Fresh Perspective: Are Black Greek Letter Organizations Financially Out of Touch?

I recently received a brochure for my fraternity’s 103rd Anniversary Convention and looked at the price of the convention and was awestruck. The registration cost for the convention ranges from $450 to $750 for alumni and $250 to $500 for collegiate members. After looking at our conventions cost, I began to investigate the prices of other BGLO’s national conventions. Phi Beta Sigma’s 95th Anniversary Conclave prices were similar, quoting $375 to $675 for alumni and $275 to $530 for collegiate members. What these prices do not include are travel and lodging, which can easily cost an additional $500 to $1,000. For those of us who are active or have been active at one time with our BGLO, we know that the convention cost is not the only expense that a member could incur within a year’s time. With the current economic crisis within the United States is the leadership of BGLO’s being sensitive to the current recession or are they just going on with business as usual.

Truth Music is that on average we spent $500 to $1000 to be initiated in our organizations along with the chapter’s own assessment, which alone was costly. We then began a cycle of national due that range from $75 to $250 (some organizations have life memberships that range one-time payment of $1,000 to $3,000) that we must pay each year in order to be considered in good standing. Then there are chapter dues (if you associate with a chapter), that are normally more expensive then what you paid nationally.

And once you have paid to be a “card carrying member” you can then register for your District (statewide) meeting which can cost you an additional $50 to $200 and once you have participated within your District there is your Regional meeting. I saw one Regional Convention for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority online ranging from $300 to $600 to register.

Finally, you have had a year of fraternizing, it’s mid-summer and it’s time for your National meeting. I know that we enjoy seeing all of our Bruhz and Sorors, but honestly are we paying to maintain organization’s that are mismanaged and carrying too much overhead cost. BGLO’s initiate a few hundred to a couple of thousands of new members each year, but have the turnover rate of most low paying call centers. Most BGLO’s are struggling because of the lack of retention of members who join in college but never transition to the alumni ranks of the organization. But has the leadership provided them a reason that they should.

Therefore, we are left with the challenge to ask if I joined a brotherhood/sisterhood should it cost me over a thousand dollars a year to maintain my active status within the organization. If I have built relationships with my sorors and bruhz what is the benefit of being active? I believe that our BGLO’s are out of touch with the current economic crisis and have been for a long time. As a result, our organization will witness a year of low registering conventions along with a drop in their already struggling membership. I believe that our BGLO’s need to realign themselves and do away with our lavished and over budgeted conventions that really have no value. Our conventions need to be restructured to provide the training that is necessary to not just develop us to be leaders within our organizations, but to provide that leadership to our community as well. The funds spent on our conventions should be reallocated to our current membership management programs to provide better customer service, oversight, corporate mentorship program etc. Once we do this we will be able to tell that inactive brother or sister that there is value in being active with the organization, but until then, the Truth Music we will continue to hear bruhz and sorors say “my membership is worth more than the organization’s magazine”.


FRESH