Ways to Increase Engagement with TKE During Coronavirus Pandemic

Every Frater has an opportunity to make a positive impact during erratic time. Fraters of all ages are feeling restricted in their freedoms, limited in their social contact, and confused by this new environment; you can be a primary catalyst to help your fellow Fraters feel more grounded, less frustrated, and to become more connected with each other and with TKE. Though this time can be difficult and confusing, it also presents a wide open opportunity to be creative, focus a little energy, and build a greater connectivity throughout your scroll and/or your metro area that can pay dividends for years to come.

• Build stronger connections among alumni and also with collegiate members.
• Help Fraters feel more connected in a time of distancing and uncertainty.
• Demonstrate the relevance of the brotherhood beyond events and direct contact.
• Create meaningful projects that give Fraters a reason to invest time in TKE and strengthen the Bond for themselves and others.
• Generate creative opportunities for involvement.
• Demonstrate the power of TKE as the Fraternity for Life.

Below you will find a list of ideas to help spark your thinking along with additional resources and information about new online “office hours”. Feel free to share this file with others as you wish.

1. Explore Your Family Tree: Have Fraters make calls as far up and/or down as they can go in their “family line” to connect and share. You can also use this to build out the TKE family tree for your entire group. Verify big and little lines for your own records and we can help store those on the master database for you. Encourage your alumni to visit MyTKE.org and enter their “family” or compile lists to share with us at HQ. This can help you later with major event invitations and other outreach efforts.
   
   
2. Find Lost Brothers: Check your alumni lists and the Lost Brothers resource on TKE.org. Work to help fill in missing or incorrect info and find unconnected Fraters. Ask other Fraters to help with those in their class or age group. If you need an alumni list, you can request one from Karen Coleman at HQ.
   
   
3. Work With Your Histor (if appropriate): Reach out to see what ideas the Histor has and to explore how you could collaborate on new initiatives with collegiate members.
   
   
4. Showcase Yourselves: Share profiles, success stories, and lessons learned with alumni and/or collegiate members. How well does everyone really know who’s in your network? How else can you build better connections by sharing life experiences other than the nostalgic memories. Make direct contact, or share on social media, or log in to to MyTKE.org to check and update your personal/professional information. Collegiates or candidates might put together a collection of profiles and bios to share. Make yourselves more human; tell your individual stories. (where are you from, what have you done, where have you traveled, personal interests, career aspirations, etc.) Consider sharing everyone’s resume.
   
   
5. Social Media Campaign: Make an effort to get more Fraters connected with both your own group and with TKE via Facebook and/or LinkedIn. Search out individuals and invite them directly; get other Fraters to help within their own networks. Encourage Fraters to login to MyTKE.org to share their social media links. Kick off creative ventures to stir responses and continued interactivity.
   
   
6. Direct Assistance Options: Many Fraters are stuck at home facing a wide variety of situations. Get creative about how you or other Fraters can be of assistance. Ask how you can be helpful.
   • Offer to read stories or spend other creative time online with someone’s younger kids.
   • Make yourselves available as tutors/study buddies for middle/high students.
   • Shopping or direct assistance for someone nearby.
   • “Wellness checks” or comfort calls for someone in a difficult situation.
     
     
7. Expand Your Pool: Who else could you include in your network? Alumni Associations are officially for initiated members, but you can include other “friends of the Fraternity” in your communication and/or events as you wish. Who might you like to extend yourselves to who hasn’t previously been involved? Sweethearts, Little Sisters, Order of Diana, house moms, cooks, former advisors, favorite faculty, long-time neighbors.
   
   
8. Get THE TEKE to more of your alumni. Most alumni aren’t receiving the magazine and don’t get to see the best of what’s happening across TKE. Alumni can get a subscription to THE TEKE with an annual donation to Life Loyal Teke.
   
   
9. Professional Development: How can you help with professional networking or resources? Start a cycle of informational interviews not only between collegiates and alumni but also between alumni of various ages and at different points in their careers. Sharing internship and/or job listings can help in these uncertain times. List TKE in your LinkedIn profile; join the Tau Kappa Epsilon group.
   
   
10. Personal Interests and Hobbies: What other interests might you share with fellow Fraters that you aren’t even aware of? Put a survey out to your alums asking about interests to find peer groups. Share something about yourself via social media and challenge others to do the same. Fraters might be able to share expertise, resources, and connections in other areas besides career and professional pursuits.|
    
    
11. Mentoring Opportunities. Become a mentor. Seek a mentor. The best mentoring relationships often don’t come from within a structured program; they develop because someone takes the step to seek one out or to reach out themselves. Both people benefit in a good mentoring relationship, and it’s not just about someone older. Share a bit of yourself and your experience out there and see where you can build new connections.
    
    
12. JUST ASK! Be creative in how you might be of service and what would get people involved. Take the important step of ASKING your fellow Fraters what you can do to help. Reach out to staff, other volunteers, collegiate leaders for ideas. Utilize the Alumni Association Facebook group or the Histors Facebook group.

Micro-Volunteering

Chapter Advisor

The Chapter Advisor is the key to a successful undergraduate chapter. His efforts bring stability to the chapter, enhancing the overall fraternity experience. The Chapter Advisor:

• Ensures that meetings are regularly scheduled and attends at least one meeting a month
   
• Serves as a resource for chapter officers
   
• Sees that officer transition is completed, so that new officers learn their responsibilities quickly
   
• Communicates with the Regional Team, which includes the Grand Province Advisor, Province Advisors, and the Regional Director
   
• Facilitates a chapter retreat
   
• Advises the chapter on all phases of operations
   
• Works closely with chapter leadership and the Board of Advisors
   

Board of Advisors

Each chapter of TKE is incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation. The chapter Board of Advisors serves as the Board of Directors for the corporation. The BOA officers include Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Secretary/Treasurer. Other members of the BOA are the Chapter Advisor, Chapter Prytanis, and Crysophylos. The BOA:

• Manages chapter real estate
   
• Helps plan the long-range future of the chapter
   
• Supervise chapter finances
   
• Reviews the chapter budget
   

Grand Province Advisor

The province is headed by the Grand Province Advisor who manages the Province Advisors, coordinates with the Regional Director, and conducts a Province Forum once a year. He is primarily concerned with recruiting, training, and placing Chapter Advisors and BOA members. The Grand Province Advisor must be at least 25 years old and is appointed by the TKE Chief Executive Officer.

Province Advisors

Each province has multiple Province Advisors who visit chapters and provide assistance in chapter operations. There can be as many Province Advisors as the Grand Province Advisor feels is necessary, depending on the number of chapters in the service area. Province Advisors must be at least 25 years old and are appointed by the TKE Chief Executive Officer, upon recommendation by the Grand Province Advisor.

Foundation Ambassadors

Membership as a Foundation Ambassador is open to anyone who chooses to play a role in advancing the TKE Foundation and willingly shares their treasure to support its efforts.  Criteria for becoming an Ambassador are: an enthusiasm for TKE and belief in the mission of the TKE Foundation; a desire to communicate with other members ways of engagement and opportunities for support; and are willing to give back so that others can benefit from the efforts of the Foundation. If you have any questions or inquiries about this program please contact TKE Foundation.

Fraternity Committees

Appointed by the Grand Prytanis, Fraternity committees are an integral part of the direction of the International Fraternity. Committees and Task Forces are generally comprised of alumni members, and they are involved in many areas of operations, including:

• Long Range Planning
   
• Recruitment and Retention
   
• Investment and Finance
   
• Discipline (Grand Court)
   
• Expansion
   
• Membership Development and Education
   
• Judiciary
   
• Collegiate Advisory (Collegiate Members only)
   
• Philanthropy
   
• German Corps Program
   
• Awards
   
• Nominations

TKE's Conflict of Interest Policy

Purpose
Tau Kappa Epsilon International Fraternity (TKE) has developed this Conflict of Interest Policy to ensure that all its directors, officers and key employees continue to act in compliance with applicable laws and to deal with all persons doing business with TKE in the best interest of TKE. This Conflict of Interest Policy is a guideline to protect TKE's interests when it is contemplating entering into a transaction or arrangement that might benefit the private interest of an officer or director or key employee of the Corporation. This policy is intended to supplement but not replace any applicable state laws governing conflicts of interest applicable to nonprofit corporations. This policy shall apply only to volunteers above the local chapter or emerging chapter level - namely Grand Council members, international committee members, Grand Province Advisors, and Province Advisors.
 

Definitions
 

1. Interested Person. Any director, officer, member of a committee with Board-delegated powers, or key employee, who has direct or indirect financial interest, as described below, is an "interested person".
    
2. Board. Any elected board, including, but not limited to is interchangeable for Grand Council, Alumni Association, Board of Advisors.
    
3. Director. The term "Director" is the same as "Grand Officer".
    
4. Financial Interest. A person has a financial interest if the person has, directly or indirectly, through business, investment or family -
   
   • An ownership or substantial investment interest in any entity with which TKE has a transaction or arrangement, or
      
   • A compensation arrangement with TKE or with any entity or individual with which TKE has a more than a cursory transaction or arrangement, or
      
   • A potential ownership or substantial investment interest in, or compensation arrangement with, any entity or individual with which TKE is negotiating a transaction or arrangement.
      
   • Compensation includes direct and indirect remuneration as well as gifts or favors that are substantial in nature.
      

Procedures
 

1. Duty to Disclose. In connection with any actual or possible conflicts of interest, an interested person must disclose the existence and nature of his or her financial interest to the directors and members of committees with Board-delegated powers considering the proposed transaction or arrangement.
    
2. Determining whether a Conflict to Interest Exists. After disclosure of the financial interest, the interested person shall leave the Board or committee meeting while the financial interest is discussed and voted upon. Board or committee members shall decide if a conflict of interest exists.
    
3. Procedures for Addressing the Conflict of Interest.
   
   1. No board member shall be eligible for work that could be performed by non-board vendors (including, but not limited to, executive search, outplacement, architectural, fund-raising and consultation services).
       
   2. Where the Chairperson of the Board or a committee chair see a conflict, a disinterested person or committee shall investigate.
       
4. Violations of the Conflicts of Interest Policy.
   
   1. If the Board or committee chair has reasonable cause to believe that a board member has failed to disclose actual or possible conflicts of interest, it shall inform the member of the basis for such a belief and afford the member an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose.
       
   2. If, after hearing the response of the member and making such further investigation as may be warranted, the Board or committee chair determines that the member has in fact failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, it shall take appropriate disciplinary and corrective action, including but not limited to removal from the Board or committee.
       

Record of Proceedings
The minutes of the Board and all committees with Board-delegated powers shall contain:
 

1. The names of the persons who disclosed or otherwise were found to have a financial interest in connection with an actual or possible conflict of interest, the nature of the financial interest, any action taken to determine whether a conflict of interest was present, and the Board's or committee's decision as to whether a conflict of interest in fact existed.
    
2. The names of the persons who were present for discussions and votes relating to the transaction or arrangement, the content of the discussion, including any alternatives to the proposed transaction or arrangement, and a record of any votes taken in connection therewith.
    

Compensation Committees
A member of any committee, whose jurisdiction includes compensation matters and who receives compensation, directly or indirectly, from TKE for services, is precluded from voting on matters pertaining to that member's compensation.
 

Annual Statements
Annually, each director, officer, member of a committee, and key employee with Board delegated powers shall sign a statement which affirms that such person:
 

1. Has received a copy of the conflicts of interest policy,
    
2. Has read and understands the policy, and
    
3. Has agreed to comply with the policy.
    

Periodic Reviews
Periodic reviews shall be conducted by the Board to ensure that TKE operates in a manner consistent with its organizational purposes and that it does not engage in activities that could jeopardize its status.
 

Use of Outside Experts
In conducting the periodic reviews provided in Article VII, TKE may, but need not, use outside advisors. If outside experts are used, their use shall not relieve the Board of its responsibility for ensuring that periodic reviews are conducted.
 

Accepted: I have read and understood the above Conflict of Interest Policy.
 

_____________________________________________________
Name, Date, and Signature