Quote:
Originally Posted by DTD Alum
Watch out for the "oversell" though. Nothing can make a chapter look like they have no social events more than the "OH MY GOD we LOVE our socials!!! WE HAVE SO MANY, we love our social events, our social events are AWESOME, all the fraternities ask us" conversations.
Also, keep in mind that if you emphasize social events as a major part of your chapter and you DO get some girls who are really into socials, they are going to very disappointed when they learn that is something you are actually re-building. They are probably going to leave and/or be disgruntled members. So I'd say focus on authenticity and finding the girls early on that will really understand/desire the atmosphere your chapter provides. Also, focus on things that will get girls who are into getting involved and re-building a chapter, not the girls who think everything will already be done for them...I feel like "top" chapters can have girls who don't really want to contribute because there are enough girls that do, but chapters that are weaker need to make sure all members are committed because guys/girls can't "fall through the cracks" and will likely have to shoulder responsibilities early on.
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This entire post is absolutely spot on. The last thing you want to do is pretend you're something you're not. But you can target girls who are more social - who might even scare some of your shyer sisters. Don't assume they'll go to another chapter. They might really dig the idea of being able to turn things around by injecting something new into the mix.
Do your sisters hang out with the same fraternity ALL. THE. TIME? If so, STOP. Not saying blow them off because I'm sure they're awesome guys that have supported you for a long time - but when you get associated too closely with one fraternity it can turn girls off who don't like them. Also, stop being afraid to go to different fraternities. To quote Wayne's World YOU'RE WORTHY!! Broaden your social calendar with mixers and with just regular parties (not sure how those work nowadays, but if you can get into someplace, go there). Yes there are going to be girls from the other sororities that will look down their noses at you. Yes you might feel intimidated by them. I offer this very true quote: "No matter how hot a girl is, someone, somewhere, is tired of her shit." Those guys in the "top" fraternities might be sick of the girls in the "top" sororities for a variety of reasons.
Get involved in other campus activities. These help people to see you as you, rather than just as an XYZ member. Once they realize how cool you are, they'll feel silly saying "all XYZs are dogs" or something of the like.
Try pairing with another sorority and two fraternities for a double mixer. It takes a lot of the pressure off and they still can see that you're out and trying.
I know I'm not really talking about recruitment, but the honest fact of the matter is, this really isn't something you can fix just by doing different things during the week of rush. As AXOrushadvisor said, make your decorations and such on the same par with other chapters, but don't make it seem like you go out 5 nights a week when the fact is you haven't had a mixer in a month.