Page 17 - ECF_Thrive-Sept-2025

In Perpetuity
The Delta Upsilon fraternity wants to give
today, tomorrow and for years to come
By TOM NDEKEZI
THE MEMBERS OF Delta Upsilon’s
Alberta Chapter are no strangers to
giving, but after their annual 24-hour
Bike-a-Thon raised over $6,000
in support of the Heart and Stroke
Foundation this past February —
a matching donation from a corporate
sponsor would take that total to over
$20,000 — the fraternity’s leadership
started to think bigger.
“That was pretty impressive for
us and it got all the guys motivated,”
recalls Dylan Johannesson, an
operations management major at the
University of Alberta and the chapter’s
current President.
That motivation would also come
with a new focus. When it came time
to plan their Summer Solstice Volleyball
Tournament this past June, the
fraternity’s executive team began to ask
a different question: instead of just giving
once, how could they make a lasting
impact, right in their own community?
A different kind of fraternity
Delta Upsilon — or “DU” as members
call it — has a history of doing things
differently. Founded in 1834, it was the
first fraternity to adopt a policy of non-
secrecy. It was, and still is, an unusual
stance, especially at a time when many
fraternities operated more like secret
societies, sharing knowledge and
influence behind closed doors.
“Our founders didn’t want to hide
anything,” Johannesson explains.
“We were one of the first non-secret
fraternities, and it just helps get the
word around.”
For Samuel Stratton, a finance
major at the University of Alberta as
well as the chapter’s Vice President
Finance, that transparency is also
about fairness. “You hear a lot about
the stereotype of a 22-year-old
business student getting hired at some
great company because of his frat
connections,” he says. “(Non-secrecy)
tries to rectify that and level the playing
field by letting everyone know who is in
the fraternity.”
DU’s four guiding principles —
the promotion of friendship, the
development of character, the diffusion
of liberal culture and the advancement
of justice — are built into everything the
fraternity does. The fraternity’s motto,
“Building Better Men,” is also more than
a slogan; it’s a measure of success.
“We try to incorporate the principles
as best we can into anything we do,
whether that’s a philanthropy event or
even just hanging out,” Johannesson
says. “We have a non-secret, open invite
policy for most of our events so that
people can just come in and socialize.”
A different kind of partnership
When the chapter was brainstorming
how to channel their post-Bike-a-Thon
momentum into something more local,
Edmonton’s Food Bank quickly rose to
the top of the list.
“It was the first idea thrown out, and
no one really had anything to top it,”
Stratton says. “We figured it would be
impactful and do some good.”
And while exploring ways to support
the food bank, Stratton stumbled on
a familiar idea with a unique appeal.
Stratton looked at the food bank’s
website and saw that endowment giving
was an option. “All of our scholarships at
DU are done the same way,” he explains.
Individuals, families, organizations or
businesses can establish an endowment
and a percentage of the value of the
fund is granted while the rest of the fund
continues to grow in perpetuity.
“For myself and my friends in the
finance world, that just seemed like
a really fun way to give back.”
Partnering with the Edmonton
Community Foundation
Turning that idea into reality also
meant finding the right partner.
DU found exactly what they needed
with the Edmonton Community
Foundation (ECF): the ability to set
up a private endowment without the
administrative headaches.
While Edmonton’s Food Bank
maintains its own endowment,
partnering with ECF allowed the
chapter to establish its own fund, which
it dubbed the Delta Upsilon Building
Better Futures Fund.
“We were delighted when Samuel
reached out — it’s a great reminder that
endowments are for everyone, including
students,” says Lisa Dayanandan,
Philanthropy Advisor at ECF. “ECF’s
endowment model is a perfect fit for
Delta Upsilon’s long-term vision. Their
fund will allow the fraternity to support
the Food Bank for generations, long
after current members have moved on
to their careers.”
The goal is to raise $10,000 within
three years — although Johannesson
and Stratton are hoping to do it in two.
Edmonton’s Food Bank
collected over
6 million
kilograms of food
(2024)
ecf.ca
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