Campaign Announcement Letter

Gentlemen of the Beta Chapter,

All of us know these words by heart, “O Zeta Psi, we pledge tonight evermore to love thee…” The time has come to test the strength of that pledge. The physical structure at 169 Rugby Road is in need of immediate, substantial renovation and we need your help.

The four of us have joined to co-chair the Zeta Psi Restoration Capital Campaign. During the next two years, we hope to raise the necessary funds to repair the infrastructure needs and restore the house to its former glory. Current estimates indicate that we will need to raise approximately $750,000 to do so.

We acknowledge and respect that we have four constituencies to address in this campaign: the alumni, the actives, parents of actives and alumni, and the University administration. The University has made its support clear. To quote Dean of Students Allen Groves, “we want a strong, viable chapter of Zeta Psi here, and we believe that renovating the house is essential to that.” Similarly, the actives have indicated their support and taken action to show good faith. Led by current Phi, Gardner Fiveash, the actives have launched an initiative to renovate the kitchen, gotten estimates and have begun soliciting their parents for the funds needed. A cook has been hired for January.

We are also mindful that our constituencies will insist on good governance to insure accountability. Three years ago, we formed an alumni advisory board. Recently, steps have been taken to formalize that board, elect officers and an executive committee, and institute procedures for managing funds disbursement.

Over the next few weeks, we will be visiting cities with a concentration of Beta Chapter alumni to provide detail about the plans and the capital needs, to address concerns and to solicit your input. We will also make that presentation available on our Beta Chapter website (www.zetapsiuva.com) when we start those meetings. We want to do all we can to educate you about this project before asking for your financial support.

Meanwhile, we are asking for help on the capital campaign itself. We need a captain for each class of alumni to manage communication with his brothers. We need the input of anyone with construction or renovation expertise or resources. And we welcome additional members of the Alumni Advisory Board to insure the broadest possible representation across the decades.

Contact information for each of us, for our campaign liaison at Alumni Hall, and for the current members of the Alumni Advisory Board are on the back of this letter. You can find contact information for your fellow alumni through the Alumni Association.

If we circle up and join hands, we can conquer this challenge with ease.

Yours in Tau Kappa Phi,