New Recruitment Advisor - Outside Advice!

[AnchorAlumna]

Surely Alpha Gamma Delta has a thick recruitment manual. If you don't have a copy, get it. Read it. Read it again. And again. Until you know that book!
And search out any extra help from AGD's Web site, regional recruitment officials...keep asking until you can get some help.
You also need a copy of NPC's "green book," along with copies of any and all regulations that your campus and your panhellenic have. I would also suggest meeting the Greek adviser on your campus and sitting down for a chat. It always helps to have friends!

[gpb1874]

Originally Posted by Zeta13Girl

Always remember it's about quality not quantity. Stress that to the chapter, so they don't feel overly pressured to make total. Sometimes when chapters worry about how few people are in their chapter they just give out bids to have extra bodies around which can turn out bad.

I must say i really hate the quality over quantity line (not to be mean, it's just a huge pet peeve!)!!! You can have great quality and high quantity - they are not mutually exclusive! If chapter members do their job by meeting new people all the time and getting to know them at least a little bit, they will be able to tell if those people could meet the chapter standards. If they do meet the standards, spend more time with them and get to know them better. If they don't, still be friends with them, just redirect your recruitment intentions to someone else.

The chapter needs to create a recruitment/PR plan that go along well together. Make sure women are involved in other organizations/activities, train them on small talk outside of recruitment parties and make sure you have measurable membership standards that everyone knows and sticks to. Have each sister give the MVP 3-5 names of women they think could have potential and invite them to some of the activities someone mentioned above.

A sense of urgency does need to be instilled in these women and sometimes that means pressuring them so they will work hard to reach their goal...total. They are already below total AND are losing 22 women. This is a HUGE issue and they need to understand that.

[KSUViolet06]

My suggestion: read I Heart Recruitment by Colleen Coffey & Jessica Gendron.

There are some really good points in there for the collegians and it goes against alot of the "traditional" talk about numbers.

One really good point is that the old adage "quality over quantity" is sometimes used as an excuse to not do well at recruitment. You CAN have both. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by gpb1874

I must say i really hate the quality over quantity line (not to be mean, it's just a huge pet peeve!)!!! You can have great quality and high quantity - they are not mutually exclusive! If chapter members do their job by meeting new people all the time and getting to know them at least a little bit, they will be able to tell if those people could meet the chapter standards. If they do meet the standards, spend more time with them and get to know them better. If they don't, still be friends with them, just redirect your recruitment intentions to someone else.

The chapter needs to create a recruitment/PR plan that go along well together. Make sure women are involved in other organizations/activities, train them on small talk outside of recruitment parties and make sure you have measurable membership standards that everyone knows and sticks to. Have each sister give the MVP 3-5 names of women they think could have potential and invite them to some of the activities someone mentioned above.

The problem is that sometimes groups are just told "get numbers" and "meet new people" without a concrete plan to do that successfully being put into action. What you said above was perfect, though.

[violetpretty]

Read I Heart Recruitment and you'll cringe every time someone says "quality over quantity" too.

Obviously, no chapter should have ovaries as the sole requirement for membership, but the point is that increasing the size of the pool of PNMs will no doubt increase the quality of new members. Quantity drives quality, so you can have both.

ETA: Sorry to sound obnoxious for always plugging this book, I swear I don't work for Phired Up. I truly think every sorority woman should read it.

[gpb1874]

Zetagirl, i hear ya! I totally agree that chapters should not take people just to reach total - that's a total disservice to the chapter, the national org and those low quality members that will eventually drop or be dropped. And it really bugs me when sorority reps tell chapters just to get numbers or else. I, in my idealistic mind, believe that they want their chapters with low numbers to get quality women, but they do not communicate it effectively and don't approach it the best way, which to me is something like: "the chapter is in serious trouble because numbers are low. Sustainability is the big concern. Given current chapter operations/practices, will this chapter be around in 5 or 10 years? Likely, it won't if major changes are not made. Let's talk about core areas that need improvement, like recruitment, new member education and member retention."

I just hate it when chapters I work with (either on my campus or those i advise in my volunteer sorority leader role) use that as an excuse to stay small and not work hard to get quality members.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by gpb1874

I totally agree that chapters should not take people just to reach total - that's a total disservice to the chapter, the national org and those low quality members that will eventually drop or be dropped. And it really bugs me when sorority reps tell chapters just to get numbers or else. I, in my idealistic mind, believe that they want their chapters with low numbers to get quality women, but they do not communicate it effectively and don't approach it the best way, which to me is something like: "the chapter is in serious trouble because numbers are low. Sustainability is the big concern. Given current chapter operations/practices, will this chapter be around in 5 or 10 years? Likely, it won't if major changes are not made. Let's talk about core areas that need improvement, like recruitment, new member education and member retention."

I love you, marry me!!

I think that even if you are a person who likes being in a smaller group (I am), you still shouldn't join the smallest group on campus and hope they stay small - if you are not comfortable with being in a sorority that is whatever that campus's total size is, then sorority life is probably not for you. Don't join the sorority of 50 whenever everyone else is at 150 - because the way the system is running, you still will be in the mode (for lack of a better word) of sororities that run w/ 150 people. Does that make sense??

Also, I haven't read I <3 Recruitment, but I am hoping that it does explain that the 5 step model of recruitment takes more than 5 minutes. Sometimes it takes 5 weeks or even 5 months. I think too many people (including national volunteers) think you can crush all 5 steps into 2 open bid parties, and it isn't true...that's just regular old formal rush, except you're putting steps to it.

[gpb1874]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I love you, marry me!!

IAlso, I haven't read I <3 Recruitment, but I am hoping that it does explain that the 5 step model of recruitment takes more than 5 minutes. Sometimes it takes 5 weeks or even 5 months. I think too many people (including national volunteers) think you can crush all 5 steps into 2 open bid parties, and it isn't true...that's just regular old formal rush, except you're putting steps to it.

lol...sorry, i'm already married! I haven't read the book, but have heard about it and I agree with on the 5 steps. I did a workshop about just that a few months ago! It's amazing to see the lights suddenly click on when women realize how they can and should recruit year round and what it might look like!

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I love you, marry me!!

I think that even if you are a person who likes being in a smaller group (I am), you still shouldn't join the smallest group on campus and hope they stay small - if you are not comfortable with being in a sorority that is whatever that campus's total size is, then sorority life is probably not for you. Don't join the sorority of 50 whenever everyone else is at 150 - because the way the system is running, you still will be in the mode (for lack of a better word) of sororities that run w/ 150 people. Does that make sense??

Also, I haven't read I <3 Recruitment, but I am hoping that it does explain that the 5 step model of recruitment takes more than 5 minutes. Sometimes it takes 5 weeks or even 5 months. I think too many people (including national volunteers) think you can crush all 5 steps into 2 open bid parties, and it isn't true...that's just regular old formal rush, except you're putting steps to it.

I think the book does a good job of addressing the need to take your time with continuous recruitment. Locking in a PNM after two meetings only works for the "joiners." Every other PNM that is worth having may need more time to see the benefits of membership. Unfortunately, Panhellenic has always targeted the joiners, who are not always the best members in the long run.