Starting your own Fraternity

[REE1993]

You might want to check out a few things that I found on your site. www.omeganualpha.org

In your creed, the word "gentleman" seems like it should read "gentlemEn.

Also, your manuals are for sale online, via CafePress. Anyone can just buy the materials instead of following your chartering process. You might want to change that.

You might want to explain a little further (on your site) how/why you are the fraternity "of the future". It seems like you are offering a "fraternity in a box", yet steering away from any governing body or HQ. Just be aware that if several groups with the same name are opering differently, with different tax liabilities and legal designations, you might run into some problems.

Under "Recruitment", it reads "Sitting alone in your room doesn’t lead to many lasting memories of college. There are a variety of social activities that fraternity men become involved in. Intramural sports are a fun part of the fraternity experience. Whatever your skill, whatever your interest, there is a team for you to participate on."

Does this mean that your fraternity is about intramural sports?

These are just a few things that came to mind when I checked out your site. Good luck in your endeavours.

[omeganu]

Thanks for the input! I appreciate the feedback-

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by omeganu

Thanks for the input! I appreciate the feedback-

Hi, and just to add a little bit to Ree's excellent feedback, I checked out your site and materials, it's all very interesting and your thoroughness is impressive (though I completely agree that having your officer materials available on a retail site is risky)...

But the message that is obviously the mainstay of the group right now is "don't JOIN a fraternity, start one." Which I certainly get as a "hook" to those interested in starting a colony. But what kind of follow-up information/support is there for the guys that start the colony who then need to go recruit and convince OTHER guys that they SHOULD "just join" a fraternity, in this case, Omega Nu Alpha? At a certain point, the group will be "just another fraternity" for other people to "join". So what's the group's distinguishing characteristics at that juncture? Why would someone want to join an existing colony/chapter of ONA versus other houses on campus? If the message coming out of the main website remains that it's not a good idea to "join" a fraternity, how will the ONA chapters grow?

Just something to think about and be ready to support your colonies through in the future. Continued success, though, starting something from the ground-up is never easy and you certainly have put a lot of work into it!

[omeganu]

Hi nittanyalum-

Good point! I agree it is easy to jazz up a group of guys when you're "starting something from scratch"...there is a level of pride that came along when we experienced success. Almost in a "holy crap...we did this!"

Even at our single chapter in Minneapolis, the trend is moving away from the "don't join a Fraternity...start one..." to "built by gentlemen...for gentlemen..."

(I just haven't made a new recruitment video yet!)

I feel strongly about having each chapter manage its own destiny...we've made a statement that a chapter will never be closed due to low membership. However I do own the company that operates our existing book of business and I've received a lot of input on how to take the operation out of the Twin Cities.

The simplest method I've heard is basically a "franchising" concept. Groups that subscribe to a corporate structure, code of conduct, etc. Like an owner of McDonalds...it's 'your' restaurant but you can't change the menu.

Thanks for responding

[Tom Earp]

First things first.

1. If you wish to expand, it needs to be schools in the proximity to the Founding chapter. Probably smaller schools.
2. Finding like ideas for possible new members to want to join in a new adventure.
3. Starting something new for them to want to start a new entity.
4. What is the current feelings of the current campus and students toward Greeks.
5. Starting something new is great for some new people, but why should they want to do that and not their own.
6. A set of rules or regulations that must be followed or problems will and can arise. Ideals as it were.
7. Some kind of central control to decide any issues that can and will come up from any possible new chapters.

It is a formidable task and from starting a new local, it is not easy and expanding even more so. What will make your organization any different that others is a big question.

When I started mine, it brought many guys who wanted either something new and start something and make a difference. But as you will progress, you wil find that you will fit in with existing GLOs as they have been doing it for a long time. Many things have already been done, found to be wrong and changed.

I wish you only the best of luck.

It will not be easy unless you have a hook to hang your cap on.