Sorority Recruitment Help

[sftbll17]

Honestly, our alumnae weren't much better than us at recruiting. Our largest new member class was around 12/13 girls. Many of them were recruited through partying and drinking, we're trying to move away from that because usually the girls recruited in that manner were much more interested in partying than being a good leader in the chapter. The past couple of years we have been trying to recruit better. We've help welcome back pizza parties each semester, we've held sign ups for girls to join us on our philanthropy events, we've held movie nights and Glee parties. We're really trying to get our name out there.

We're up to 4 new members for this semester. We have two more COB events next week. We're hoping to get at least 6 new members, but 8 is really the number we need so we aren't in trouble with housing.

I would like to add that the other chapter that has been helping us sent us flowers before our first two COB events and their president has been texting our president almost daily for updates. We have never felt so much love from a NPC chapter on campus. It's nice to feel like someone has our back. If anything positive has come from this formal recruitment, it is finally feeling like at least one NPC values us and knows that we deserve to be on campus because as a local we've never felt that way.

[KSUViolet06]

A good piece of advice about recruitment for local groups.

Make recruitment about YOU as a chapter, not so much about comparing yourselves to the NPC groups.

I'm not saying that you do this, but sometimes, locals make so much of recuitment about "Well you should pledge us because we're _______ and the NPCs aren't."

I give the same advice to NPC chapters. Don't make it about how you're so much more ____ than other chapters.

Good luck to you guys!

[amy.c]

I'd suggest a recruitment retreat for your chapter. Go over conversation techniques and topics. Before you do that, make a list of what you think went wrong. Was all you talked about your sorority, rather than getting to know PNMs? Or vice versa? Did you ladies seem upbeat, or stressed (since formal recruitment is a very, VERY busy time)? Did you focus too much on decorations? Were there not enough photos and scrapbooks to show off fun activities?

My chapter is a fan of mock recruitments, where younger sisters (who have never been on the recruiting side of formal recruitment) are sisters and older sisters act as PNMs. The gives the recruitment chair and her assistant a chance to see where the weaknesses lie. Sisters who are satisfactory at recruitment, as well as recently initiated sisters, are encouraged to have a recruitment buddy at least for the first night to learn from.

One thing that my organization tries to stress is that we don't see PNMs as our future pledges, but future sisters. Try and get your sisters to relax around them, rather than worry about numbers. PNMs want real, down-to-earth sisters. Try and keep a smile on your face the whole time; not so much that it is fake, but look HAPPY to be there. I strongly stress being able to learn about PNMs as people, not as future sisters. Have they gone sky diving or scuba diving? Do they like to sing? Are they in an honors society? If you show an interest in them, they'll show one in you.

Also, I know it's been said, but I tell my sisters all the time, that no matter what kind of recruitment it is and who is attending, WE ARE NEVER GUARANTEED A NEW MEMBER. They can change their minds easily, no matter who they know!

Best of luck to you and your chapter.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by sftbll17

Honestly, our alumnae weren't much better than us at recruiting. Our largest new member class was around 12/13 girls. Many of them were recruited through partying and drinking, we're trying to move away from that because usually the girls recruited in that manner were much more interested in partying than being a good leader in the chapter. The past couple of years we have been trying to recruit better.

Even if that's what got them in the door, it isn't necessarily why they stayed. Sometimes people who seem to be joining for the shallowest of reasons turn out to be super sisters...and vice versa. You might be surprised at what the alums have to say after having a few years out of school under their belt...and how strongly they feel about and love the sorority. So don't discount them because of what you think they were.

[sftbll17]

Update: We contacted our alum about the situation and asked them to please come to our COBs to support us in our time of need. 1 alum showed up. And, no one gave us any recruiting strategies. But, at least we reached out to them.

We have a new member class of 5, which means we will be on probation with housing next year so we will really have to recruit our little butts off. Our president just went to a Greek Leadership Conference and not only purchased "I Heart Recruitment" but attended a recruitment seminar lead by the author and was able to speak with her. Hopefully these strategies will help us in the future.

One organization has continued to be extremely helpful to us and is supporting us like crazy. They are going to give us their recruitment handbook so we can develop our own recruitment workshop.

Thanks everyone for your advice!