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Cornerstone - Records Management
Do you sell our alumni lists? Is our data kept confidential? Can alumni designate whether they would like to receive mail at home or work? Is our Headquarters notified about alumni address changes? Do you maintain e-mail addresses? Can you help the next alumni relations officer understand the process? Cornerstone - Annual Fund Campaigns Can you help us collect alumni dues? Can alumni make contributions online? Are contributions tax deductible? What is the difference between an annual fund campaign and a capital campaign? How are donors recognized? Can you help the next alumni relations officer understand the process? Cornerstone - Communication Products Can we use our own printing company? Are there any size or color restrictions? Who writes the articles? Can you help the next alumni relations officer understand the process? Capital Campaign What is required to start a capital campaign? Are contributions tax deductible? How long does it take? What is the difference between an annual fund campaign and a capital campaign? How are donors recognized? Will Omega help us project fundraising income? Cornerstone - Records Management Do you sell our alumni lists? Is our data kept confidential? Omega never sells or provides your alumni data to any third party except your Inter/National Headquarters. Can alumni designate whether they would like to receive mail at home or work? Yes. As long as a work address is on file, alumni can have their newsletters and other information from the chapter sent to them at work. The same is true for e-mail. Alumni can decide whether they want e-mail from the chapter going to their home or work e-mail account. Is our Headquarters notified about alumni address changes? Yes. It is important that your alumni continue to receive information and publications from your Inter/National Headquarters. On a regular basis, Omega electronically transmits information to your Headquarters about the address, phone and e-mail changes made to your organization's alumni records. Do you maintain e-mail addresses? Yes. We maintain home and work e-mail address information for every alumnus, parent and friend associated with your chapter. All newsletters and other pieces produced by Omega for your chapter are sent to your alumni, parents and friends by e-mail as well as US mail. Can you help the next alumni relations officer understand the process? Yes. Every time a new alumni relations officer takes over his or her new position, an Omega Alumni Services Manager will assist the new officer and help this individual set the schedules and priorities to properly perform his or her job. One of the benefits of using Omega is ensuring that the chapter communicates with alumni on a regular basis, year after year. We provide the consistency and professionalism you need. Cornerstone - Annual Fund Campaigns Can you help us collect alumni dues? Absolutely. Organizations that subscribe to Cornerstone Services receive an annual fundraising program each year. We consider this an "alumni dues-plus" campaign. During the annual fundraising campaign, we'll ask all alumni to pay their base alumni dues, but we also ask them to make additional contributions for the specific needs of your organization. Generally, during the first year of implementation, organizations collect between $2,000 and $15,000. Can alumni make contributions online? Yes. Omega will develop specialized website interfaces for your organization so that alumni can learn about the chapter, each other and any fundraising priorities. Through the website, alumni, parents and friends (really anybody) can learn about a particular fundraising campaign taking place and make a pledge online. They also have the option of printing and mailing a pledge contribution form. Are contributions tax deductible? In most cases contributions to fraternities and sororities are not tax deductible. The United States Congress and Internal Revenue Service have established specific rules about when contributions to Greek organizations are and are not tax deductible. Contributions to support a scholarship fund or educational areas within a chapter house may qualify as tax deductible. It is important to note, however, that alumni will make contributions even when they do not receive a tax deduction. Omega has worked with many chapters and raised millions of dollars for Greek organizations and in nearly every case, the donors to a particular capital campaign did not receive a tax deduction for their contributions. Don't let anyone tell you that to raise money your donors must get a tax deduction. It simply isn't true. What is the difference between an annual fund campaign and a capital campaign? An annual fund campaign takes place every year. There, donors are asked to support the organization on a regular basis usually to pay their alumni dues and support small projects. Annual fund programs typically raise less than $50,000 a year. The largest gift is usually no higher than $5,000, and very few alumni are involved in an annual fund campaign. Capital campaigns on the other hand are much larger, more complex, and they raise hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars for major projects like a new house or a major renovation. A great deal of planning goes into a capital campaign, and many alumni are involved in the process. How are donors recognized? Omega will develop customized recognition programs that are appropriate for your organization's particular situation. We help establish giving levels and naming opportunities. All donors are recognized on the campaign websites and mailings developed for you by Omega. Can you help the next alumni relations officer understand the process? Yes. Every time a new alumni relations officer takes over his or her new position, an Omega Alumni Services Manager will assist the new officer and help this individual set the schedules and priorities to properly perform his or her job. One of the benefits of using Omega is ensuing that the chapter communicates with alumni on a regular basis, year after year. We provide the consistency and professionalism you need to get the job done. Cornerstone - Communication Products Can we use our own printing company? Typically, Omega writes, designs, prints and mails your alumni newsletter or other communication pieces. However, if you have a relationship with a local printer or an alumnus is willing to help provide those services, we can accommodate these requests. In most cases, Omega can work with your designated printer, and we will reduce our communication prices accordingly. Are there any size or color restrictions? There are no size or color restrictions. Omega can custom produce a publication to meet your needs and budget. It is important to keep in mind, however, that the more colors or pages you want, the more expensive the item becomes. Likewise, special paper cuts, sizes or folds cost more to print and mail. Who writes the articles? We do. Omega's team of writers works closely with the alumni or chapter officers to develop newsletter stories and gather the required information, but Omega actually writes the stories. Can you help the next alumni relations officer understand the process? Yes. Every time a new alumni relations officer takes over his or her new position, an Omega Alumni Services Manager will assist the new officer and help this individual set the schedules and priorities to properly perform his or her job. One of the benefits of using Omega is ensuing that the chapter communicates with alumni on a regular basis, year after year. We provide the consistency and professionalism you need to get the job done. Capital Campaign What is required to start a capital campaign? Before beginning a capital campaign, Omega must conduct a feasibility study. Feasibility studies typically take 60 - 90 days to complete. There are several things that must be done before Omega can begin the feasibility study. First, the House Corporation or Alumni Board must have a clear plan for why they want to raise money and how they want to spend it. If you want to build a new house, we need to know the size and scope of the new house, and we need an architect's rendering of it. If you want to develop scholarship endowments, we need to know the guidelines for awarding scholarships. In addition, Omega staff typically must meet with the House Corporation or Alumni Board to identify prospects and set campaign goals and schedules before the feasibility study can begin. Are contributions tax deductible? In most cases contributions to fraternities and sororities for housing purposes are not tax deductible. The United States Congress and Internal Revenue Service have established specific rules about when contributions to Greek organizations are and are not tax deductible. Contributions to support a scholarship fund or educational areas within a chapter house may qualify as tax deductible. It is important to note, however, that alumni will make contributions even when they do not receive a tax deduction. Omega has worked with many chapters and raised millions of dollars for new Greek houses. In nearly every case, the donors to a particular capital campaign did not receive a tax deduction for their contributions. Don't let anyone tell you that to raise money your donors must get a tax deduction. It simply isn't true. How long does it take? It typically takes between eight and twelve months to raise your capital campaign goal. Taking any longer will frustrate your volunteers, hurt morale and send the wrong message to donors and potential donors. Every campaign ever undertaken by Omega has been completed within this time frame. One primary purpose of a capital campaign is to have a beginning and end date by which you measure success. Omega will recommend the beginning and end date upon presentation of the feasibility study results. What is the difference between an annual fund campaign and a capital campaign? An annual fund campaign takes place every year. There, donors are asked to support the organization on a regular basis usually to pay their alumni dues and support small projects. Annual fund programs typically raise less than $50,000 a year. The largest gift is usually no higher than $5,000, and very few alumni are involved in an annual fund campaign. Capital campaigns on the other hand are much larger, more complex, and they raise hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars for major projects like a new house or a major renovation. A great deal of planning goes into a capital campaign, and many alumni are involved in the process. How are donors recognized? Omega will develop customized recognition programs that are appropriate for your organization's particular situation. We help establish giving levels and naming opportunities. All donors are recognized on the campaign websites and mailings developed for you by Omega. Will Omega help us project fundraising income? Yes. One of the features of using Omega is our sophisticated, internet-based collections system. At any time, Omega can provide your campaign and organization leaders with a complete report detailing the amount of money that Omega expects to collect for you in any particular month in the future. Many capital campaign clients find this information very valuable as they work with lenders to secure financing for their new house and as they develop construction schedules. |
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Chapter Services
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