Help for smaller chapters on a big campus

[33girl]

Originally posted by Firehouse
Paying her is one of the important points. I'm not talking about a student; I mean a full time, no-other-job-or-distractions employee who rushes full time. Most likely, she would be a recent graduate, or a woman who dropped out of school for one year. She should be a member of that sorority, but NOT a member of the troubled chapter. She'd be on a one-year contract. It's important that when her time is up, she leaves. Of course, there are different ways to run things but - trust me - this is the best way, and it works.

oh OK, I didn't realize how you meant that. So she would be the equivalent of a college recruiter for a sorority.

It is an intruiging idea, but in your idea of this, how much power or voice would she have in actually voting to give the potential members bids?

[DeltaBetaBaby]

My chapter once did a thing where you got X% off your dues for every girl you COB'ed...

However, the topic of this thread was not what chapters can do internally, but what the system can do. So I will steer it back to that.

Release figures are critical. I agree with everyone who said that already.

Panhellenic should run ads in the paper after rush begins. I heard about this at MGCA, and really pushed for it on my campus, and I know it worked in at least a few cases. Something like "Missed out on rush but still interested in a sorority? E-mail panhellenicrushchair@uiuc.edu for more info." The VP recruitment then forwards the info to the chapters. This allows chapters to reach girls who may be interested without the stigma of advertising themselves. Also, if you have a long rush, and this is done as soon as the first round is over, girls can meet the chapters and get their bid on bid day with the rest of the NM's (if your local rules allow).

[Firehouse]

I'll tell you how the guys do it, and you and I agree that guys and gals are different. However, I was personally involved in helping a sorority return to campus using "male" rush techniques (outside the formal rush structure), and it was, and is today, a fabulous success. Very proud of them.
With guys, the core group decides on a template of sorts: ie. the look, the personality, the character, the ability to pay dues, etc. All new guys have to fall somewhere within that outline. That ensures that the fast-growing chapter maintains a distinctive and compatible personality.
The chapter provides backdrop for the rush effort. The core rush group seeks out the right targets, solicits them and puts them in the company of the chapter. One by one they are bid, and pledged. In my undergraduate fraternity chapter today, the rush committee meets every night after rush open house. It is their job to select the targets, and to plan how they will be pledged. This group of perhaps 15 men choose the pledges on behalf of a 175 man chapter. As a result, the chapter has a very compatible membership and every pledge class is on the same quality level as previous classes. The chapter's stated goal is to "win rush".
In a small fraternity, the best results with a paid rush chairman come when he surrounds himself with a core group of true believers who want to raise BOTH the numbers and the perceived quality of the membership. In those chapters there will be a period of time where each successive pledge class looks better than the one before. That's why it's so important (as others have pointed out) to have excellent pledge education and fast initiation. All pledging decisions are made by the rush chairman and his committee.
We did this with a sorority returning to campus after a year's absence. None of the former members were allowed to return as undergrads. National sent in a hired gun and she surrounded herself with young women who fit within a certain template. And yes, looks were a part of that. One problem the old chapter had was that they couldn't attract new members who didn't have the same problems the old members had. It was a fabulous success. As I recall, they didn't compete in formal rush the first year; they just continued to build and build their membership. Today, they are constant at around 150+, and are very popular and happy and stable.
The short answer is: the hired gun and her crew choose the candidates. Period. Panhellenic may have rush rules that would prohibit that during formal rush, but it solves so many problems during open rush. You have no long emotional meetings, no energies spent keeping the chapter from making bad decisions. All energies focus on rush. We say, "Everything about the fraternity is fun, except rush. Rush is business."

[xp2k]

Firehouse,

How can I PM you?

I enjoy reading your posts/philosophies and I wanted your opinion about something.

[OleMissGlitter]

We had the same problem here at Ole Miss, believe it or not. Anyway, so we started "Regret With Interest." This is where suppose a PNM is asked back to all nine houses. Well, she cannot attend all 9 houses for second round of rush. Therefore she regrets with interest to three houses. This way if she cut by the other 6 second round, the three regret with interest sororities can choose to invite her back. This worked well at Ole Miss for the first time because so many PNM come in thinking they are going to join "AZZ" sorority. They don't understand it is a numbers game and a game with who knows who. Therefore, when they regret with interest they aren't hurting themselves if they aren't asked back to their six. It is like insurance for the PNMs and the sororities. This year most sororities had many Regret With Interests and therefore this maximizes their chance of joining a sorority and it allows some sororities to compete with girls who think they are going to get into a certain sorority but don't because of the competition. Please PM me and I can give you our Greek Life Representatives name here at Ole Miss so you can email him. I know he went to Southern Miss in Hattiesburg this year to help them with Regret with Interest where it was a success as well.

It is crucial that every chapter on your campus have this understaning, "Their success is our success" meaning that when ALL chapter on campus are strong, it makes everyone stronger. If your weakest chapter goes under, then it's just someone else that will be next. I urge the members of the strong chapters on campus to do the best they can to make sure the ENTIRE panhellenic system is the best it can be. As mentioned before, it is SOoo unfair to not follow release figures. So many chapters at my school string girls out for days with no intentions of giving them bids, unless their top girls go something else. They are their backups. The pnms think they're at the top of your list though and they are convinced they must be a XYZ or they will absolutely die. We had almost 60 girls last year cross cut because of this. ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. Second, do not perpetuate rumors that you KNOW are not true. My chapter was nearly crippled by a certain rival sorority telling pnms that we were going under the next year. Each sorority has the same thing to offer a pnm, it just comes in a different package. For some it's in a pretty azure blue and white package with a lion. For others, it's in a two toned blue one with a pretty golden key. Still others found their place within a black and gold package with a kite flying high above them (and obviously, many others). Sisterhood, service, social, academics, etc. We all have the same thing to offer. It just looks a little different. I don't know how many of your schools have guaranteed placement, but I know my best friend's school has it and it has hurt her chapter so much. It makes the strong stronger and the weak weaker, so I've heard. Our Panhellenic advisor refuses to switch to this until all 9 chapters are strong. Also, if your school doesn't have no frills rush, fight for it. RECRUITMENT, sorry, I'm old school I guess. The recruitment budgets at my school got cut by more than half this year. Yah hoo for our chapter, boo hoo for the others who have the 10.000 dollars to spend on it. Anyway, I hope that helped some.

[XOMichelle]

The idea of having an outside full time "rush recruiter" is interesting, and I think very useful. What would you suggest for a chapter that does not have the resources to get full- time help?
My former chapter is struggling with numbers, and the size of this year's pledge classes will be one of the big determinants in it's ultimate success or failure. While things have gotten better, it is difficult for them to pledge mroe than 3 girls outside of formal rush. What do you suggest? How could alumni help form a recruitment team?
thanks,
Michelle

[Firehouse]

I would think the best role for the alumni would be direct funding, and support in the form of providing an attractive venue for informal socializing. Someone's home can be a very effective place for a small rush party.
I think if your chapter presented a united front and said, "Yes, we want this and we'll support it", then your national office and/or local alumni would fund the project. What you're hiring is a Captain to direct the effort from inside. Your united front tells the alumni and the national office that you're serious about being successful, quickly.
Here's where I caution you: don't do this on the cheap. Money invested here, now, will be richly returned. Offering a woman room & board is not enough. In fact, the best thing your national office may be able to do for you is identify a good candidate. First place to look is a young woman who just left the national staff after a term as chapter consultant. I strongly, strongly suggest that she NOT be from your chapter. And again, this should not be someone who comes to graduate school on your campus, and takes this responsibility for room & board. No distractions. She is a full time soldier of fortune for a year. What does she get out of it? She gets a unique resume item ("I was chosen by name and recruited as a paid executive to rebuild a collegiate organization from scratch. I operated independently, managed the budget, organized the volunteers, and achieved all of my stated goals. I am the only one ever chosen for this distinction."). She also gets cash, which everyone likes. Finally, she becomes a legend, and the value of that is hard to measure. She will need to be strong, visionary and be self-motivated. What a fantastic opportunity for some very lucky Chi Omega!

[Firehouse]

Sure. How do we do that?

[FSUZeta]

wow firehouse!!! you have blown me away!!!it appears that we should look at recruitment unemotionally and in a practical sense, like we would our careers. what you are saying makes so much sense and once read, i say to myself, "why haven't we sororities come up with that approach?". i guess it is the emotional angle.
thanks so much for giving us a practical solution to recruitment. would you ever consider giving seminars?strong and weak chapters could both profit, and your ideas are so practical and would be an asset in the work place, too. lisa

[Firehouse]

Thank you for your kind comments. I used to do that when I was involved with our national board, long time ago. Your Zetas certainly don't need any help here: great chapter in a beautiful, gorgeous home.

[XOMichelle]

Thanks for the advice. I like the idea of a core rush group setting the stage for the rest of the chapter to follow.
How did you keep the rest of the chapter motivated to recruit and identify members when the core rush group had the spotlight? We have tried setting something like that up before and the girls got swamped with work since the rest of the chapter thought they need not be involved.

-M

[Firehouse]

I teach: 50% of the rush chairman's time should be spent rushing the chapter. Do that individually. Go from room to room in the house. Talk rush all the time.
Motivation: fraternities are motivated by winning and success. Sororities are too. Small chapters are especially motivated by the excitement of fast, quality growth, visible improvement in the organization. Those small chapters always felt non-competitive and insecure, so they create a frame of reference that makes that condition acceptable. But the truth is: if they see that they really have a chance to win and succeed and grow and compete, they'll jump right on board.
There's all sorts of tricks and techniques and pitfalls to be aware of. Small (and this only means small relative to the campus leaders) tend to talk about how much more brotherhood they have than the larger, successful chapters. But 'brotherhood' is enhanced when you;re a member of the winning team.
All fraternities/sororities have brotherhood, just as all automobiles have wheels. But some cars are Cadilacs, and some are Yugos.
Talk rush all the time. Talk to the members individually; sell them on the vision. Spend time with the ones who buy in, and not much time with the ones who don't.