October 11 2016

Chapter Spotlight

Last December, the Beta Gamma Sigma Student Officers at Brock University's Goodman School of Business hosted an event on campus called the BGS Networking Dinner. This dinner provided students with the opportunity to practice their networking skills and learn about important topics concerning “The Next Step.” Dr. Peter Yannopoulos, a professor and BGS Executive Committee member, began the evening with a short lecture on Leadership. Afterwards, the attendees had open discussions on three topics: Transition to Work, Transition to Graduate Studies, and Personal Leadership. Overall, the event was beneficial to all who attended, giving the BGS Student Officers a great opportunity to plan, market and host an event. 

Are you having your Student Officers plan and host events? If so, please share that information with your Chapter Manager so we can feature your chapter in a Chapter Spotlight. Also, if you haven’t done so already, please submit the names and position titles of your Student Officers as soon as possible. 

Encourage Your Students to Register for TOP TIER (Our Virtual Graduate School Fair)

As a reminder, our Virtual Graduate School Fair, TOP TIER, is going on now! Encourage your students to sign up today to chat with graduate school representatives from all across the globe. Participation is free for BGS members, and students can sign up for as many sessions as they like. TOP TIER is taking place October 9-23, 2016.

If your school is interested in hosting a session, please contact Lakshmi Sanjay at lsanjay@betagammasigma.org.

Register for a Fall 2016 CMS Webinar

Don’t forget about the Chapter Management System (CMS) training webinars this fall. These webinars are essential for chapter advisors and admins to understand the functions of the CMS. We have continued to make updates and improvements to the functionality of the CMS. The webinar will serve as a great refresher for some while providing a more in-depth view for others. During the webinar, we will provide a thorough explanation of the system, including how to log in, how to check chapter funds and request payout, and more! 

We are hosting several webinars in October and November. Register for any of the available sessions. We look forward to chatting with you at an upcoming CMS webinar! 

Have You Updated Your Chapter’s Information in the Chapter Management System (CMS)?

Now that we are midway through the fall term, your chapter contacts should be finalized for the academic year. Please take a moment to review and update your chapter contacts (Advisor, Co-Advisor, or Admin) and your chapter’s billing and shipping addresses. If you have recently changed chapter contacts, you will want to ensure the billing and shipping addresses are listed correctly in the system. Go HERE for instructions on how to view and update your chapter contacts and your chapter’s billing and shipping addresses. 

If you need to update your shipping address, please send an email to bgshonors@betagammasigma.org with the Subject Line: UPDATE CHAPTER SHIPPING ADDRESS. 

• Use the below format when sending your new shipping address:
  • Attention to: Contact Name
  • University/College Name
  • Business School Name
  • Street Address
  • Room/Unit/P.O. Box Number
  • City, State* Zip Code* (*if applicable)
  • Country
  • Contact person’s email address (to receive tracking information)

Since we have moved all certificate batch orders to the fulfillment center, it is imperative that we receive your shipping address in the above format. Please contact your Chapter Manager if you have any questions on updating your chapter’s information.

REMINDER: Our Certificate Batch Order Schedule and Shipping Process Has Changed

In order to provide chapters with more time to get new member certificates signed and provide you with more operational assistance, BGS has moved to the below first certificate batch order shipment schedule. With this new schedule, the “deadline” to have your students complete the membership process will need to be adjusted accordingly. Please make sure you are adding your students’ information to the online Chapter Management System (CMS) at least two weeks sooner than you have in the past. 

*If you are unsure of which location your chapter falls under, please contact your Chapter Manager.

As a reminder, we have not made any changes to the after order shipment schedule. The CMS will continue to generate the after orders every 14 days following your ceremony date.

In addition to the new schedule, our third party vendor, Award Concepts Inc., has taken over all certificate batch order shipments. Should you have any issues or questions regarding a particular shipment, you are welcome to reach out to them at 1-800-659-7801. Ask for the Beta Gamma Sigma (or BGS) team.  

How to Make Your Recognition Ceremony Special

Recognition ceremonies are dedicated to honoring the accomplishments of your newly-inducted BGS members in a meaningful way. Below are a few ideas to ensure the event is memorable for all your attendees: 

• Invite BGS alumni from your school and Alumni Chapter Officers to attend the ceremony. This serves as a visual representation of the lifetime recognition Beta Gamma Sigma members enjoy, as well as the interconnectedness of members across generations. It also gives students an opportunity to network with Alumni Chapter Officers and to speak with them about transitioning from your chapter to an alumni chapter.
• Induct a Chapter Honoree. The Chapter Honoree Award is an excellent way to recognize individuals who have achieved distinction in business and to celebrate local business leaders. Invite your Chapter Honoree to be the keynote speaker at your recognition ceremony—their stories may provide career insights to your students. If your chapter has already selected a keynote speaker, consider inducting that person as this year’s Chapter Honoree.
• Involve your Student Officers. Student leaders may encourage others to accept membership and or help prepare for your ceremony. Include them as your chapter sees fit. Opportunities include reading the ritual, announcing speakers, making a speech, distributing certificates and pins, and/or shaking the hands of new members. Student Officers’ presence and involvement at ceremonies shows their commitment to the chapter. 
• Encourage faculty and staff from the business school to attend the ceremony. Seeing faculty involved in your ceremony demonstrates to new members that the chapter is supported by their instructors. This, in turn, will make it more likely that your students will promote BGS to others, boosting the likelihood that other students will join when the invitation is extended. Encourage your faculty and staff, who are BGS members, to wear their lapel pins to the ceremony.
• Invite family members and friends of new members. If your space and budget permits, inviting friends and family can make your ceremony more personal for new members. It’s great for them to be recognized, but even better when then can share their achievements and accomplishments with those they love. 

Try a few of these ideas at your next recognition ceremony. Don’t forget to send your Chapter Manager pictures and stories from your event! 

Recognize a Business Leader through the Chapter Honoree Program

As you prepare for your fall recognition ceremony, consider recognizing an outstanding business leader as a 2016-17 Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter Honoree. Your Chapter Honoree will join the elite ranks of innovative, high performing, and driven business leaders. As a Chapter Honoree, they will become a lifetime member and immediately gain access to thought leaders from around the globe on the current and future state of business—be it through social media, exclusive BGS networks, or special BGS programs. 

The cost for a Chapter Honoree Award is $100 USD. Your purchase price includes the Chapter Honoree’s membership fee, a frame and a framed certificate, signed by the Beta Gamma Sigma Chair and Secretary Treasurer, an additional certificate that includes signatures lines for your Chapter President and Secretary Treasurer, and a BGS lapel pin.

Chapters are limited to two Chapter Honorees per academic year. To order your Chapter Honoree Awards, log in to the CMS, visit the Supply Order tab, locate the Chapter Honoree Award, and place the order. You will also need to complete the nomination form (linked in the product description on the Supply Order form). To ensure timely delivery of your frame, please complete both forms 4-6 weeks prior to your ceremony date. Contact Heather Sweeney at hsweeney@betagammasigma.org should you have any questions.

Don’t Forget About the Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll!

Now is a great time to get started with earning points for the Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll. The 2016-2017 Honor Roll has been updated for this academic year and can be found here. You will find the addition of a new Dean of the Year award and deletion of discontinued programs. Please review the updated Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll to see a complete list of point-earning opportunities.

Your chapter can begin earning points right now by electing student officers, hosting an information session, participating in a tapping ceremony, and inducting faculty. When earning points for your chapter, make sure to complete any online forms (if required) or submit the information to your Chapter Manager (if required).  

Do You Charge More Than the Standard Membership Fee Amount?

If your chapter charges more than the standard membership fee (75 USD), the additional funds accrue towards your chapter’s credit balance. Did you know you can apply that credit towards any invoices generated through the CMS? To apply the credit towards your invoice, you can follow the below instructions: 

Log in to the CMS > Visit the Chapter Funds tab. > Click “Pay” next to the invoice you would like to pay. > Specify that you would like to apply your account funds to the cost of the invoice by making sure the box next to “Apply Account Funds” is checked. > Indicate the fund amount you would like to apply to the invoice. > Follow the prompts to complete the payment process. 

Please note, by default, when you click the “Pay” button, the “Apply Account Funds” box should already be checked and the fund amount listed will be for the full amount of the invoice if you have enough of a credit balance. 

You can also request the funds back in the form of a check by following these steps: 

Log in to the CMS. > Click the Chapter Funds tab. > Click the “Request Payment” button. > Follow the prompts to submit your chapter credit request.

We will then send you a check for the full amount of your credit balance. Please make sure you have paid all invoices prior to requesting the funds back, since you only have the ability to request the full credit balance, not a partial amount.

Nominations are Open for the 2017 Business Achievement and Medallion for Entrepreneurship Awards 

Beta Gamma Sigma is now accepting nominations for our Business Achievement and Medallion for Entrepreneurship Awards! The award criteria and the nomination packet has changed, so please be sure to review these updates on our award pages prior to submitting. 

Business Achievement Award: https://betagammasigma.org/business-achievement-award

Medallion for Entrepreneurship: https://betagammasigma.org/medallion-for-entrepreneurship

The deadline to submit these applications is January 20^th, 2017!