Giving back to the community and making our local communities a better place is an important part of sorority membership.

As active citizens, sorority women take charge of their role in the community and constantly strive to make the world a better place. By participating in philanthropy and service events, sorority members make an impact in the community and become more creative, caring and empathetic people. But, what do philanthropy and service activities actually look like for sorority women?

Let’s start by understanding the difference between philanthropy and service. While we often hear them used interchangeably, they are very different.

Philanthropy promotes the positive welfare of others through the generous donation of goods or money to a charity or nonprofit organization.

Service is a hands-on experience where you interact with a cause or organization to provide them a service.

Broaden Your Horizons and Deepen your Relationships Through Service

Sorority membership gives women a platform to be active citizens and make an impact on the lives of others. In high school, many sorority women participate in organizations such as the National Honor Society where they learned the positive experience community service has on your life. In college, they want to continue serving others and find joining a sorority a great way to connect with other women while giving back to the community. Community service broadens the view sorority women have of the world and helps them understand the societal needs of others. It is through giving of ourselves and our time that we become more empathic people.

Community engagement also fosters a unique connection between sorority women and their local community. As a chapter, women grow closer together through this shared experience. During the 2019-20 academic year, sorority women volunteered nearly 3.3 million hours. That is a lot of time spent making connections with members of the community and with your sisters.

Providing Necessary Funds to Nonprofit Organizations

You are probably familiar with the fact that sorority women raise funds for national philanthropic partners and local organizations. These causes are different depending on their chapter and sorority. For example, Alpha Chi Omega’s philanthropy is domestic violence awareness and as a result, they have a partnership with the One Love Foundation to help bring an end to relationship violence. Each sorority has a cause they care about and raise funds for. The philanthropic events a chapter hosts provide vital funds to organizations that aid in research, education, awareness and more for each cause they donate to.

Types of Events 

Because National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities are spread out across the United States and some sororities in Canada, the type of philanthropy and service activities are very different for each chapter. While each NPC sorority does fundraise for a national organization, the needs of their local community differ. Below we have listed a few types of philanthropy and service activities sorority women participate in.

Learn more about the types of activities that happen in your campus sorority community by contacting the College Panhellenic Association. You can find contact information by using our Panhellenic Locator Map.