Volunteer Education Programming

Join volunteer colleagues from around the country to elevate the impact of your volunteer skills and take your AVC and chapter to the next level! You will discuss and learn about practical topics relevant to all volunteer roles, and your specific role, to take back home to your AVC and make a difference. Sessions will be open enrollment, with multiple offerings in Volunteer Services and National Housing topics running concurrently, so you are free to choose the sessions that are the most relevant to what you want to learn!

Volunteer Education Keynote: Dr. Rosalind Alderman, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Dr. Alderman has spent the past 30 years working at St. Mary's University in San Antonio where she began her career as the Director of Greek Life and most recently as the Vice President for Enrollment Management. She is an alumnae initiate of Phi Mu which she joined at Bowling Green State University while in graduate school studying student affairs and higher education administration. Rosalind has been the national treasurer of Gamma Sigma Alpha National Academic Greek Honor Society, national scholarship chairman of Phi Mu, and founding chapter advisor for Phi Mu at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Volunteer Services Offerings: Attend our brand-new volunteer education programming to develop advanced skills in working with undergraduates, collaborate with volunteer colleagues, or learn more about role-based and specialized skills from subject matter experts.

Sessions and roundtables include:

Step Up Your Balanced Man Program

This session will review fundamental practices of an effective Balanced Man Program, and provide insight into how to make BMP activities and events more engaging and exciting for the chapter.

The Balanced Man Scholarship: Recruiting the Best and Brightest

Learn how to make the most of your investment in the Balanced Man Scholarship: explore improvements to the application and evaluation process, tweaks to increase the efficacy of your BMS, and how to support undergraduates in converting applicants into brothers.

Advanced Mentoring and Fostering a Culture of Peer Accountability

Are you a volunteer who works directly with undergraduates? This session will advise attendees on how to deepen their relationship with their mentee and help him navigate difficult situations. Additionally, this session will focus on creating a chapter culture where undergraduates keep each other accountable and on the right path as an expression of brotherly love. This session is of most value to volunteers who have completed the Mentoring Undergraduates module on mySigEp or at Carlson 2024.

Break the Stigma: A Discussion about Undergraduate Mental Health

Come with questions and learn from the expertise of mental health and university professionals about how to support undergraduate mental health in this interactive panel discussion.

Fill Your Fundraising Toolbox

How can your chapter make the most of your fundraising efforts and capital investment funds? In this session hosted by Foundation staff, learn how to expand your fundraising potential using best practices and free tools in mySigEp to increase the efficacy of your fundraising.

Volunteer Recruitment and Alumni Engagement

Add to your recruitment toolkit with practical tips and tricks to recruit new volunteers. Learn best practices to engage alumni that foster volunteerism, giving, and inter-generational connection within your chapter.

Planning Successful (and Safe!) Events

It’s time to host an event! Join us to learn member safety and event planning best practices, and to hear about ideas for alumni, social, and philanthropy events that chapters across the country are hosting.

Today's Undergraduate: Trends in Higher Education

Join a panel discussion to gain insight into what’s new in higher education, changes and challenges in the college landscape and the undergraduate experience over the past decade, and opportunities for SigEp on the horizon. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and gain unique perspectives from SigEp volunteers who are also university professionals.

SigEp Learning Communities and Substance Free Facilities

Explore the new SLC accreditation rubric and how you can use it to strengthen your SigEp Learning Community. In this session attendees will also discover the benefits and opportunities that substance-free SigEp learning communities bring to the table, and fresh and engaging substance-free ways to encourage brotherhood.

Chapter and AVC Finance Best Practices and Compliance

Learn the nuts and bolts of achieving SigEp compliance and financial best practices at the state, federal, and organizational levels.

SigEp National Housing Offerings: Managing fraternal housing is complex. Make it simpler by attending our housing sessions where we'll isolate some of the most important operations for AVCs to focus on when managing their SigEp home. AVCs should expect to discuss everything from project planning, to financing and fundraising, to property management, all with the goal of providing a top-notch living, learning experience for our undergraduates. There is something for everyone whether you're here to learn the ropes, connect with other AVCs and discuss best practices, or connect with vendors or get into specialized topics that your chapter needs guidance in.

Sessions and roundtables include:

What’s on the Other Side of the Red Door?

Open the door to better Property Management practices and facility fundraising. You’ll leave this session with a 3-5 capital strategic capital plan in consultation with SENH Board of Directors and staff. This presentation will include flowchart development work time and benchmarking with fellow designated property volunteers.

Measure Twice, Cut Once: Cutting-Edge Design

Stay informed with the latest tips, trends and topics related to architecture, planning and design of fraternal housing. Listen to industry-leading architecture and design professionals share the latest and best industry trends and events.

Show Me the Money!

How can your chapter leverage its funds at the Foundation? This session will review what each funding line is (e.g. AVCIF, CIF, General Funds, et.c), what can or cannot be used for the facility and/or SLC, how funds are accessed, and how they can be maximized to restore or revitalize facilities.

Make Their House a Home

Teamwork makes the dream work! Learn how to create buy-in and strong operations by undergraduate house managers. We will discuss role delineation, successful motivation strategies for peer accountability, and how leveraging the VP of Finance and Chaplain can directly affect asset protection.

Outsourcing Property Management: What To Consider

At The Kalos Group, we guide fraternity and sorority house corporations through the stages of new house construction and renovation. A successful institutional construction project requires much oversight and management – a task that can be overwhelming to volunteers who are not able to give full-time attention to the process.

Cover Your Assets

Avoid, Reduce, Transfer. This program provides an overview of insurance coverage, types of insurance (GL, MAPP, Crime, D&O), and exclusions. Participants will learn the key components to create a safer experience. This session will also focus on legal issues specific to fraternities, sororities, fraternal foundations and house corporations.

A New Lease on (Fraternity) Life

Volunteers will discuss best practices in utilizing housing market data, creating strong leasing language to mitigate liability, choosing the correct lease type for your chapter, incorporating housing in membership agreements, and establishing a successful leasing timeline in a highly competitive market.

Gathering Around The Table

Meet with industry leading vendors and learn how to provide a food service to keep up with market trends and ever changing member needs. This session will give AVCs the tools needed to hire a food service vendor and highlight what they should look for when signing contracts and entering into agreements.