Thursday, May 8, 2014

Chapter house update

Please see the message below from Jeremy Donati (May 6th):

Sigma Delta Alumni Brothers,

We hope that 2014 is off to a good start for you and your family. It was great getting to see so many alumni brothers at Picnic Day.

Thanks to all of the financial support that alumni brothers of Sigma Delta have provided over the past five years for the various house renovations we undertook, we are pleased to report that the chapter is thriving!

After struggling financially for two years (2010-2011 & 2011-2012) due to low live-in numbers, the chapter was able to pay its rent to the Alumni Association in full for the 2012-2013 school year, and they’re on track to do so again this year due to increased membership and higher live-in numbers.  

The active chapter has continued to make significant progress in many areas. They placed a significant importance on recruitment. In fall 2013, 13 new members were initiated and have already begun to hold positions on the executive council. The chapter’s goal after 2014 fall rush is to have a strong 50-60 person house. This is a very obtainable goal for the chapter and they are on track to meet their goal in the fall.
 
In addition to recruitment, the house is focusing on academics. The house recognized that they were losing members for academic issues (withdrawal from school, academic probation, or parental influences) and wanted to stop the attrition. Over the 2013-14 school year, the GPA of the house has risen significantly. The house is also getting more involved with the Greek and Davis communities and Chi Phi nationally. The president attended the Alphas Academy in January and the house will be sending to active members to COE and Congress this summer.

We are very pleased with the direction of the house and wanted to share the good news with everyone to demonstrate that your donations had a strong impact on creating a living environment that attracts and retains new members.

In an effort to be more proactive in maintenance of the chapter house, the active chapter and Alumni Association are collaborating on a joint project that will take place over the summer.

The floor in the dining room (also known as the 1824 room & party dance floor) is in bad shape and in need of being replaced. Although we initially identified this as a potential project in 2010, we held off and focused on more urgent renovation projects, including the back roof, back bathroom, kitchen, and the big front house renovation of late 2011/early 2012.

All told, we have financed $190,000 in capital improvements over the past six years:

·         New energy efficient double-paned windows (2008)
·         New driveway (2008)
·         New roof on back section of house (2010)
·         Updated back bathroom/mold abatement (2010)
·         Renovated kitchen (2011)
·         Front House Renovation (2012)
·         Front Bathroom Plumbing (2014)
For the dining room floor, we have engaged the services of Vista Builders, the same contractor who led the front house renovation. The owner, Bob Statham, has been a great partner to the Alumni Association and has performed many small tasks at no charge during that renovation. The scope of work for the floor project is estimated at $5600. Since there is always a chance that the cost could increase once the sub-floor is accessed, we are adding another $1500 into our cost projections.

The active chapter has committed to putting $1000 towards this project, which leaves $7000 for the Alumni Association to contribute.

We were also recently given a heads up that the Delta Gamma Alumni Association wants the fence adjoining our two properties to be replaced. Although they have not contacted us yet, we are building this into the summer 2014 budget and estimating project cost at $2000 if the costs are split equally between Chi Phi and Delta Gamma.

The Alumni Association currently has $15,560 in its Capital Campaign Savings account, with monthly operating expenses being paid from a separate checking account, which currently holds $11,800.

Although we are in a position to finance the floor and fence projects from the Capital Campaign account, we feel that it is fiscally prudent to undertake another fundraiser to offset project costs and continue to build the Capital Campaign fund. As anyone who is a homeowner knows, expect the unexpected. This is doubly true for a house as old as 217 Russell.

As such, we are targeting a fundraising goal of $10,000 for these projects. We recognize that each of you have many financial obligations, so any donation amount is welcome and very much appreciated. Your continued support over the last few years in rebuilding the chapter house has been instrumental in ensuring the continued success of the Sigma Delta chapter.
 
US Mail/Check:
Make Check Payable to “Valley Association of Chi Phi” & Reference “2014 Campaign” in memo line:
Sigma Delta Alumni Association
Attn: Jeremy Donati
1280 Riva Drive #6
West Sacramento, CA 95691
 
Paypal:
Please note that a service fee is levied by Paypal on all donations made via their website.


Thank you for all your support to the Sigma Delta Chapter

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