Summer Recruitment Questions

[Kevin]

The thing is -- passive means of getting guys like sending letters are expensive as hell. Further, they produce minimal results. Think about it -- have you ever heard of someone joining a fraternity because they got a really awesome letter? Nope.

That said -- we send those letters out as well... or at least we did a couple years ago when I was active. We'd get a list of all incoming freshman men, we'd go through the list and cross off a few names, then we'd do the mailing.

The only reason we did this was because there was another fraternity doing it and we wanted to keep up with the Joneses, so to speak.

It's a hell of a lot cheaper and a whole lot more successful when you use direct contact methods. If the school has phone numbers, call up kids from your hometowns. Take them to lunch. Do that whole VBR thing when you meet them. I presume you've been to a recruitment institute by now? If not, some guys from your colony were surely at the CoC, so they just spent about a week or so living and breathing that stuff. It may sound hokey, but let me tell you, that stuff works.

Finally, if you'd like, PM me, I'll put you in touch with our recently graduated recruiting guru. Perhaps he could be of assistance?

[ZK761]

I know the chapter or colony can also sign up for a recruitment visit. Basically someone from Hq comes out and helps you guys out on how to recruit. It helps out a lot.

http://www.sigmanufraternity.org/rec...tmentvisit.php

[TrevorG]

I'm going out of a limb here and saying "Robinson Chapter!"

[SNUIGC]

Originally Posted by TrevorG

I'm going out of a limb here and saying "Robinson Chapter!"

....Robinson Chapter? ?????

But, yeah, we haven't gotten to be able to attend a recruiting institute yet... want to go to one so badly, though. Ummm, Chris Healy and Jake Welshans (i.e. Director of Expansion and Recruitment/Expansion consultant) have been here alot... Jake was actually our live-on semester guy so that was really helpful and Chris was down at LSU being their live-on semester guy and he got to drop by every now and then. It's just...trying to think about what they would do and then trying to do it.

On a side note, though, this live-in guy thing they've started doing for new colonies is...amazing, really. I mean, it's so much help to have a guy that knows what he's talking about just hanging around for a semester and change... I mean, I would hate to see how it was back when they start it up and just leave.... I mean, how do you get your charter like that? It's just so...inefficient and doesn't instill the brotherhood that should be there.

Truthfully, we're only hoping for a candidate class of between 20-30 people...basically doubling the size we're at right now. Already have the facebook group set up, trying to get the website together, etc. It's just...having to go out and try and get people, I guess? ...oh and since we don't have a house yet we're talking to a sorority about using their house. Good idea or not?

[banditone]

Use it for what? Rush functions? If so that would be great. You really need a centralized place to rush.

I guess, now that I think about it, I don't remember going to the chapter house till school started. Most of my getting rushed took place at the Summer Rush Apartment, or at brother Lake Houses (our big Summer event is "Watersport Weekend" at a brothers lake house. Boats, Jetski's, BBQ, Girls. *sigh* take me back to the good old days!!!)

[SNUIGC]

Yeah, planning to use it to hold our rush functions... rush here is informal this year (again, ugh, prefer formal rush to this junk). Just, it makes things flow better, methinks. But, you should see our apartments we have close together...it's slowly turning into a Command Center... we actually have a laptop in the living room that's dedicated to Sigma Nu Rush Fall 07 with everything we could get on all the potential candidates... actually kinda stalkerish, but, we'll definitely know what they're interested in so we can talk to em.

We've also heard about creating a list of things to look for in a candidate and then judging them using that. How's y'alls feeling on that? I mean, I could see where it would help out trying to screen out some of the guys that we don't want to get in...however, truthfully, right now we need numbers WITHOUT sacrificing quality.

[Kevin]

From experience, let me tell you that blanket bidding is a horrible way to go about getting numbers. I won't lie.. it probably saved us a semester. It cost us in the long run though. We bid several guys we shouldn't have just to get that petition together. It was a tough job holding things together for a semester with a bunch of kids who didn't belong. After the petition was approved, several people got cut or dropped.. so problem solved.

It's just something I wouldn't wish on anyone. Lots of late night exec meetings where we were mediating disputes between guys who clearly didn't belong.

[banditone]

[quote=SNUIGC;1479094]Yeah, planning to use it to hold our rush functions... rush here is informal this year (again, ugh, prefer formal rush to this junk). Just, it makes things flow better, methinks. quote]

It seems like you'd guys would want Open rush as opposed to Formal. Reason being the lack of house.

Our chapter had the ugliest house on campus; so we were not fans of formal rush at all. Hell, I didn't even see the house till I had been pledged for a while over Summer. We'd get a BIG bulk of the class already set befre formal (20 to 25ish), and then maybe get 1 or 2 with formal to close out the class.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by ZK761

I know the chapter or colony can also sign up for a recruitment visit. Basically someone from Hq comes out and helps you guys out on how to recruit. It helps out a lot.

http://www.sigmanufraternity.org/rec...tmentvisit.php

I'm going to sticky this link. Great stuff.