November 2004
Sigma Nu's LEAD Program. . . Developing Ethical Leaders for Society

The LEAD Program continues to be recognized as the premier ethical leadership development program in the Greek Community. LEAD, an acronym for Leadership, Ethics, Achievement and Development, is a four-phase program addressing the nature of leadership and ethics in today's world. The LEAD Program also contains sessions focusing on the health and well-being of college students, including educational efforts aimed at preventing the misuse and abuse of alcoholic beverages.
Did you know that an IRA left in your estate gets double taxed? First, the IRA gets hit with the Estate Tax. Then, your beneficiaries must pay their regular Income Tax on the remaining proceeds.
Dear Brothers,

I hope that you enjoy receiving this inaugural edition of THE ROCK! This online newsletter is part of the Foundation's improved communication strategy. We want to keep you better informed about important topics that pertain to alumni of Sigma Nu; therefore, you can expect to receive THE ROCK every other month. Please feel free to contact me with any comments you have about the newsletter.

Fraternally,

James A. Owens
Executive Vice President
Alumnus "Breaks the Mold" with a United Way Gift to the Foundation
For Ron Burks (Cal Poly Pomona) it was an ordinary day at the office when he received the annual United Way Workplace Campaign form. Ron works for Enterprise Rent-a-Car® in Orange County, California, and the company had recently announced a United Way campaign goal for the entire staff: to secure as many $1000 gifts as possible this year. Ron was already close to reaching this United Way giving level, called the Leadership Giver, and by increasing his gift he could also help Enterprise reach their goal.

As he looked through the list of non-profit organizations that were eligible to receive his gift through the United Way, Ron decided that if he was going to give $1000, he wanted to give it to someone he knew. He contacted his local United Way representative to determine if it was possible to designate his gift to any organization of his

Ron Burks (Cal Poly Pomona)
choosing. In addition he contacted Sigma Nu to find out if the Educational Foundation was an 501(c)3 organization that would be eligible to receive his United Way contribution.
Use of the Internet Continues to Increase
Prior to 2003, the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation had limited Internet usage consisting only of the official Sigma Nu web-site and the use of e-mail. In the last 2 years, we have added many new methods of communicating with alumni online. The first such tool we implemented is called Live Meetings which allows communication via the Web and telephone simultaneously. We were the first among Greek Foundations to implement this mode of communication. This service affords our development staff the opportunity to hold "virtual meetings" with alumni. We've found this to be especially helpful when meeting with alumni who live in remote areas.
Left to Right: Josh Nay, Kevin Weaver, James Owens & Michael Long

In December of 2003, the Foundation initiated our first electronic solicitation. This "flash" presentation was e-mailed to over 29,000 alumni and grossed more than $75,000. This medium provides a cost effective method of communicating with alumni while allowing us the opportunity to take advantage of recent technology. The Foundation received an award for the Best Alumni Development Effort for our creation of this interactive presentation.