Adviser Assistance
 

Anyone have some fun or unique ways that your advisers have assisted the chapter in preparing for recruitment? The chapter I advise has work weekend coming up shortly and I'd be interested in hearing some ideas on how my advisory council can best assist the collegiate members. Ideally, I'm looking for more extraordinary ideas other than just conversation, songs, etc. or better ways to assist with these basics. Thanks!

The mock recruitment with alumnae members is also a great PR tool between actives and alums. :)

Being a recruitment advisor myself, let me see if I can help... (keep in mind, though, that at this point, my campus only does COB and has no kind of formal recruitment, so some of these things might not apply, depending on what kind of help you're looking for).

Teambuilding activities and icebreakers are fun, but you can also use them to your advantage. For example, I used one called "Bigger and Better". You split everyone into small groups (ideally 2 or 3 people) and you give each group a paper clip. The object of the game is to repeatedly trade an item for the "biggest and best" thing you can find. Before you set your members loose on campus, tell them that you're judging their items on size, value and creativity... or something like that. Give everyone at least a half hour to approach as many people as possible asking them to trade whatever item they have. For example, you could trade the paper clip for a pencil.. then trade the pencil for a pen.. the pen for a quarter.. a quarter for a bag of chips.. etc., until time is up. A way to make this game a little more "challenging" for everyone: tell them that they have to rotate talking, so that the same person isn't doing all of the work, and before they say, "Will you trade me something for this?" require them to shake the person's hand and say, "Hi, my name is..." When time is up and everyone has returned with their biggest and best item, you don't judge the items at all. The whole point is to get them to introduce themselves to people, and to show them how easy it is to talk to strangers.

We have also done mock recruitment events, and this past semester it was part of the chapter's new member program. The new members had to host a small recruitment party themselves and some of the alumnae and active sisters were the "PNMs". Afterward, the older members analyzed how they did and gave them tips about things to do and say, and they answered questions for them. About two weeks after that, the PNMs actually held their very own recruitment event with real PNMs that they invited themselves. I was very pleased that 9 new members were able to get about 12 PNMs to the event.

Another thing that I try to do is provide handouts to the girls during a few meetings throughout the semester reminding them of "how to recruit", so to speak. I send out emails occasionally about events going on around campus that they can attend in order to meet some more PNMs. I also send emails at the beginning of the semester reminding the girls of the basics of recruitment (i.e. look your best, topics of conversation to avoid, the PNMs are your priority, etc.).

**A lot of the information I give them comes directly from Phiredup.com**

I have planned and executed a few workshops and the key to getting the members excited for recruitment is to let them manage it. Advisory members shouldn't be telling members what to do, but they should be leading them in the right direction. Have them ask the members questions! Sometimes, you'd be surprised at how many people have really good ideas, but they're never heard because not everyone can sit on the Recruitment Committee, and they don't really have an opportunity to talk about it in business meetings.

Another thing you could try (and I think I posted this in another thread somewhere) is to have one conversation among all of your members. Split the chapter in half and have them form two lines, facing each other. One line is the sister, the other line is the PNM. The person leading the activity starts by asking the first girl in line (PNM #1) a basic question (What's your major? Where are you from? etc.). PNM #1 answers the question however she sees fit. Then the first girl in the other line (sister #1) makes a statement and/or asks a question based off of PNM #1's answer. PNM #2 would then respond. Sister #2 would then talk. Then PNM #3, etc. until you have one flowing conversation down to the end of the line (or you could make two circles, one inside, one outside, facing each other and continue the conversation for as long as you want). Afterward, discuss the questions and statements that were both good and bad, and analyze the conversation as a whole. You can do this as many times as you'd like, and switch up the groups allowing everyone to be both a sister and PNM. And to make it more interesting, do it a few more times and have all of the "PNMs" huddle together before it starts and decide what kind of PNM they're going to be (shy and quiet, overly excited, weird and obnoxious, etc.)

Another thing you could do (especially with formal recruitment, bumping systems, and PNMs being double-rushed) is to analyze situations in which a PNM might feel left out. How many times have we read recruitment stories where a PNM is being double-rushed and feels excluded from the conversation.. or the sister she's with is talking to other sisters more than to her... or she's standing in a corner, eating food, avoiding the sisters altogether? :rolleyes: Maybe everyone could be split into groups, be given a few different scenarious where a PNM might feel left out, discuss what they would do, and then present the idea to everyone.

Sorry this was so long. :p

These are just a few ideas. If you have more specific questions, PM me.

We use Advisors to give a workshop on voting. We also have the Chapter split up into groups based on this criteria: Involved in the Chapter hold some type of office, attend the majority of functions, but not holding an office, just there for the social events. The interesting thing is there is NEVER any one in the social event group. They ALL perceive themselves as being very active in the house. It is a good way for them to see where they are lacking. I hope this helps you.

We are doing most of what has been mentioned above. We have also gotten other alums together to come to recruitment retreat to help with small sisterhoods throughout the retreat, mock recruitment parties, moral support, and to bring snacks/food each day.

Thanks AST. I particulkarly liked this one for creativity and uniqueness: