Section 2 Violet Views:

Ronald McDonald House Pop Tab Collections

District 1 won the “pop tab” competition by delivering the most pop tabs to either Executive Office or bringing them to Convention.

This is a wonderful, easy, and profitable fundraiser for the houses. 

Collection boxes are for sale through: NorthGreen Communications (952) 476-9501

500 boxes are approximately $60 and the boxes are available in smaller quantities.

 To save money, many groups are using EVITES to communicate Alumnae Association events.  Should you have any questions about this tool, please email Michelle LaMarche: michellelamarche@msn.com

Evite Directions

www.evite.com is an easy and free way to communicate with your Alumnae Associations to announce upcoming events and to have sisters be able to respond immediately.  We have provided step by step instructions on how to use the site to create an evite, how to update rsvp’s, update your address book etc…

To log on, go to www.evite.com.  You will need to create an account and we recommend that you use your association’s email address and create a password that all officers will all be able to use to send the evites and update the address book.

When you first log on you will be directed to the Home page that will display your calendar on the top right side.  This area will show any events that you have been sent evites for.   If you are the event organizer, it will list any new responses the evite you sent has received.  If you are a guest, it will list your response to the event. 

Address Book:

In order to send evites, you must first create your distribution list in your address book.  The address book is found on the middle top of the page.  If you click on the link it will lead you to your address book.  On the left hand side of the page, there is a box that says Manage Address Book, add a new contact.  This is where you will create new contacts.  You need to type the sisters first and last name as well as her email address.  Be sure to click save at the bottom of the box to save the new contact.  You have the ability to add more personal information about each sister if you choose to do so but it is not necessary to send the evite.  Once you have created your first contact you can choose to create a new group.  Click on the Create Group link on the bottom left hand side of the page and type in the group name when the next box appears.  You can either add the first sister or wait and select all sisters once they have been added.  You will need to create on the create group box in order to save your changes on the bottom right side of the page.  Under this option we recommend you create an Alpha Delta Pi master list.  If you utilize separate prides (ex. Dinner or Book Club), you can also create separate distribution lists for each of those.  Once you have created a group you are able to add each new sister to it by clicking on the add to group box and choosing which group you want them added to in the Manage Address Book box.  Be sure to select the group before hitting the save button.   

If you already have a distribution list created for your sisters you are also able to import the list from other sources under the import contacts link.  There are various sources and each have different instructions so we will not be able to list the instructions for each import.

In the Search Address Book box on the top left side of the page, you are able to search for a specific sister or a specific group.  Just select the group or type in the sister’s name and then click the GO button. 

Once a contact has been added to your address book you are able to edit/delete them from your book.  To make changes, double click on their name and you can change their name or email address.  To delete the contact, you need to click on the box to the left of the contacts name and then click on the delete box located above the contacts name.  To find a specific name you can also click on the letters on the listed on the left side of the contact names.  This will take to all of the contacts whose first name starts with that letter.  

Create an Evite:

On the top middle of the home page there is a tab labeled “Create an Evite”.  Double click on this tab and you will be able to create the invitation.  You will need to update all of the information in the green boxes.  We recommend you always use the Alumnae Associations name in the Hosted by line.  This will make the evite stand out and easily recognized by the sisters.  Next fill in the Name your Event line (Ronald McDonald House Dinner, Summer Picnic, Happy Hour etc…).  The event type is just a generic field so do not worry if you can not find the specific event type; you can just choose the closest type.

The second and third tabs are the specific address and phone number of the event location, location name date and time of the event.  We recommend that you check the include map box so it is easy for sisters to locate.   If you have a recurring event such as a RMH dinner you can set the evite up to be sent monthly, weekly etc.

On the top right box you can select a background design for the evite from the gallery. Under the design preview there are many types of events on the left hand side that have numerous designs you can choose from for your evite background.  When you click on them it will display the background for you to preview.  You can change this before the evite is sent if you decide you do not like it once the evite is completed.  Once you have chosen your design, be sure to click on the green select design box to save it.

Under the guest list box you can type in the name of your group to add or select specific sisters.  You may either type in the name of double click on the address book link and then click on the specific group under view groups on the top right of the page and once you have selected the group you can click on the orange GO button. This is where all the work of adding the contacts to your address books is beneficial.  It is much easier to add a group of sisters instead of having to select each one for the evite.

The message to guest’s box is where you can add all the specific event details.  We find that being as detailed as possible is best.  If you are asking guest to bring an item or want to let them know if there is a cost to attend this is where is can be listed.  The event details can be several paragraphs long and you can click on the spell check box to check the content before you send it.

Once you are satisfied with the evite details you can click on the orange preview box on the bottom of the page and you can preview the background design, date, time, location and notes for the event.  If you find an error and need to change it, it is easy to go back and make the corrections by clicking the back button on the top right corner of the page.  If you are happy with the evite you can also click on the send now button.  If you find you need to wait to send the evite or need to stop creating it you can click on the Finish Later button on the bottom right corner and this will save your details up to that point. 

These instructions will get you started t use Evite.  Look for more details in a future update of the Delphi.