Greetings , Sorors , and Happy Holidays !
Good News ! We currently have over 107,000 active members in 1,044 chapters . On behalf of the staff of the Corporate Office , I extend a hearty welcome to those that recently reactivated and the newest members of our sisterhood . Please know that as members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority , one of the things you will find most inspiring is our ability to come together in unique and powerful ways . We are a very impactful organization because " we help each other ." The communities we serve benefit socially and economically because of our united front .
Although I am genuinely excited about the number of new members and reactivations , I am also keenly aware that the Corporate Office is inundated with emails from these members in the Fall of each year . They attempt to do their due diligence and protect our brand and reputation by alerting us about such things as ceremonial documents they found online .
Cynthia D . Howell , Executive Director
Unfortunately , we are well aware of these materials . The 1977 documents have been posted on the web for over 16 years . Our attorneys have made many attempts , without success , to have this link removed . The webpage belongs to a foreign entity , and the same compliance rules that we use in the United States do not apply . This office and our attorneys are closely monitoring the use of all our trademarked materials , but we need your help . Sorors must be diligent in properly destroying old documents and paraphernalia so that they do not end up in the hands of others . Remember that every member is responsible for protecting our brand , reputation , and intellectual property .
With that being said , I sometimes think that our priorities are misplaced regarding brand and reputation management . The Corporate Office also receives numerous emails from outraged sorors about unlicensed vendors selling merchandise on unauthorized platforms like Amazon and Etsy . As part of the Corporate Office intellectual property program , we engaged the services of a brand protection company used by many major corporations . The program tracks unlicensed products and removes them from the third-party platform . Unfortunately , as fast as the merchandise is taken down , the company begins another business and again places the items for sale . Why ? Because sorors are purchasing the merchandise in record numbers . We could put a halt to all of this simply by not purchasing their products . Instead , we should only buy AKA merchandise from licensed vendors .
Secondly , it appears that Sorors quickly galvanize when seeing our colors or marks being used without permission on television programs and social media outlets . As stated in previous correspondence , the Directorate and Corporate Office will make the appropriate decisions and take the most suitable actions to protect our brand and reputation .
Brian Koslow , the founder and CEO of Breakthrough Coaching , Inc ., states , " There is no advertisement as powerful as a positive reputation traveling fast ."
4 I vyL eaf ® fall 2021 Centennial edition