Transitioning from being a collegiate member of your organization to an alumna member is a significant change. You’re graduating college and possibly starting your career, you’re no longer surrounded by sisters on a regular basis, you may be moving away from your college town and starting a new chapter of your life. With all of the changes, it’s easy to begin feeling disconnected as an alumna.
Continue Your Experience
There are many ways to continue your sorority involvement after graduation, whether it be joining an alumnae chapter, meeting up with sisters once a month or attending national events. Another way to maintain a connection with your organization is to volunteer.
Volunteering for your organization allows you to engage with your sorority in new ways and reignite your passion. There are a number of ways to use your unique talents and interests to give back to collegiate sisters and your sorority, like writing for your organization’s blog or magazine, helping out at collegiate philanthropy events, facilitating a workshop at a national event, or even becoming a chapter advisor.
The Reward
Volunteering doesn’t just benefit your organization, it also benefits your personal development. Through volunteering you can meet and network with new sisters and other volunteers, develop new sills that can be put on your resume, build on your confidence by stepping out of your comfort zone and gain a new appreciation for your organization and the work they do in the world.
Perhaps one of the most rewarding parts of volunteering your time is that you have an impact on the sorority experience of the collegiate women who come after you, whether directly or indirectly. By offering your time, you are helping your organization provide programming, resources and support to collegiate women. An article you write for your magazine may inspire a collegiate member, and the workshops you facilitate can help our collegiate members grow as leaders and women, any role you play as a volunteer will in some way impact your collegiate sisters.
Getting Started
My volunteer experiences within my organization and with the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) as a whole have been both fun and rewarding. I encourage anyone who is on the fence about becoming a volunteer to research all of the options available to you. I almost guarantee there is an opportunity that will fit your schedule, talents and interests, and by volunteering your time you’ll gain so much in return. If you are interested in volunteering, I suggest reaching out to your organization to learn how to get started.