Help! We are about to lose 73 years of History!!!

[Tara Archer]

they all live far...so it wouldn't really work...but thanks for idea. By the way, good quote.

[MooseGirl]

Hey,
Just keep trying, don't give up! My chapter had just 4 girls this year, so far they've pinned 7 new members and are planning a second pinning. The women take on only the essential positions and everyone works together on everyone else. and of course some alum(like me) help out once in awhile.
As for the house...I think the idea of renting it is great...even if you rent just some of the rooms out. I know this means you may not be able to have paraphernalia around or have meetings there, but it is a temp solution.

Best of Luck

[damasa]

Tara:

A lot of people have given good advice as to go about gaining new members.
Back in 1982 my local fraternity was down to five members and some how they managed to keep the house and the fraternity going. There are many drawbacks, prior to my time, I've heard stories of not getting any pledges, sometimes a few semesters in a row.

What I would do:
Contact alumni, contact alumni like crazy. There are always those out there that might be out of the loop due to careers or family, but if they hear that their org is in danger of going under, and/or losing their house, they will come, trust me they will come.

Ask the alumni for donations, in a case such as this, I'd be wiling to bet many would be all for it.

Maybe get a few alumni to help out in your rush, get an alumni advisor to supervise everything and help out, so to speak.

Advertise like madness, posters, flyers, have mixers, exchanges, whatever needs to be done.

Losing your house isn't the end of the world, three years after we went local, we lost our house, but a few years later we got it back. I agree that the house is a big part of the organization, but it doesn't make up the organization. The sister/brotherhood that comes from the org is what really counts. GLO's lose houses quite a bit, they get replaced, it's something material, something that can not be compared to the friendships and bonds made by being a part of a glo.

If you would like, I can get you some contact information from a local sorority here on my campus that was down to eight members just a year ago, and now they are thriving to over 40! They did it, and I can refer you to them and they could probably give you a few great ideas. You can pm me or email me here:
bdunday@hotmail.com

Regards,
damasa

[mmcat]

i know it feels scary.
but don't allow yourself to stop. good pr. good vibes no matter where you are can happen. you can be successful.
find yourselves some alums to help so you are not alone.
good luck.
mmcat

Everyone here has given great advice as usual, and you should never give up. Locals are special (I know they are in NY, since if your in the SUNY system thats all you really have). However, as a last resort you might want to see about going National and just look at what sororities come the closest to your sororities convictions. But that's only as a LAST deseparate resort, because I know you want to keep it a local as it is

[bruinaphi]

It sounds like you are working really hard to turn things around and your chapter should be very happy to have you as a member, working hard to keep things going. I have a little advice that might help you through this tough time.

1. Stay active: it is very important for smaller or local chapters to stay very active and visible on campus. Make sure that all of your members are at fraternity philanthropy events, social events and campus events.

2. Set realistic COB goals: Take your semester calendar and set goals for yourself for attaining members (one every two weeks, or something like that). Have a meeting with the other members of your chapter and delegate the work. Maybe break the chapter into recruitment teams and give each team membership goals.

3. Get an alumna to work as a recruitment advisor for you. I am sure that if you start looking you will be able to find an alum who will be willing to help you - try asking your BOD for names of previous rush chairs who might be able to help you over the phone if they are not in the area.

4. Examine how you are bidding people: make people feel special and plan activities that you can invite them to the night after you extend their bid.

5. Incorporate COB into your everyday chapter activities.

I hope this helps! Keep up the hard work -- with your help I am sure your chapter will recover and exceed all expectations!