YOUR INVESTMENT MAKES A MEANINGFUL IMPACT

Thank You For Donating to Life Loyal Teke!

The ongoing commitment of Life Loyal Teke donors continues to impact both our collegiate leaders and TKE volunteers. 100% of every dollar donated to Life Loyal Teke is granted to the Fraternity for leadership programs and other educational initiatives. You can see updates below from TKE Chief Executive Officer, Donald E. Aldrich, about key initiatives, the use of Life Loyal Teke funds, and the ROI from the support of you and your fellow Life Loyal Teke donors.

You can help expand the impact both directly and indirectly. Please support Life Loyal Teke by renewing or increasing your own gift annually and also by encouraging more of your fellow Fraters to do the same. Show your passion and exercise your leadership by inspiring other Life Loyal Teke donors.


January 27, 2022

Strong First Half of 2021-22

As our collegiate members returned to campus in-person fully we saw renewed energy throughout TKE Nation. Visits to college campuses resumed and the work to inspire our men at how we build back Tau Kappa Epsilon following the past two years is well underway. Results in the first half showcased the great work of our collegiate members, volunteer leaders, and Professional Staff.

Highlights of the 1st Half Include:

    • Pace for Highest Initiate count since 2016-17
    • Strongest RLC Early Bird performance over the past 5 years
    • LLT reached highest fundraising total in any full year
    • A/R above previous year trends
    • Historic sales on TKEStore.com
    • eCompliance Risk Training near 70% Completion
    • PhiredUp Recruitment Training (2.5 Hour Program) totaled 793 Completions
    • Six charterings expected this year (West Chester Univ. and Univ. of Delaware Completed | Univ. of Alabama and Univ. of Idaho Approved | George Mason Univ. and Univ. of Miami planned)
    • Achieving +$119,000 in St. Jude Fundraising YoY
    • Improvement in TKELA structure/impact
    • Inaugural Volunteer Summer Series Training

Resources such as PhiredUp Training (TKE.org/PhiredUp) have been critical in advancing the talent of our fellow Tekes. This program is a funding opportunity for all of us who invest in Life Loyal Teke. PhiredUp not only teaches tactics for our men to recruit, it trains them on the ability to sell themselves and market the Fraternity. In this program we foster life skills and further the mission of TKE.

October 14, 2021

Recruitment Results 2021-22

TKE has been bustling with energy surrounding recruitment. Overall, we are off to a strong start. TKE is +33% in initiates over last year, +41% vs. 2019-20, and +30% vs. 2018-19. There is much more work ahead, but we are proud of the groups listed below who have demonstrated excellence and every group that is inspiring growth in our Fraternity!

Here are the leading groups in TKE thus far:

RankChapterSchool# of Men
1Nu-EtaBoise State Univ.59
2Beta-LambdaAuburn Univ.46
3Beta-PhiLouisiana State Univ.41
4Alpha-RhoUniv. of Rhode Island38
4Delta-GammaUniv. of Connecticut38
6Alpha-GammaWashington State Univ.37
7Beta-ZetaLouisiana Tech Univ.36
8ChiUniv. of Washington31
8EpsilonIowa State Univ.31
10Gamma-LambdaSan Diego State Univ.27
10Xi-OmegaVirginia Tech27
12Pi-IotaUniv. of Nevada – Reno24
12Theta-EtaUniv. of South Dakota24
14Mu-AlphaWest Chester Univ.23
15Beta-UpsilonUniv. of Maine – Orono21
15Alpha-NuUniv. of New Hampshire21
17Upsilon-GammaUniv. of Minnesota – Duluth20

Resources such as PhiredUp Training (TKE.org/PhiredUp) have been critical in advancing the talent of our fellow Tekes. This program is a funding opportunity for all of us who invest in Life Loyal Teke. PhiredUp not only teaches tactics for our men to recruit, it trains them on the ability to sell themselves and market the Fraternity. In this program we foster life skills and further the mission of TKE.

September 2, 2021

TKE Leadership Academy held in-person

We were thrilled to return to an in-person program August 6-9 in Colorado Springs, CO. This was the first in-person event in TKE since February 2020. Attendance included a great group of 72 men from around TKE Nation and extremely talented facilitators and guest speakers. Amongst the guest speakers were Frater Major General Charles Whittington, Grand Grammateus Ryan Vescio, Former NFL Pro Bowl Fullback Jed Collins, Frater Elmer Smith (President at Interactive College of Technology & Chairman Emeritus of the TKE Foundation), and Frater Bryan Keller (Chief Strategic Officer at Dakota Wealth Management).

Guests in attendance included Grand Pylortes Jim Johnston, Grand Hegemon Mike McEvilly, Frater Ernie Ernest (Chairman Emeritus of the TKE Foundation), and TKE Foundation CEO Frater Steve Strathmann. A dynamic week of leadership and life lessons was punctuated by a closing ritual where we passed the gavel and shared our love and passion for TKE and our commitment to build an even stronger Fraternity in the year ahead!

Top TKE Chapters Awarded

The highest and most prestigious chapter award in TKE is the Top TKE Chapter Award. The following groups were named Top TKE Chapters for the 2020-21 year:

  • Epsilon - Iowa State University
  • Lambda - University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Alpha-Nu - University of New Hampshire
  • Alpha-Pi - George Washington University
  • Beta-Zeta - Louisiana Tech University
  • Beta-Lambda - Auburn University
  • Beta-Rho - University of Akron
  • Beta-Sigma - University of Southern California
  • Gamma-Iota - University of Colorado at Boulder
  • Epsilon-Delta - University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Epsilon-Kappa - Loyola University Chicago
  • Epsilon-Omicron - University of Houston
  • Zeta-Pi - Culver-Stockton College
  • Iota-Beta - Susquehanna University
  • Nu-Eta - Boise State University
  • Xi-Omega - Virginia Polytechnic Institute
  • Pi-Iota - University of Nevada, Reno
  • Sigma-Kappa - Merrimack College

Congratulations to all who have supported charting a culture of excellence within these groups!

June 11, 2021

Your Generosity Fuels Record LLT Year

In the 2020-21 year you played a leading role in setting new standards for Life Loyal Teke. In 2019-20, TKE raised over $50,000 from the program. Due to your generosity, we far surpassed that number raising over $130,000 for Life Loyal Teke in the 2020-21 fiscal year!

These dollars have been put directly to work. As many of you know, your contribution is a tax-deductible gift to the TKE Foundation and is granted toward educational initiatives through the TKE Foundation to the Fraternity. A committee on the TKE Foundation reviews grants quarterly and approves the allocation of dollars.

Below are the examples of investments in the past 12 months:

  • $55,000 – Teke Guides (Leading educational document of TKE)
  • $17,000 – Silver Books (Leading educational document of our ritual)
  • $13,000 – Being an Inclusive Leader Training for Chapter Officers (Training led by TKE Alumnus)
  • $43,000 – Technology Investments for Virtual RLC, AVA, EDU.TKE.org platform

As contributors like you support TKE, we have greater opportunities to expand our offerings and produce valuable life lessons and insights to members of every era. These resources inspire us to innovate how we advance our mission both virtually and in-person. Additionally, there are programs that are not yet funded. Programs such as “Your Money Vehicle” (a financial literacy course for all 230,000+ living members) and the Phired Up recruitment training classroom (for all collegiates and volunteers) are two existing tools that we can drive dollars to in the future.

Our ability to provide enriching experiences is directly related to the means available through our collegiate membership and supporters of the TKE Foundation. Your commitment through LLT is vital and I cannot thank you enough for your impact!

March 9, 2021

Data Analytics

A widening advantage that TKE has in the fraternal world is our data analytics. TKE measures and tracks much more information than many know. This information is based on how well groups are recruiting, raising money for St. Jude, participating in e-Compliance, DEI training, international programs such as RLC, TKELA, or Conclave.

A major milestone in the mid 2010’s was the creation of the Chapter KRA Scorecard. This tool set the standard of expectation for every group in TKE. It illuminated the goals the Grand Council of TKE and broke them down to the men who work daily in groups across North America. Our goal over the past twelve months is how to further paint a vision of what is possible while arming our collegiate members, Professional Staffers, and volunteers with tools and resources to bring that vision to life.

In the past month we have unveiled a “Chapter Health Tab” that charts 10 year graphs of total membership and annual initiates in the TKE Chapter Module. There are indicators that are green, yellow, and red in areas such as usage of the module, financials, membership, St. Jude, and even to-dos are noted. This Chapter Health Tab has inspired a Province Dashboard for Grand Province Advisors to gain a one-stop snapshot of how all of the groups in their area are performing in key metrics.

There is exciting work underway to reshape how we expand our outreach and drive our members closer together. This includes an engagement score for every member of our organization. These scores allow our alumni associations, college leaders, volunteers, and active members to see who has been deeply invested in TKE now or in the past. Additionally, we are crafting a system of qualified leads for volunteers. Too often our collegiate leaders and groups need dedicated alumni to support them, but don’t know where to start. These types of tools place TKE at a strategic advantage. Combine these tools with the KRA scorecard as well as the ability to see on www.tke.org what groups lead in, (recruitment, chapter size, St. Jude dollars raised, Life Loyal Tekes) and you can gain a clearer picture of where we are succeeding and where we need additional efforts.

We know that what gets measured gets improved and that systems outlast people. These tools allow TKE to make strategic decisions and investments. It allow us to build robust plans and elevated goals with more information as to how we can achieve them. It prepares us to make a larger impact on our membership.

December 29, 2020

Life Loyal Teke Fundraising

Financial support to the Life Loyal Teke program has been crucial and inspirational in 2020. New Fraters have made the decision to contribute to LLT through the TKE Foundation. Many of those same men have chosen to additionally make gifts to the annual fund of the TKE Foundation, chapter scholarships, special projects accounts, or specific funds that excite them to invest in TKE.

A portion of the success in 2020 is tied to our partnership with PCI, a company that has been simultaneously updating our information systems for both TKE and the TKE Foundation. At our request, PCI utilized a script we developed that asked alumni to consider supporting the LLT program when members were updating their biographical information. We were thrilled to see 1,131 members participate contributing $48,869 to Life Loyal Teke!

Notwithstanding the challenges of the pandemic, together we successfully have been able to lift the LLT program to new heights. Utilizing relationships with alumni Fraters, we have gained early momentum in building a sustainable annual giving culture that can foster philanthropic growth and stewardship for our Foundation.

New TKE Foundation donor growth has surpassed every year but one since 1994.

LLT Highlights in 2020

  • Raised $121,020 in 2020 vs. $32,011 in 2019
  • Raised $77,698 this fiscal year (7 months) vs. $49,281 last fiscal year
  • PCI partnership creating 1,131 new donors to the Foundation rolls raising $48,869

Resources You Have Supported

An expanded audience to this newsletter is a chance to again update on resources created within the past nine months. While this is not a list of every initiative underway, COVID-19 has been a time of exploration and dedication to innovation. The Professional Staff and volunteer team has been tireless in their support of our membership exemplified by the development and delivery of the items below:

  • Weekly video updates from the CEO in the final two months of the spring semester
  • Virtual Alumni Volunteer Academy
  • Inaugural Online Officer Training Series
  • Virtual Commencement Ceremony with Marc Benioff (CEO Salesforce.com) as presenter and Major General Charles Whittington as Commencement Speaker
  • Regional Volunteer Calls with the CEO throughout 2020-21 year
  • Calls include financial updates, vital discussion of the importance of membership, and Q&A
  • 102 videos posted to Official TKE YouTube Channel
  • Facebook Live Events & Instagram Town Halls with CEO, Senior Management, Regional Leaders, and Grand Council Members
  • Digital Recruitment Center launched to aid the social media profile/brand of TKE groups and resources for virtual recruitment
  • A 52 page COVID-19 guide created through our insurance company (James R. Favor Company) in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control
  • Posted to TKE.org and a webinar explaining the document to volunteers was hosted by Chief Risk Officer Greg Roskopf
  • Summer check-in calls held with every group to prepare for rosters and fall recruitment
  • Elevated engagement level from HQ staff to collegiate and alumni members including over 300 hours of Zoom calls on the roster process and planning for the year
  • TKE Nation Podcast episodes distributed every two weeks – Honored to receive awarding from the Fraternal Communications Association
  • A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee was appointed by the Venerable Grand Prytanis under the leadership of Grand Grammateus Ryan Vescio to champion our heritage of inclusion.
  • Five DEI training sessions taking place with collegiate officers of TKE. Workshops led by Dr. Steve Yacovelli (Rho-Psi, Millersville University).
  • Four previous letters were sent to LLT insiders from the CEO providing operational updates
  • Creation of the Health Tab in the TKE Membership Module that graphs the past 10 years of chapter membership and recruitment efforts
  • Additional highlights showcase items that could be of concern, such as the number of graduating seniors in the coming year, financial indicators, and how often officers are utilizing the chapter module tool
  • Creation of the Alumni Engagement Tab in the Membership Module
  • All chapter leaders now have access to new data points rather than just association leaders
  • New TKE Storefront Launched | https://tkestore.com