Quote:
Originally Posted by one800thekiller
Any kind of suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated.
Keep in mind though, it is a small campus...
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This is a tough one for me because I come from a very large southern campus where fraternities and sororities are very socially driven, but here goes and I hope I can help.
As you said- your college has 700 students. You indicate there are 2, soon to be 3, fraternities- but according to your school's website, your fraternity is the only one recognized by the college. This is a big plus for you.
Before I go further, here is a link to the list of student organizations at Alderson-Broaddus. As the OP's profile indicates, he is a member of Phi Delta Sigma- the only fraternity recognized by the university (see the Panhellenic Council link in the below link),
http://www.ab.edu/current_students/s..._organizations
In looking through the various GLOs [GLO=Greek Letter Organization] at your campus (not all of them under the scope of Panhellenic Council), I noted that all but one sorority has a specific designated purpose that is not purely socially driven. It would appear that Greek life at your campus is driven more by philanthropic activities or activities based on a student's major- nursing and business to give two specific examples.
The link for your organization indicates that service to the community and the promotion Christian values are two primary aims of your organization. And so I offer the following suggestions in light of that,
1. How much are the dues for your organization? What is that money used for? In an organization such as yours I would imagine the most attractive option is to have the majority of dues be donated to charity with only a small portion- if any- dedicated to a dinner or other basic social event for members every semster/year.
2. How large are the 2 non-recognized fraternities at your campus? What kind of dues do they charge? What do they spend the money on? Why are they not recognized? Do you see any comparability in their mission compared to yours that would make them "competition" for you? Do you have any interest in realigning your goals and purpose to compete with them?
3. Your campus has active church-based organizations. What could your organization offer to individuals in these groups in terms of service and promotion of Christian values that they are not already getting? Could your group perhaps seek to enhance that experience by offering additional philanthropic activities and occasional social events? Your goals as stated at the college website are very much in line with what church groups offer- and the University of Georgia is a prime example of a campus with a very strong social greek system where a lot of GLO-worthy individuals are instead involved in church groups because the latter fulfill their personal goals and also provide social contacts for friends and potential spouses. The 2 colleges are not comparable, but just keep this in mind. You need to find a way to offer something extra and different that would make people want to belong to your group as well as any church groups.
4. Would you consider going co-ed? Since your organization is service-driven, accepting male and female members seems a logical option. Sure it is more complex than that, but consider the option.
5. Go for friend blocks. We do this at big Greek campuses too. Specifically- when you rush a guy, if he has a few solid friends who would be good candidates- try and get all of them at once. It brings you several members at once and it is very appealing to a candidate to know he could join a group at the same time as people he already considers good friends. Get yourself 2-3 blocks of 2-3 guys who are friends- and then all of a sudden you have over 10 members.
I hope this helps, and please do post any more details and answers to the above questions to the degree you feel comfortable. The more information is out there on the basics of your situation (meaning don't feel pressured to give specifics you think wise to not advertise on the internet)- the more people can help.