NEED YOUR SUPPORT - Alumni Association Launches 2025 Fundraising Campaign
12/03/2025
Overview
As you may be aware, the Eta Mu Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity has undergone an amazing transformation over the past few years. The Chapter was on the brink of extinction, with zero new recruits for two years, no nationally-recognized active members, and a suspended charter.
The Alumni Association stepped in, and due in large part to the outstanding individual efforts on the part of several Alumni, the financial backing of the Alumni Foundation, and the generous donations from our Alumni Brothers, the Collegiate Chapter is once again thriving on the University of Findlay Campus.
Not only is our chapter healthy and vibrant again, this past year we also received the “Theta Chi Chapter Excellence Award”, and two of our Collegiate Brothers became the first Eta Mu members to achieve “Theta Chi Resolute Man” status!
In addition to the strides that our Collegiate Chapter has made, our Alumni Association and Alumni Foundation have also achieved important milestones. In the past year we have:
Obtained 501(c)(3) status, which means that donations made directly to the Alumni Foundation are now tax deductable
Partnered with “One Cause”, to streamline and simplify the donation process
Re-established our annual Spring Formal, which has been a beloved tradition of our Chapter
Established a “Speakers Bureau”, whereby Alumni Brothers give career-oriented presentations which are open to all UF students
Established an “All-Greek Alumni Association” in order to keep the Greek system alive on the UF campus. (Currently there are only two Greek social organizations still in existence: Theta Chi & Sigma Kappa)
Organized several regional “Alumni Get-Togethers” throughout the state of Ohio and in other states
The Cost of Our Efforts
In order to resurrect our Chapter, we had to provide scholarship incentives to undergraduates in order to gain new members, which worked. We went from zero members to 13 members in less than two years!
We also realized that the on-going operational costs were significant, and could not realistically be absorbed by the few men in our initial pledge class. Currently, individual pledge fees are $330 per person, and active fees are over $560 per Brother annually! Therefore, for the first year we also covered all National Fraternity fees and dues, in addition to the costs surrounding attendance of retreats, meetings and conventions for the collegiate members keeping our Chapter alive.
Once the Chapter stabilized, the Alumni Association agreed to the funding of 50% of the fees through the current school year to ensure that the Chapter is on strong footing. Alumni financial support will be re-assessed annually.
We also wanted to ensure that Collegiate Brothers were provided with scholarship opportunities to help defer the always-increasing tuition costs. For the 2025-2026 school year, Alumni Foundation has committed to providing a minimum of $6,500 in scholarships. The intent is to increase the amount of scholarships awarded each year.
Long Term Goals
While we now have a vibrant and healthy Collegiate Chapter, our responsibility as Alumni is to ensure that the Eta Mu Chapter continues on the upward trend. We owe future generations of undergraduates the same opportunity to experience the benefits of Theta Chi life that we all enjoyed! Rather than stepping back at this point, we Alumni need to step forward.
The Alumni Association has put forth some very exciting, and very challenging long term goals:
Purchase of a Chapter House
Establishment of an Endowment Fund to support annual scholarships
Providing FULL academic scholarships to Collegiate Brothers
Partner with UF and other Greek Alumni to grow the number of Fraternities and Sororities on the UF campus
Continue the Alumni Speakers Bureau, and also sponsor speakers on the UF campus
Conclusion
What the past few years have shown us is that our Brotherhood is strong and amazingly effective when we’re focused on an important cause. We also have realized that we need to be there to support each other, because we cannot depend on external support to achieve our goals.
While our Alumni have donated tens of thousands of dollars to the University of Findlay in the name of Theta Chi, this year less than $2,500 was made available to us for undergraduate scholarships.
Donating directly to the Theta Chi Alumni Association through “One Cause” will ensure that your funds will DIRECTLY support the on-going needs of the Active Chapter and allow us to work towards our long-term goals. And we have not forgotten our motto: “Alma Mater first, Theta Chi for Alma Mater”. The Alumni Association intends to make an annual donation to the UF Endowment Fund in the name of all Theta Chi Brothers.
We all need to step up to ensure that Eta Mu will live on for decades to come. Extend a Helping Hand so that the Eta Mu Chapter will live on!!
To donate to the Eta Mu Chapter of Theta Chi Alumni Association, Please use the following link(s):
https://onecau.se/oxhmexpenses
This option is NOT tax deductible and covers:
- Chapter, New Member (Pledge), Program & Benefits (Active) fees
- Rush and Initiation expenditures
- Homecoming and Formal expenditures
- Chapter Advisory Board support
- Housing setup, Composite and other Administration expenditures
- Support for an UF All-Greek Committee
https://onecau.se/oxhmscholarships
This option is tax deductible and covers:
- Scholarships
- Fundraising Costs
- Eta Mu Annual Retreat
- Theta Chi Fraternity Education costs (including Leadership Conference, Convention, and other leadership seminars that IHQ may sponsor)
- Speakers Bureau Support
- Collegiate “Professional Shadowing or Experience” Expenses
We have one more request: In advance of the National Day of Giving, we ask that each of you reach out to your friends and family, let them know how important Theta Chi has been to you, and ask if they would like to support out effort. Attached to this communication is a document that you can tailor to deliver your message. The message includes links to our donation pages. (It can be used as a stand-alone email, a social media post, or simply printed and mailed out.) With your help, we will ensure that our Chapter receives the financial support it needs to keep thriving!
For more from Theta Chi - Eta Mu Chapter - Alumni Association - visit our website at oxhmalumni.org and connect with us.