|
The potential good news for you is that as a young chapter I would imagine just about all of your alumni- including the chapter's founders- are still alive and able to get involved.
It is natural for you as President to slip into "motivational speaker" mode. So you have not done anything wrong there. It is also natural for any fraternity chapter to resist "motivational speaker" mode, so your lack of results is not something to take personally.
First off, don't let your chapter's small size worry you. In 1992, at the University of Texas, an 80+ man chapter with a solid history and a huge 24 bedroom house just about disappeared in a matter of weeks.
I won't get into the specifics, but I will tell you that there had been no legal incidents, there had been no financial troubles and the chapter was still in good standing with the university.
The situation was complex, but the core reason they fell apart is that the chapter was unwilling to adapt to new realities and a lack of care about the future of the chapter led many guys to quit.
In a matter of weeks, the chapter shrank from 80+ actives to under 20. A pledge class of 20 fell to 4, and eventually 1 (and he failed out after initiation and had to leave.) During the semester, most of those who quit the chapter moved out of the house and so the alumni who owned the place sold it.
My point is not to scare you, but to let you know that even a very strong chapter can disappear overnight if the guys don't care anymore.
You have identified rush and pledge classes as a key issue, and you are right on there. Every fraternity is only as strong as its current pledge class. Not just numbers, but what the guys want from a fraternity- and how what the type of guys who want what you have to offer will translate into alumni support of a solid chapter down the road.
If you are pledging guys who only care about drinking and getting laid (two important things, but not all there is to college), then they are not going to work to keep the chapter going while active, and will disappear when they graduate (except for the ones who fail out of school and disappear even sooner.) These are the guys who will do nothing for the chapter but will expect everything from the chapter.
My advice to you is this,
1. Sit down by yourself and make a list of every active member in your chapter. Write down what you personally think they want out of the fraternity- why did they come in the first place, and why they pay dues. Keep this list to yourself and destroy it once you are done with the below process. It is just there for your own benefit on a temporary basis.
2. Have a round table at your next chapter meeting. Skip the speeches and all that. Just simply ask everyone to, in turn, state what made them pledge your chapter and what they want from the chapter while they are in college. Take notes, but offer no opinions or judgments on the answers you get.
3. When you are alone and have some time to think, compare the lists. This is where you can get a handle on what you think versus what the chapter thinks. As elected leader, you need to have a firm handle on this to proceed further. Expect some guys are just there for a good time and expect some guys are there for more. You only have to worry if everybody is in the former category.
4. Now that you know where the chapter stands, take a look at your finances. PM me if you would like some help here. I am an advisor to my current chapter and I have a detailed cash flow forecast for the next 2 years of who is graduating, pledge class size goals and how those funds can be spent. Figure out where you stand financially and how much money could be devoted towards rush. Figure out also who you think is going to bail and how long existing members will be around to pay dues.
5. At this point you have an idea of the future in terms of member expectations and finances. Now, as President, figure out what you think needs to happen in terms of pledge class numbers to revive the chapter and keep it strong for the next 1-2 years. At this point- destroy that list you made in #1.
6. Meet with the other chapter officers- VP, Treasurer and any low ranking officers you think will be high ranking officers next term- and show them your findings in #5. Get their input and make some plans. This is an important step. Noone can save a chapter on their own. It would take too much time and would seem too much like a dictatorship.
7. Now you have a comprehensive plan. So contact 3-4 key chapter alumni and tell them you have a problem and a good idea of how to solve it, and ask them to help you. "Help" is the key word here. They are not there to just write a check or do all the dirty work- but to help and advise you, and be involved in the chapter's revival.
Step #7 only works if you have a core group of actives in place who are ready to step up and take on a bit more work, and also a chapter that you are proud of and truly willing to promote as you ask for alumni assistance.
That last bit is the real key. If there is just one active there who really cares and who you would proudly introduce to alumni as a good steward of your chapter, then you have something to work with. But you have to really know and believe it for that to work.
When you approach alumni for help, you put your own personal reputation on the line. And you also are calling in one of a limited number of "chits" from your alumni. Alums care about their chapter, but they burn out fast if they are repeatedly asked to give time and money and do not see a stronger chapter as a result. So just be sure you have a plan to make their assistance worthwhile since the work you do will affect their future attitude towards being involved as alumni.
Hope this helps and good luck to you.
|
Linear Mode
