Alpha Phi Omega
National Convention

Phoenix '96


Proposed Legislation
(by Topic)

National and Regional Alignment

Articles of Association

National Bylaws

Articles of Incorporation

Long Range Goals Report

Resolutions

Risk Management

Rituals, Toast Song, and other publications

Long Range Goals Reports

Long-Range Planning
Reference #: O-28

Goal 01: By March 1996, Alpha Phi Omega will implement an ongoing system to encourage and increase communication within the Fraternity, including specifically in areas related to service activities, alumni relations, intra- and inter-chapter relations, and preparation for each National Convention.

Status 01: As evidenced by the redesigned Torch &Trefoil (see Goal 06) and the growing use of electronic communication resources, the Fraternity has made -- and continues to make -- significant progress in improving and expanding its communication systems. To cite just one future possibility, research is under way to determine the costs and practicalities of the National Office eventually maintaining a service project database that would allow chapters to search for ideas from among service project reports submitted by other chapters (see Goal 11). At the regional, sectional and chapter levels, communication is occurring increasingly via newsletters, e-mail list servers, Web sites, and advisory councils. In Region X, for example, The Region X Report is distributed 2-3 times per year to chapters, staff, and other interested individuals to update them on the actions of the National Board of Directors and on upcoming events. In addition, Region X has an e-mail list server in place, many Region X sections have their own list servers, and Jim Rodden, the Region X WebMaster, maintains the Regional Web page, the Section 4 Web page and the 1996 National Convention Web page. The Regional Presidents Advisory Council, under the guidance of RPAC Advisor Karen Tiu and composed of chapter presidents or their representatives, facilitates communication and coordination among the chapters in Region X. Communication support for National Convention Delegates has been provided by the National Convention Web page mentioned above, physical and electronic distribution of the 1996 National Convention Handbook, direct contact with individual Delegates, and various pre-Convention training programs.
Recommendation 01: This goal is being met and should remain an ongoing top priority; however, in view of its continuing nature, it should be removed from the list of date-specific Long-Range Goals.

Goal 02: By December 1996, an Alpha Phi Omega Chapter Advisor Education Program, including supporting materials and implementation plans, will be in place. By December 1997, this program will be fully implemented, with the ultimate aim of having every Chapter Advisor participate in at least one advisor-development activity every year.

Status 02: To be provided at the 1996 National Convention.
Recommendation 02: To be provided at the 1996 National Convention.

Goal 03: By December 1997, Alpha Phi Omega will have increased the accessibility of Fraternity leadership-development programs to the point that at least 60 percent of all Active Members are participating at least annually in at least one such program.

Status 03: The goal of increasing the accessibility of Leadership Development programs is positive but difficult to monitor. Most Actives routinely participate in chapter-level LD programs, such as the Chapter Program Planning Conference. The National LD Committee has worked to develop more programs, train more presenters and increase communication to make more LD opportunities available to all members. Such steps include:
  1. Revising the Leadership Series of officer training materials to make them more useful to all officers and making the Series available on the WorldWide Web.
  2. Creating and maintaining a National LD homepage listing the dates for all Leadership Development Workshops and Chapter Program Workshops to make this information more accessible to members.
  3. Linking the Leadership Series to the LD homepage and making the Series easy and convenient for officers to download.
  4. Increasing the number of national and regional leadership posts on the National LD Committee to provide better communication and improve access to programming. Training more LD staffers makes it possible to offer more CPWs, LDWs, etc., for more Actives.
  5. Viewing the 1994 National Convention Leadership Development Reference Committee as the oversight body for the current National Leadership Development Committee, thus shaping the LD Program around information provided directly from Actives regarding their needs.
  6. Increasing LDW and CPW accessibility to reach more Actives.
  7. Assisting in programming for the 1996 National Convention. Increasing the quality and quantity of the Convention workshops will help to promote the LD Program as a whole.
  8. Producing informational brochures to promote LD programs. Brochures for the LDW, CPW and SRW (Sectional Resource Weekend) already are available. Others are in the works.
In summary:
  • More LD programs are physically available to more Actives;
  • More LD information resources are available to more Actives via electronic and printed means; and
  • The quality of LD programs has improved, which causes more participants to refer the programs to other Actives.
Recommendation 03: Continue progress toward this goal.

Goal 04: By December 1996, Alpha Phi Omega (USA) will have helped to develop plans and implementation steps to ensure that the International Council of Alpha Phi Omega is successful in sharing the principles of Alpha Phi Omega to additional countries around the globe.

Status 04: In concert with Alpha Phi Omega of the Philippines, Operating Policies for the International Council of Alpha Phi Omega have been crafted. In July 1996, the APO-USA National Board of Directors approved a draft of these Operating Policies. This draft has been submitted for consideration by APO of the Philippines and is an action item for the next ICAPO meeting, to be held during the APO-USA National Convention in Phoenix in December 1996. Also, APO-USA's International Extension Position Paper has been published on the WorldWide Web (http://work1.utsi.edu:8000/fuzz/aphio/), thanks to the assistance of Fuzz Hochstedler, and key Fraternity documents have been translated into French.
Recommendation 04: Assuming approval of the Operating Policies during the December 1996 ICAPO meeting, the date-specific portion of this task has been completed and should be removed from the Fraternity's list of Long-Range Goals.

Goal 05: By December 1998, Alpha Phi Omega (USA) will have helped to establish at least five active chapters in Canada.

Status 05: On Dec. 31, 1995, a meeting was held with John Grossi (Section 94 Chair), Tanya Refshauge (Section 23 Chair), Cheryl Smith (Region I Director) and Enrique "Kiki" Lopez (Section 88 Staff) at the Region I/II Conference in Farmington, Conn., to discuss Canadian Extension and set up a subcommittee to work on this project. Significant progress has been made in translating key Fraternity documents into French. Joseph Fisher of Alpha Beta Tau Chapter translated various documents into the Parisian Dialect of French. These were proofread by Sondra Couture of Delta Sigma Chapter. This work continues under the direction of John Grossi. John also has been instrumental in establishing a relationship with the Scouts in Canada. He and members of Phi Epsilon Chapter have contacted the Abenaki Council of the Girl Scouts, and John also has communicated with the New Brunswick Council of the Boy Scouts. The Fraternity hopes to have representatives at the next Canada Jamboree, which will be held in July 1997 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. APO-USA also has sought the assistance of Alpha Phi Omega Filipino Alumni Associations in Canada. Currently there are active alumni associations in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Brother Papits Fernandez, a graduate student at McGill University and a member of the Montreal Association, has pledged his help.
Recommendation 05: Continue progress toward this goal.

Goal 06: By December 1996, the Torch &; Trefoil, Alpha Phi Omega's primary public relations publication, will be produced following an ongoing publication plan and will be a professional quality publication (as judged by a panel of publications experts).

Status 06: The Torch & Trefoil's new design was unveiled with the Winter-Spring 1996 issue. Thanks go to Kay Hairgrove Krenek and Pat Burke for their hard work in accomplishing these improvements that have been years in the planning process. Jack McKenzie arranged to have the new T&T critiqued by three editorial and design professionals in Clemson University's Publications and Marketing Services department: Dave Dryden, Eve Gibson and Debbie Dunning. Their comments included: "Overall, I think it is a major improvement." (DaveD); "The new design is much improved from the previous issues." (EG); "Yes, I would say it is a professional quality publication." (DebbieD). They also had a number of suggestions for further improvement that were forwarded to Pat Burke. It would seem that this type of professional input, obtained on a regular basis, would help to ensure that we are indeed on track to producing "a professional quality publication."
Recommendation 06: While continuing to improve the T&T should remain a Fraternity priority, this goal has been met and should be removed from the list of date-specific Long-Range Goals.

Goal 07: By February 1996, the National Diversity and Multicultural Advancement Committee will propose to the National Board of Directors a diversity education program that incorporates activities and committees on all levels of the Fraternity.

Status 07: To be provided at the 1996 National Convention.
Recommendation 07: To be provided at the 1996 National Convention.

Goal 08: By December 2000, Alpha Phi Omega will develop cooperative relationships with at least five other significant national service and volunteerism organizations.

Status 08: To be provided at the 1996 National Convention.
Recommendation 08: To be provided at the 1996 National Convention.

Goal 09: By December 2002, Alpha Phi Omega will have a membership "retention rate" of at least 75 percent, as measured by the number of initiates reported annually thereafter as Active Members for as long as they are students and otherwise eligible for Active Membership. (NOTE: The ultimate aim is to retain 100% of all initiates.)

Status 09: The format of the membership roster/reaffirmation form that chapters are required to sumbit to the National Office each year has been changed to allow each chapter to:
  1. Provide e-mail and homepage addresses for the chapter and a personal e-mail address for the chapter president.
  2. Review and update a list of all advisors registered for the chapter.
  3. Review and update a list of all members reported on the chapter's roster for the previous year. The chapter is to line-out any individuals who have left the chapter. Codes are provided for the chapter to use to indicate the basic reason why each person left. Data will be collected from these reports to provide a starting point for retention analysis. (Names of individuals coded as having graduated will be forwarded to the Alumni Committee.) New members are to be listed in spaces provided or on additional sheets. The process will repeat on an annual basis.
Recommendation 09: Continue progress toward this goal.

Goal 10A: By December 2004, the Alpha Phi Omega Endowment Fund will include at least $3 million.

Status 10A: The current market value of the Alpha Phi Omega Endowment Fund is approximately $1.4 million. The primary means of building the Fund are Life Membership fees and investment income. Various initiatives and strategies have been and will continue to be employed to promote Life Memberships and to increase investment income.
Recommendation 10A: Continue progress toward this goal.

Goal 10B:By December 1997, Alpha Phi Omega will have a Building Operating Fund of at least $200,000, the income from which will pay for maintenance of the National Office.

Status 10B: Inspired by a generous "challenge gift" to the Fraternity in the form of a bequest from the late Earle M. Herbert, the "Challenge Fund" fund-raising effort was initiated to accomplish this goal over a three year-period (1995-98). Approximately 50 Brothers have pledged annual gifts to the Challenge Fund for this purpose. Gifts and bequests to date exceed $100,000. Assuming fulfillment of all pledges, the $200,000 goal will be surpassed by December 1998.
Recommendation 10B: Change the target date to December 1998.

Goal 10C:By December 1998, the Alpha Phi Omega Development Campaign will generate at least 30 percent of the Fraternity's annual gross revenues, excluding National Convention revenues.

Status 10C: Although new fund-raising techniques have been and will continue to be instituted, the yearly Development Campaign is far from generating 30 percent of the Fraternity's annual gross revenues. The ratio is currently closer to 10 percent. While it is unrealistic to anticipate that this will triple within the next two years, it is reasonable to project significant -- though less dramatic -- growth as additional fund-raising initiatives are implemented. Work is already under way to expand the Fraternity's donor base and to maintain and analyze more extensive information about donor giving patterns. Such analysis will be helpful in improving the effectiveness of future fund-raising efforts. For example, data indicate that, while the Fraternity gains many new donors annually, it also fails to retain many donors from one year to the next. This suggests that more emphasis must be placed on encouraging repeat giving. Also, data indicate that the size of individual gifts to the Fraternity has not kept pace with increases in inflation and the cost of living. This suggests that more attention should be paid to encouraging donors to raise their level of giving. Conclusions of this sort are still preliminary because the Fraternity has not historically kept the detailed data required for such analysis and, therefore, will need time to establish more extensive donor and information bases against which to measure future performance more accurately. Accordingly, a more realistic two-year goal for the Development Campaign is in order.
Recommendation 10C: Change the target ratio to 15 percent.

Goal 11: By December 1998, Alpha Phi Omega will increase national-level responses from individual chapters concerning service activities to at least 70 percent. (By December 2004, this response level will be 100 percent).

Status 11: The National Service Committee has developed evaluation criteria for National Service Day reporting, National Service Day participation, and the reporting of other types of service projects. Further, the National Service Chair is reviewing the "return on investment" of past and current efforts to encourage chapter participation in and communication about NSD and other service projects. The annual NSD packet is now available online and includes prototype promotional items designed to increase awareness of the ideals of NSD, multiply participation in related projects, and encourage reporting. Also, a National Service Homepage is under construction, and work is under way to enable the National Office to receive NSD and regular service project report forms online and store them in a central database for compilation and analysis.
Recommendation 11: Continue progress toward this goal.

Status 12A: Many feel APO alumni are an untapped resource -- a sleeping giant, if you will. Also, as a leadership-development organization training undergraduates through service projects, APO has had a positive impact in many social areas. We train people to be leaders in the PTA, how to run an office blood drive, teach/coach youth sports, join the Lions, Rotary and Optimists clubs, and to be involved in local governments. That involvement is there but cannot be measured. Unfortunately, since there have not been many major coordinated efforts in the past to tap alumni, it might be hard to get current alumni not already involved to participate in APO. The focus perhaps should be on getting current undergrads to consider joining the National Alumni Association when they leave school and on building up/starting Local Alumni Associations. The ideas we have to increase alumni participation are:

  1. Invite more sectional staff alumni to the Sectional Resource Weekend, where they can be made aware of more possibilities for service.
  2. Open more leadership opportunities to alumni by not having alumni serve on multiple committees, thus limiting slots for other alumni.
  3. Encourage more alumni to be Chapter Program Workshop presenters.
  4. Create more adviser's programs/officer transition programs to help former chapter officers still in school learn how to act and react to their chapter.
  5. Host more alumni events, such as receptions at conventions.
  6. Promote Life Memberships and the accompanying Torch & Trefoil publication that Life Members receive to remain in touch.
  7. Promote Sustaining Membership, which provides alumni their own newsletter, The Alumni Light. Included in this are Thumbs on Alums (sketches on alumni); a Local Alumni Association Calendar; a Jobs Wanted/Needed section; and other alumni-related items.
  8. In promoting Sustaining Membership, point out that the Career Connection allows alumni to mentor undergrads. Career Connection will allow undergrads to reach alumni and ask questions about what to do for a specific field of study.
  9. Promote the National Alumni Homepage: http://www.bga.com/~rancher/alumni.html
  10. Create workshops at conventions to get more younger alumni into the organization.
  11. Promote the publication, How to Start a Local Alumni Association, to people in areas that do not have LAAs.
  12. Request that all Local Alumni Associations sponsor a yearly service project. This will enable them to keep their membership files updated and help prevent LAAs from dying.
  13. Continue the discussion as to whether the alumni should have their own structure with their own elected national officials. One scenario has the current alumni at-large position as a non-voting member of the National Board and the president of the national alumni organization.
  14. Raise the money to hire another person in the National Office whose sole responsibility is to direct alumni organizations.
  15. Place wording in the pledge manual about alumni, so that undergrads are alumni-aware before they graduate.
Recommendation 12A: Continue progress toward this goal.

Goal 12B: By December 1996, each active chapter of Alpha Phi Omega will be served by a sectional representative and at least two faculty or administration advisors and each active section will be served by a Sectional Chair and at least one Sectional Staff member. By December 1997, each active chapter will be served by a sectional representative and at least three faculty or administration advisors and each active section will be served by a Sectional Chair and at least two Sectional Staff members. Additionally, by December 1998, each active section will be served by a Sectional Chair and at least three Sectional Staff members. (By Aug. '95, the Fraternity will implement a method to register these assignments annually.)

Status 12B: To be provided at the 1996 National Convention.
Recommendation 12B: To be provided at the 1996 National Convention.

Goal 13: By August 2000, Alpha Phi Omega will have at least 20,280 active members (AAMD + New Initiates) and at least 455 active chapters.

Status 13: As of August 1, 1996, the Fraternity had 15,662 active members (8,549 AAMD + 7,113 New Initiates) and 325 active chapters. The membership numbers reflect AAMD reporting by 287 chapters and New Initiates reporting by 285 chapters, meaning that approximately 38 chapters had not reported any AAMD and approximately 40 chapters had not reported any New Initiates. Efforts have been and will continue to be made to encourage all chapters to report their pledges, initiates and actives in a timely manner. The number of active chapters reflects the addition of nine new or rechartered chapters and the loss of two chapters that were declared inactive. Also as of August 1, 1996, one additional new chapter had been approved but not yet officially chartered, and there were 22 recognized petitioning groups and eight recognized interest groups. Further, with funds donated to the Fraternity, a grant program has been initiated to provide financial assistance for establishing new chapters or revitalizing existing ones.
Recommendation 13: Continue progress toward this goal.