In Perpetuity

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 nonsecrecy. 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 principle—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. Once the milestone is met, annual grants will support the food bank, with the fund growing under ECF’s stewardship and further contributions from DU and the public. “It was a very streamlined process,” Stratton says. “Edmonton Community Foundation did a great job of telling us everything we need to be aware of and answering all of our concerns.” Johannesson agrees. “We had no experience setting up endowments as university students,” he says. “They made it easy and it helped a lot.” The Delta Upsilon Building Better Futures Fund comes with no strings attached; the chapter is happy for the food bank to use the funds as it sees fit. Still, the benefits go both ways, with the initiative offering the members a real-world exercise in project management, financial planning and community engagement.

A lasting legacy

Creating a legacy that would endure even beyond their time on campus also resonated deeply with the members of DU. “This is the 90th year of our chapter being at the University of Alberta campus, so it’s a big year for us,” Johannesson says. “The (fraternity alumni) community is also very supportive. We’ll do charity events and people will be donating from all corners of the globe,” he adds.

“It’s that support that you get from people that you’ve never met that gives you a sense of camaraderie and brotherhood.”

The alumni connection is also more than sentimental. DU has a list of decades-old traditions that have survived the test of time, in no small part because of the sense of stewardship passed down over the years. “It’s great when you talk to an alumnus and they ask, ‘Do you still do this?’ and we can say, ‘Yeah, we still do the beach volleyball tournament every summer solstice,’” Johannesson says. “That’s the kind of tradition we want for this fund.” Stratton hopes the fund will also become a handson project for new members. “I want as many guys as possible to be able to say, ‘Yeah, I contributed to this. I helped raise money,’” he says. “That’s my goal.”

This story comes from the Fall 2025 Edition of Thrive Magazine.

Read the full issue.