Local Chapter Procedures

Local Chapter Procedures Manual: Denver Alumnae Chapter

Date of last revision: October 2025

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Denver Alumnae Chapter

Local Chapter Procedures Manual (LCPM)

Updated: October 2025

Abbreviations

The following abbreviations shall be used as appropriate throughout this document:

  • CPM – Chapter Procedures Manual

  • LCPM – Local Chapter Procedures Manual

  • VPM: Vice President, Membership

  • VPP: Vice President, Programs

  • VPR: Vice President, Ritual

  • SAA: Sergeant-at-Arms

  • EB: Executive Board

  • NAA: National Alumnae Association

  • NH: National Headquarters

Members

  • Denver Alumnae recognizes the following dues-paying, active alumnae membership categories:

    • Alumnae Members

    • Affiliated Patronesses

    • Associate Members

  • Alumnae Members and Affiliated Patronesses in good standing enjoy all the benefits of chapter membership including the ability to hold office, and voting on chapter business.

  • Associate members are active members who may or may not live in the Denver metro area, but choose to remain associated with the chapter. Associate members may still receive chapter publications but will pay reduced dues and are not permitted to hold office or vote.

  • Inactive membership

    • Active and Associate members may claim inactive status at any time by notifying the Executive Board; no approval is required from the chapter, per the CPM.

    • Inactive members are welcome to attend events, and are not expected to attend meetings.

    • Inactive members do not appear on the roster or the Yearbook Directory.

    • Inactive members are not permitted to hold office, participate on committees, or to vote.

    • If a member seeks inactive status mid-year, a pro-rated refund of dues will not be provided.

    • It is the responsibility of the member seeking inactive status to communicate with the Executive Board to avoid not in good standing status.

    • It is the responsibility of inactive members to communicate with the Executive Board when they wish to re-activate their membership with the chapter. The VPM will submit an Application for Member reactivation with NH on behalf of the member seeking reactivation.

    • It is the responsibility of the member seeking reactivation to ensure their NAA fee is current.

    • Re-activated members follow the prorated local chapter dues schedule.

Recruitment/Affiliation

  • Potential affiliates may attend chapter activities when invited. They are encouraged to attend several meetings to get to know the chapter members and the activities of the chapter, and to determine whether they are truly ready to commit.

  • The chapter will host a minimum of 1 recruitment event each year.

Attendance

  • Attendance is taken at each meeting, and members are encouraged to attend as many meetings as they are able to promote sisterhood.

Chapter Member Financial Obligations

Local Dues

  • Denver Alumnae Chapter annual local chapter dues are:

    • $40 for Active Members, allocated (gross revenue) as:

    • $30 to the General Fund

    • $5 to the Convention Fund

    • $3 to the Philanthropy Fund

    • $2 to the JoAnne Kyhl Memorial Performance Competition Fund

  • $25 for Associate Members, allocated (gross revenue) as:

    • $20 to the General Fund

    • $3 to the Philanthropy Fund

    • $2 to the Convention Fund

  • Prorating Local Dues

    • Members affiliating or re-activating between July-October, pay full-year dues.

    • Active members affiliating or re-activating between November-March pay $20, allocated as:

      • $15 to the General Fund

      • $3 to the Convention Fund

      • $2 to the Philanthropy Fund

    • Associate members affiliating or re-activating between November-March pay $10, allocated as:

      • $7 to the General Fund

      • $3 to the Convention Fund

    • For all members affiliating or re-activating between April-June, no dues for the current year are owed.

  • Payment deadlines

    • Full-year local dues are due no later than August 31.

    • This ensures good standing on the local level for the upcoming membership year and provides guidance for the creation of our annual Yearbook Directory.

    • Grace periods and payment plans are set at the discretion of the Treasurer.

  • Payment methods

    • Local dues may be paid via:

      • Cash

      • Check or money order, made out to “SAI Denver Alumnae Chapter” and with “Dues” written in the memo line

      • Online, via PayPal

      • Dues paid via PayPal are subject to merchant fees; the chapter budgets around the net revenue, and dues paid via this method are considered paid in full.

      • Net allocations of dues paid via PayPal follow the allocation methods specified above; Convention Fund, Philanthropy Fund and JoAnne Kyhl Memorial Performance Competition funds are allocated in full, with the remainder going to the General Fund.

National Alumnae Association Fee

  • The National Alumnae Association (NAA) fee is an annual payment, which is separate from local dues and paid directly to National Headquarters. Members who have achieved 50 or more years of membership in Sigma Alpha Iota or who are at least 70 years of age may apply to NH for an exemption to this fee.

    • Payment details

      • Each member is on an individual schedule for their NAA fee payment, and is contacted privately by NH in regards to their NAA fee. This fee is paid directly to NH, and Denver Alumnae has no involvement in the payment of this fee.

      • Denver Alumnae tracks the standing of each chapter member’s NAA fee status as a courtesy, because members must be in good standing with both local dues and the NAA fee in order to be in good standing for chapter activities.

Officers

  • President

    • Duties of this office are located in the CPM 5-3.

  • Vice President, Membership

    • Duties of this office are located in the CPM 5-5.

    • Historically chairs the Membership and Social committees.

  • Vice President, Programs

    • Duties of this office are located in the CPM 5-5.

  • Vice President, Ritual

    • Duties of this office are located in the CPM 5-7, 9-3

  • Secretary

    • Duties of this office are located in the CPM 5-7.

    • The Denver Alumnae Chapter typically combines Recording Secretary and Corresponding Secretary into one role.

  • Treasurer

    • Duties of this office are located in the CPM, chapter 8.

    • Historically chairs the Fundraising committee.

  • Editor

    • Duties of this office are located in the CPM 5-10.

    • Historically serves as Yearbook Directory chair.

  • Sergeant-at-Arms

    • Duties of this office are located in the CPM 5-11.

  • Term limits

    • President, VPM, VPP, VPR, Secretary, and Sergeant-at-Arms may serve three consecutive one-year terms at a time.

    • Treasurer and Editor may serve five consecutive one-year terms at a time.

    • A minimum of one year away from an office must be taken when a member reaches a term limit, before returning to that office. Members may serve in another office during that time.

    • There is no lifetime cap on how many total terms a member is allowed to serve in any one office.

Nominations and Elections

  • Historically, the officer slate for the following year is presented at the February chapter meeting. Additional nominations are accepted from the floor.

  • Elections for the following year’s Executive Board take place at the chapter meeting following the one when the slate was presented.

  • If there is only one candidate for an office, confirmation via acclamation is appropriate, per Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

  • If there are multiple candidates for an office, a simple majority of votes cast is required. Arrangements may be made for electronic voting to ensure a quorum is met.

  • When using ballots, separate and anonymous ballots for each office are used.

Executive Board

  • The President will schedule a meeting at some point prior to each chapter meeting, at a time agreed upon by the Board members.

Committees

  • Standing committees

    • In any given year, committees (and projects included within) may or may not be active, depending on the needs and capabilities of Denver Alumnae at that time.

  • Fundraising

    • Projects include all chapter fundraising efforts

  • Membership and Social

    • Committee responsible for fostering a growing and flourishing sisterhood.

    • Projects may include but are not limited to:

      • Social Events

      • Recruitment Efforts

      • Incorporation Day Celebration

      • Founders’ Day Celebration

      • Summer Picnic

  • Service

    • Projects including but not limited to:

      • Growing Young Musicians

      • Community partnerships

  • Technology & Archives

    • Projects including but not limited to:

      • Website management

      • Social media management

      • Digital asset management

      • Records digitization

      • Yearbook Directory

      • Photography

  • Special committees

    • JoAnne Kyhl Memorial Performance Competition

      • Committee responsible for the oversight and management of the JoAnne Kyhl Memorial Performance Competition fund.

    • Created on an annual basis:

      • Bylaws

      • Honors

      • Nominating

Meetings

  • Denver Alumnae generally holds eight (8) business chapter meetings per fraternal year (July-June).

  • CPM 7-4 mandates a minimum of five business meetings per year, two of which must be formal.

  • CPM 7-4 mandates a minimum of three meeting musicales per year.

  • Chapter meetings generally do not occur in December, June, July, or August.

  • The chapter generally observes Incorporation Day in December and Founders’ Day in June.

  • If the chapter hosts Province Day, there is typically not a business meeting in March.

Special Events

  • Incorporation Day and Founders’ Day celebrations are typically done as luncheons open to any member, their family, or prospective members.

Chapter Social Media Accounts

  • All social media accounts must adhere to the SAI Social Media Guidelines found in the Document Library of the Officer Portal.

  • The chapter maintains a Facebook account, which is managed by the Technology Committee and/or President and VPM.

Honors and Awards

  • Local honors and awards are distributed at the discretion of the Honors Committee.

  • Members of the Denver Alumnae Chapter are eligible to receive two awards given by the chapter at the end of each year.

  • Certificate of Recognition

    • Awarded to an active chapter member who has made a significant contribution to assist the chapter in completing a task or reaching a goal in the current year.

  • Chapter Recognition Pin or Certificate of Excellence

    • Awarded to an active chapter member who has done an outstanding job in planning, organizing, and completing a task, job, or event above what is required by her position on the Executive Board, as a committee chairman, or otherwise in the current year.

  • Membership Certificates

    • Anniversary Certificates have traditionally been given at 25, 50, 60, and 65 years.

  • White Rose Awards

    • Tradition beginning in 2023, the white rose awards are given to members who have attended over half of the year’s meetings. They will be awarded a white rose pin or something similar as a way of recognizing those members’ “constancy” and dedication to the chapter.

  • See CPM 14-10 for more information on local awards.

  • Awards are generally presented by the Honors Committee by the end of the chapter year.

General Chapter Information

  • Technology

    • Denver Alumnae maintains a website and digital accounts for tasks including but not limited to:

      • Communication

      • Content creation and management

      • Digitization

      • File storage

      • Social media

    • A full list of digital accounts managed by the chapter is held by the Executive Board and the Technology & Archives Committee.

    • Technology may be used to record non-ritual chapter activity for the purposes of creating official records

    • Additional documentation for the tools the chapter uses, in relation and respect to current Fraternity documentation, may be created as needed.

    • Chapter Google accounts

      • The chapter maintains the following Google accounts for its officers.

        • saidenveralum:

          • Main administrative account to be managed by the President

        • saidenverpresident:

          • President’s account

        • saidenvervpm:

          • VP Membership’s account

        • saidenvervpp:

          • VP Program’s account

        • saidenvervpr:

          • VP Ritual’s account

        • saidenversecretary:

          • Secretary’s account

        • saidenvertreasurer:

          • Treasurer’s account

        • saidenvereditor:

          • Editor’s account

      • Account management

        • Chapter Google accounts should list the officer’s personal phone number as the recovery phone number.

        • Chapter google accounts should list the saidenveralum account as the recovery email address.

        • The recovery information for saidenveralum should be set to that of an EB member.

        • Officers are expected to securely manage their own passwords and transition the account to the new officer upon leaving office.

        • Should any potential security concerns arise, officers should change their passwords ASAP and notify the executive board.

Other Chapter Policies

  • Finances

    • Budget

      • The chapter budget is typically developed over the summer and presented for an approval vote at the September chapter meeting. While the CPM advises that the budget serves as a guideline, Denver Alumnae strives to stay within their approved budget as much as possible. Special projects may have their budgets developed and approved outside of this timeline at the discretion of the EB.

      • The budget allocates spending for the relevant income and expense needs for the chapter over the fiscal year.

      • National awards are not included in the annual budget due to variable eligibility of awards year-over-year, but have funding allocated based on available funds.

      • Distinguished Member and Patroness fees are not included in the annual budget to allow for flexibility with the recruitment process, but are allocated based on available funds.

    • Expenditures

      • Members making purchases on behalf of the chapter must submit receipts for record-keeping and/or reimbursements.

      • Receipts may be submitted in person, via mail, via email to saidenvertreasurer@gmail.com, or via the chapter’s Reimbursement Request Form.

      • Reimbursements will be issued no later than the next chapter meeting after which the receipt was submitted. Reimbursements are issued via check, either in person or by mail.

      • Planned and budgeted expenses do not require additional approval.

      • In the event of expenses that exceed the approved amount allocated in the budget:

        • At the discretion of the EB, acting as good stewards of the chapter budget, expenses exceeding $100 may be approved by the EB, or may be brought to the chapter for review and approval by a simple majority vote.

        • Expenses exceeding $100 will be brought to the chapter for approval by a simple majority vote.

    • Finance technology

      • Denver Alumnae maintains digital accounts to facilitate online transactions. A full list of digital accounts managed by the chapter is held by the Executive Board and the Technology & Archives Committee. Please note the following information about accounts the chapter uses or may use:

        • The chapter bank accounts are currently housed by Wells Fargo.

        • The chapter maintains a checking account and CD account.

        • Wells Fargo logins are tied to individuals rather than the account itself, so there is no one chapter login for the bank accounts.

        • At this time, the President and Treasurer have debit cards linked to the chapter checking account. At the Executive Board’s discretion, additional cards may be granted to officers as needed. The Treasurer maintains the chapter checkbook.

      • The chapter does not use Venmo for business purposes because National Headquarters does not permit it, per communications sent from our National Vice President, Finance in Sept. 2019.

      • The chapter uses a PayPal business account to transact online business as a vendor for the following items:

        • Dues payments

        • Donations to the chapter

        • The chapter uses Eventbrite when it hosts events that require ticket sales and/or registration.

      • The chapter, in accordance with local laws and when applicable, absorbs service fees as the payee of online transactions.

        • We do this to remain in compliance with Colo. Rev. Stat. §5-2-212.

      • In the event that cash and card payment options are available at a chapter event, a discount on cash prices can be offered per Colo. Rev. Stat. §5-2-212.

    • Fiscal year

      • Denver Alumnae observes a fiscal year of July 1-June 30, in accordance with the fiscal year observed by National Headquarters.

  • Inclement weather protocol

    • In the event that meetings are cancelled and are unable to be rescheduled:

      • For Executive Board meetings, members will meet via video conference call.

      • For chapter meetings, all executive members and committee chairpersons should submit detailed reports to the secretary for compilation by the intended meeting start time. The compiled notes should be submitted to the chapter via an official chapter e-mail by the end of the day.

  • Using video conferencing

    • The chapter may use video conferencing to host virtual meetings and events to accommodate members who face mobility or health challenges. These events can be exclusively virtual, or a hybrid of in-person and virtual, depending on chapter needs.

    • Types of events can include:

      • Chapter meetings (excluding closed ritual ceremonies)

      • Executive Board meetings

      • Social events

      • Committee meetings

      • Other chapter activities, as needed

  • Member Management

    • Celebrating life events

      • The chapter recognizes the many accomplishments of its members and wants to celebrate them! The following life events are acknowledged with a gift of up to $50 in value, pulled from the VPM budget and managed by or in collaboration with the VPM:

        • A chapter member gets married

        • A chapter member has or adopts a child

        • A chapter member completes a master’s or doctoral degree

        • Additional life events or milestones at the EB’s discretion

    • Disciplinary procedures

      • Refer to Article XVI of the National Bylaws for information regarding disciplinary procedures for chapters and individual members.

    • Membership information

      • Membership information is kept in the membership roster located in the chapter’s Google account. The Executive Board officers access the roster on a regular basis.

      • If a member’s personal information changes, they should notify the EB via email, or fill out the change request form available on the chapter website. Updates to the roster will be made on an as-needed basis.

    • Photo and video use

      • Denver Alumnae chapter members may take photos and video at chapter events. These photos and video may be posted to public and semi-public channels including but not limited to the chapter’s social media, chapter website, and chapter newsletter, and may also be shared with National Headquarters’ publications in an effort to promote the chapter and SAI.

      • Members with questions or concerns about the use of their image for chapter purposes should contact the Executive Board.

  • Voting Procedures

    • Bylaws and Local Chapter Procedures

      • Proposed changes to national and Denver Alumnae Bylaws, as well as Local Chapter Procedures, are presented at the meeting preceding the scheduled vote.

      • The chapter uses the following definitions to distinguish Amendments and Revisions:

        • Amendments shall include minor changes that can be voted on individually

        • Revisions as defined in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th ed., Section 57:5:

          • “Changes of the bylaws that are so extensive and general that they are scattered throughout the bylaws should be effected through the substitution of an entirely new set of bylaws, called a revision.”

    • At the time of voting:

      • Two-thirds approval of votes cast is required. Arrangements may be made for electronic voting to ensure a quorum is met.

      • Voting on proposed changes to national bylaws is done by a show of hands.

      • Voting on proposed amendments to local bylaws is done by secret ballot; each item is voted on individually, but on one ballot.

      • Voting on a proposed revision to local bylaws is done by secret ballot; all changes in the revision may be approved in one vote on one ballot.

      • Voting on proposed amendments to local chapter procedures is done by secret ballot; each item is voted on individually, but on one ballot.

      • Voting on a proposed revision to local chapter procedures is done by secret ballot; all changes in the revision may be approved in one vote on one ballot.

    • Honors and awards

      • Two-thirds approval of votes cast is required. Arrangements may be made for electronic voting to ensure a quorum is met.

      • Voting on awards is done by secret ballot; each item is voted on individually, but on one ballot.

    • Motions made at chapter meetings

      • See chapter 17 of the CPM for details on procedures for motions during chapter meetings.

      • Unless stated otherwise, motions are approved with a simple majority vote.

LCPM Updates

This Local Chapter Procedures Manual (LCPM) must be updated and approved by the chapter each fall and must be attached to the Alumnae Chapter Bylaws Report due November 1. Changes may be proposed at a regular meeting and voted upon at the next regular meeting. A two-thirds affirmative vote of the chapter members in good standing is required. If updates are made to the document after the November 1 report deadline, the chapter distributes the approved updated version to all members and submits a copy of the updated LCPM on the Officer Portal using the form LCPM – RESUBMISSION ONLY.