COB Ideas

brilia · #1 07-17-2003, 06:32 PM

I know this may seem early but one thing we struggle with is COB. Since a large # of girls already go through rush it is hard to find girls during the year. Does anyone have good COB ideas? Also once we starting COBing someone we have problems keeping them. I think part of the problem is that nobody wants the pnms to think we are desperate. Any ideas?

Kristin AGD · #2 07-17-2003, 06:39 PM

I never really knew what COB was until I came to this board. When I was at UNT it was unheard of. And my pledge class was so huge, my chapter didn't really need to COB that year. I think they COB'd a couple of girls, but it was really informal.

That being said, as a new member I didn't know how important COB could be to a chapter. I don't know if this is proper, but I think it is important to let the new members, who probably live with girls that did not rush, get involved with COB. They can't vote on new members but it is their sorority too! And they have the greatest resource to unaffiliated girls. I don't know how to express that without giving them the "desperate for girls" feeling, but I think that new members were an untapped resource during my pledge period.

mu_agd · #3 07-17-2003, 07:59 PM

we did a lot with cob, so here are a few things we did, and we centered a lot around the new girls, since we usually wanted cob's that were around their age:

1. the weekend after bid day, we used to have a "welcome to agd" party in our suite (we don't have houses at my school). we'd order food and stuff and used it as a way to help meet/get to know the new pledges. we also told them that they could bring along 1 or 2 or whatever friends, roomates, etc. we usually met a few great girls that way.

2. after they were initiated, we usually had two or three of the girls from that class take on the position of cob coordinaters. while allowing these girls to feel like they were a big part of the chapter, it also helped them get involved in actively look fo any girl that would be an asset to our chapter. these coordinators would get names from others in the chapter, contact them, invite them to come hang, etc until we wanted to give them a bid.

hope that helps! pm if you have any questions! and good luck!

brilia · #4 07-18-2003, 10:02 AM

thanks that sounds like a really good idea.
I will see if we can do something like it.

agd4rie · #5 07-23-2003, 12:27 AM

Your Recruitment consultant has a ton of ideas and resources that she can share with your chapter.

I think that success is reflected in your attitude. If a PNM sees a upbeat, fun activity, they don't see a desperate group.

re

sunnycheeks · #6 07-23-2003, 08:09 AM

Hello! Just thought I'd add in my two cents .. I'm Chapter Advisor of a chapter whose Total is 40 but we currently sit at 24 women. Of course, that means that they participate in COB events weekly. There's one that stands out as the most fun for the chapter and the PNM's.

Weekly Sisterhood Dinners. Every Monday before our Chapter Meeting, the girls host a Sisterhood Dinner in a room on campus (we don't have a chapter house). The dinner is made by the sisters on a rotating basis. Any and all PNM's are invited and they usually get about 6-10 girls on a weekly basis - everyone has to eat, right? And, for the times when we don't have a great PNM turnout, the sisters still get to eat together and share a relaxing time.

You can also change the themes - you can honor your specific ethnicity by bringing specific dishes of your culture. It adds a cultural flavor and teaches us a little something about each other. For example, we will have a dinner that focuses on Indian Fare and our Indian sisters will make some special meals for the girls to tryout. It really is simple and fun!

Hope this helps a little! Happy Wednesday! Lori

DWAlphaGam · #7 07-23-2003, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kristin AGD
I never really knew what COB was until I came to this board. When I was at UNT it was unheard of. And my pledge class was so huge, my chapter didn't really need to COB that year. I think they COB'd a couple of girls, but it was really informal.

That being said, as a new member I didn't know how important COB could be to a chapter. I don't know if this is proper, but I think it is important to let the new members, who probably live with girls that did not rush, get involved with COB. They can't vote on new members but it is their sorority too! And they have the greatest resource to unaffiliated girls. I don't know how to express that without giving them the "desperate for girls" feeling, but I think that new members were an untapped resource during my pledge period.

Kristin, that is VERY true. I joined as a COB with my roommate a couple of days after formal recruitment ended and we found out that AGD had only gotten 1 new member through formal. We were friends with a bunch of the sisters, so we decided to give it a shot. We immediately started talking our friends into joining, and our pledge class eventually grew to 9 new members. Each semester, we always get at least 2 or more new COBs that join because their friends/roommates joined through formal recruitment in the fall or COB in the spring. If you work really hard to make the new members feel welcome and loved (which you should be doing anyway!), they will usually want to have their friends join them in the experience and will volunteer names for the COB list and even talk to them about accepting their bids. (Hey, if someone is really worried about the pledge period, making the right choice, etc., who better to talk to them about it than someone who is going through it at that moment?)

Lori-I love your idea about the "ethnic" sisterhood dinners! That would make them more fun and interesting than the normal BBQs or pasta dinners. Of course, I'm a food nut who likes to cook, but I'll have to suggest that to my chapter.

agd4rie · #8 07-23-2003, 06:47 PM

To encourage COB,you could give dollar store prizes to sisters who bring over the most PNMs. You could get a tiara and feather bowa and pass it along each week.

Anything that motivates the chapter is great and makes it fun,too!

re

agdyvette · #9 08-02-2003, 01:44 PM

hey girls!
i'm a first time user to this thing, but this thread caught my eye.. i was a cob coordinator for last year and we came up with the idea to have a progressive dinner throught the week. the first night we did appetizer and games, the second night was dinner, the third was desset (ice ceam cookies and cheesecake. MMmm) and the last night was coffee, hot choclate and movies! it was a big hit.. we were all about the snacks and food!

AlphaGamJLo · #10 08-03-2003, 02:16 AM

Our chapter has about 45 members. COB is VERY important because chapter total on campus is 70. We try to give a break to the members that bring in potential new members by giving them a month of free dues if the pnm pledges-in. It has worked GREAT!!! This past year, we have brought in about 10 new members!! Nobody can resist an opportunity for free dues!!!