Spring 2020
Mike Napolitano, Vice President for Programs - ΚΚΨ
The Unicorn Is The National Animal of Scotland Who knew? Not me.
S
o while unicorns are a compelling topic for many other reasons -- I learned something new. Learning is a huge part of our daily lives. Kappa Kappa Psi offers us the ability to learn something new about ourselves, about our potential, and about our band programs every day. Constant learning is integral in living out our goals of always striving. Kappa Kappa Psi offers a number of National Programs that won’t simply drop knowledge, but cultivate and engage you in an environment where you won’t simply learn through lecture, but experience the Fraternity in new and exciting ways. LEARNING DOES NOT ONLY HAPPEN AT DISTRICT AND NATIONAL CONVENTIONS. While these are great places to engage with other brothers and celebrate the fraternity, these larger scale events are just an introduction to something far more expansive. I remember attending my first district convention as a Membership Candidate, and in a workshop was posed the question, “well, why did you accept a bid to join this instead of something else?” Only a few weeks into the process, I really didn’t have an adequate answer, aside from my internal: “I knew band was my thing, and my gut told me we could be better.” What I uttered was: “I don’t really know.” -- something far less than a poised, articulate response. I was met with, “it’s OK, you’ll learn.” That district convention was my jumping off point. LEARN FROM YOUR CFRs. Later that same year, six out of the ten actives in our chapter graduated. That left us with four active members, all with a year or less of experience in leading the chapter. Things weren’t looking promising for our group that next year, and we were
stagnant – until we had our CFR visit. When I first found out about the CFR visit, I assumed that someone was driving in from Oklahoma to take our charter and close us down. That wasn’t the case at all – the CFR visit was a diagnostic for us. He read through our constitution and made suggestions on our recruitment plan. He offered outside perspective on how to improve our image in our band program, as he had learned it through visiting other chapters throughout the country. Most of all, the CFR showed me that there were resources in place to help us learn more about our values and actions. Those suggestions brought us success in growing the chapter. More importantly, we understood that the breadth of the brotherhood was ours for the taking, as long as we were open to receiving it. LEARN WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS. Here’s something else that took me a long time to really understand: my questions about the fraternity and how we function don’t live in a bubble. Someone else is likely going to ask a very similar question to something that’s on my mind. So, if that’s the case, let’s learn together. Kappa Kappa Psi offers Chapter Development Grants intended to bring chapters close in proximity together for a day of learning and fellowship in the following areas: • Fiscal Operations • Budgeting • Managing Finances • Long and Short Range Planning • Officer Development • OMRS • Chapter Paperwork • Officer Long Term and Short Term Planning • Chapter and Member Development • Brotherhood and Chapter Bonding • Meeting Etiquette
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Building Relationships with Director and Sponsor Small Chapter Issues and Solutions Membership Recruitment and Retention Road to Wisdom Post Membership Education
Make the most of these grants by encouraging local chapters to attend an event you’re looking to plan. With up to $1,000 available to assist in planning these events, you could have a member of the National Leadership Team providing your community a number of workshops tailored to the needs of your program. For more information on Chapter Development Grants, visit https://www. kkpsi.org/programs/chapter-dev/ or scan the QR Code below:
LEARN BY ASKING QUESTIONS: Not ready to take the leap into planning an event for your chapter, but still have unanswered questions? Contact a member of the National Council. We are always willing and ready to answer your questions through email or to sit with your chapters in a virtual workshop setting. It all starts by asking a question. As we lean into this new century of the fraternity, let’s take advantage of all of the learning opportunities ahead of us – you never know where you’ll find your unicorn!
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