Phi Kappa Psi Announces a Shift in Service and Philanthropy Focus

Indianapolis (April 16, 2018) – Since 2009, the Fraternity has enjoyed a productive and meaningful partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of America (BCGA). As an organization that espouses The Great Joy of Serving Others as a core maxim, we are very proud of the impact that our members and chapters have made in the lives of so many young people in their local communities. We are grateful that our partnership with BGCA has magnified this impact.

At the Executive Council (EC) meeting this past February, the EC approved a flexible direction for the Fraternity in the realm of service and philanthropy. The EC believes a collective focus to address poverty issues and individuals in special need provides an approach that is indicative of the founding principles of our Fraternity. This will not preclude chapters from working with their local BGCA as our previous partnership allowed—in fact, we encourage chapters and alumni associations to maintain those existing relationships, as we view them to be beneficial to all parties.

Over the past six months, under the direction of the Executive Council, the Fraternity’s staff has been working with the Service & Philanthropy Task Force to review the organization’s approach to service and philanthropy. When the Executive Council built the 2020 vision in 2015, the goal was to ensure our collective efforts in service and philanthropy were measurable and impactful in our communities. This includes re-evaluating our current approach, enhancing messaging and resources for students, and ultimately re-emphasizing Phi Psi’s commitment to The Great Joy of Serving Others.

Beginning in May 2017, the Task Force began collecting data from chapters on their existing partnership with the BGCA, the chapter’s primary service and philanthropy partners, the emphasis they place on each cause, and who from their campus/community they engage in their programs and events. Using this initial dataset as a starting point, the Task Force then conducted industry research to discover new models, learn more about what matters to our undergraduate members, and offer a chance for undergraduates to provide direct feedback at the Regional Officer Training programs. The feedback was then collected and organized to spark discussion with the Executive Council.

We believe this expansion of focus provides our members with more flexibility and autonomy to create community partnerships that are meaningful to them. To prepare our membership for this change in service and philanthropic focus, the Fraternity will be preparing resources on the topic this summer. This will include a cache of helpful articles, research, videos and other forms of media to help educate on the need to address poverty; helpful guides for chapters and alumni associations to select a community partner and plan service projects; and additional direction on how to operationalize this approach beginning with  the fall 2018 term and beyond.

For more information on how we can collectively address poverty, please visit the webpage.

If you have any questions about the new focus, please contact Senior Director of Member Development, Kyle Hickman.