A Leader Who Inspires Others to Pay it Forward / Gamma Alpha of Sigma Nu

GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT. Sigma Nu’s capital campaign Building the Future...Today is a prime example of the importance of having solid leadership at the helm of any major fundraising effort. Over the past five years, this chapter raised more than $3.3M in pledged donations—drawing participation from more than 1/3 of its brotherhood. That represents a five-fold increase in total donor participation as compared to the six-year span leading up to the capital campaign. Donor participation in the annual fund also increased 50 percent*, even while the capital campaign was running, suggesting a renewed interest from lapsed donors and previous non-givers. This chapter’s revitalization began with one man’s vision and gift.

HE LED BY EXAMPLE. Gary Jones is a man of principal—and his profound sense of brotherhood has inspired many members to give back. In 2005, he served as both President of the chapter’s alumni association and chairman for Sigma Nu’s capital campaign. While the campaign funds were targeted to rebuild the fraternity house, Gary’s vision was far more grand. He believed, “this is actually NOT about building a fraternity house...this is about building character.” With that aspiration, Gary kicked off the campaign with his own $250k gift.

LONG-TERM FRIENDRAISING. Before embarking on a capital campaign, Sigma Nu spent years laying the foundation with its annual giving program. Consistent relationship-building programs were the norm—or, as Gary liked to call it, doing the daily “dishes.” These tasks—the website, database updates, monthly emails, newsletters, annual appeal letters, special events—were designed to cultivate a community of givers. With this foundation in place, Gary was ready to take giving to the next level.

Gary elected a top-down strategy during the capital campaign’s initial quiet phase. He recruited major gifts from the inner circle of men who led the alumni association. With his own gift, Gary had set the expectation for Sigma Nu’s most affluent alumni. Now these gentlemen saw it as their duty to follow suit and requested donations from their closest brothers. The network of friend raising grew with tremendous momentum, one brother at a time, until Gary surpassed his original $2M goal.

LET’S “BE BUILDERS OF MEN.” To Gary, Sigma Nu’s capital campaign was more about building a legacy: to Sigma Nu/Georgia Tech give back so future generations could experience the benefits of brotherhood. For many men, the Donor Participation experience the benefits of brotherhood. For many men, the experience of a fraternity empowered them with the ability to work together more efficiently, to negotiate, and to get things done. Gary wanted to capture these stories of success and leverage them to raise more money when the campaign officially launched.

Sigma Nu’s communications plan included a series of alumni profiles highlighting how the experience of brotherhood impacted the lives of so many men. Prior to that, Sigma Nu’s Speaker Series encouraged successful alumni to return to campus to provide inspiration and positive role models for the young actives. Activities and communications were in sync—all designed to 1) promote a heritage of leadership and 2) encourage all members to donate as a means to continue this legacy as “builders of men”.

With these success stories, the Sigma Nu leadership team was able to harness a renewed passion for the benefits of brotherhood and to compel its fellow brothers to pay it forward. To-date, Sigma Nu has received more than 85% of its $3.34M in pledged contributions.