small local sorority needs recruitment help

[sep88]

Hi guys
I am desperately searching out recruitment help and ideas, I'm browsing through the other threads and stories and stuff but any input would be really appreciated! : )

we are a local sorority only about 8 members strong at the moment and would really like to build our numbers so we can even start to consider going national and stuff. we do not have a house and obviously cannot participate in formal recruitment because we are only local.

so...we need ideas on
1 - getting our name out there/getting girls to attend our rush (we don't want to take away from the other national sororities on campus, but they are hard to compete with)
2 - ideas for rush activities that we can do without having a house
3 - suggestions as to whether it would be better to do our rush at the same time as or after the other sororities do their formal recruitment

thanks guys : )

[sep88]

theme ideas would be great too : D

[TinyDancer98]

You have already stated that you have a hard time competing with the national sororities, so having your recruitment simultaneously seems like it would cut down on your numbers because women would rather go to formal recruitment. They are not likely to want to rush a single local while they have the opportunity to go through formal recruitment and have a chance at multiple larger chapters- some will, but most won't.

Has your chapter talked to your local panhellenic about joining? It might be helpful in recruiting women to be able to participate in Greek Week and other campus-wide events, as well as have recruitment resources available to you.

As for not having a house, isn't there a space on campus that you can use for events? Use events you do for sisterhood, both on and off-campus, and turn them into recruitment functions. Send out personal invitations to women of interest as well as advertising broadly with flyers etc. There are lots of great ideas on this board if you search.

[DubaiSis]

There was a great thread here somewhere about a local Christian sorority (not called a sorority on their campus) that was working to improve numbers and standing on campus. They worked hard and made great improvements.

My suggestions:
1-hold your "formal" recruitment 1 week after the NPC sororities have theirs. You might be able ride the wave and pick up some girls who became disenchanted or had an unsuccessful recruitment

2-DON'T do too many recruitment events. It burns out your members and makes you look desperate. One a month is probably not too much.

3-lots of sororities don't have houses, so that can be worked around easily. Do some fun events at public places - bowling, ceramic painting, miniature golf, whatever - and use your campus facilities. There should be classrooms or meeting spaces available to you.

4-spend some time thinking about why you are not in any of the national sororities. What makes you a better option? This is no time for unicorns pooping rainbows. You need to come up with a list of reasons why a girl should want to pick you over the big houses, and "we have a stronger sisterhood" isn't going to cut it because it's not true. Once you have a good list, your members should be using those talking points when talking to PNMs every time. And by the way, if you can't come up with good reasons, it may be time to do some soul searching about the long-term viability of your group.

5-I'm not a huge believer in themes for this kind of stuff, especially when it's just you. Your "theme" should be welcoming, fun, and opportunity.

6-good luck! Let us know how it goes.

[PhoenixAzul]

I come from a small local chapter (from a campus of all locals).

Some things to keep in mind....

1) When you have a smaller number of members, it means each member is carrying her weight plus ten more. Take time out to relax and appreciate each other than isn't dedicated to "recruitment" or even the sorority. Too much work = burnout.

2) Begin to think about a chapter culture that is "recruitment is every day". Being a small chapter, and being local, you have a tremendous amount of agility and flexibility. Think about your networks. Think about the women you already know. Who have you looked at and said, "Damn, she'd be an awesome (insert letters here)." Depending on your relationship with her, ask her if she has ever considered sorority life, and if not, then why (and answer her questions, honestly and respectfully). This isn't the opportunity to say "ZOMB WE WANT YOU TO BE IN OUR SORORITYYYYYYYYYYYYYY". This is laying the groundwork.

3) Each one bring one. Have a movie night (or marshmellow roast, or twinkie roast...) and have each sister invite a friend (be aware of any possible rush infractions, however. You haven't mention what your rush structure is like). Again, this isn't about bidding girls, it is about planting the seeds. Even if the guests don't join, they will hopefully go and tell their friends "Hey, I had an awesome time at XY house last night. I'm not sure greek life is for me, but I know you're interested, check them out"

4) Act big. This means wearing letters often. Wear them and be proud. Wear them while answering questions in class. Wear them while away from campus. Wear them while doing philanthropy. Wear them while being your best. This is a simple branding exercise, really. Name recognition. If a PNM sees your letters enough, they will remember you.

5) Partnerships. With another sorority (note: we usually partnered with another sorority that was comparable in size and in culture as ours...it gave us twice the firepower and we always had a blast with these girls). With fraternities. With other groups on campus (SafeRide, Women's outreach, tutoring club, whatever!). Get together to do campus wide programming. Again, not recruitment straight up, but recruitment by surprise.

6) Avoid focusing on "going national". I don't know if you meant that you want to eventually become an NPC chapter, or if you want your local sorority to have more than one chapter? At any rate...focus on the now. Focus on sisters who will weather the storm with you. Because to be honest, the process of becoming an NPC can be arduous and may, in fact, never come. And I don't say that to be a debbie downer, I say that so that you can plan for the future. You help your case for national transition by having a healthy chapter, with high involvement, high GPA, diversity, and support.

[BemoreLXA]

Originally Posted by PhoenixAzul

I come from a small local chapter (from a campus of all locals).

Some things to keep in mind....

1) When you have a smaller number of members, it means each member is carrying her weight plus ten more. Take time out to relax and appreciate each other than isn't dedicated to "recruitment" or even the sorority. Too much work = burnout.

2) Begin to think about a chapter culture that is "recruitment is every day". Being a small chapter, and being local, you have a tremendous amount of agility and flexibility. Think about your networks. Think about the women you already know. Who have you looked at and said, "Damn, she'd be an awesome (insert letters here)." Depending on your relationship with her, ask her if she has ever considered sorority life, and if not, then why (and answer her questions, honestly and respectfully). This isn't the opportunity to say "ZOMB WE WANT YOU TO BE IN OUR SORORITYYYYYYYYYYYYYY". This is laying the groundwork.

3) Each one bring one. Have a movie night (or marshmellow roast, or twinkie roast...) and have each sister invite a friend (be aware of any possible rush infractions, however. You haven't mention what your rush structure is like). Again, this isn't about bidding girls, it is about planting the seeds. Even if the guests don't join, they will hopefully go and tell their friends "Hey, I had an awesome time at XY house last night. I'm not sure greek life is for me, but I know you're interested, check them out"

4) Act big. This means wearing letters often. Wear them and be proud. Wear them while answering questions in class. Wear them while away from campus. Wear them while doing philanthropy. Wear them while being your best. This is a simple branding exercise, really. Name recognition. If a PNM sees your letters enough, they will remember you.

5) Partnerships. With another sorority (note: we usually partnered with another sorority that was comparable in size and in culture as ours...it gave us twice the firepower and we always had a blast with these girls). With fraternities. With other groups on campus (SafeRide, Women's outreach, tutoring club, whatever!). Get together to do campus wide programming. Again, not recruitment straight up, but recruitment by surprise.

6) Avoid focusing on "going national". I don't know if you meant that you want to eventually become an NPC chapter, or if you want your local sorority to have more than one chapter? At any rate...focus on the now. Focus on sisters who will weather the storm with you. Because to be honest, the process of becoming an NPC can be arduous and may, in fact, never come. And I don't say that to be a debbie downer, I say that so that you can plan for the future. You help your case for national transition by having a healthy chapter, with high involvement, high GPA, diversity, and support.

great, great, great advice

[AlphaFrog]

How long has your org been around?

Are you brand new and just establishing, or have you been around awhile and maybe have some alums to call on for help?

[DubaiSis]

Every "I want to start a local sorority" OPer should read PhoenixAzul's post. Or for that matter, any chapter struggling for an improved image or membership size.

[IrishLake]

PhoenixAzul hit the nail right on the head!

[sep88]

thank you all!!! there is a lot of great advice in here and I am exited to bring it to the rest of the girls!!

AlphaFrog - to answer your question, we have been around a little over 15 years, however we temporarily disbanded (as did many others due to campus issues) we have been trying to get ourselves back together for a few years now

thanks again guys!