The development of the board of trustees was created to reduce the amount of time, energy, and involvement by the chapter advisor. The chapter needs guidance by not just one individual, but by a group of individuals. The ability to recruit volunteers and alumni who can specialize in just one area of development and not several will ultimately increase productivity. Each alumnus and volunteer will provide the necessary attention that is needed by each different facet of the Fraternity.

The purpose of the board of trustees is to help each undergraduate chapter in all areas of chapter operations. It is in place to help the chapter achieve its goals, and to hold the chapter accountable if those goals are not fulfilled. The board of trustees is an integral part of the chapter leadership. Each board is typically made up of a group of alumni, friends of the chapter, parents, and faculty members. This group will meet regularly to challenge and encourage undergraduate chapter leadership, and to help oversee the general welfare of the chapter.

The main function of a board of trustees (BOT) is to provide mentoring and advisement to a chapter. As a member of a BOT, each trustee oversees a given area of chapter development and mentors the chapter officer responsible for that area. In this way, alumni and volunteers can share their expertise and knowledge in a field which suits them, as well as the chapter. Areas of chapter development which typically receive attention may include scholarship, career placement, fundraising, finances, ritual, parent and alumni relations, and risk management.

The time commitment associated with serving on a board of trustees varies and is at the discretion of the given board. Typically, boards of trustees meet at least once every 4-6 weeks. Outside of regular board meetings, individual trustees typically spend time working with chapter officers and on various BOT projects, as needed. Serving on a board of trustees is a truly worthwhile experience, which offers flexibility and a chance to make a difference in a chapter and in the lives of today's undergraduates.

If you are interested in volunteering and would like to speak to a staff member about boards of trustees, please contact at the National Headquarters at 317-684-1865 ext. 105.

The following positions typically make up a board of trustees. Click on any of the position links below to find out additional information in regard to specific roles and responsibilities — or just scroll down the page to review all positions.

If you would like to find out more information about serving on a board of trustees in your area, you can fill out the Alpha Tau Omega Volunteer Interest Form by clicking HERE.

Board of Trustees Positions

Chairman

As chairman of the board of trustees, you have a position of great influence. To help the chapter reach its fullest potential, you must delegate your responsibilities to all parties involved. The chapter, executive council, and members of the board of trustees work together by setting goals and have the opportunity to interact in a casual environment. The concept of sharing responsibility and tapping into the strengths and roles of both the executive council and the other members of the board of trustees will ensure both a positive and productive experience.

Primary Responsibilities of the Chairman

• The chairman is responsible for directing and coordinating the board of trustees in order to advise the chapter.
• Create a positive relationship with members so that you have a clear picture of what is happening in the chapter
• You serve as an advisor, facilitator, and discussion leader with the chapter and board of trustees.
• You are involved with the learning process to assist each side in being productive, responsible, and for understanding their set tasks and objectives.

For more information in regards to specific chairman responsibilities please refer to The Tower: Boards of Trustees Operating System. Please click HERE to view the chairman section, and remember to look in the appendix for specific samples of action plans.

Please click HERE if you would like to learn more about serving as chairman on a board of trustees, and fill out the Alpha Tau Omega Volunteer Interest Form.

Vice Chairman

Often the vice chairman of the board of trustees is synonymous with the chapter advisor. As the number two ranking individual within the board of trustees, your primary duty is to assist the chairman in monitoring that all necessary chapter and board of trustees operations are carried out and executed in accordance with the Bylaws and Policies and Procedures of the National Fraternity. The vice chairman has the greatest responsibility in the administration aspect to help coordinate and record all activities of the board of trustees.

The vice chairman will act as the coordinator of all board of trustees activities, along with helping and overseeing that the chapter completes all necessary tasks that are set by the National Fraternity and university administration. This does not mean that you have to organize and run them yourself, merely that you should know what is going on and make sure that others know as well.

Primary Responsibilities of the Vice Chairman

• Serve as chairman of boards of trustees meetings when the chairman is not in attendance.
• Mentor and advise the vice president of the chapter.
• Attend chapter meetings and provide guidance and assistance when necessary.
• Record, maintain, and file minutes of all regular and special meetings.
• Maintain the master copy of the board of trustees bylaws. Keep the master copy up to date by making corrections each time changes occur.
• Assist the chapter in filing out the Annual Report sending it to the National Headquarters before the due date.

For more information in regards to specific vice chairman responsibilities please refer to The Tower: Boards of Trustees Operating System. Please click HERE to view the vice chairman section, and remember to look in the appendix for specific samples of action plans.

Please click HERE if you would like to learn more about serving as vice chairman on a board of trustees, and fill out the Alpha Tau Omega Volunteer Interest Form.

Academic Advisor

Alpha Tau Omega has always valued scholarship. Scholarship is on of the three principles that we teach our pledges when they join the Fraternity. It is through a strong scholarship program that graduation and career placement will be recognized.

Undergraduates also need to be aware that on today's campuses, fraternities have the responsibility of encouraging and demonstrating scholarship. Undergraduates must also recognize that they attend college to receive an education, and the Fraternity must support, and can never replace the educational institution.

As an academic advisor, your role is to oversee and support the faculty advisor. Your role is to stress the importance of scholarship to Brothers and pledges, challenge each member to meet his potential, and provide the supporting structure which allows and encourages members to excel academically.

It is strongly recommended that each chapter recruit or maintain a faculty advisor. The faculty advisor will be able to advise on university specific issues.

Primary Responsibilities of the Academic Advisor

• Help establish challenging, but achievable scholarship goals with the scholarship chairman.
• The Expectations for Excellence require that the chapter grade point average exceed both the campus all-men's and all-fraternity averages.
• Coordinate an over-all scholarship program to meet and exceed the chapter's goals.
• Advise the scholarship chairman and the scholarship committee.
• Encourage the chapter to maintain a scholarship file showing courses completed and/or not completed and grades for every member and pledge.
• Advise the membership education chairman in developing and coordinating a member and pledge scholarship program.
• Work with the faculty advisor to establish a tutoring system in which undergraduates with good grades in a particular field of study can help members who are having trouble in that particular area.
• Mentor and advise the scholarship chairman.

For more information in regards to specific academic advisor responsibilities please refer to The Tower: Boards of Trustees Operating System. Please click HERE to view the academic advisor section, and remember to look in the appendix for specific samples of action plans.

Please click HERE if you would like to learn more about serving as an academic advisor on a board of trustees, and fill out the Alpha Tau Omega Volunteer Interest Form.

Faculty Advisor

A faculty advisor is a chapter's link to a college or university. As such, a faculty advisor can often assist in keeping the chapter up to date with campus issues and act as an interface when called upon. Also, faculty advisors can also provide greater insight on academic issues such as time management, test and note taking tips, test anxiety, career placement, organization skills, and communication skills among others.

Purpose of a Faculty Advisor vs. an Academic Advisor

• Assist in scheduling classes, advise members on different majors, and maintain a favorable relationship with the academic institution.
• The importance of having both a faculty and academic advisor allows the chapter access to a person who is employed by the university, which can develop a stronger relationship with the host institution.
• The need to have an experienced individual who is seasoned in the ever-changing academic world assist and support the needs of each member is invaluable.
• Responsibilities of the faculty advisor and academic advisor are often shared. In an ideal situation, each chapter would have both an faculty advisor and academic advisor. In other situations, the faculty advisor often serves as the academic advisor.

Please click HERE if you would like to learn more about serving as an academic advisor on a board of trustees, and fill out the Alpha Tau Omega Volunteer Interest Form.

Career Placement Advisor

For members to graduate and get a fulfilling job, they need to learn essential skills, and then apply those skills to actual hands on practical programs and experiences. It is essential for each chapter to have a critical skills program within the chapter if the Fraternity is going to produce well-rounded graduates and place these graduates in professional careers within their fields of study upon graduation.

Critical skills programs that the chapter should be providing for members include, but are not limited to: interviewing techniques, resume building, etiquette, scholarship programs, and time management workshops.

Primary Responsibilities of the Career Placement Advisor

• Work with the local campus career planning and placement office to help the chapter take full advantage of the services offered.
• Develop alumni/parents network that will assist qualified chapter members with resume construction, career counseling, internship opportunities, and job searches.
• Help contact alumni for available internships, summer jobs, and full-time jobs.
• Assist in career planning.
• Coordinate and organize mock interviews.
• Assist in GMAT, GRE, and LSAT counseling and coaching.
• Encourage graduate school counseling.

For more information in regards to specific career placement advisor responsibilities please refer to The Tower: Boards of Trustees Operating System. Please click HERE to view the career placement advisor section, and remember to look in the appendix for specific samples of action plans.

Please click HERE if you would like to learn more about serving as a career placement advisor on a board of trustees, and fill out the Alpha Tau Omega Volunteer Interest Form.

Fund-Raising Chairman

Major funds will be required to maintain our Fraternity's chapter houses in the future. Quite likely, your house corporation will be involved in a major fundraising drive within the next ten years. Before embarking on a major campaign, it is strongly recommended that an officer of your house corporation contact the Alpha Tau Omega Foundation to discuss such plans. The ATO Foundation maintains records of previous such fundraising campaigns and can provide valuable information.

House corporations are a separate entity and should be treated as one. However, members of the house corporation and board of trustees often overlap. As you are probably aware, house corporations are responsible for the physical upkeep of the house. Nevertheless, the board of trustees fund-raising chairman often assists the house corporation in fundraising initiatives. It is important that the board of trustees and house corporation work together in such efforts.

On the other hand, boards of trustees often have their own fundraising initiatives that may not relate to house corporation issues. For example, boards of trustees often raise funds to be distributed as scholarships to chapter members, pledges, and prospective members. Because of this, it is important to have an individual responsible to assist the house corporation, and fulfill the fund-raising goals of the board of trustees. Remember, all chapters have a Chapter Education Grant Fund, specifically designated for each chapter, within the Alpha Tau Omega Foundation. For more information, please contact the ATO Foundation.

Primary Responsibilities of the Fund-Raising Chairman

• Establish annual fund-raising goals for the board of trustees.
• Assist the house corporation in fund-raising initiatives that deal with the physical structure of the chapter house.
• Work with the board of trustees members, chapter members, parents, and alumni in annual effort to raise funds to support chapter leadership and educational funds.
• Establish a working relationship with the ATO Foundation.
• Communicate regularly with all parties involved with the financial success of the chapter.
• For more information in regards to specific fund-raising chairman responsibilities please refer to The Tower: Boards of Trustees Operating System. Please click HERE to view the fund-raising chairman section, and remember to look in the appendix for specific samples of action plans.

Please click HERE if you would like to learn more about serving as fund-raising chairman on a board of trustees, and fill out the Alpha Tau Omega Volunteer Interest Form.

Financial Advisor

The chapter financial operation is the barometer of success in every chapter of Alpha Tau Omega. Many people think of fraternity in terms of ritualism, insignia, tradition, social opportunities, recruitment, scholarship, and community service. The Fraternity is a combination of all of these, but one realistic and unavoidable factor is always present. That factor is finances.

Treasurer vs. Financial Advisor Duties

• Communicate with the chapter treasurer and advise him on how to meet all related financial obligations.
• You are not required to do the day to day financial operations of the chapter, but to simply oversee them and ensure that checks and balances are in place.
• It can be very overwhelming for an undergraduate to have this much responsibility concerning fiscal compliance, and often there is no one to turn to and ask for advice.
• Responsibility for the day-to-day management of the chapter rests with the executive committee.
• The treasurer is the chief financial officer of the chapter and is responsible for all financial affairs.

Primary Responsibilities of the Financial Advisor

• Work with the undergraduate chapter to establish adequate financial record keeping, accounts payable and receivable, and reporting policies.
• Advise the chapter treasurer on how tosetting annual budgets.
• Help the chapter install and maintain a computer-based financial accounting package.
• Assist the chapter with all IRS, state, and local tax matters.
• Perform a monthly and yearly audit of the chapter finances.
• Advise the chapter to file all necessary reports with the National Headquarters, and pay chapter invoices on a timely matter.
• Serve as a mentor to the chapter treasurer.

For more information in regards to specific financial advisor responsibilities please refer to The Tower: Boards of Trustees Operating System. Please click HERE to view the financial advisor section, and remember to look in the appendix for specific samples of action plans.

Please click HERE if you would like to learn more about serving as a financial advisor on a board of trustees, and fill out the Alpha Tau Omega Volunteer Interest Form.

Ritual Advisor

As Ritual advisor, you are the chapter's spiritual advisor. You serve as the expert on the Ritual, and for this particular position you must be an initiated member of Alpha Tau Omega.

It is important that any project or program the chapter undertakes promotes the ideals upon which ATO is based, and ensure that nothing is done within the chapter to undermine those ideals. Naturally, you should understand the Ritual. Beyond that, you should understand everyone's part and work with the chapter president to make certain that the Ritual is correctly used.

Primary Responsibilities of the Ritual Advisor

• Understand the Ritual lessons and ceremonies.
• Attend all Ritual ceremonies of the chapter.
• Coordinate a Ritual Review each semester with the executive council to walk through the initiation and formal pledging ceremony.
• Mentor to the chapter chaplain.

For more information in regards to specific Ritual advisor responsibilities please refer to The Tower: Boards of Trustees Operating System. Please click HERE to view the Ritual advisor section, and remember to look in the appendix for specific samples of action plans.

Please click HERE if you would like to learn more about serving as a Ritual advisor on a board of trustees, and fill out the Alpha Tau Omega Volunteer Interest Form.

Parents Club Chairman

The idea of providing an organization for parents to make a difference within the organization is a must. Parents can be a very valuable resource, but need a structured way to become involved. The need to have a parent as a member of the board of trustees is highly recommended. Furthermore, this position may offer an incentive for a parent to become involved with their son's chapter.

As chairman within the Parents Club, it is important that you are the main link of communication between the chapter and parents of both members and pledges. It is important that members and parents alike understand the club's purpose, as well as its duties and responsibilities.

Primary Responsibilities of the Parents Club Chairman

• Prepare and maintain a current calendar of action using input from all committee members and ensure that the calendar is followed.
• Documents and maintains an indexed officer notebook to ensure proper recording of all events and ensures that all committee members also keep an indexed officer notebook.
• Chairs scheduled committee meetings as required.
• Periodically attends executive committee meetings to represent the Parents Club and its interests.
• With the help of the committee, develops, coordinates, and implements a plan for recruiting parents of new pledges and active members.
• Coordinates and schedules any presentations to club meetings by pledge class officers, chapter officers, and other members on selected subjects.

For more information in regards to specific Parent Clubs responsibilities please refer to The Tower: Boards of Trustees Operating System. Please click HERE to view the Parents Club section, and remember to look in the appendix for specific samples of action plans.

Please click HERE if you would like to learn more about serving as parents club chairman on a board of trustees, and fill out the Alpha Tau Omega Volunteer Interest Form.

Alumni Relations Advisor

As alumni relations advisor, you will assist the alumni relations officer within the chapter in providing a program which will strengthen the bonds between undergraduates and alumni. In addition, encourage alumni to remain active in their support of chapter activities. Your role is to help formulate and execute projects to build alumni goodwill for the chapter and the entire Fraternity.

Primary Responsibilities of the Alumni Relations Advisor

• Assist the alumni relations officer.
• Serve as member from the board of trustees on the public relations committee and any other committees where alumni relations are of particular importance or involved.
• Help organize and plan the annual Founders Day celebration, working with the chapter's alumni association, and the National Headquarters.
• Assist the alumni relations officer in maintaining an accurate alumni mailing list.
• Assist in scheduling and organizing joint alumni/chapter meetings, dinner parties, and Homecoming functions.
• Keep alumni informed of the current schedule of chapter activities, and ensure that they receive invitations to attend these activities. Include, when appropriate, alumni of other chapters living in the area.
• Attend meetings of the chapter's alumni organizations and report the minutes of these meetings to the board of trustees. Coordinate, as appropriate, the inclusion of such information in the chapter alumni newsletter.

For more information in regards to specific alumni relations responsibilities please refer to The Tower: Boards of Trustees Operating System. Please click HERE to view the alumni relations section, and remember to look in the appendix for specific samples of action plans.

Please click HERE if you would like to learn more about serving as an alumni relations advisor on a board of trustees, and fill out the Alpha Tau Omega Volunteer Interest Form.