Great topic!
1) How do you get members to take an active role in the leadership of the chapter?
This is something our church does, actually...have everyone fill out a "time and talents" form. (Your nationals or IFC probably have something like this) This will tell the nominating committee who is good at what and how much time they have to give. Especially if you have a large chapter, you might not know that Joe has musical ability or that Dave was in Junior Achievement and knows all about running a business.
2) What do you do when the previous leadership was weak and has made the leadership positions something that are less than disirable for new people to be willing to run for?
Make it clear that you are starting with a fresh slate and that things won't be done in offices "because we've always done it that way." Let the new prospective officers know that they will be able to make the positions their own.
3) How do you cut out the trend of having only a handful of men doing the majority of the work?
You should have a nominating committee who nominates a slate of people according to what their capabilities are (see #1), so it is not always the most popular people or the people who are the most hardworking who are always up for offices. I know it is hard to delegate and trust your fraternity in new and untried hands, but it's better to do it when older members are still there to advise, than to have the same dozen people rotate offices for 4 years and have everyone be clueless after they graduate. I've seen this kill more than one organization.
4) Is it possible to turn apathy around without cutting half your chapter out?
Yes. You will be surprised at what people can accomplish, if you give them the chance! The more people you involve, the better. Everyone should feel that the success of the fraternity is up to them as an individual - they should never feel like they are just a number.
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