Hi pbear:
I'm an alumna advisor to the New Member chair and the Membership chair at the local chapter of my sorority, so I mostly work with the Rush process and pledging process--making sure that my advisees understand the rules and options, helping them come up with new ideas, helping them remain true to the goals, standards and rules set by their chapter and by the National HQ, etc.
As an advisor, I have a dual purpose of trying to protect the best interests of the chapter, while at the same time trying to protect the best interests of the National organization at a whole, which do not always jibe with each other (although most often, they do).
In your case, since your service sorority has not yet gone national, and you therefore don't have set down guidelines for the roles of alumna advisors, your first task as an alumna advisor is to write up some rules/standards/roles for what an alumna advisor should and should not do. Then you can work from there. Be sure to involve the chapter in this process.
One caveat: it can be hard to be an advisor at the chapter in which you were active, especially if you are advising girls with whom you were active. Many girls will resent you "bossing" them around now that you aren't active any longer, and will feel like you need to "get a life" and "get on with things beyond the sorority." So advising takes A LOT of tact and self-restraint, especially in a situation like yours.
I have found advising to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and as a young alumna, I LOVE working with girls who are just exploring college and the real world for the first time. It really is a great activity, and I wish you the best of luck!!!
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Oh, Kappa Kappa Kappa Gamma,
I'm so happy that I am a
Kappa Kappa Kappa Gamma,
Nobody knows . . . how
happy I am!
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