Two of the National Panhellenic Conference’s (NPC) core values are community and service. NPC sororities fulfill these values by supporting various international, national and local philanthropies.
What is philanthropy?
Philanthropy is defined as devoting time and effort toward a cause that benefits other people– especially those who are underserved. Each of the NPC 26 sororities is dedicated to a philanthropic institution. Alpha Delta Pi aids Ronald McDonald House; Delta Gamma helps Service for Sight; Delta Delta Delta represents St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; and so on.
How each chapter of a sorority assists their philanthropy can vary. A philanthropic event can be anything from a bake sale to a 5k race. Additionally, each chapter has an annual event that is consistent across every chapter. For example, every Chi Omega chapter hosts a “Wings for Wishes” meal to raise money for the Make-A-Wish foundation. The set of days these different events occur is called “philanthropy week.”
Sorority chapters can also support a secondary philanthropy, which can be another national or local philanthropic organization. While Kappa Delta’s primary philanthropy is Prevent Child Abuse America, its secondary philanthropy is Girl Scouts of America. Kappa Delta aids the Girl Scouts by mentoring, volunteering and helping troops meet their cookie sale goal.
To raise money for philanthropies, NPC and Interfraternity organizations participate in each other’s events and donate money. To encourage participation, sororities tend to crown a “winner” of their philanthropy week, sparking healthy competition between organizations.
Supporting philanthropies is not limited to sorority and fraternity members. Friends, families, other college students and the local community can contribute.
Fundraising is also not the only way sororities can help. Philanthropies are grateful for any volunteer efforts or resource donations, hence why aiding philanthropies extends outside of philanthropy week. For instance, my chapter of Gamma Phi Beta (GPHI) attends practices at a local elementary school’s Girls on the Run team outside our annual “Moonball” event.
How philanthropy can help you?
Though philanthropies are dedicated to helping others, they can help you. Getting involved with your philanthropy can help you discover an interest in a cause, as you are not required to have prior experience with a sorority’s philanthropy to join.
When I became a member of GPHI, I had only heard of Girls on the Run. But after volunteering at my first race, I loved seeing the smiles on the girls’ faces as they crossed the finish line. Such joy inspired me to attend more races, even to support the girls I substitute taught for back home.
Networking is another advantage to philanthropy. Organizing, executing and donating the funds to your philanthropy requires communicating with the institution. If they applaud you for your outstanding work for their philanthropy, they may offer internship or post-graduate employment opportunities. They could even act as a reference.
But ultimately, devoting time to service shapes us into more caring and compassionate people. Philanthropies allow us to step into another person’s shoes to learn how we can better serve them and make a difference.
