I guess it's pretty hard to function for two years without initiating people at some point. Tp the OP, if you've been initiated, you would have lifetime membership. Different organizations handle what status it makes you when chapters/colonies close. Try speaking with your designated delegate from HQ about the situation. She may have more information for you, and tips for your colony to improve your recruiting.

To go off topic a bit, a strange situation I know of occurred when a chapter repeatedly was found to have hazed. Their national didn't close them but just made the chapter a colony. I don't understand how a regular chapter could be pulled back to colony status.

Wait, did the OP ever say this was an NPC group?

I would also suggest the book I <3 Recruitment. Based on the concern in your posts I'm assuming your colony is quite a bit smaller than the other groups on campus. If that's the case, you will need everyone recruiting all the time. And by that I don't mean setting up COB events every night of the week - as LABlondeGPhi said, that has probably not worked for you thus far.

Your chapter will need to work on making friends. Probably the easiest way to do this is to follow the outline provided in the Fraternal Musing blog post someone else linked. DON'T mention your sorority when you're doing this. You don't want to come off as only caring about that person so you can build your numbers. Eventually you can introduce your sorority to people, but it should come after you've made friendships.

If everyone in your colony can do the above, they should be able to find at least one person to join, in which case you would have doubled your membership. It will take work, and people will probably become burnt out, but the rewards can be really great. Good luck.

I know many NPC groups are hesitant to close chapters because extension rules make coming back in a timely manner difficult and uncertain. It sounds like the group did some crafty by-laws interpretation to revoke the group's charter and immediately establish a colony at that university. Whether or not that would have actually been kosher from the standpoint of the university and the NPC is debatable. I would guess this is a university that it would be very desirable to have a chapter at?

/tangential swerve

This is more common than you think. As long as there are collegiate members, the group may maintain its status as a member of the CPH. So, you can kick out all of your members but one, wait until she is a senior, pledge a single new member, wait until she is a senior, and then recruit again, with a 6-year "break", but without going through the competition of expansion.

^^^ And don't some groups have a reorganization status for chapters? Is it possible that for them, reorganization status is essentially like colony status?

This national did expel some members but not all of them. I always thought that the colony thing was done to make it look like some disciplinary action was being taken. Some years earlier, they also did a sort of reorganization in which they put all current members on alum status and immediately absorbed a local, so it was like they were never off campus at all and didn't lose any of the privileges of Panhel membership.

Come to mention it, there's no actual reference to NPC, just formal vs. informal recruitment, which could mean a local or non-NPC National. But a local local (not affiliated with any other schools, but the Alpha and only chapter) wouldn't need a charter at all, would it?

I feel like this is NPC, though.

AEPhi also had a colony at UC Irvine for several years before they got their charter. As far as I know they were actually initiating their members before they got their charter.

As an AEPhi, I can confirm that AEPhi does indeed initiate colony members even if the colony hasn't been chartered yet. I was initiated while my chapter was still a colony. On my certificate, where the chapter designation would go, it reads "MIT Colony".

Anyway, to the OP: If you are in an NPC sorority and you've been fully initiated, you can never join another NPC sorority, but you will remain a life-long member of the sorority you are in - as an alumna. If you have NOT been initiated, you are free and clear to re-rush and possibly join a different sorority.

Honestly?

If the national hasn't given you enough help to get to total (or whatever they consider a significant number to charter) and is saying they would pull out AFTER women have initiated -and bound themselves for life - I would demand that they petition NPC (or whatever it is you have to do/whatever council you are affiliated with) to release you from your bonds so you can rush again. Not to mention, the host institution should rethink their relationship with the sorority.

This just absolutely isn't right.

I am in an NPC organization.

Our colony will most likely shut down next year in Spring .. we need about 20 to 30 people to be able to stay on campus and I'm kinda not optimistic anymore. I am sad to say this but I have given up.

There is another sorority which will be coming to my campus soon as a colony and maybe I could join that other colony but my organization kind of binds me to life after I am initiated - and I was initiated a long while back.

Right now my options are to disaffiliate and not join any other organization and not be a part of my organization anymore ... or maybe - if I will be able to contct my national - be able to join that other colony. I really don't know what to do.

Be a part of my orgnaization until we shut down and be an alumni, disaffiliate and live in an apartment or something - or try to join another colony .. which is officially not really possible.

What should I do? How could I contact national and ask them to release me from my bonds? I really do feel betrayed. Betrayed and sad.

There is no "kind of." You ARE bound.

Since you are an initiated member of an NPC organization, you do not have the option to join another. Even if you ask to have your membership terminated, you will not be able to join another group.

Is there really no way?

Because it seems that other sororities, other colonies - members there do seem to have the option to join another organization just like that.

And with my colony, with my organization - I was just initiated and then told that oops, we will probably have to shut down, sorry .. but at least you'll be an alumni.

This just seems super unfair to me.