Helping out another sorority
 

Hello all!

So I am going to be helping out another chapter with recruitment this weekend. This will be my first time recruiting at all, and it is with another chapter at a school I have never even visited! I am a little nervous to say the least. Does anyone have any advice specifically for recruiting at a school you do not even attend, with a chapter you do not know well?

Thanks all! I have read the general threads for advice for girls on the other side for the first time, but there are definitely things unique to helping out another chapter that I am nervous about.

I helped out another chapter with recruitment many years ago. My advice is to mention the fact that you ARE from another chapter. It shows that the sorority is not just one chapter, but an organization of many chapters and there's potential for visiting other campuses and making even more friends and a broader sisterhood. Leave the individual campus chat and local info to the local members and discuss the national organization, philanthropy, etc.

Avoid talking about specific customs from your chapter and campus.

Yes, yes, YES.

There are several stories on here from PNMs who talked to members of another chapter who DIDN'T mention that fact right off the bat and it left the majority of them with a very bad taste in their mouth for that sorority. Which, of course, is the opposite of what you want to do.

If it's at all possible, get there early and spend some time with the girls in the chapter beforehand so it doesn't seem like you just dropped out of a helicopter or something. LOL

When I went through recruitment, one of the chapters had a chapter from a nearby university come to help and I remember myself and many other PNMs being turned off by it, so I imagine that feeling is unavoidable. My best advice, thinking back on that experience, would be to make sure to mention it, otherwise the PNMs might feel hurt later. And they'll probably be a bit turned off anyway, but this isn't your fault.

Otherwise, keep the topics general "get to know you" type of subjects )travel, movies, whatever) and the national organization. If there's any way to make sure they can also talk to an active at that chapter, that might be best, but I know it could be difficult and is out of your control.

I'm sure this is a tough situation to be in and I wish you luck! Hopefully you have some time to see the campus and meet your sisters before you have to go right into recruiting.

That is all great advice thank you! We (there are about five girls from my chapter coming to help) are planning on arriving around an hour early tomorrow so that we can explore the house and talk to the girls. I have been trying to find more information on their specific chapter too so I am not completely hopeless when I am talking to pnms. I am definitely starting too late with that, but I have been in denial that this is happening for awhile lol.

How would you guys suggest bringing up that I am from another school? The chapter is not struggling at all, they just had a lot of seniors graduate in the spring.

Also, I realized it will be even weirder for us there since we do not have a chapter house (none of the sororities on my campus do), and we will be recruiting out of a house this weekend!

Five is a lot easier than a whole other chapter and I think that will make a huge difference, since it sounds like the chances the PNMs will be able to talk to a greater number of sisters at the campus than in the experience I mentioned.

I wouldn't necessarily say it right out, but do it as soon as you can in a natural way. I think the explanation itself is the most comforting. And, like I said, if it's only a few of you, it shouldn't be much of a problem at all as long as you do tell the PNMs.

I think, if nothing else, it will be a fun experience for you. :) I'm getting excited about helping with recruitment this weekend myself, so best of luck.

I would do it on introduction.. "Hello, I'm NothingBetter from the ABC chapter at My University."

Be prepared to explain why you are assisting as well, some will ask. "The chapter here at Your University had a lot of seniors graduate last year and since we are right down the road, we offered (or were asked) to help."

Ideally though, you would have spent a little more time with this chapter prior to recruitment. For instance, two of my chapters which are geographically close do plan sisterhood type things together so if they did help each other with recruitment, they at least know the other members and can talk about things they did together.

Okay, way out of my lane, but here goes:

Would it be too over-the-top to tweak what you suggested by saying "Our sisters here . . . " rather than "the chapter here"? To me that seems like a natural way to underscore that sisterhood extends beyond the single chapter.

/Back to my lane.

^I actually think that's a perfect way to put it.

And I think addressing the situation directly and right away is best. I think you can address the issue the way you did to us and move on in the conversation. Just make SURE that you are bumped by a chapter member and not by one of the other visitors.

They are a great chapter, they just graduated a lot of seniors and they wanted to have as smooth a recruitment as possible, so they asked for some assistance and you were happy to help your sisters! I'm really enjoying visiting this terrific campus. You must be very excited to start college here. What's your major? HA! You get the point.

And I'd get there as early as you can, even the night before if you can swing it.

Definite improvement on my wording.. thank you!

Thanks! I'll let everyone know how it goes :)

I'm not trying to derail this at all. However, any time I have been involved in a situation like this - and it's been several times - CPH had to approve us bringing in other women and we made sure they were told what to say and what not to say. I'm surprised you havent clued in on that.

Do you mean they weren't allowed to say they were from another chapter?

The Panhel at the OP's school might just be a little more laid back about it. Especially if it's only 5 girls.

Just curious--why did you feel that way? Wouldn't potential members think, "Wow, that's great that their chapters stick together and support each other." :confused:

Be sure that the message is that you are there to help because the sisterhood & organization extends beyond the campus, not that you are only there because they are struggling. Be honest about the seniors graduating and needing you to help out- but don't dwell on the negatives. The spin you put on it can have a major impact on how it's perceived by the PNMs.

Focus on what you bring to the table- you represent the organization on a national level, can talk about how great it is that your chapters can be there for each other, etc. You are an asset that shows the scale of the organization. Think of it that way, rather than "they didn't have enough people so they couldn't do it without us". Especially since there are only five of you, it sounds like there are a lot more of them than there are of you.

I'm sure they will have this under control, but just in case- be sure that every PNM you talk to meets at least one person from the actual chapter every round. When I went through, I was really surprised and confused to learn that nearly everyone in the the first party was from a different chapter. They were the opposite- only five were local and the other 15 or so were from out of state (we had a very small system, our sororities averaged 20 actives each during recruitment hovering around 30 after). I did wind up joining, but only after I had made fantastic connections with a couple of the local actives. I still remember the first woman from the other chapter that I met, and I absolutely loved her. And I still hold a special place in my heart for that chapter!

I also agree with the advice about trying to spend some time with them- even 20 minutes of quality time getting to know a few of them. That way, when you introduce a PNM to an active you can make it more personal and it won't be an awkward "umm this is *reads nametag* oh, Katie". It can be "Hey, I want you to meet Katie- she's a biology major and since you're really into geology..."- or hobbies, hometowns, whatever. You won't know everyone or everything, but if you can make a couple of connections you'll seem like you fit in there and aren't just a random XYZ coming in off the street.

Side note- if possible see if you can keep up a relationship with them. This is a unique opportunity for cross-chapter bonding. A few months after my pledge class initiated (going from 5 to 17), nearly our entire chapter road tripped out to the other chapter a good 8 hours away. We stayed there for the weekend and it was fantastic. The following year we did a similar thing but with a different chapter, our Alpha chapter. They were unhoused so we went college style, sleeping on their dorm room floors :) It might be too late to plan something like that before recruitment starts, but it would be a huge win to be able to (truthfully) say "we are so happy to be here and hang out with such great sisters. We are even inviting them to come back to visit us after recruitment is over! They're such a great group of women."

As I said in my post, if the women from the other chapter didn't say right away that they were from another chapter, that can really turn PNMs off. Imagine if you're in a rush party and having a great conversation with someone and feeling like you're making a connection - and then she says "well at my chapter we also yadda yadda" and that's when you find out she doesn't even go to that school. Great, you found someone you like, but if you want to hang out with her you have to transfer.

I also have no clue what chapters who do this do about voting on PNMs. I can conceivably understand how PNMs would feel like they wasted their time - like talking to a dude for 1/2 an hour and then finding out he's married w/ 6 kids.

I'm kind of hoping that the OP and her chapter sisters are mostly going to be helping with refreshments, guiding the women into the house etc. With only 5 women coming in, that's kind of what it sounds like it might be.

No. I mean that those campuses required that all rushers on the floor be enrolled in that school. They could say where they were from but they had to be approved by the CPH to recruit since they were not members of that chapter.

This was in some instances where we were trying to boost numbers and save a chapter but didn't want to go the full recolonization route.

At the first party I only talked to the girls that were from the other chapter and they discussed all the things they did at their school. Which sounded like a lot of fun and many of those girls were really great, but I didn't go to their school, so I wouldn't have gotten to do any of those things. Plus as an eighteen year old, the national aspect wasn't something I really thought about or necessarily cared about since one of my main reasons for joining was to make my campus smaller.

33girl also made a good point in the members not necessarily mentioning they were from another school until the middle of the conversation. It made me feel a little blindsided.

When I saw the thread title, I thought you were going to be helping out another sorority all together. Since this is another chapter of the same sisterhood, I would do what others have said and concentrate on the fact that this is a national sisterhood. There will be women there that join this chapter because they get to experience the "big picture".

Interesting...hadn't really considered how it might hurt recruitment for NPCs to have other chapters help out.

I'm in a NALFO sorority, and it's expected that sisters from other chapters will show up to informationals, etc. (actually a turn-off for many interests if they don't).

Yep. The "bigger than your chapter" mentality is drilled into our heads even before we become members, so no one blinks an eye if nearby chapters stop by to help out. These are people that you're going to be working/interacting with frequently, so it's not as if they fall off the face of the Earth once pledging begins.

Word...word, word, word. :D

when i was an undergrad i helped at two other schools, one that wanted us to let the PNMs know we came from another chapter, and another that didn't want it mentioned. it was much better to be open about it, especially since at the school where we didn't mention it i got into some interesting conversations about what dorm i had lived in the previous years with some PNMs. oh, and not to mention i ended up rushing a girl from my high school who knew i did not go to her school.

either way, i would do some research on the school and greek life there, it'll help facilitate easier conversations! :)