. Note: It is at the chapter’s discretion to establish a window of time in which an affiliate member can remove their affiliation. If you would like to add this to your chapter’s Standing Rules, please talk with your CPD and MED. 

Responsibilities of Affiliate Membership#

Note: The privileges of affiliate membership are the same as those of Delta membership. An affiliate member may wear the Greek letter(s) guard pin of her chapter of initiation or affiliation or both. 

• The responsibilities of an affiliate member are the same as for any other member of the chapter and they have the same responsibility to the International Organization. 
• When the transfer is complete, the affiliate member assumes all financial obligations of the chapter of affiliation, including its Corporation Fee or Housing Fund Fee, if applicable. 
• The Corporation may have a provision for pro-rating the Corporation Fee or Housing Fund Fee for an affiliate member but may also assess the full amount. 
• An affiliate member does not receive a refund from the Corporation or Housing Fund from her chapter of initiation. 

Responsibilities of Affiliate Membership with a Newly Established Chapter 

Members transferring to a campus where a newly established exists may affiliate after the charter is granted and the newly established chapter becomes a chapter. The Chapter Support Coordinator assigned to the new chapter and the Collegiate Services Specialist shall provide a recommendation to Grand Council concerning whether to accept an affiliate into the new chapter. If Grand Council votes to accept the affiliate, the Chapter Support Coordinator assigned to the new chapter should complete Section II of the Transfer Approval Form and send a copy to the Collegiate Services Specialist Executive Office. 

Additional Notes#

• In accordance with NPC regulations, a member may be affiliated even if the chapter is at Total. 
• The member does not attend Chapter Meetings, nor does she have voice or vote in Membership Selection Sessions until the affiliation process is complete. 
• Should a member transfer to a campus where there is a chapter, and should the member not wish to affiliate, the chapter may invite the member to select chapter functions. 
• Alpha memberships do not transfer to another campus. This is a regulation of the National Panhellenic Conference.
• Chapters can utilize the Renewing Our Bond materials to help welcome affiliate members. 

Ritual #

 

Membership Survey #

Survey Basics#

When consider the use of any survey, getting members to answer your questions is simply not enough. You must also consider how you can get the most accurate or truthful answers for the best analysis. This toolkit should be able to help you achieve that outcome so that you can make more accurate, data-driven decisions about managing your chapter. Work with your advisors and international officers to determine the need and direction of a membership survey and know that staff at Executive Office are here to help assist in creating the most effective version of one for your chapter.

 

Distribution#

To yield the most engagement with your survey, here are some tips on how to distribute your survey:

 

• Provide advance notice to the members that the survey will be sent out and on what date
• Set a realistic deadline for the survey to be submitted by, be sure to send soft reminders to chapter members
• You could incentivize to yield a higher response rate, but be cautious with this as it may not offer as thoughtful feedback if members are completing the survey only to receive the incentive
• Explain why this survey is being sent and how the leadership plans to use the data shared from the survey
• Highlight how much time should be spent on the survey – it is a best practice to overestimate the time in case if takes some longer than anticipated to complete
• Indicate how anonymity will be provided
• Encourage that they fill this out during some alone time vs as a group
• Clarify that they will not get in trouble for their responses but that their honest and realistic input will be helpful and require further insight

 

Anonymity#

By not asking for identifying information, anonymous surveys can be more appealing to members and help to yield a higher degree of honest answers, which could lead to more accurate data. Sometimes, ‘who’ is responding to the survey can even be unnecessary depending on what information you are trying to gather. Anonymous surveys can help to reduce response data and the time to analyze it. Here are some suggestions to consider when determining if and how you would want to make a survey anonymous or not:

 

• Make it clear in your introduction and communication about the survey that it will be anonymous
• Personal Identifiable Information (PII) would be items such as: name, email, phone number, etc.
  • If you want to collect items like year in school or broader demographic information about your respondents, consider making those fields optional vs required
• You could give members the option to include their email at the end of the survey if they would like an officer or advisor to contact them for any follow-up
• Identify who has access to raw data and who all you want to share survey results with in general
  • Regardless of who you share raw data within the chapter, do not share raw survey responses with anyone in or outside of the chapter

 

Types of Questions#

There are factors in a survey that can unintentionally influence responders to answer in a way that is not accurate; when this happens, it is referred to as ‘response bias’. The nature of the question or the way it was framed may increase response bias. It will be important to build your questions out and review your survey prior to distribution in a way that will encourage honest and straightforward answers. Knowing what type of questions to ask, and how to frame them can help!

 

Qualitative#

• Open Ended – you are asking the respondent to elaborate in a short or long answer prompt and allows feedback in their own words instead of stock answers. The question has to set the respondent up to answer more than just ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This can show respondents that you value their perspective and ideas! Most often these questions will start with “why”, “how”, and “what if?”
  • If your data needs leave your survey full of quantitative, close ended questions, consider adding a follow-up, open ended question.

 

Quantitative#

• Likert Scale – a rating scale that helps assess a respondent’s opinion. There are various types of Likert scales to consider, just be sure that your labels are clear, and you are using appropriate adjectives to reflect what you are asking about.

 

Sources for Online Surveys

• Survey Monkey
• Google Forms
• Microsoft Forms
• ADPi Connect (Zoho)
• Inquire with your campus resources on access to Qualtrics, Campus Labs, etc. that they may already be utilizing

 

Analysis & Reporting#

Report writing is one of the most important components in the survey cycle. Survey findings need to be presented in a way that is readable and easy to understand so that the findings are not unintentionally misrepresented. Your report will provide the bigger pictures as communicated by the data, to help drive decisions and affirm current realities about your survey. Before you write your report, here are some notes about how to navigate the analysis of your data so that it can help you deliver the most accurate summary:

 

• Do not get stuck on negative results or responses by associating any blame or guilt
• Discuss with your executive committee (and maybe even subgroups within the chapter) what you can utilize this data for/how you can apply it to your action plans
• Create a summary of what the overall data is representing
  • For qualitative responses, you do not need to include every answer and can summarize trends and themes
• See Section III to utilize a template that will help you share your findings in a clear and formal way

 

 

Questions#

 

Demographics#

Demographics can still be collected even if issuing an anonymous survey. These questions can provide you with basic information about respondents to help differentiate and segment groups so you can better understand your data.

Examples

• What semester and year were you initiated? EX: Fall 2020
• What is your class standing? (If your year in school/credit hours don’t align, select whichever you feel best describes you)
  • Freshman/First year
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior (this includes fifth year and beyond)
• Select the statement which best describes you:
  • I am a current Executive Committee officer
  • I am a current non-Executive Committee officer
  • I am not currently an officer, but I have served in the past
  • I am not currently an officer, and I have not served in the past
• How did you join this chapter?
  • Primary Recruitment
  • Continuous Open Recruitment
  • I affiliated as a transfer from another chapter

 

“10-Question” Template#

Here is the template for you to collect a basic snapshot of the general members Alpha Delta Pi experience. The answers to from these questions will give your leadership a better understanding of what general members are experiencing and looking for in areas of membership that are most critical. These questions should be multiple-choice, unless otherwise indicated. You may want to consider adding optional text boxes after each question so the respondent can elaborate on their answer.

1. What is your level of satisfaction with your chapter experience thus far?
   • Very Satisfied- I am getting the experience that I want out of my chapter.
   • Satisfied- I bond well with my sisters but sometimes wish that my time in the chapter was better spent.
   • Unsatisfied- I have my close friends but would like a better overall experience.
   • Very Unsatisfied – I do not enjoy my experience in the chapter.

 

2. (Select all that apply) What are some things that you would like to see change/improve in our chapter before you graduate?
   • Membership experience events
   • Sisterhood events
   • Educational events or opportunities
   • Senior engagement
   • Recruitment numbers
   • Alpha experience
   • Relationships between members
   • Relationships with chapter advisors
   • Relationships with alumnae
   • I would like to see…(fill in yourself)

 

3. How do you define your big/little relationship?
   • Great- we’re best friends; OR we’re not best friends, but I’m satisfied with the relationship
   • I wish we spent more time together and/or utilized Diamond Families more
   • We aren’t close and I am okay with that

 

4. Who within the chapter do you spend the most time with?
   • Just my closest friends
   • My closest friends and I’m working on branching out to other sisters
   • My closest friends and I actively branch out to other sisters
   • All types of sisters and friend groups

 

5. How do you feel about our chapter’s use of Pride Groups?
   • I really like them
   • They don’t make a big difference in my experience
   • I wish we utilized them more
   • What is a Pride Group?

 

6. Do you feel that our chapter recruits AND retains new members well?
   • Yes, we recruit and retain well!
   • We recruit and retain okay.
   • We recruit well but do not retain.
   • We do not recruit well, but we do retain well.
   • We do not recruit or retain well.

 

7. Do you believe seniors are as engaged in the chapter as they should be?
   • Yes
   • For the most part
   • It could be better
   • Unsure

 

8. How do you feel about our chapter’s finances?
   • Dues are reasonable and the budget/spending is properly managed.
   • Dues are reasonable but the budget/spending need improvement.
   • Dues are not reasonable and I don’t know much about the budget/spending.
   • Dues are not reasonable and the budget/spending is poorly managed.

 

9. Do you feel that your officers and executive board are doing their best for the chapter?
   • Yes
   • Most times
   • Sometimes
   • Rarely/Never
     • (open-ended) 9a. Explain:

 

10. (Open ended) What did we not ask about in this survey that you want to share?

 

Additional Topics to Consider#

Depending on what your chapter does well and where there is room for growth, you will want to consider these additional questions to target certain areas of chapter operations/performance. Please engage the relevant advisors/International Officers when building out programming specific questions, there may already be resources out there (e.g., Recruitment Survey).

 

SISTERHOOD & MEMBERSHIP EXPERIENCE#

Multiple Choice

• Would you like to spend more time with sisters that you do not usually spend time with?
  • Yes, let’s make it happen
  • Yes, but I do not have extra time
  • No – I am not interested
  • No – we spend a decent amount of time with everyone
• On average, how much time in a week do you spend with sisters outside of ADPi meetings/events?
  • None
  • 1 – 2 hours
  • 3 – 5 hours
  • 6+ hours
• Do you have interest in serving in a leadership role (officer, committee, etc.)?
  • Yes, and I’ve been able to do so
  • Yes, but I wasn’t selected for a position
  • Yes, but I haven’t put myself out there yet
  • Not right now, but I could be in the future
  • Not right now, and I probably won’t in the future
• Select the option which best describes how you feel at chapter events:
  • Great I feel welcome to hang out with anyone
  • Good- I might not feel as comfortable if my closest friends aren’t there, but I know I can probably find other sisters to hang out with
  • Okay- I sometimes feel left out when I’m in a room full of sisters, but people are usually nice to me
  • Not so great- I usually feel left out around my sisters, and/or people are unkind to me

Short Answer

• Besides events, what can our chapter do to build stronger relationships between sisters?
• What are some things that make it difficult for our chapter to have a strong sisterhood?
• What did you hope to get out of your membership when you joined ADPi, and have those expectations been met? Why or why not?
• What sisterhood activities/opportunities would you like to see?

 

ALUMNAE & ADVISORS#

Multiple Choice

• Do you feel that our chapter advisors are accessible?
  • Very
  • Somewhat
  • A little
  • Not at all
  • Unsure
• Do you feel that our chapter makes an effort to build relationships with our advisors?
  • Definitely
  • Kind of
  • A little
  • Barely/Not at all
  • Unsure
• What is your perception of how often our chapter interacts with the local alumnae association?

Only include if there is a local AA.

• Multiple times per year
• One or two times per year
• Not at all
• Unsure

• The engagement I’ve seen between alumnae and my chapter has helped me understand how I can stay involved in Alpha Delta Pi after I graduate
  • Absolutely – We see alumnae often and I am aware of several opportunities for staying involved
  • Kind of – We see alumnae occasionally, and I somewhat understand how I can stay involved
  • Not really – We don’t have much interaction with alumnae, so I don’t really know what my options are for staying involved
  • Indifferent – I don’t see myself being too involved in ADPi after graduation

Short Answer

• What ideas do you have for connecting and building relationships with chapter advisors?
• What ideas do you have for connecting and building relationships with alumnae?

 

OFFICERS#

Multiple Choice

• I feel like I can contribute or gain something from attending chapter meetings
  • Almost always
  • Most of the time
  • Sometimes
  • Never
  • I don’t usually go
• I feel motivated and empowered by the leadership style used by our officers and executive board.
  • Definitely- I know they’re doing their best, they handle difficult situations well, and help me feel valued as a member
  • Kind of- I think they’re trying, but could use help with leading in a more effective way
  • No- It feels like decisions are made in their own best interest and I sometimes feel “talked down to”

Short Answer

• What do our officers and executive board do well?
• How could our officers and executive board improve?

 

FINANCE

• For the most part, I understand what my dues pay for
  • Definitely
  • For the most part
  • Somewhat
  • Not really
• Select the option which best describes your financial situation:
  • I am completely/mostly financially independent – I pay for my ADPi dues and nearly everything else like rent, school, and food
  • I have some financial support – I pay for some things, but also have help
  • My family (or someone else) pays for mostly everything right now
• Select the option which best describes your employment situation
  • I work often so that I can afford school, ADPi dues, and other necessities like groceries
  • I work often, but I just do it because I like it/want to
  • I work some and it helps pay for school, ADPi dues, and other things
  • I work some, but I just do it because I like it/want to
  • I’m not currently employed
• How does your job impact your involvement in ADPi?
  • I’m not as involved in ADPi as I’d like to be because of my job
  • I’m less involved in ADPi than others because of my job, but I’m okay with that
  • My job doesn’t impact my involvement in ADPi
  • I’m not currently employed
• I am aware of the different payment plan options available to me through my chapter
  • Yes, and they work great for me
  • Yes, but they don’t fit my needs
  • Yes, but I don’t use them
  • Not really
• Have you ever considered cancelling your membership because of costs?
  • Yes
  • Yes, but I haven’t seriously considered it
  • No
• What would you be willing to let go of/reduce to help lower costs associated with membership? (select all that apply)
  • Social events
  • Required t-shirts and accessories
  • Meal plans/grab & go food/snacks at facility
  • Friends/family functions
  • Non-essential supplies for philanthropy events
  • Recruitment décor/outfits (including Bid Day)
  • Big/little gifts (capping the dollar amount per person, etc.)

 

Short Answer

• In your opinion, how could the chapter manage money more responsibly?

 

SENIOR ENGAGEMENT#

Multiple Choice

1. What is the impact of the current amount of senior involvement on the chapter?
   • Senior involvement positively impacts our chapter
   • It holds our chapter back in some ways
   • It negatively impacts the chapter in several ways
2. I am satisfied with our chapter’s senior programming/events
   • Yes
   • They’re decent
   • They could use improvement
   • I’m not a senior
3. As a senior, I feel connected to the chapter
   • Definitely
   • For the most part
   • Somewhat
   • Not really
   • I’m not a senior
4. As a senior, I feel like chapter events and programming are still relevant to me
   • Yes
   • Mostly
   • Somewhat
   • Not really
   • I’m not a senior

 

RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION#

Short Answer

• In your opinion, what does the chapter do well during Primary Recruitment/COR?
• In your opinion, what do you think holds the chapter back in Primary Recruitment/COR?
• Have you ever considered canceling your membership? Why or why not?
• Why do you think sisters in our chapter cancel their membership?
• What are the things about our chapter that have made you want to stay a member?

Executive Summary Template#