I have been a member of BSP for two years now. When I first joined our chapter, we were down to just 6 members. My first year, our president , Robin (who had brought me in), brought in 3 more members. Two of my other sisters each brought a new member in too. This past year, I brought in 2 new members and one of them brought in another one. We also had a sister transfer in and we're now up to 15! We also have several prospects that we will be inviting to our fall rush party.
How did we do it? When Robin brought all those members in my first year, I noticed that she told everyone she met about sorority. I started doing the same thing and I tell everyone about all of the fun and wonderful things our chapter does. Our chapter ranges in age from 25-45 with most of us being 30-somethings. We are very active and BSP gives me a chance to get away from the kids and have some grown-up time. Thankfully, dh is very supportive and understands that I need some time with the girls every now and then.
With programs, we are fairly informal. Whoever is hosting the program meeting has to come up with their program. At our last progam meeting this year, I found the colors of BSP and the traditions that go with them on the Strawberry Patch. As I finished reading each color, we discussed our chapter traditions and what we would like to add. At Christmas time, one of our sisters talked about chocolate and candy making. At another meeting, a sister's dh who is a truck driver, talked about safety while driving around semi-trucks. Figure out what you are interested in and then tell your sisters about it. That is what makes the best programs!
Jenn