Covenant. What does that mean, exactly? Oddly enough I found myself last weekend in a class at church on this very thing. As I sat there listening to the Pastor talk I realized that our relationships – those with our Phi Mu sisters – are just that, covenant relationships. Some of the words from our Initiation ceremony, many clouded by time, came back to me in that classroom. Covenant - our promise of loyalty and service, a bond made by choice.

Don’t get me wrong; immediately after college I was glad to be done with chapter meetings and dues, and I really didn’t think much about covenant.  But now, as a young alumna, I do think about that covenant, and my promise of service to Phi Mu.

But where do you start?  How do you get involved?  As a collegiate member, contributing to Phi Mu seemed a lot clearer and easier, so to help you navigate your steps in reestablishing your covenant with Phi Mu, here are ten ways for you to be involved as an alumna.

10 Ways to Be Involved in Phi Mu as an Alumna

1. Join an Alumnae Chapter
For me it started simply enough as wanting to meet people. I moved to Minnesota from Birmingham, Alabama, in 2006, and I didn’t know a single soul, except for my wonderful husband who bravely joined me on this journey far away from “home.” I may be the only Mississippi State alumna in the Twin Cities, so I would have no luck connecting to an MSU alumni chapter. But, lucky for me, there was a Phi Mu alumnae chapter. Jackpot! This chapter represents a wide diversity of collegiate chapters, ages, and interests, and it took no time to make friends. Maybe you’re looking for a way to be more active in your community. Why not do so as part of your local Phi Mu alumnae chapter.

Did you know there are more than 175 alumnae chapters across the country? Visit the Phi Mu website at http://www.phimu.org/alumnae/ for a list of alumnae chapters in your area.

2. Start an Alumnae Chapter
Not an alumnae chapter in your area?  Start one!  Contact Phi Mu National Headquarters, and they’ll help you get an alumnae chapter up and running.  I was so excited to be one of the first members of the Birmingham, AL, Alumnae Chapter when it was chartered in 2003.  After a few years and a lot of hard work by the women in that area, that chapter is now stronger than ever!  Their membership has more than doubled in the last year, and they have been an active part of their community.

3. Join a Chapter Association
Since the 1960s, Phi Mu chapter associations have provided an organized conduit for alumnae, initiated at the same college or university, to keep in touch with one another and with their collegiate chapter. According to National Headquarters, “the intended purpose of a chapter association, in addition to keeping close bonds with chapter sisters, is to provide support to the collegiate chapter and host alumnae events such as Homecoming and chapter reunions.” The bonds of Phi Mu sisterhood extend beyond our college years. For many of us, local area alumnae associations provide an opportunity for Phi Mu sisters to socialize with one another and contribute to their community and national fraternity. Chapter associations build on the common bond of Initiation into the same collegiate chapter, allowing us to share our memories with each other and provide a resource to current and future Phi Mus to create their own.

Not a year after moving to Minnesota, the Kappa Alpha Chapter Association was born, due entirely to one Mrs. Shani Burley-Moore. It all began with an e-mail. In 2007 Shani sent an e-mail to several Phi Mu sisters from Mississippi State asking about interest in starting a chapter association. Two months later, we identified an executive council, opened a checking account, created an e-mail address, published our first newsletter, and began working on a website and planning the first reunion. Wow! In July 2008 we hosted our first reunion at the Phi Mu house on the MSU campus, and in June at the 2008 National Convention were awarded Outstanding Chapter Association Newsletter. Now we are well on our way to reaching more and more Kappa Alpha Chapter initiates and planning for a 50th anniversary celebration in 2012.

4. Start a Chapter Association
It’s as simple as sending an e-mail. Don’t believe me? Ask Shani and the dozens of women like her who made the first step in starting their chapter associations.

5. Help Your Local Collegiate Chapter
You probably remember how great it was to have meals and snacks provided for you during recruitment workshops, right? Or how a note from a local alumna given to you at initiation made a big impression? With 122 active collegiate chapters and more added nearly every year, more than likely there is a group of Phi Mu young women close to you who could benefit from your involvement.

It’s funny that my first alumnae event after moving to Minnesota would be in Wisconsin at a Phi Mu recruitment preference party. The alumnae chapter was at the University of Wisconsin River Falls supporting their heart-to-heart chapter during formal recruitment (for those of us over 30 that would be ‘rush’). I was immediately struck by how different everything was from how I remembered it at Mississippi State, but I quickly realized we weren’t all that different. We were, of course, sisters, and we all shared the same love for Phi Mu, no matter at what chapter we initiated. So even if you aren’t near your initiating chapter, there are some bright young women in rose and white that would welcome your help.

6. Serve on a Collegiate Chapter Advisory Council
Looking to take on a more active role in helping your local collegiate chapter? Join the advisory council. In 2008 I was honored to be asked by the leadership of the Zeta Sigma Chapter to join their advisory council as philanthropy adviser. I was interested in seeing them become more involved in their community, and they were looking for someone to help them discover how they could do that. Being a part of their advisory council has to be one of the easiest jobs on the planet! All I do is cheer them on and watch them flourish. This is an amazing group of bright young women who are making such a powerful and positive impact on their campus and in their community.

7. Lead a Project for your Alumnae Chapter
For most alumnae chapters, taking on a leadership role doesn’t have to mean long-term. You could be a hostess for a Phi Mu alumnae event or join a committee. You could help write notes to local Phi Mu sisters. There are lots of ways to be involved outside of being an officer.

Conversations about my interest in seeing the Twin Cities Alumnae Chapter be more active in the community spurred that inevitable question, “Why don’t you lead us in that?” Well, I should have seen that one coming. In July 2008 I joined the Twin Cities Alumnae Chapter executive board as philanthropy chair. Since then we’ve collected teddy bears for the local CMN hospital, held a silent auction to raise money for CMN and Phi Mu Foundation, and visited the local CMN hospital for a tour. Personally, my interest is in community service, so it made sense that this was how I could be involved with my alumnae chapter. What about you? Have you thought about how you can use your talents and interests to help your alumnae chapter?

8. Be An Officer in Your Chapter Association
I asked Shani what she needed for this new Kappa Alpha Chapter Association, and she responded, “newsletter chair.” I had helped on a few newsletters in some previous leadership roles, but I wasn’t quite sure how far that limited experience would get me. But I said, “Sign me up!” and thank goodness for me there was an amazing amount of interest and support from the other women from Kappa Alpha to pull the newsletter together. It has been almost two years since that e-mail, and I have enjoyed every moment of working on the newsletter. Every story or picture or walk down memory lane I am privileged to read and share with our sisters has been a blessing. Many laughs and even a few tears have been shed, but every laugh and every tear reminded me why on November 11, 1994, I entered into that covenant with Phi Mu.

9. Serve As An Officer in Your Alumnae Chapter
For those looking at how to start being an active Phi Mu alumna, taking on an officer position in your local alumnae chapter may not be your first choice. But why not? All it takes is a commitment to serving your fellow Phi Mu sisters.

In March at our local Founders’ Day luncheon, I was elected president of the Twin Cities Alumnae Chapter. But I’m not the only one in leadership for our chapter; we have a talented and bright group of women on our executive board, and as a team we work together to serve our chapter members. Our duties include organizing social events, communicating to our members with regular newsletters and other correspondence, serving our community through philanthropic and service activities, reaching out to Phi Mu alumnae in the area, and being fiscally responsible with our resources. It takes more than one person to do all that, so think about your talents and how you can work with your Phi Mu sisters to serve your local alumnae chapter as an officer.

10. Support Phi Mu Foundation
Maybe you aren’t looking to take on a leadership role as described above or there isn’t a collegiate chapter in your area. Regardless, I know of something we can all participate in - giving back to Phi Mu. Giving back benefits collegiate chapters with scholarships and programming. Giving back benefits our fraternity by maintaining the legacy of Phi Mu in our old and new ‘homes.’ Giving back benefits the small and new chapters by sustaining the strength and depth of the second oldest women’s fraternal organization in the country.

Giving is easy. Simply visit www.phimufoundation.org and select the “donate” button on the navigation bar. There are a multitude of ways to contribute to Foundation – Heart and Hands fund, Annual fund, Building Endowment fund, bequests, and buying a brick. It’s extremely easy, fully tax-deductible and provides income the Foundation relies on. It’s a win-win!