New Recruitment Advisor - Outside Advice!

[SassyPantsAGD]

Hello everyone,

I've recently been named the new Recruitment Advisor for my alma mater chapter of Alpha Gam. I am looking to revamp the Recruitment Process. Here is a little background on my chapter.

- Deferred Recruitment to Spring (Cannot pledge as 1st semester freshman) No Frills
- 5 NPC Chapters; Chapter Total: 55
- Typically Smallest Chapter on Campus
- SMALL recruitment budget for the year

I need advice in:

- Creative COR/COB ideas
- Setting up an Action Plan for Upcoming Years
- Recruitment Strategy Advice
- Conversation Advice for newer Sisters

We will be approximately 22 short of Chapter Total starting in the Fall with graduating seniors Any advice is welcomed!

[33girl]

Start having informal recruitment events NOW - keep in touch with those women you're interested in over the summer and then you'll be able to bid them in the fall. Or if your pledge program and schedule for school permit it, give out bids and initiate a small pledge class before school ends.

[gee_ess]

I am not familiar with the type of recruitment, but know there are several threads on here written by young women (or alumna) looking for advice or suggestions with COB ideas, etc. I would definitely read through those for some ideas!

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by gee_ess

I am not familiar with the type of recruitment, but know there are several threads on here written by young women (or alumna) looking for advice or suggestions with COB ideas, etc. I would definitely read through those for some ideas!

Yes, the search function is your friend!

Also, if your GLO has regional/province volunteers I would suggest tapping into their expertise as well.

[DoctorD]

Hit the Member Services side of the Alpha Gamma Delta website - there is a whole section about recruitment ideas/information.

[Just interested]

Your HQ is your new best friend. Good luck! What fun you will have. You will impact so many.

[ΑΓΔSquirrel10]

A good idea for COR/COB is to do a game night. My chapter did this many times and was very successful! Just ask the sisters to bring their favorite board games, and invite some girls to come. At my chapter house, someone even brought a Playstation and Rock Band The girls who came had a lot of fun, and it provided a very relaxing environment to talk to them.

[FSUZeta]

if you don't already have one, get yourself an npc green book and make sure that the collegiate officer in the chapter in charge of recruitment has one too.

[DoubleRose]

When I joined, my chapter had not achieved quota in many years during formal (Fall) rush. As a result we were informally rushing the rest of the year. There was a great deal of pressure to meet quota and it was very wearing on the actives. I love the idea of just planning something fun like game night, karaoke, things you might do anyway and inviting others to come along. Just be sure that they have some sisters only time that doesn't include PNM's.

So how does that work? If quota is set in the spring do you recruit upper classwomen in the following Fall on that same quota?

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by DoubleRose

So how does that work? If quota is set in the spring do you recruit upper classwomen in the following Fall on that same quota?

The chapter can take however many they need to get to 55 (sounds like 22). In a perfect world, every chapter would be the same size going into formal recruitment in the spring, and every chapter would be allowed to pledge quota. Total is set as 3x usual quota for schools with a spring FMR, whereas total is 4x usual quota for schools with a fall FMR.

Have you read I Heart Recruitment by Coffey and Gendron? It's a really good read.

[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.

[SassyPantsAGD]

Originally Posted by DoubleRose

So how does that work? If quota is set in the spring do you recruit upper classwomen in the following Fall on that same quota?

There is no quota for Fall...Fall is COR and simply informal for everyone to do their own things. You cannot pledge until you have reached a GPA of 2.75 and have 12 credit hours from a college or university (AP classes do not count)