Need rush events to increase numbers!
 

While increasing number is a must for my chapter in the upcoming year, I believe it is even more important to attract athletic and fratty type recruits in order to improve our image on campus. Anyone have any ideas? We usually do an IFC bbq, a smoker, skeet shoot, formal coffee with an alumni guest speaker, which are very generic events on campus. To top it off, we have an Around the World Party.

Have an Ed Hardy shirt burning in the middle of campus. I'm actually quite serious about this.

33, that sounds like fun!

OK, seriously, stop thinking about events. Events are a waste of time and money and they are often unsuccessful - especially when you compare success to the amount of effort that went into planning the event.

Start with these articles, and then read the rest of the website. The idea is to meet as many people as possible, make friends with them, and then get them to join your fraternity. You separate the wheat from the chaff by having a set criteria of values you want to promote in your chapter.
http://www.phiredup.com/index.php?op...p=476&Itemid=2
http://www.phiredup.com/index.php?op...p=396&Itemid=2
http://www.phiredup.com/index.php?op...p=102&Itemid=2
http://www.phiredup.com/index.php?op...p=207&Itemid=2
http://www.phiredup.com/index.php?op...&p=80&Itemid=2
http://www.phiredup.com/index.php?op...&p=66&Itemid=2

I know that you're in the South, and many Southern fraternities don't like Phired Up, or think it will work on their campuses (I disagree, by the way), however if you want to improve your numbers and quality it is a surefire way to do it.

Try a well-publicized philanthropy event. It will raise awareness of your fraternity, allow you to invite and visit with potential brothers, and increase your overall reputation on campus, all while doing good for the world.

A very successfull event on my campus is an amateur boxing tournament. The supporting fraternity has consistently good rush numbers.

Dudes with shirts off.
Dudes with shirts off.
Dudes with shirts off.

Just sayin' is all :p

first, howd u know im from the south? ha. And I've actually read the PhiredUp articles ha. Thanks yall. And Im already workin on a concert for Lou Gherig's Disease and have a pretty popular band from this area

i think the most effective thing, rather then big events, are small get togethers where your pnm's will actually have a chance to meet and get to know people. Just go for pizza, a sports game, hang out playing video games. Little things to get to know different people. Usually with big parties you get allot of the rift raft that have no intention of joining a fraternity, they just want free booze.

You said you wanted to get more "fratty" guys. That was kind of a no brainer.

And...your first post asked if anyone was from Baylor! :p

Opposing things.

Athletic =/= Fratty.

And I'm guessing Baylor Lambda Chi. Don't got a tier system there, so who knows. I know SAE had been doing alright there for awhile.

Really?

Try again...he gave you a HUGE clue.

Try this.

I have been doing it for summer recruitment for weeks now, and it has been working great.

Contact some of the Orientation Leaders you know, and ask them for recommendations. Find one of the recommendations they gave you on Facebook and send a message that sounds something like this:

I've done it with ten different people and have not gotten turned down a single time.

I think it is successful for four reasons.

1. Respect - It is a very powerful tool. Telling someone that you have singled them out for something because you think they're special is a very fast way into their heart. On top of that, by telling them that you think they're an amazing person, and that's why you think they'd be good for your Fraternity helps them understand how important your organization is to you.

2. Free Food - They're college-aged men. Some have done far worse than sit in on an awkward conversation for a free meal.

3. Openness and Directness - One of my biggest pet-peeves in the Greek Community is how some people seem to think you can get someone to join by "tricking" them into hanging out at a Fraternity event. I've seen some chapters go so far as to leave their Fraternity name off of an event flyer hoping it will get more people to come.

No. Stop. Never do that. People enjoy it when you're honest with them. If you REALLY want to avoid being treated like a "Frat Guy" stop acting like one. Don't invite them to get trashed, don't try to trick them into coming to your harmless info session, and don't play songs with subliminal messages during Freshman Move-in. Those parlor tricks don't work. Be open about what you want and assertive about why you want it.

4. They are Freshmen - These guys have just had their entire world uplifted. Gay or straight, popular or unpopular, jock or geek. They're lonely. They're worried about making friends. They want to try new things. Capitalize on the fact that they are college Freshmen.

That's my two-cents.

This is a good idea, as long as it doesn't get the Orientation Leaders' asses in a sling. At some schools, they have very strict protocol they have to follow as far as advocating what groups to join, and this could be construed as such.

Easier and safer to have a brother or two (or 5) that are orientation leaders themselves, and therefore a face the guys will know going through rush.

I served a term as an orientation leader. Although it is pretty much universally accepted that it is uncool to recruit for ANY specific organization when you are at an orientation or some other mandatory Freshman event; there is a lot of grey area when it comes to referrals.

Keep in mind that what I am suggesting is very different from telling some of the Freshman to join your Fraternity. You simply ask them who THEY think represent your organizations values well, and you actively make the attempt to get in touch with the person.

When in doubt ask the staff person over the Orientation Team. The worst he can say is "no".

33girl makes a good point about having your brothers serve as Orientation Team Leaders too. It works WONDERS come recruitment time.

First off, lambdi chi doesnt exist at Baylor or if they do, then obviously who cares, and SAE is too big here
Second, athletic usually does mean fratty
Third, touche on calling me southern bc i want fratty guys
Fourth, I like the lunch idea from recommendations, we were thinking about taking suggestions at sorority meetings and then using that to break the ice with rushes

Thanks guys, any other ideas?

Maybe I'm just out of the loop, but what exactly do you mean by Fratty? What does that term mean to you?

I know. He said "Around the World" party.

While that may be a super common party, I'm familiar with three or four LXA chapters who have it. But I figured it out, I had to look a bit harder. Good catch.

use to be athletic = fratty.

But not if you keep your physique up in college because it means you aren't drinking enough beer and are probably the type who drinks low-cal vodka or something/ not eating enough.

I had to look up tierz on Old Row to get a few confirmations. All I knew about Baylor was SAE and KOT

I will have to say, handing out PFG's for Bid Day? I don't know about that. Sounds like trying too hard. No worries though.

Hi!
 

I concur!

....I think that OP may have been from my campus.

A fraternity here had a concert for Lou Gherig's disease a while back. They took a pledge class of class of 17 last fall but there were only 3 initiated (or left to be initiated).

Nope. It def. isn't Lambda Chi or SAE. I could tell exactly what fraternity, by something he said and everyone is saying Baylor.

Somehow I feel like sponsoring a women's Jello wrestling tournament might get the fraternity even better results... :D (Kidding!)

So...Maybe it's the recent NFL draft (which I equate to sorority recruitment for me) but, couldn't you and the brothers, during the spring semester, get a bunch of guys together---yes, I realize it's at the END of the semester but, just go with it---and watch the NFL draft together as friends/ just guys? I would think bonding over someone from your school or another local school that you love getting drafted would be really cool. Are there other sporting events like that? I mean, do they do that with basketball? I realize it would be the END of the semester but, it leaves the guys with a great impression of your fraternity for their return in the fall. I would think that might help. Thoughts?

I thought it might be this chapter at my school, but I definitely do not attend Baylor! :(

it still sounded like them though....they didn't change their image much-they're still at the bottom in terms of retention, GPA, service hours per man. They throw those "awesome" parties, but that's how everyone seems to judge the quality of men's greek organizations at my school.

I don't get why they keep doing the same thing when it's not benefitting them, but then again, I suppose staying afloat for the past decade and remaining the oldest active chapter on campus is a nice thing eh?

I need some ideas that don't cost much for spring rush?