Scholarship applications for this year's round of awards is now posted on the DPhiE.org website under our Programs section. Click here for a direct link.
Undergraduate and graduate members of DPhiE, as well as legacies, are eligible to apply.
If you have any questions or have feedback, please let us know.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
From the President: The Best Intentions
Hello Dear Sisters--
When we started the blog, it was with the intention this would be a forum to keep you updated. Well clearly, no posts since November is not keeping things updated!!! I apologize for the lack of communication, and have resolved to do better in the new year.
The new year has started well, thanks to a solid month of fundraising to close out 2011. We had gifts in memory of loved ones passed and in honor of the 70th birthday of one of our treasured alumnae; and new member parents continue to make great contributions in honor of daughters' associations with DPhiE. I am hopeful that the remainder of 2012 will see similar results.
We are preparing to launch our scholarship application for 2012 in the next few days. If you know of a DPhiE woman or a graduating senior legacy who exemplifies our values, please encourage her to apply. More information will be available on the sorority website at dphie.org.
Speaking of dphie.org, the foundation's presence has been updated on the website. It will continue to evolve, but for now there is more information about what we do and how you can join with us.
The foundation is making great strides because of the support we receive from sisters like you. Thank you for your interest and let us hear from you about how we can make giving to support sisterhood more enjoyable.
YITS,
Heather Locke Green
President
When we started the blog, it was with the intention this would be a forum to keep you updated. Well clearly, no posts since November is not keeping things updated!!! I apologize for the lack of communication, and have resolved to do better in the new year.
The new year has started well, thanks to a solid month of fundraising to close out 2011. We had gifts in memory of loved ones passed and in honor of the 70th birthday of one of our treasured alumnae; and new member parents continue to make great contributions in honor of daughters' associations with DPhiE. I am hopeful that the remainder of 2012 will see similar results.
We are preparing to launch our scholarship application for 2012 in the next few days. If you know of a DPhiE woman or a graduating senior legacy who exemplifies our values, please encourage her to apply. More information will be available on the sorority website at dphie.org.
Speaking of dphie.org, the foundation's presence has been updated on the website. It will continue to evolve, but for now there is more information about what we do and how you can join with us.
The foundation is making great strides because of the support we receive from sisters like you. Thank you for your interest and let us hear from you about how we can make giving to support sisterhood more enjoyable.
YITS,
Heather Locke Green
President
Saturday, November 12, 2011
"What Does the Foundation Do?"
I am often asked about what the foundation does and how we do it. Part of the challenge for me in answering the question is that there is a difference between what the foundation has historically achieved and what our priorities are today.
The foundation has spent much of its history focused on providing scholarships to our sisters and legacies, and aid to sisters in need. These are certainly worthwhile endeavors and I can say without doubt that these funds have made a difference for the recipients. We have done this with gifts from collegiate chapters; and from generous alumnae donors, about 300 donors a year. We have also been able to raise substantial monies through our fundraisers at Convention every other year.
At the same time, however, the sorority landscape has changed. Collegians today expect state-of-the-art resources--in programming, in housing and in the overall university experiences. As universities have grown more sophisticated in the personal and professional development programming available, sorority programming has had to evolve as well. Women in college today have an abundance of opportunities for involvement. Sororities provide important, unique "leadership laboratories" that help young women network, build soft skills and gain important workforce experience. The leaders of tomorrow will not look as they did in the past--and we need to help prepare women for these roles with a diversity of experiences.
In order to remain viable, Delta Phi Epsilon must continue to provide something of value for collegians and we must keep it affordable. And after graduation, we want to continue to provide opportunities for alumnae sisters to come together to promote our ideals and support our philanthropies in order to grow our reputation and our sisterly bonds. Sisterhood is a lifetime relationship, one we want to help nurture.
The foundations of other National Panhellenic Conference member groups provide hundreds of thousands of dollars to their respective sororities each year to fund educational and personal development programming, in addition to scholarships and philanthropic grants. These organizations have provided funding for nationally known, expert speakers at conferences; online personal development programs; new member programming books that share the heritage and inspiration of alumnae sisters; "life after college" guides and resources, free to the graduating seniors; and leadership academies at their headquarters that promote womenhood and offer challenging experiences Many sorority conventions are almost wholly subsidized by their foundations, making the cost to attend and participate in their sisterhood experience even more reasonable and exciting. This is the kind of support that could catapult our own sisterhood forward and make it one of the best educational opportunities available for women.
Becoming a DPhiE changed my life. I know for some that may seem like a strong statement, but it did. It helped me become a woman, giving me a way to build important character traits and skills in a safe learning environment, such as being responsible, etiquette, financial and organizational management, ritual and public speaking. And as an alumna, no matter where I have moved, DPhiE has been there to sustain me.
This is part of why I have been so engaged in our foundation--I want to ensure that young women today will have the opportunities to not only take the same pledge we all have taken, but to fully engage in the experience. DPhiE has something unique to offer--we have always been progressive and our founders' story of perseverance is a strong compass to follow. Our founders felt empowered through their support of one another, and our women today need that example and deserve it.
It will take work and faith, but the foundation is focused on building funding in several key areas so that the sorority and our sisters will THRIVE. Look for more information in the coming months. But please know, this is your foundation. We want to hear from you. If money were not an object--what would you want to do for your sisters or women? What difference could your philanthropy make that would be most meaningful to you? Join us--let me know what will make you feel good about giving to DPhiE. Together, we'll ensure an even brighter future for our sisters.
Yours In True Sisterhood~
Heather Locke Green
President
The foundation has spent much of its history focused on providing scholarships to our sisters and legacies, and aid to sisters in need. These are certainly worthwhile endeavors and I can say without doubt that these funds have made a difference for the recipients. We have done this with gifts from collegiate chapters; and from generous alumnae donors, about 300 donors a year. We have also been able to raise substantial monies through our fundraisers at Convention every other year.
At the same time, however, the sorority landscape has changed. Collegians today expect state-of-the-art resources--in programming, in housing and in the overall university experiences. As universities have grown more sophisticated in the personal and professional development programming available, sorority programming has had to evolve as well. Women in college today have an abundance of opportunities for involvement. Sororities provide important, unique "leadership laboratories" that help young women network, build soft skills and gain important workforce experience. The leaders of tomorrow will not look as they did in the past--and we need to help prepare women for these roles with a diversity of experiences.
In order to remain viable, Delta Phi Epsilon must continue to provide something of value for collegians and we must keep it affordable. And after graduation, we want to continue to provide opportunities for alumnae sisters to come together to promote our ideals and support our philanthropies in order to grow our reputation and our sisterly bonds. Sisterhood is a lifetime relationship, one we want to help nurture.
The foundations of other National Panhellenic Conference member groups provide hundreds of thousands of dollars to their respective sororities each year to fund educational and personal development programming, in addition to scholarships and philanthropic grants. These organizations have provided funding for nationally known, expert speakers at conferences; online personal development programs; new member programming books that share the heritage and inspiration of alumnae sisters; "life after college" guides and resources, free to the graduating seniors; and leadership academies at their headquarters that promote womenhood and offer challenging experiences Many sorority conventions are almost wholly subsidized by their foundations, making the cost to attend and participate in their sisterhood experience even more reasonable and exciting. This is the kind of support that could catapult our own sisterhood forward and make it one of the best educational opportunities available for women.
Becoming a DPhiE changed my life. I know for some that may seem like a strong statement, but it did. It helped me become a woman, giving me a way to build important character traits and skills in a safe learning environment, such as being responsible, etiquette, financial and organizational management, ritual and public speaking. And as an alumna, no matter where I have moved, DPhiE has been there to sustain me.
This is part of why I have been so engaged in our foundation--I want to ensure that young women today will have the opportunities to not only take the same pledge we all have taken, but to fully engage in the experience. DPhiE has something unique to offer--we have always been progressive and our founders' story of perseverance is a strong compass to follow. Our founders felt empowered through their support of one another, and our women today need that example and deserve it.
It will take work and faith, but the foundation is focused on building funding in several key areas so that the sorority and our sisters will THRIVE. Look for more information in the coming months. But please know, this is your foundation. We want to hear from you. If money were not an object--what would you want to do for your sisters or women? What difference could your philanthropy make that would be most meaningful to you? Join us--let me know what will make you feel good about giving to DPhiE. Together, we'll ensure an even brighter future for our sisters.
Yours In True Sisterhood~
Heather Locke Green
President
Friday, November 11, 2011
Veterans' Day
It is Veterans' Day. We honor those who have served and their families for the sacrifices made. Yours is a gift that can possibly never be repaid--but thank you is a start.
Do you have a special veteran in your life?
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Cystic Fibrosis News
There is great news for people with cystic fibrosis-- a breakthrough drug!
"A new oral medication could significantly improve the quality of life for a portion of people with cystic fibrosis and pave the way for the development of additional drugs that will help others who have the disease, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine."
To read the full story, visit Cleveland.com: http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2011/11/breakthrough_drug_announced_fo.html
"A new oral medication could significantly improve the quality of life for a portion of people with cystic fibrosis and pave the way for the development of additional drugs that will help others who have the disease, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine."
To read the full story, visit Cleveland.com: http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2011/11/breakthrough_drug_announced_fo.html
Relationship Between the Sorority and the Foundation
The United States Internal Revenue Service. Many might argue that no fun and interesting blog post should ever start with those words, let alone be about the tax code. The IRS is an organization known for enforcing stringent rules and laws with complicated filings and forms, that sometimes inspire feelings of dread and cause anxiety. But take heart because the IRS has done something special--they created a tax code that encourages and rewards people for giving to help address social needs. The IRS oversees the regulations that make charitable giving tax advantageous for millions of Americans, and, alas, it is these rules and laws that helped inspire the establishment of the Delta Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation.
As a 501(c)(7) organization, the Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority is classified as an exempt membership (social and recreational club) organization and, as such, gifts to the sorority and its chapters directly are not tax deductible according to the tax code. The sorority is limited in the kinds and amounts of income that it can bring in while still maintaining a tax exempt status. 501(c)(3) charitable organization, as defined in the tax code, however, can collect funds for charitable and educational purposes, and it was with these intentions that the Delta Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation was established.
[Did you follow all of that? Why isn't there a Schoolhouse Rock segment to cover this??]
For many years, the sorority and foundation existed together but infrequently were jointly strategic. The foundation was squarely focused on providing scholarships to individuals and emergency aid to sisters. At the same time, the sorority's programming was maturing and more extensive learning opportunities developed to keep pace with the needs of our membership, with those costs almost exclusively passed on to collegiate chapters.
Today, the relationship between the organizations has evolved. Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority requires support from a recognized charitable organization to conduct fundraising for educational programming and philanthropic giving, and to provide scholarship assistance to members and legacies. And since the Delta Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation was originally founded to provide such support, we have renewed our commitment to ensuring we can help provide the educational programming and philanthropic outlets for sorority women that our members require.
In truth, we do have to remain legally separate and at "arms length," but that should not keep us from understanding each organization's needs and how we can serve our common constituencies. We delineate our roles simply: the sorority is in the business of member recruitment and chapter management, whereas the Educational Foundation is focused on fundraising for all sorority education and service opportunities. The foundation's self-sustaining board allocates a fee to the sorority in exchange for day-to-day operations management by sorority staff, keeping our costs low.
The best way the foundation can serve our sorority and sisters is to fulfill the purpose designed by the IRS-- to provide resources for scholarships and other educational and philanthropic programming, such as Convention, New Member Programming and contributions to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and ANAD. In future posts, we will share more information about funding philosophy and what we would like to be able to fund with alumnae and collegian contributions. For now, please know that we have an extraordinary opportunity to do some amazing things for our sisterhood and to ensure the viability of DPhiE in the future sorority landscape ... but we can only do it with gifts from you and our sisters.
As a 501(c)(7) organization, the Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority is classified as an exempt membership (social and recreational club) organization and, as such, gifts to the sorority and its chapters directly are not tax deductible according to the tax code. The sorority is limited in the kinds and amounts of income that it can bring in while still maintaining a tax exempt status. 501(c)(3) charitable organization, as defined in the tax code, however, can collect funds for charitable and educational purposes, and it was with these intentions that the Delta Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation was established.
[Did you follow all of that? Why isn't there a Schoolhouse Rock segment to cover this??]
For many years, the sorority and foundation existed together but infrequently were jointly strategic. The foundation was squarely focused on providing scholarships to individuals and emergency aid to sisters. At the same time, the sorority's programming was maturing and more extensive learning opportunities developed to keep pace with the needs of our membership, with those costs almost exclusively passed on to collegiate chapters.
Today, the relationship between the organizations has evolved. Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority requires support from a recognized charitable organization to conduct fundraising for educational programming and philanthropic giving, and to provide scholarship assistance to members and legacies. And since the Delta Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation was originally founded to provide such support, we have renewed our commitment to ensuring we can help provide the educational programming and philanthropic outlets for sorority women that our members require.
In truth, we do have to remain legally separate and at "arms length," but that should not keep us from understanding each organization's needs and how we can serve our common constituencies. We delineate our roles simply: the sorority is in the business of member recruitment and chapter management, whereas the Educational Foundation is focused on fundraising for all sorority education and service opportunities. The foundation's self-sustaining board allocates a fee to the sorority in exchange for day-to-day operations management by sorority staff, keeping our costs low.
The best way the foundation can serve our sorority and sisters is to fulfill the purpose designed by the IRS-- to provide resources for scholarships and other educational and philanthropic programming, such as Convention, New Member Programming and contributions to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and ANAD. In future posts, we will share more information about funding philosophy and what we would like to be able to fund with alumnae and collegian contributions. For now, please know that we have an extraordinary opportunity to do some amazing things for our sisterhood and to ensure the viability of DPhiE in the future sorority landscape ... but we can only do it with gifts from you and our sisters.
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