Getting your chapter's name out

greek_girl85 · #1 12-05-2006, 11:59 AM

Hi everyone~

I've been reading these boards for a while, and I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I couldn't seem to find a post anywhere.

My sorority is local, and we've been around on our campus for 5 years (6 years in February). We seem to have a problem with getting our name out to not only the other Greek orgs, but the campus as well. We don't have a house on campus like all the other Greek orgs, so we're at a disadvantage in that aspect. We do have mixers with fraternities from time-to-time. It's just disconcerting that other sororities or fraternities look at our letter sweatshirts and ask us if we're in a business fraternity. When we explain that no, we're in a local, social sorority, they just look at us and say that they've never really heard of us. We do attend all Greek functions and other campus functions.

If anyone has ideas on how my sorority can get our campus to know who we are, I'd really appreciate it. Any ideas are welcomed! Thank-you!

DSTCHAOS · #2 12-05-2006, 12:08 PM

Well your issue isn't getting your "chapter's" name out. It is getting your "sorority's" name out. A much larger and difficult task.

First the young ladies in the local have to have personality and be PEOPLE who are noticeable. If you all fail in that aspect, no one will care about your sorority. This is part of your recruitment and new member training. You all should be women with personality, scholarship, and good deeds before membership and membership should simply enhance that.

After you've got that squared away, find ways to get the ladies involved in other campus organizations and activities, including social events for other organizations. If it isn't a crime on your campus, since it apparently is on some, have a letters day where you all wear letters around campus. You can also wear your business attire and pins (if you have pins) to a campus location before or after chapter meetings whenever you have them. People will care more about your sorority if they see that you all are everywhere. Then that opens the door for mixers and having tables during Greek Week or to advertise your philanthropy.

You will basically need to mimick what the other sororities do but make their practices your OWN. Do what they do but do it slightly differently and better, if possible. Don't be a carbon copy because you all want to show that you all aren't the same as the rest and have something unique to offer.

Senusret I · #3 12-05-2006, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

Well your issue isn't getting your "chapter's" name out. It is getting your "sorority's" name out. A much larger and difficult task.

First the young ladies in the local have to have personality and be PEOPLE who are noticeable. If you all fail in that aspect, no one will care about your sorority. This is part of your recruitment and new member training. You all should be women with personality, scholarship, and good deeds before membership and membership should simply enhance that.

After you've got that squared away, find ways to get the ladies involved in other campus organizations and activities, including social events for other organizations. If it isn't a crime on your campus, since it apparently is on some, have a letters day where you all wear letters around campus. You can also wear your business attire and pins (if you have pins) to a campus location before or after chapter meetings whenever you have them. People will care more about your sorority if they see that you all are everywhere. Then that opens the door for mixers and having tables during Greek Week or to advertise your philanthropy.

You will basically need to mimick what the other sororities do but make their practices your OWN. Do what they do but do it slightly differently and better, if possible. Don't be a carbon copy because you all want to show that you all aren't the same as the rest and have something unique to offer.

This is excellent advice.

DeltAlum · #4 12-05-2006, 12:41 PM

There was a TV talk show on many years ago -- I believe the host was named Les Crane.

There was a segment in which he answered questions from the audience and one night someone asked how he explained his success and rapid climb in the entertainment business.

His answer was, "Loudly, and to anyone who will listen."

A clever, quick quip, but containing a fair amount of truth.

Besides the excellent advice above, be sure your chapter/sorority is visible on campus via philanthropy and other means -- and have a Public Relations chair who is in touch with campus and other local media. Don't be discouraged if everything you send them isn't published or broadcast -- but keep sending stuff.

Nobody will listen if they don't know you're there.

Good luck.

aephi alum · #5 12-05-2006, 01:37 PM

You've gotten some great advice already.

The key is visibility. Have a letter day once a week. Make up some pins or buttons that you can wear or put on your bag - "I <heart> XYZ" or whatever. Be seen doing philanthropy work, be seen during Greek Week, be seen eating lunch as a group, just be seen.

honeychile · #6 12-05-2006, 02:01 PM

One thing that I saw happen would completely depend on your sorority's personality: A fraternity & a sorority, both which were fairly new on campus, started a soap opera in the school newspaper.

It started with someone saying something like, "Heather, why didn't you meet me on Saturday night? confused, Dave" The next paper had, "Dave, waited for you for a half hour - where were YOU? Heather" Then, "How about this weekend? Do you still have those tight jeans? Dave" Then, "Dave, you were late - you owe me more than a "jeans date" Heather" etc, etc. After two weeks, they started slipping in their letters, but by then, the entire campus was hooked! It worked out better than buying a full page ad!

KSUViolet06 · #7 12-05-2006, 02:03 PM

Great advice here. It definitely does work.

LouisaMay · #8 12-05-2006, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by honeychile

One thing that I saw happen would completely depend on your sorority's personality: A fraternity & a sorority, both which were fairly new on campus, started a soap opera.

It started with someone saying something like, "Heather, why didn't you meet me on Saturday night? confused, Dave" The next paper had, "Dave, waited for you for a half hour - where were YOU? Heather" Then, "How about this weekend? Do you still have those tight jeans? Dave" Then, "Dave, you were late - you owe me more than a "jeans date" Heather" etc, etc. After two weeks, they started slipping in their letters, but by then, the entire campus was hooked! It worked out better than buying a full page ad!

That is such a cute idea. Genius!

adpiucf · #9 12-05-2006, 02:42 PM

Join the campus Panhellenic. Follow their rules, and their calendar. Hold recruitment with the other sororities. You will become more a part of the existing Greek System.

BadCat25 · #10 12-05-2006, 07:17 PM

Be visable. Get involved in student organizations. Wear your pins & sweatshirts. Be nice to GDI's, because the other sororities don't. They are your best source of new members.

hazelle · #11 12-05-2006, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by honeychile

One thing that I saw happen would completely depend on your sorority's personality: A fraternity & a sorority, both which were fairly new on campus, started a soap opera.

It started with someone saying something like, "Heather, why didn't you meet me on Saturday night? confused, Dave" The next paper had, "Dave, waited for you for a half hour - where were YOU? Heather" Then, "How about this weekend? Do you still have those tight jeans? Dave" Then, "Dave, you were late - you owe me more than a "jeans date" Heather" etc, etc. After two weeks, they started slipping in their letters, but by then, the entire campus was hooked! It worked out better than buying a full page ad!

As an AXiD from Kentucky, I can attest to the truth of this clever idea!! We had the political cartoonist from our campus newspaper create a tee for us and it caught everyones' attention....so why not take that above concept and then, if you like your campus' political cartoonist, ask if they would free lance for you. If not, then find another artsy person, maybe even a sister has such talents...and make talking heads in your soap operas...then later, those characters can be on your tees as well!

any way you do it, just believe in you, your sisterhood and show that pride and let it shine to all on campus....they will come running!!

ALPHA XI DELTA...GOOD SISTERS FOREVER!!

Elephant Walk · #12 12-05-2006, 08:49 PM

Hazelle, what a great name...

I usually like saying "Hazed and Confused"

SOPi_Jawbreaker · #13 12-05-2006, 08:50 PM

Like some other people said, wear your letters. One of our chapter traditions is a red hooded sweatshirt with our letters in white, and they're really warm. A couple years back, we started doing "letters day" on Monday's (the day that we have our meetings in the HUB). Most of the girls wear their red hoodies. We started getting noticed around campus, particularly by our fellow Greeks...things like "I just saw a whole bunch of your sisters and they were all in red hoodies." or "Man, I see you girls EVERYWHERE in your red hoodies."

One thing that I've seen other chapters do is sending out cards (like "Welcome Back" at the beginning of fall semester or "Happy Holidays") to all the other chapters. I always thought that was really sweet.

greek_girl85 · #14 12-06-2006, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adpiucf

Join the campus Panhellenic. Follow their rules, and their calendar. Hold recruitment with the other sororities. You will become more a part of the existing Greek System.

We're associate members of our campus Panhellenic. But, they wouldn't allow us to participate in their formal recruitment, until recently. We were asked to participate in Fall 2007, but the President decided to wait and participate in Fall 2008 b/c we don't have the money to have a nice recruitment like the national sororities on our campus, and we also are unsure of what we'd need to do to have a similar formal recruitment to the other sororities. They allowed us to shadow recruitment this Fall, and I imagine we'll shadow again next Fall. I wish we were going ahead and participating next Fall and not waiting a year, but I wasn't in a position to voice my opinion.

Thank-you, everyone, for your suggestions. I plan on suggesting these ideas at our 1st meeting in January. Any other ideas are welcomed.