A prospective Founder begins the Chapter Expansion(or Colony Founding) Process with our Discovery Phase. Typically, this phase begins organically, with a prospective Founder (or Founders) recognizing the need for a deeper Christian Brotherhood on their campus and they come across one of our members or media pages. This typically leads to a curiosity for what it would be like to have an Alpha Gamma Omega chapter on their campus.

The next step is to complete our simple Chapter Expansion Interest Form. 

From there, our Expansion Team will book a videocall to answer any questions about the Fraternity and the Founding process. After that call, the prospective Founder will be responsible gathering an interest group for starting a Chapter within the next couple of weeks. The Expansion team will then host a “Group Call” with all prospective Founders to answer any questions about the organization and Founding Process.

After the Group Call, a Founder Application will be given to the group. Each Founder must complete the application to be considered for the Chapter Expansion. In order to move on with the process, the group must have at least 4 committed Founders. 

After receiving a minimum of 4 Founder Applications, the Expansion Team will review each application and present the potential expansion to the Alpha Gamma Omega Board of Directors. The Board will approve or deny a colony based on Spiritual Fit, Campus Feasibility, Lack of Interest, and/or Staffing availability.

Spiritual Fit:  Alpha Gamma Omega is and must be kept a Christian Fraternity. Our Founders must be followers of Christ and must be in alignment with our Values and must submit to our Code of Conduct. If our Board of Directors or Expansion Team do not see the group to be a good spiritual fit, then the group may be declined.

Campus Feasibility: Our goal is to see a chapter survive and thrive for generations. Alpha Gamma Omega has had a history of succeeding at 4-year Universities in the United States that have an existing Greek Life presence.  We are open to many expansion efforts, but we do not typically approve Chapter Expansions to Universities that have less than 5,000 undergraduates. We do not start chapters at community colleges or trade schools due to the consistent turnover of students at these institutions. However, if the Founding Group is promising, we may be willing to approve Chapters despite the University’s size. We do not require our colonies to be IFC approved. 

Lack of Interest: Our minimum number for our initial interest group is 4 Founders, because that is the minimum to field an executive officer board. Alpha Gamma Omega Chapters vary in size but our ideal Chapter membership size of no less than 12 members. Depending on the size of the University, Alpha Gamma Omega Headquarters desires our chapters have 12-30+ members at each chapter. If the group has not shown consistent progress with attracting more members, then we may discontinue the Chapter Expansion.

Staffing Availability: Each colony is assigned an Expansion Director, who is a staff member of Alpha Gamma Omega headquarters. If we do not have the available staff, we may decline or pause an expansion effort. In addition, if the prospective colony is in a region where we do not have direct regional staffing oversight, Alpha Gamma Omega Headquarters may not approve the expansion until staff is hired. 

The Discovery and Initial Approval process will typically last 1-2 months depending on the progress of the Founding Group.

If the colony has been given initial approval, they will begin a process of learning the Foundations of Alpha Gamma Omega. The Founding Group will be assigned an Expansion Director to oversee their development progress. Typically, the Expansion Director and the Founding Group will partake in bi-weekly coaching calls to guide them through Expansion process and to teach them about Alpha Gamma Omega’s core purposes and culture. 

Throughout this process, the Founding group will be given basic operational coaching for how to recruit new members and plan for “Expansion Week.” The Founding Group will learn the 3 Operational Pillars of AGO and will elect a “Core Four” to occupy the Executive Officer Seats. Once those roles are assigned, the officers may begin planning. 

After the Expansion Director is assigned, the colony can elect/assign Executive Officer positions. Once the roles are filled, the Colony may begin planning for Expansion Week and recruiting additional members.

The Founding President oversees the entirety of the Expansion Effort and maintains primary contact with AGO Headquarters and the Expansion Director. The Founding President is often lead visionary for the group.

The Vice President oversees operations. He will be in charge of the budget, events calendar, and housing/meeting place search. As the organization grows, the Vice President will assign committees to assist with the Fraternity operations. The Vice President is often the detail-oriented member of the group.

The Chaplain oversees our Spiritual Development. In the AGO world, the Chaplain plays a crucial role by ensuring that our organization remains Christ centered. During the founding phase, the Chaplain will prepare devotionals, network with local ministries and churches, and plan outreach events. The Chaplain is often the most “pastoral” member of the group.

The Pledgemaster oversees the recruitment and new member process. During the founding phase, he will operate as the proctor for Fraternity Knowledge and will ensure that the Founders complete their new member requirements. In addition, they will be the main point person for recruitment (in addition to the Founding President). They are in charge of planning recruitment events and recruiting potential new members to Expansion Week. The Pledgemaster is often the most extroverted member of the group.

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The Planning Phase typically lasts 1-2 months. Phases 1-4 do not have a strict timeline, but Expansion Week must land during a the Fall or Winter/Spring School terms. For example, if a Founding Group is approved in October, they must plan Expansion Week for the upcoming January or if a group is approved in March, we will plan for Expansion Week in September. Alternatively, if a group is approved in December or July, we may approve an Expansion Week for the following school term, but the group must be administratively prepared to handle a recruitment and founding process.

The initial expansion group must operate an Expansion Week to recruit additional members to the colony. The goal of Expansion Week is grow the initial group to at least 12 members. Alpha Gamma Omega believes that 12 disciples changed the world, so 12 members can impact a campus for Christ. Alpha Gamma Omega is not just a “holy” huddle, our Founders must know how to reproduce. 

A Fraternity’s longevity is based on its ability to attract new members to the organization for generations. If the expansion group fails to attract more members, we may pause or discontinue the expansion process. At times, we may make exceptions to the 12 person rule for the first recruitment term, but our chapters with less than 12 members often face operational hardship.

The Expansion Director will attend the final Expansion Week event and conclude the recruitment period with a formal pinning ceremony. The Founders are officially “pledges” of Alpha Gamma Omega

Once the official group is finalized, they will begin their “new member” process of Alpha Gamma Omega. The New Member process for founders is a slightly modified pledge process. 

The Founders will be required to attend a weekly Chapter meeting, learn and memorize Fraternity History, interview other members of Alpha Gamma Omega, conduct Brotherhood events, and complete Informal Initiation. This process takes 6-8 weeks and will depend on the University’s academic calendar.

Before proceeding to Informal Initiation, all Founders must pay their Founder Dues (often $300-$500), pass their Fraternity Knowledge Test (90% or higher), and complete their interviews and Pledge requirements.

The Expansion Director will oversee Informal Initiation. This will typically occur over a weekend.

After the successful completion of the Founding Process, the expansion group will be issued a formal charter which gives them formal recognition as an Alpha Gamma Omega Chapter!

After chartering, your job is not done. You will quickly turn around and plan for the next school period. You will plan an official Rush Week and event calendar based on the money from your dues budget. Your Expansion Director will hand the group off to their Regional Advisor. The Regional Advisor will be the main strategic contact for the chapter and will oversee their next phase in the Alpha Gamma Omega journey. 

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After Founding, the goals shift from visioneering/excitement to establishing organizational structure and a sustained culture of Chapter health and longevity. When a chapter is founded, it lays the initial foundations for Alpha Gamma Omega, but it is the job of the next generation of leaders to take the Fraternity to the next level. The goals shift to maintaining consistent membership growth, solidifying operating systems and procedures, training the next generation of members, and searching for a suitable Chapter House and/or common space for Fraternity operations and events. When you start a chapter of Alpha Gamma Omega, you catalyze a movement of Christ for future generations.