Delta Zeta’s Legacy

Guest Blogger: Aileen Roel, Field Activities Committee
 
I love to give gifts. Do you? I love watching friends and family open them and the gratifying feeling of bringing happiness and showing love through those gifts. It starts when I find the absolute perfect item for someone. I envision my dear friends enjoying it for years to come. I have hope that this gift will bring value to their lives by brightening their day or making life a little easier.

The whole process reminds me of Delta Zeta in so many ways. We have the opportunity to share our gift of sisterhood with very special women – our sisters, daughters and granddaughters so they can enjoy Delta Zeta for a lifetime.

This is why I love watching legacies participate in recruitment. I think about how these young women have been preparing for this moment. For years, these potential new members heard all about Delta Zeta. In many cases, the grooming began well before she was born and continued through high school. Mothers likely had pink and green baby showers. Baby girls received stuffed turtles in lieu of teddy bears. Instead of traditional lullabies, these little legacies were sung Delta Zeta songs. They’ve been photographed sporting DZ legacy shirts, which were posted to Facebook and Twitter with pride, then “liked” or re-tweeted by close DZ friends. They were brought to alumnae gatherings and introduced to other Delta Zetas.

Sisters have similar experiences just as emotional. From the moment the new Delta Zeta member began her recruitment process, she made countless phone calls to her sister at home describing her excitement. Her sister heard all about the moment she opened her invitation to join, her new member meetings, philanthropy, socials, sisterhood events, aspirations of leading a committee or running for office. They both dreamt of sharing Delta Zeta with each other one day.

As recruitment approaches, remember, our Delta Zeta legacies are ready. Of all the potential new members, they are the most prepared. They know what sisterhood is. When you are trying to explain how sisterhood is stronger than friendship to the rest of the group, they understand. They’ve seen sisterhood in action. They came to college hoping for their turn to have life-long friendships and the unconditional love of sisters. They yearn to deepen their relationships with their sister, mother or grandmother through Delta Zeta. Legacies know. They are committed and ready. They are sold – and they have been for a while.

So when you have legacies come through your doors this fall, remember that another member has already given her the gift of Delta Zeta. It is our job during recruitment to give her the opportunity to receive it. Sometimes that means giving her the opportunity even when she does not seem to want it, even when you do not think the gift is a good fit. Remember, she already has her gift. It is hers to open.

Wearing our values on our pages: What do your social media sites say about Delta Zeta?

Last summer, right before fall formal recruitment, we did a post about how chapters and members show Delta Zeta values while recruiting top notch potential new members. The DZ Blog Team thought we should revisit this important conversation and talk about how we show Delta Zeta values on social media sites. 

As a refresher – in case you have forgotten or don’t have our Sorority’s Purpose readily available -

“The purpose of this Sorority shall be to unite its members in the bonds of sincere and lasting friendship, to stimulate one another in the pursuit of knowledge, to promote the moral and social culture of its members and to develop plans for guidance and unity in action; objects worthy of the highest aim and purpose of associated effort. The purpose of this Sorority shall be advanced through the National Convention, the National Council and the college and alumnae chapters.” Constitution of the Delta Zeta Sorority, Article II, Sections 1. and 2.

Though we have a wide presence out on social media, even recently expanding to add our new Instagram page, Delta Zeta’s message and brand is carefully crafted by the Sorority. People might be surprised to realize that we plan out our posts weeks, if not months, in advance in order to effectively tell the story of Delta Zeta and our members. Do you have a plan for your chapter’s social media? Do you think through the types of stories you want your chapter to be known for? Or are you quick to hit the retweet button on that cool looking photo/status/link that you see in your timeline? Planning your themes and topics for your chapter’s social media presence also saves you a lot of time. Instead of rushing around at the last minute looking for that cool story to post, you can include the rest of your team members in the process which then brings in a diversity of perspectives to your communications plan.

 
In the State of the Sorority last week at Convention, Past National President Jeanine Petersen Triplett emphasized that “You are Delta Zeta.” The photo at the top of this blog post certainly illustrates that point. When making sure that our social media presence reflects the values of Delta Zeta, we need to educate our individual members on what is acceptable to post online. Though members may maintain individual, personal pages separate from Delta Zeta chapter sites, their activities must still follow Delta Zeta’s policies and expectations. At the very least, every Delta Zeta member should review our Policy on Personal Websites, and more so, our chapters should provide members with information on crafting their personal brand online. And, as members of Delta Zeta, they should promote our brand and values when acting either online or in person. Sites such as Levo League and LeanIn.org have some great articles and blog posts for women starting out in the professional world and building their personal brand.

Looking to connect with other Delta Zeta chapter pages on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter? Delta Zeta has complied those addresses and you can find them on our chapter locator on our website. Do you have a new site to add to the chapter locator? Chapter officers can update their chapter’s information on Chapter Inc.’s Operations Menu – Actions – Edit Chapter Information. Or, please send update to webmaster@dzshq.com.

Packing the Essentials for Convention

In a little less than a week, over 600 Delta Zetas will travel to Tucson, Arizona for the 2014 Delta Zeta National Convention. While many of you might be concerned about what to wear, there are many other things just as important to prepare for your trip. Planning your outfits is important, and you can find examples of what to wear for each different Convention session here, but we wanted to take a few minutes to talk about six non-clothing items that you make sure you pack!

1. Extra spending money – Plan to shop in DZ DeZigns where you will be able to get your fill of pink and green gear. Another way to spend money - but to support Delta Zeta at the same time – is to purchase a turtle for the Foundation’s Great Turtle Race or give a rose in the Rose Garden.

2. Follow the feed – Make sure to download Twitter to your smart phone to follow the #DZ2014 feed for the latest announcements and post your reactions to all the happenings in Tucson. Check out our Convention Board on Pinterest for more information before your arrival.

3. Check over the schedule – The schedule for Convention Events is posted to the website. But, if you are a smartphone user, you might find it helpful to use a scheduling program like Evernote or Google Calendar to create for yourself a personal schedule of the events you are attending at Convention. Or, go the old fashioned paper and pen way and make sure to circle key items in the program you receive at registration on site.

4. Don’t forget photo ops – We have some very special events planned, from our Hike for Hearing and first Great Turtle Race to some special celebrity guests, so you will need your cameras ready for photos! Make sure to stop by our “pink” carpet to take your photo taken in style! And share those photos with us by tagging @DeltaZetaNatl on Instagram (yes – we are on Instagram now!).

5. Notebook and pen – Even though you may be used to taking notes with your iPad, its always useful to have a notebook and pen so you can jot down a note, give someone your phone number or take notes during Convention business sessions with limited computer access.

6. YOU! The most important thing about coming to Convention is to make sure you are present. Yes we know you are coming. But what we mean is that you should come with an open mind, ready to learn, connect and experience one of the most amazing sisterhood events Delta Zeta has to offer.