By Brian Tahmoush, Miami (Florida) ‘90

I had the privilege of serving SigEp as the district governor in District 1 (New England) for over 10 years. When I accepted the position in 2000, one of the areas that I identified as an opportunity was keeping our very best undergraduates involved with SigEp after graduation. We’ve proven that if a brother was a difference-maker as an undergraduate that he probably has a lot to contribute as a volunteer.

A key component of recruiting young and successful volunteers is to focus on former chapter officers, Ruck Leadership Institute Scholars, Zollinger Outstanding Senior Award recipients and Tragos Quest to Greece Scholars, as these men have the most opportunity to build off of their undergraduate experience. One of the best ways to get them involved early is asking them to facilitate programs like EDGE and the Carlson Leadership Academy. Those opportunities are a great segue to continuing their involvement beyond their undergraduate years, and the Headquarters staff is always looking for leadership program faculty recommendations. I found that undergraduates who had great experiences with SigEp wanted to stay involved, and all we had to do was ask them to help. At one point I had all of the past five District 1 Zollinger Outstanding Seniors volunteering for chapters in New England.

So where can we get these young volunteers involved? A new graduate isn’t equipped to take the reins as AVC president, but he does have the ability to be a mentor. A position mentoring an undergraduate officer, like the vice president of recruitment or chaplain, is a great place for a young volunteer to start. These recent graduates have a lot of relevant experience, and can excel through clearly defined responsibilities, working with one undergraduate.

Finally, these volunteers do not have to be local to get involved. With the use of phone, email, text and video conferencing, volunteers and executive board members can have regular communication and face-to-face meetings whenever needed. Technology allows us to ensure the best possible volunteers can impact our undergraduates’ experience no matter where they live.

Your outgoing seniors and recent graduates will often be your best source of new volunteers—even if they plan to move hundreds of miles away from your campus. I encourage you to find ways to keep these brothers involved. You should also reach out to your district governor to see if he knows of any outstanding young alumni who are moving near your campus.

Back to the Officer and Volunteer Monthly >