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Recruitment is a 365-day-a-year process! My advice: keep your members happy, communicate with your members and HQ regularly, be honest with your members, brag when you do something great, wear letters as much as you can and actively engage not only other Greeks, but the campus and surrounding community with your events and accomplishments. Also, turn everything into a COR/COB opportunity-- casual TV nights, dinner at a local diner, philantrhopy events, picnics, etc.
1) Members should be committed to the chapter, and attending all mandatory events. Chapters should embrace "Committees" so that all officers receive team support, and every chapter member has a "job" that makes her feel empowered.
2) KEEP YOUR MEMBERS HAPPY! The chapter officers should have regular town-hall like "How are we doing meetings" so that chapter members can express open and honest opinions for chapter improvement. When you weed out internal issues, your chapter is happier, and wants to work together. This is "sisterhood" at its finest, and it shows.
3) Community Visibility.
- Chapter members should plan a weekly "XYZ Day" where everyone wears letters to school. Groups can meet for lunch on these days, showing more ladies together in letters and building friendships.
- Campus involvment. All members should be involved in 1-2 campus activities outside of Greek Life. This is a great way to meet PNM's and develop other leadership and group skills.
- Community Events. The sorority should hold events with non-Greek groups, like service clubs, the residence halls, etc. These can be co-sponsored educational workshops (like Resume Writing 101, Cooking on a College Budget, etc.), service projects, etc. This is also a great COR/COB method when you plan events with women's groups!
- Be Panhellenic. Make friends in other Greek orgs. Have a Greek Sisterhood Supper at your house, and encourage Panhellenic Relations.
- Submit regular press releases to the local and school newspapers whenever your chapter does something great. Put a banner outside the house to recognize the achievement.
- When you hold a philanthropy event, think: how do I get the community involved, too? Consider holding an all-day event that involves Greeks, NON-GREEKS, parents, faculty, etc. Why not hold an all-day health fair and 5K run, that also includes local vendors selling food, local entertainment (battle of the bands, a kiddie dance school recital, a Greek Lip Sync), etc., and a rep of your philanthropy to make a speech about the org. It will involve lots of people, get a buzz going about your org, and promote your GLO to EVERYONE, including PNMs. Get a local radio sponsor to broadcast from your event, and voile! You're the talk of the town.
4) Your New Members are like gold. You've worked hard to recruit them. Work hard to keep them happy. Work hard to keep all your members happy. Respect one another.
5) Don't resent your advisers or HQ. Communicate regularly and if you mess up, tell them RIGHT AWAY so they can help you. When you try to cover things up, you get in trouble, and the chapter members become distrustful and discontent with your leadership. They grumble to each other and their non-Greek friends. BAD PR!
6) Encourage members to bring non-members to events and dinners. The best way to meet prospective sisters is to introduce your friends!
A happy chapter is infectious. Everyone wants to be a part of it! The best way to sell your organization is to keep your existing members excited about your org, and for them to share that excitement with classmates, other Greeks, their families and the community at large.
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