Cross & Crescent

A little over a year ago we shared the last update about where the challenges of Lambda Chi Alpha lay and what we were going to do to overcome those obstacles.

I am pleased to report that we have come through this period of challenge, doing so with a clear sense of our goals and an awareness of the roadblocks that stand in our path.

Most importantly, we do so with a sense of hope and clear evidence that we can and will meet or exceed those challenges.

During the past year, Lambda Chi Alpha associated 3,987 men and initiated 3,585 (a 90 percent retention rate); our total number of undergraduate members is 9,982; and in April 2006, Lambda Chi Alpha initiated its 250,000th brother.

Importance of Planning

If you have an idea of the direction you wish to go, you’ll have a vastly better chance of getting there. This past year, the Headquarters staff and the Grand High Zeta teamed up to create and execute an operational plan.

The challenge for the next year will be the development of a thoughtful and innovative strategic plan –- one that allows Lambda Chi Alpha to not only hit its goals, but to help lead an international fraternal renaissance.

The time has come for Lambda Chi Alpha to reclaim its title as the preeminent fraternal leader.

The plan will need to be based upon five areas of concentration that have been the focus for much of our activity during the past year. Those areas are:

1. Membership Services
2. Alumni Involvement
3. Communications and Outreach
4. Finance
5. Pride in Lambda Chi Alpha

Membership Services

Our membership services support system centers on the educational leadership consultants. During the 2005 Leadership Seminar, I promised that each chapter and colony would receive two visits a year from the Headquarters staff. I pleased to report that this goal has been achieved every semester since that declaration. It is a wise investment of Fraternity resources.

Additionally, in the summer of 2005 the “Shine the Badge” program was adopted by the Grand High Zeta. Through this initiative, Lambda Chi Alpha has re-focused and re-dedicated energy to chapter and colony accountability.

This effort evolved, specifically, from the Standards found in our Constitution. During the first year of implementation we focused on membership (the size of a chapter) and worked to build and maintain a chapter size of 20 members. We have witnessed numerous occasions where chapters have embraced this challenge and met or exceeded their goals.

Alumni Involvement

We are committed to getting more and more alumni engaged in the mission of our Fraternity. In addition to the regular assistance of helping chapters find alumni advisers, your Headquarters staff plans to take an aggressive stance on securing an officially appointed and well trained High Pi at every chapter and colony by the end of this upcoming academic year. There really is no alternative. Chapters that have an engaged High Pi offer a better and more consistent fraternal experience than those that do not.

Additionally, the Lambda Chi Alpha Educational Foundation is focused on generating and investing resources for our future and is in the middle of a fund-raising campaign.

The Foundation staff and board do vital work and are in the vanguard of actions that not only provide means for alumni to get involved in the Fraternity, but will hopefully create big opportunities for the Fraternity in the years ahead.

Communications and Outreach

Lambda Chi Alpha continues to give back to the community. I am pleased to report that this year’s North American Food Drive witnessed brothers of Lambda Chi spending 40,000 man hours working to raise 3 million pounds of food.

Lambda Chi Alpha continues to lead the fraternity world with the Cross & Crescent magazine. This publication became the first and only electronic-based fraternal publication. Our peers have begun to see the light and many have followed our path.

We need the undergraduates and alumni to share with us what you are doing in the name of Lambda Chi Alpha. The new Lambda Chi Alpha website is being developed and all signs point to a roll-out in 2007.

Finances

We made a commitment to straighten out the Fraternity’s finances and I am very pleased to report that this has been done. Lambda Chi Alpha General Fraternity operated in the black this year and finished the 2005-2006 fiscal year with an additional $300,000 in the bank.

The board and staff made some tough decisions including moving the Cross & Crescent magazine to a strictly electronic format and making some severe cuts to the staff. Both of these events were accomplished without a loss of quality in the services delivered to the brotherhood.

Additionally, the Lambda Chi Alpha Properties group of the Fraternity made some difficult financial decisions. We have become a leaner and re-focused operation, now providing a better housing model for Lambda Chi Alpha moving into the future.

Simply put, we are once again on solid financial ground.

Pride in Lambda Chi Alpha

Following the multiple successes we have witnessed over the past year there comes along a renewed sense of pride. This has been demonstrated to me by the young brothers I have met on my travels. I have witnessed brothers of purpose who were working extremely hard to do the right thing by their chapter.

I have witnessed the relationships that have been developed between the undergraduate members and our Headquarters. I see chapters who aren’t afraid to reach out and seek the assistance and support of the professional staff.

I have witnessed more and more alumni raising their hands wanting to get re-involved in the life of their Fraternity and asking the simple question: “What can I do to help?” And I have witnessed a Headquarters staff who take great pride (and have fun) in doing what we do all for the benefit of our members.

We have a great Headquarters team. These men and women work hard, they work smart, and they really, really try to get it right.

Next 100 Years

All of these things make it clear to me that pride, combined with a sense of purpose, will cause us to achieve our goals.

However, we still have much to do. We need to expand and grow our membership in the years ahead, and we need to continue the growth in alumni involvement and membership services.

Next, we have a strategic planning process taking place, with some initiatives already well underway. We must finish the task we have begun as we move into the next 100 years of our great Fraternity.