Each sorority's membership selection process is different. The only things I think you could conceivably decide is "acceptable" or not pre rush are 1) grades 2) class standing/legacy standing 3) (maybe) extracurricular involvement.

I don't know how you could decide anything else as a group pre rush, unless maybe it's the Stepford chapter. All the other things that you choose a woman for and that she chooses a sorority for are intangible.

Yes there is such a thing as targeting individual women that individual sisters may think would be good members - but they still need to pass muster with the rest of the group. I might think Paris PNM is the sweetest girl on earth, but the rest of the group might think way differently. Or on the other hand, the rest of the group might love Paris PNM but I might know that she hates doing things in big groups and being in a sorority would make her miserable.

I don't know what else you're talking about, unless it's "hey, we need more cheerleaders/athletes/brains so we're going to weight those things heavier when we vote."

I do understand BASIC marketing principles (seeing as it was my major and all) but I personally don't choose to apply them in the fashion you are using. It's overly simplistic to say "all we need to do is sell the crap out of our sorority and then we will get the best women."

I'm really confused at how your post relates to mine! If you understanding marketing, you understand what I am saying and how recruitment at its basic level works. You still have to have standards (based on grades, activities, etc). Your target market is those that meet or exceed those standards. Now, you have to figure out how to attract those women to come back and learn more abouut your organization when there are hundreds of groups wanting that same person's time. One of those means is by stressing the OPPORTUNITY (not guarantee) of a lifetime of sisterhood and the relationships and bonds that could be there by joining a sorority. If the women like what they see, they will come back and want to learn more - if not, they move on and the group analyzes the process (was it just not a right fit or was it something else).

The only thing that I can think of with your example (which fits about as well with what I have been saying and you not understanding as your example of a cosmetic company) is after you have gotten the women to come back. That's when mutual selection comes into play - is it a good fit on both sides. To get to that point, you first have to get them into the door - see first paragraph (and all my other posts!).

Maybe I don't understanding marketing if you have a major in it and I don't have any book learning in marketing (only real life experience in marketing and programming while working at museums as well as with AOII - but what do I really know about recruitment because I'm an alumna initiate!)

That's a very ephemeral thing to refer to as a "target market." Not to mention pretty huge!!

The rest of your post is so confusing as far as to how it relates to sorority rush I honestly don't have an idea where to begin. I THINK you're talking about informal rush or the 5 step method (which my chapter was doing before it was even called that) but I really can't be sure at this point.

You know what, I give up! I'm not going to continue the hijack of this thread. No, I'm not a marketing major - I'm history, social science and archaeology. But I have been in sales and actually currently work at a museum developing programs and general marketing. I guess marketing majors use different skills than those of us doing marketing in other fields who rely, not on books, but on common sense. Recruitment skill are not something that are only acquired if one was a member of an NPC sorority while in college - life experiences DO play a big role in those skills as well (talking to people, judging character, etc).

Well, I've had considerable life experiences dealing with relationships. That doesn't mean I'm going to hang out my shingle and become a marriage counselor. You think recruitment is marketing, I think it's making a relationship connection - ok. Got it. Thanks. Whatevs.

What this boils down to (apart from our discussion) is that you took completely out of proportion what AF was saying and got offended over something THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU. Her point (with which I agree and which got completely overlooked) is that 1) someone who has NO experience being in a sorority ever would not be the best advisor for 2) a LOCAL chapter that has no national board, no manuals, no other chapters to help them out. I think the majority of the posters in this thread who got ticked didn't read that part of the original post.

Actually the statement that was made was that Alumnae/i initiates do not make good advisers. Period. AF's statement did not have the justification that you have put on it. I had (and still do) disagree with the statement made as is.

And in her next post, she clarified her statement.