When people hear the word philanthropy, they often think of Greek life organizations. Despite this, no one really understands the magnitude that philanthropy means to these groups. For a lot of Greek organizations, especially sororities, philanthropy is a major component of the group as a whole. Even during rush week, when potential new members are learning about the different sororities, philanthropy gets its own round, which is even multiple days long depending on where you go to university. Philanthropy is a big deal. But what exactly is it?
Philanthropy has such a prominent meaning to sororities across the nation. When sororities were first created, the whole premise of them was to help women become more well-rounded and grow into a deep sisterhood. One of the ways that this is achieved is through dedication to others, with a focus on philanthropy.
National
Most sororities have a national philanthropic group that they choose to contribute to. This is the main philanthropy of the organization and what most sororities fundraise for. These organizations are unique to each national sorority and each chapter contributes multiple times a year. Sorority sisters take their role in their philanthropy very seriously and do everything that they can for the betterment of their national organization.
Some examples of philanthropic service in sororities are Alpha Delta Pi’s commitment to the Ronald McDonald House, Pi Beta Phi’s commitment to the Read>Lead>Achieve initiative, and Kappa Alpha Theta’s dedication to National Court Appointed Special Advocates.
Local
In addition to contributing to a national philanthropic organization, sororities also do a lot of service in their local communities. Most sororities are constantly contributing to other Greek life fundraisers and philanthropies, not to mention any other student-run organizations on campus.
On top of being fundamental parts of their campus community, sorority members are also really important to the communities outside of their campus. Chances are, you’ll find sorority sisters and organizations working together to fundraise and give back to local causes. Many sororities constantly do volunteer work in their communities; from food drives, tutoring, to helping at local soup kitchens, sorority women are dedicated to helping their local community.
Self-Improvement
A big reason that sororities have philanthropy is to improve the quality of their sisterhood. By being dedicated to a higher cause, sorority women are able bond with one another in a way that rivals just a standard social connection. Having a shared philanthropic cause lets sorority women get to know each other on a deeper, more social-serving level. Sorority women get to see the best of each other while serving others and thats what allows their sisterhood to shine to the fullest.
Overview
In conclusion, sororities have philanthropy to improve their community while also fostering a deep and meaningful sisterhood. Sorority women engage in philanthropy in order to get to know their sisters better and improve their sorority as a whole. Philanthropy allows for sorority women to become more well rounded, which thus promotes a better sisterhood.