According to the Pew Research Center, 81 percent of Americans go online on a daily basis, and 48 percent of those age 18-29 say they’re online “almost constantly.”

Because the internet plays a major role in the way people connect, it’s a valuable tool to help our chapters recruit, engage and fundraise. Through the use of Chapter Sites, SigEp is making it easier for undergraduates, alumni and volunteers to expand these activities to the online world. 

This spring, SigEp rolled out free, customizable websites for each chapter called Chapter Sites. Chapters and Alumni and Volunteer Corporations now havean efficient way to market the Balanced Man Scholarship, communicate with parents and key stakeholders, and fundraise, at no additional cost. And through each chapter’s site, alumni can stay connected and receive news about what they care about most — their home chapter.

Some top-performing chapters have already shown that the key to being successful online is to update and post to their Chapter Site often. By posting weekly blog stories, they have begun setting their own narrative, which has generated more BMS applicants, engaged new volunteers and supported fundraising efforts.

Recruit: Florida International
Our Florida Nu chapter at Florida International University has embraced the Chapter Site to improve the reach of its Balanced Man Scholarship. The chapter markets its BMS application on its Chapter Site and this year, has seen the number of applications more than double from 300 to 612.

Engage: Tennessee-Martin
In a small college town, the Tennessee Kappa chapter at the University of Tennessee at Martin remains connected with alumni, volunteers and parents across the state and around the country by sharing blog posts from its site.
As AVC President Stephen Yeargin, Tennessee-Martin ’06, explained, “Tennessee Kappa had our own site for more than two decades, but we struggled to keep it up to date. Now that we’re on the Chapter Sites platform, we’ve started using the blog post feature, and it’s allowed us to keep our larger fraternity community up to speed. Showcasing stories about alumni and volunteers working hand-in-hand with the undergraduates also helps convince parents that their son has made the right choice and might inspire them to volunteer as well.”

Fundraise: Georgia
When the Georgia Delta chapter at the University of Georgia began using its Chapter Site, officers weren’t initially convinced of the site’s value, according to Zack Ziegler, Georgia ’20, vice president of communications. But, “within a few weeks of our site being up, we had five grand in our endowment,” he added. The endowment has since increased to $15,000. Ziegler and the other officers realized their chapter site had the potential to do more than just start a conversation with alumni.

You can find your chapter’s site by visiting sigep.org/chapters. Ready to learn more and begin posting like the chapters featured above? Visit sigep.org/chaptersites or contact Chapter Sites Manager Joe Kurle at chapter.sites@sigep.net.