Sigma Nu - Theta Kappa - Theta Kappa Passion

You likely received a letter from the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation regarding the Black & Gold Society and this article is to further explain. The Foundation is the charitable arm of Sigma Nu Fraternity and is a fully tax-deductible entity like a church or university. To assist you in your decision process and to address the needs of Theta Kappa, the Foundation and our leadership have devised a program that directly enriches Theta Kappa and our future by directing those gifts to the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation in the name of the Theta Kappa Chapter. Why you? I went through our list of members selecting past leaders, close brothers, pivotal classes, key officers, and influencers. This was a first wave, and it wasn’t perfect – I will continue to expand and refine my list further as will others.

Maybe you didn’t have the same collegiate experience that I did with Sigma Nu or maybe not the same alumni experience that I had, but I think we can all agree that we had a great experience and our experience and time at Georgia Southern was significantly enhanced by Sigma Nu. I further believe that experience could not have been replicated through other organizations or fraternities. My primary reason I say that is because of each of you – we shared that experience and continue to do so. I also want others and future generations to have that experience, but I also want to perpetuate it so I can continue that experience with brothers like you. It is why I give to Sigma Nu, like I would with any other charitable organization, although a little more selfishly because I benefit from it and you, my brothers, do too! I believe Sigma Nu helped make me a better person, leader, and businessman, I believe it did for you and others too, and I see every day, as a volunteer, the impact on today’s collegiate men.

I know that everyone comes at this from a different perspective, and I respect that. In a lot of case timing is everything and the time may not be right, so I respect that as well. I just ask you to hear me out, think about it deeply, and respond as your heart allows. Let me start by providing my reasons. I was initially introduced to the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation by you know who. I took a trip to Lexington with him for the dedication of a new foundation building, the Ethical Leadership Center, in the early 90s. I started giving a small amount, steadily increasing since, and now have been giving to the foundation for over 30 years. My “why” has changed over the years, so I’ll tell you my “why” now, which likely will not change much. I have 5 primary reasons with the first 3 being the big drivers:

I believe that Sigma Nu is needed, and I believe it has a significant, positive, life-changing impact on the young men that join our fraternity. I see that in our chapter and other chapters.
I believe that Sigma Nu made me a better man, leader, soldier, officer, and sales executive. I am some of the evidence of the first bullet as I have been blessed by this experience and with you!
We are at war – there are organizations that are trying to eliminate us, and we need our fraternity, other fraternities, and places like the NIC to help us fight this battle. I want to see Sigma Nu last forever and bestow the gifts provided to me to many others perpetually.
I want to see the financial burden of fraternity operations, which has increased significantly, to shift some of the major costs from collegiate members to alumni endowments, so more can join.
I have the capacity and desire to give. I have allocated space in my charitable giving to both the SNEF (the Foundation) and Georgia Southern’s Athletic Fund as well as our house.

I would guess most every alumnus would have similar reasons, maybe worded differently, but along the same lines. The fraternity is how I met each of you, so I want to perpetuate and grow that.

If this is important to you, the first thing to remember is that all gifts made during this campaign and a parallel campaign are credited to the Theta Kappa Chapter and restricted to our chapter. Let me explain:

Black & Gold Campaign (2024). Gifts from Theta Kappa alumni or gifts designated for Theta Kappa will go to fund the commitment (see below) we made for the Theta Kappa Room in the Spears Family Epsilon Epsilon Center for Excellence (SFEECFE).
Theta Kappa Room & Theta Kappa Development Fund (2024-26). Gifts for this will go to fund the commitment (see below) we made for the Theta Kappa Room in the SFEECFE. Once the annual goal is reached all additional gifts go to the Theta Kappa Development Fund.
As a donor you choose how your donations are applied and that is respected. You may also choose to make an unrestricted gift and let the board decide how to best apply.

What is this Theta Kappa Room? Theta Kappa alumni leaders were offered a “naming opportunity” for the Spears Family Epsilon Epsilon Center for Excellence (SFEECFE) in order to complete the construction of the unique center. We chose the Conference Room ($35K) and the 10 Chairs ($35K) in the room as our naming opportunity. Theta Kappa made a commitment for the room that will be our shrine at the Sigma Nu HQs for perpetuity. This is to honor our alumni, our chapter, chapters founded in 1967 & after, and our HQs staff that has supported us over the years. The room is named after Theta Kappa (exact name TBD) and will be have Georgia Southern/Theta Kappa memorabilia. The 10 chairs that surround the conference table will be named and labeled for 10 of Theta Kappa’s Most Influential alumni, which needs to be decided. We have a working list of suggestions for the first 4-6, but we will decide as a team. The room and chairs total a commitment of $35,000 plus $3,500 per chair for a total of $70,000, which will be paid for over the next 3 years.

I am asking you to rethink some of your charitable giving or add to it. We all give to the church, United Way, and various charities that we give to help others and help those organizations survive, sustain, and flourish. We should give to an organization that helped us and our brothers – that is the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation, which is 501c3 organization like a church or university. Our mission aligns with our beliefs, values, and relationships we built during our time as a collegiate. You can join Tony Fair, Billy Hickman, Jim Walker, Shane Ragan, Troy Barrentine, Brent Myers, Todd Kalish, Jon Shaner, myself, and many other Theta Kappa brothers (look at the Spring 2024 Delta) that have made an annual commitment via the Omega Society, Black & Gold Society, the Theta Kappa Development Fund, and the foundation in general. Questions I ask myself regularly and you should consider yourself:

Would I have met my spouse if it had not been for Sigma Nu?
Did Sigma Nu make a significant formative role in my development and where I am today?
Did my Sigma Nu experience have a significant impact on me, my brothers, and those around me?
Do I believe that ΣΝ is an organization that I want to see perpetuated long into the future?
Excelling with Honor: Do I believe in the honorable mission of Sigma Nu Fraternity?
- To develop ethical leaders inspired by the principles of Love, Honor, and Truth.
- To foster the personal growth of each man’s mind, heart, and character.
- To perpetuate lifelong friendships and commitment to the Fraternity.

This is what the Black & Gold Society is about, but the society and the level is not what is important nor is this year – it is a conversation starter and a conversation we should have. I want each alumnus to think about an annual, sustainable charitable gift that he can make to further the honorable mission of Sigma Nu and ensure we exist long into the future, whether it is $100, $1000, or $10,000. I want future generations to do the same. A $1,000 annual gift is $84 a month and over 10 Theta Kappa alumni do that or better today. Our alumni and those interested in the Theta Kappa chapter have a unique opportunity to provide a charitable gift to the foundation, but also direct that gift to directly impacts the Theta Kappa Chapter. My ask is:

Reconsider your total charitable giving portfolio and place Sigma Nu in it as a major part.
Join myself and eight Theta Kappa alumni in the Omega Society at $1,000 per year or greater.
Make a minimum gift of $1,000 a year and direct that gift to the Theta Kappa Development Fund, Omega Society, or both. In an agreement with the foundation, they will direct the first 3 years of your gift to the Omega Society towards Theta Kappa and then afterwards to the mission of the Omega Society, which are very synchronized.
Join me at the Atlanta Honorary Board luncheon on Tuesday, August 20 with 100 likeminded Sigma Nu alumni from all over the state of Georgia. There is no cost for this with your gift.
Join me at a special reception for like-minded Theta Kappa alumni at Homecoming 2024.
Consider joining me, other alumni, and the Fall 2024 Candidate Class in our annual pilgrimage to Lexington, VA to the HQs shrine, September 27-29.

Remember all money donated by Theta Kappa alumni during this Black & Gold Campaign will be attributed to the Spears Family EE Center for Excellence, Theta Kappa room (CFE), which is the conference room located on the right as you enter the building (see brochure). Anything gifted above the commitment we made goes into the Theta Kappa Development Fund and is restricted to Theta Kappa. As a side note and unrelated to Theta Kappa, if the nationwide B&G campaign reaches $50,000 by June 30, an anonymous donor will match donations up to $50,000, so your gift value will double.

Simultaneous to this B&G Society initiative, the alumni of Theta Kappa will continue the effort by recruiting 15 teams with Team Captains, which we are doing now – we welcome you to be on a team, a Team Captain, and your input. This is like the method we paid off the house mortgage in 2000-2005. Each team will raise approximately $9,000 from their team ($3,000 per year) over 3 years. The team can be any size, but we recommend fewer than 50 members. The funds will be consolidated in the Theta Kappa Development Fund which is part of the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation. Examples are: 12 teams at $9,000 each net the fund $108,000 ($70K to CFE & $38K to TKDF) and 15 teams at $9,000 each net the fund $135,000 ($70K to CFE & $65K to TKDF). There is no limit, so where does the extra money go? The answer is simple all money raised now and, in the future, will be deposited in the Theta Kappa Development Fund, which we would like to grow to $300,000 or more to endow grants of $30,000 per year or more to develop and sustain the Theta Kappa Chapter. The initial plan is for an annual spend of:

$15,000 Scholarships for Theta Kappa members and a Recruitment Scholarship

$5,000 Leadership Development Convocations

$10,000 Annual Fall Pilgrimage to the HQs & ΘΚ Shrine in Lexington, VA

The fund has already been seeded with over $55,000 by generous alumni over the last several years. The fund was initiated by Ferrell & Charlene Penland on Ferrell’s passing to Chapter Eternal in 2012. This initiative is to broaden and further endow the fund, so that in the future all disbursements will be made from annual dividends in the TKDF and not the principal. However, to help promote and strengthen the chapter, we will be starting the Annual Pilgrimage Program in 2024 with the first trip September 27-29 for the 2024 Fall Candidate Class just 3 weeks after induction. Our plan is to do this again each fall as part of candidate education. We believe that the pilgrimage to Lexington will enrich the experience of our new members, differentiate our chapter on campus, strengthen their knowledge of Sigma Nu fraternity, and bind them even further to the chapter/class, so that when they graduate, they will be part of this obligation to excellence and give back to the Theta Kappa Development Fund and to our house. As part of the effort and team development we have goals to strengthen our efforts – those are:

Recruit at least 12 teams, but optimally 13-15 teams, so we can over produce.
Each team should develop at least 1 additional Omega Society member. SNEF has agreed the first 3 years will go to reduce the commitment for the Theta Kappa room. No impact on Omega.
Each team should develop 2-4 recurring donors of >$300 each for the TKDF.
Complete the $70,000 commitment for the Theta Kappa Room at the Center for Excellence.
Long term raise >$300,000 endowment for the TKDF, which is an increase of 5x.
Position the TKDF to be able to disburse >$30,000 annually for scholarships, leadership development, and pilgrimages to Sigma Nu shrines without reducing the principal by 2030.
If 100% of our initiates gave $500, we are done. We know that is unlikely, but we would like to get close, so even more of a reason to have teams. We want to maximize the number involved.
Leaving a legacy for Theta Kappa Chapter and the sustainment of our future.

All alumni, parents, collegiates, and friends of Theta Kappa are encouraged to participate and enrich the chapter’s future. All donations are tax deductible as they are for the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation.

Here are 5 podcasts I would recommend for alumni to reconnect or learn more about what is going on today; there is a 2^nd & 3^rd wave after this. We recently identified a series for new members going through their candidate program to augment their education as well as some for officers or prospective officers to promote a curious mind about their roles. Anyway, I invite and encourage you to engage in this medium, so here is a short list I have curated to get you started:

Enjoy! And we will see you at Homecoming 2024, October 11-13 in Statesboro.