The process is different depending on if you want to form a local organization, chapter of a National (Pan-Hellenic Affiliated) or a chapter of a National that's not Pan-Hel Affiliated. If you want to form a local, you will be creating everything, rituals, name, structure, rules, and traditions from scratch. You will not have support from anywhere else (other than the school), you most likely (at least at first) won't be considered a legal entity with non-profit status like most nationals, and you'll have to look very hard to find insurance. That being said, you will be very independent and able to tailor everything to your specific goals.
If you decide to go with a national, you will need to meet their requirements for colonization. In the case of a NPC sorority, that includes asking the local panhellenic council to vote for expansion of a new sorority. This could be a relatively easy or very difficult task depending on the current status of the other sororities at your school. Then, you will have to choose a national. I'd suggest going to the NPC webpage for more information on the expansion process.
If you go with a non-pan hel national sorority, it will be smaller and might be very specific (such as a multicultural or community service oriented). I've just founded a chapter of Kappa Beta Gamma (
www.kappabetagamma.org) (they are a Non-Pan Hel National, though many of the chapters belong to their local Pan-Hel) and love my national (they are more generalized like a NPC sorority, but are much smaller than most). I like the size of our national because we get a lot of individual attention and help, and there is a very strong connection between the chapters.
Nationals give a lot of guidance about how to set up your chapter, create your own chapter traditions, and incorporate national traditions into your chapter.
So, the first thing you need to do is determine your goals. Do you want a specifc type of sorority? Do you want a National? Do you like working with Pan-Hel? Depending on what you want, you will take different paths.
But my biggest piece of advice is to get a great group of quality girls who are DEDICATED and enthusiastic! Just because you won't be pledging doesn't mean it won't take time, effort, and persistence!
Good luck! Founding a sorority is both rewarding and a lot of fun!
