[honeychile]

It is completely feasible to turn your chapter around while using the Quota/Total system!! Just six years ago, my chapter took only ONE New Member during Formal Recruitment. Two of us sat in at the next meeting and explained, "You are the masters of your own destiny. If you choose to give up, do so now, so that the New Member still has a chance to accept another bid. If you choose to fight, we will back you all the way - but Alumnae are NOT going to pour money down a rat hole!" (Their finances were a mess, too)

They had a series of Pride Meetings that week, and by the next meeting, they were ready with goals and ideas. Some worked, some didn't.

Fast forward two years: they came back in the fall with 12 members and a plan. They did FR nicely, but not expensively, and used the money instead for COB. By the end of the term, they doubled in size. By the end of the second term, they had tripled their original size! They saw that COB was their strength, and ran with it. By last year, they were at Total; by the end of this year's FR, they are 8 away from Total. While the other sororities are either at Quota or otherwise done with Recruitment, they are now playing their strong suit!

I'm really proud of them, as we couldn't COB our way out of a paper bag - we had to kick tail during FR!!

But back to Carnation's situation: to me, I would instead consider asking a new sorority to colonize (or recolonize), and allow the smaller sorority to recolonize. If there were over 10 sororities, I may feel differently, but with only 4 at Total and one not doing well, it sounds to me that another sorority is needed!