Biennial Report 2012-2014
Seek the Noblest As we begin a new biennium in Zeta Tau Alpha, our Fraternity has a fresh, new look. This biennial report is the first official publication to display our brand’s updated visual identity with the crown serving as its cornerstone. While the look is new, the symbol and sentiment reflect the timeless character of our organization. Since 1898, Zeta Tau Alpha has chosen to do the right thing, to represent the highest qualities of sisterhood, to “Seek the Noblest.” Although we each represent a distinct entity within Zeta Tau Alpha, we collectively take to heart this historic motto. We believe we can make the right decisions for our membership only by working collaboratively, not separately. The Fraternity, the ZTA Foundation and the ZTA Fraternity Housing Corporation provide leadership as a unified team. This unique approach creates a strong footing for partnerships, allows us to support progress, and sustains a sense of humble pride for the milestones and advancements of the 2012-2014 biennium.
Seeking partnerships
Our commitment to collaboration extends beyond our three entities. ZTA reaches out to other organizations in the fraternity/sorority community to develop and provide award-winning educational programs, funded by our Foundation, for collegians and alumnae of every group and university professionals. We partner with administrations on each campus where we establish a new chapter to provide comparable housing and to support the school’s scholarship fund. We team with the National Football League and Susan G. Komen for the Cure® as we enter our 23rd year raising breast cancer awareness and honoring survivors.
ZTA Membership by the Numbers 231,000 Initiated Members 18,000 Undergraduates 9,543 Dues-Paying Alumnae 248 Chartered Collegiate Chapters 163 Active Collegiate Chapters 236 Active Alumnae Chapters
Dues-Paying Alumnae The number of engaged, dues-paying alumnae has steadily increased over time. This shows the success of targeted alumnae recruitment and retention programming facilitated in the biennium.
8,468
9,055
9,543
Members 2008-2010
Members 2010-2012
Members 2012-2014
New Chapters in the Biennium During the biennium, ZTA had the opportunity to open four new chapters and reactivate or reorganize 10 others. Reactivated Collegiate Chapters Alpha, Longwood University Upsilon, University of California, Berkeley Zeta Omicron, Arkansas State University New Collegiate Chapters Lambda Kappa, Appalachian State University
Alabama
New Mexico Arkansas
Reorganized Collegiate Chapters Theta Sigma, Winthrop University New Alumnae Chapters Northeast Alabama Pecos Valley, New Mexico Springfield, Illinois Reorganized Alumnae Chapters Auburn-Opelika, Alabama Blue Ridge, North Carolina Greater Greenville, South Carolina Jonesboro, Arkansas Tri-State of Joplin, Missouri Wilmington, North Carolina
North Carolina California
South Carolina Illinois
Virginia
Missouri
Supporting progress
We do not believe in standing still. We complement traditional officer and advisor manuals with online chats, webinars and electronic newsletters. We teach our members the importance of reducing harm through creative posters, animated videos and on-target social media messages. We recognize the ongoing challenge of paying for a college education by providing record numbers of substantial scholarships, totaling $1,263,744 to 418 undergraduate and 132 graduate students in the past two years. We provided recruitment and retention programming for alumnae chapters and Traveling Leadership Consultant visits to all 163 collegiate chapters. At the same time, we provided new houses for four chapters, installed one new collegiate chapter and reactivated three others, including our Alpha Chapter at Longwood University.
Keeley McDonald Riddle National President
Sustaining pride
Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity
As an organization committed to the noblest thoughts and actions, we are humbled by the pride our members maintain in Zeta Tau Alpha. Increases in collegiate new members, dues-paying alumnae members and chapter advisors are outward signs we are succeeding in our efforts to provide a meaningful, lifelong experience. We are exceptionally grateful for the dedication of our members, our collegiate and alumnae officers, our National Officers, and our staff over the past two years. It is an honor for each of us to serve Zeta Tau Alpha. We believe in our hearts our Fraternity will always be committed to the honorable symbolism of the crown and to “Seek the Noblest.”
Alpha Chapter Reactivation
Becky Hainsworth Kirwan President ZTA Foundation
Julia Marthaler Hill President
ZTA Fraternity Housing Corporation
New Members Pledged In four short years, ZTA has almost doubled the number of women pledged in an academic year. 6,648
New Members 2013-2014
5,654
New Members 2012-2013
Zetas everywhere were thrilled to hear our Alpha Chapter was returning to Longwood University. The Monday following the chapter installation was proclaimed Zeta Tau ALPHA Day, and congratulations poured in from coast to coast, proving the strength and enthusiasm of our ZTA sisterhood. We received: More than 200 congratulatory letters 25 congratulatory videos from collegiate chapters Thousands of tweets and posts via #CongratsALPHA Over 200 photos of people wearing their badges on Zeta Tau ALPHA day. The #CongratsALPHA effort won top honors in 2014 from the Fraternity Communications Association (FCA) as the best Social Media Campaign.
4,808
New Members 2011-2012
3,889
New Members 2010-2011
In 2012-2014, ZTA experienced 41% growth in new members over the previous biennium.
Collegiate Chapters at Campus Total ZTA’s collegiate chapters have excelled in maximizing the number of women who receive the ZTA experience on their campuses. Almost 90 percent of our chapters reached or exceeded campus Total this academic year, leaving very few membership vacancies. 111
129
138
145
Chapters
Chapters
Chapters
Chapters
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2013-2014
Noble Support In this biennium, the Fraternity invested increased resources to support our collegiate and alumnae chapters. From targeted programs and incentives to human resources, the Fraternity has bolstered the ZTA experience, which spans from new member to alumna. All we have achieved would not be possible without the dedication of the individuals who serve the organization.
Human Resources
Distinguished Service
Earning ZTA’s highest honors for alumnae service, in this biennium 149 received the Certificate of Merit and 40 received the Honor Ring.
1,278 served as collegiate chapter advisors. 2,162 served as alumnae chapter officers. 297 served as National Officers.
Traveling Leadership Consultants ZTA put heightened focus on supporting our existing collegiate chapters in the biennium. National Council set the goal to reach every chapter with a visit from a Traveling Leadership Consultant. In 2013-2014, for the first time in many years, 100 percent of collegiate chapters received a TLC visit. In the biennium: All 163 collegiate chapters were visited. TLCs made 847 visits, averaging five per chapter. ZTA had a 20 percent growth in number of visits over the last biennium. 19 TLCs traveled in 2012-2013 and 20 traveled in 2013-2014, more than any other Greek organization. Types of TLC Visits Leadership Training 454 Formal Recruitment 226 Recruitment Planning 79 CROWN/COB 33 Workshops 25 Extension 20 New Member Education 10
Noble Progress The ZTA Brand What does a crown bring to mind? Leadership, royalty and elegance—absolutely. To ZTA sisters, a crown means even more. It represents what ZTA stands for, our lifelong sisterhood and our motto, “Seek the Noblest.” Each Zeta knows she is always wearing an invisible crown, but in 2014, ZTA decided to make our most well-known symbol the visible cornerstone of our brand. At the 2014 Convention, ZTA unveiled a new logo and surrounding brand elements. The logo, brand essence and personality were shaped through surveying thousands of members about the meaning of ZTA, their experiences and design elements. Rebranding is the crowning achievement in a long list of communication advances made in the biennium.
Themis Makeover
Themis of Zeta Tau Alpha
Fall 2012
Convention 2012 in Louisville, Ky.
New ZTA Foundation breast health website Alumna completes IRONMAN
Themis received a full redesign, donning a new look, upgraded paper and fresh content. Now, multiple issues each year feature collegiate and alumnae member profiles, chapter news, in-depth features, finds from the archives, and more! Themis took home three Fraternity Communications Association awards for writing, design and photography.
Chapter Websites Through Group Interactive Networks (GIN), ZTA launched new chapter-based websites, available at no cost for collegiate and alumnae groups.
ZTA’s Brand Essence Pride in the organization Dedication Acting for the greater good
ZTA’s Brand Personality Inspirational Timeless and classic Friendly and caring
Social Media Engagement ZTA sisterhood is alive and well, even in the virtual environment. Sisters find the national social media channels as a place to connect, share ideas and show pride in the organization. Our social networks experienced huge gains in engagement in the biennium.
49,000
20,100
Likes
Followers
Interaction Growth
Interaction Growth
290%
314%
14,140
Followers
387 Avg. Likes Per Photo
7,300
Followers
4,000 Pins on 38 Boards
ZTA was recognized in 2013 and 2014 for the best Social Media Engagement of fraternities and sororities by the Fraternity Communications Association.
One-Stop Shop Crown & Co., the Fraternity’s merchandising enterprise, is a trendsetter for ZTA apparel and items. In the biennium, ZTA launched a new store website and more than doubled sales, putting added focus on custom and chapter orders, including creative Bid Day packages.
Noble Leadership The biennium marked the completion of a full, four-year collegiate cycle since ZTA first implemented the University Learning Outcomes Assessment (UniLOA) in 2009. It measures the development of undergraduate members and the impact of ZTA’s programs. In all seven measures, members have increased in their development over time. This growth showcases the strength of ZTA’s creative, cutting-edge programs and opportunities.
Growth in Student Development Percentage of Development
80 75 70 65 60 55
Critical Thinking
SelfAwareness
Communication
Diversity
Citizenship
Membership & Leadership 2009
Academic Achievement From the UniLOA data, we know the more students study, the greater they develop. Academic achievement and personal growth go hand in hand. ZTA is proud our undergraduate grade point average continues to rise over time, as does the number of chapters earning Highly Commendable status with above a 3.0 GPA for the biennium. Undergraduate GPA 2012-2014
3.19
2010-2012
3.12
2008-2010
3.08
Highly Commendable Chapters 87
87
99
Chapters
Chapters
Chapters
2008-2010
2010-2012
2012-2014
Relationships 2011
2013
A Focus on Alumnae While our alumnae do not take the UniLOA, the resources devoted to evolving the alumnae experience show positive gains in development. ZTA provided unique alumnaefocused programming on recruitment and retention at Convention 2012 and 2014, as well as the 2013 National Leadership Conference. Phired Up Productions administered expert coaching to help grow our alumnae groups. National Council further incentivized growth and positive operations with an Alumnae Chapter Challenge. Chapters that showed a 10 percent increase in membership and achieved specific operational measures were entered into a drawing for free Convention registration.
Creative Program Messaging Whether educating about risk or implementing a positive new member program, ZTA used creativity and even humor when teaching members in this biennium. We focused on developing visually engaging materials members would want to use and share—online and in person—driving important messages in a studentfriendly way. • Partnering with Alpha Chi Omega women’s fraternity and Pi Kappa Phi men’s fraternity, ZTA produced six posters in a series educating about risk, prevention, leadership and sexual assault. Each poster was sent to the organizations’ 478 chapters and more than 500 campus fraternity/sorority life offices. • We created buttons and keytags for National Hazing Prevention Week, highlighting the message “Do the right thing, for the right reason, all the time.” This mantra served as a theme for positive education. • ZTA launched a new blog to tackle hazing and other topics in a humorous, impactful way. Like the popular site BuzzFeed, ZTAFeed used lists, photos and videos to approach difficult topics in a relatable way. It was a favorite educational tool for collegians, alumnae and even campus fraternity/sorority advisors, receiving acclaim across the Greek world. More than 40,000 people have viewed ZTAFeed posts.
FCA honored ZTAFeed as the top Greek Special Use Website.
Teaching Zetas to Make Smart Choices The Alcohol Skills Training Program (ASTP), launched in 2012, is unlike most alcohol programs. Rather than trying to impose abstinence on college students, it recognizes that steps toward reduced risk are steps in the right direction. This interactive workshop helps students better understand safe consumption and warning signs. Trained ZTA facilitators presented the ASTP workshop to most ZTA collegiate chapters this biennium, with the remainder to be reached in the 2014-2015 year. 96 Zeta Tau Alpha chapters reached 9,472 Students reached 82% Said it made them think differently about their alcohol use ASTP earned an Award of Distinction for Best Use of a Foundation Grant from the North American Interfraternity Conference Foundation. ZTA’s overall prevention program received the Award for Outstanding Alcohol Drug Prevention Program from the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors.
To help explore personal and organizational values beyond the new member program, ZTA created the Today & Forever: Living Our Values resource. This programming guide provides eight interactive reflection workshops, accompanied by several special video pieces.
Learning to Lead The 2012 ZTA Convention and 2013 National Leadership Conference sessions both taught officers how to exercise creativity and “Take Charge,” which was the NLC theme, in their leadership roles. Convention trained: 422 Collegians 221 Alumnae 174 National Officers
National Leadership Conference trained: 431 Collegians 147 National Officers
Noble Service The ZTA Foundation had a banner biennium, celebrating milestones in every area. Members and chapters showed their passion and commitment, raising more than $6 million in the biennium in addition to volunteering countless hours to breast cancer education and awareness and other local service projects.
ZTA Scholarships The ZTA Foundation invests in collegiate and alumnae members each year through the scholarship program, providing funds for students in both undergraduate and graduate academic programs.
418 Undergraduate Scholarships
132 Graduate Scholarships
This biennium, the ZTA Foundation gave $1,263,744 in scholarships to 550 recipients.
In the 60-year history of giving, the ZTA Foundation has awarded more than $7 million in scholarships.
Spreading Awareness Our national philanthropy, breast cancer education and awareness, is something our members rally around. Sisters enjoy raising funds and educating community members about the cause. Zetas distributed more than 4 million pink ribbons in the biennium.
Since 1992, Zetas have distributed more than 14 million pink ribbons.
ZTA & NFL Our partnership with the NFL is a point of pride for ZTA and the league. What started in 1999 as a one-time volunteer opportunity has grown into an annual, highly anticipated month of “A Crucial Catch” games. • ZTA distributed its 5 millionth pink ribbon to an NFL fan in 2013, celebrating 15 years of partnership with the NFL. • ZTA has partnered with all 32 NFL teams since 1999. • In the biennium, over 5,000 Zetas volunteered at 55 NFL games, distributing 1.26 million ribbons to fans.
Pink Out Progress
FCA recognized the public relations around the “5 in 15” milestone as a top Total Communications effort.
Race for the Cure
5,000 volunteers manned the Survivor Recognition Program at 277 Race for the Cure events in the biennium. On our campuses and in our communities, Zetas have paired with college, high school, professional and minor league athletic teams to host Think Pink® and Pink Out games and sporting events. From football to baseball, from hockey to gymnastics, sisters work with teams to promote breast cancer awareness. Athletes don pink uniforms and spectators often dress in pink fan gear as Zetas distribute breast health information and recognize local survivors.
ZTA provided 210,000 pink caps & T-shirts for survivors and 2.3 million back signs for participants.
Save Lids to Save Lives® In the biennium, Zetas collected 507,232 pink Yoplait yogurt lids, resulting in a $25,282 donation from General Mills.
In 10 years of partnership, Zetas collected 2.2 million pink lids.
Noble Living Beautiful and functional. Safe and secure. ZTA houses are these things and more thanks to the work of the Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity Housing Corporation. The FHC owns or manages a diverse set of properties from coast to coast, setting the standard for affordable and attractive houses and meeting spaces on our campuses.
By the Numbers $32 million net worth 155 member associations 111 facilities owned or managed 45 associations with no facilities
69 Houses
21 Residence Hall Suites 9 Chapter Rooms 2 Lodges
8 Panhellenic Suites
1 Apartment
1 International Office
*each icon represents 3 facilities
The Ann Arbor Historic District commended the FHC for its work on the Alpha Gamma Chapter house at University of Michigan. The FHC earned an Award of Distinction in Historic Preservation from the Manhattan/ Riley County Preservation Alliance for the Beta Upsilon Chapter house at Kansas State University. The International Office brochure received an award for publication improvement from FCA.
New Homes During the biennium, the FHC constructed a stunning new home for Zeta Chapter at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The house, which sleeps 40 members, has a spacious third-floor chapter room and lovely outdoor patio, a natural place for sisterhood. In partnership with universities, the FHC also dedicated a new home at Arkansas State University for Zeta Omicron Chapter and furnished a house for Lambda Iota Chapter at Vanderbilt University. Our Upsilon Chapter at University of California, Berkeley also moved into a new home.
Renovations Focusing on both form and function, the FHC spent $8 million in the biennium for upgrades and maintenance. Collegians in 25 ZTA homes now reside in more beautiful and comfortable spaces after major redecoration projects. The FHC also prioritized kitchen and bathroom renovations and added a chapter room to the historic Theta Phi Chapter house at California State University, Fullerton.
House Directors Seminar The biennial ZTA House Directors Seminar was the largest ever as the FHC expanded the program to include advisors and volunteers who work closely with our ZTA homes and their staffs. Attendees included: 19 House Directors 6 Advisors 18 Housing Volunteers
Zeta Tau Alpha 3450 Founders Road Indianapolis, IN 46268 (317) 872-0540 zetataualpha@zetataualpha.org www.zetataualpha.org