Last fall, Phi Delta Theta achieved its largest Phikeia class since before the pandemic—a remarkable milestone fueled by your commitment to growth and excellence.

This year, we’re aiming even higher. As the fall recruitment season kicks off, we’re challenging every chapter across North America to transmit greatness by identifying and recruiting men who live our values of Friendship, Sound Learning, and Rectitude.

Each chapter has received a personalized recruitment challenge based on your campus’s unique potential, past performance, and graduating seniors. Chapters that meet or exceed their challenge won’t be just be doing what ought to be done—but will earn you a chance to win exclusive incentives and recognition from across Phi Delt Nation.

*Phikeias must be reported in myPhiDelt by December 1, 2025, to count towards this challenge.

*Phi Delta Theta will enter all eligible chapters or emerging chapters into a drawing, and one group will be selected for each of the available incentives.

THE COLLECTION OF INCENTIVES INCLUDES:

• A $500 donation to a philanthropy event (X2)
• A $1,000 credit toward future Phikeia dues (X2)
• A $2,500 credit toward the chapter’s 2025 membership dues
• Fall 2025 recruitment t-shirts for the entire chapter via the Phi Delt Store
• Phi Delta Theta polo shirts for the chapter’s executive committee via the Phi Delt Store
• A 65″ TV for the chapter house
• A custom recruitment banner (X3)
• A custom recruitment table cover (X3)

The post Phi Delta Theta Announces Fall 2025 Recruitment Challenge Numbers appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

When the 2024-25 academic year kicked off, Phi Delta Theta called on all chapters across North America to transmit greatness by welcoming one of the largest fall Phikeia classes in our history! To make this happen, each chapter has been given a strategic recruitment challenge tailored to their campus’s growth potential, past recruitment trends, and the number of brothers graduating this year. Chapters that meet or exceed their recruitment goals won’t just be doing what ought to be done—they’ll also be entered into a drawing to win one of many incentives.

*Phikeias must be reported in myPhiDelt by May 1, 2025, to count towards this challenge.

*Phi Delta Theta will enter all eligible chapters or emerging chapters into a drawing, and one group will be selected for each of the available incentives.

THE COLLECTION OF INCENTIVES INCLUDES:

• A $500 donation to a philanthropy event (X2)
• A $1,000 credit toward future Phikeia dues (X2)
• A $2,500 credit toward the chapter’s 2025 membership dues
• Fall 2025 recruitment t-shirts for the entire chapter via the Phi Delt Store
• Phi Delta Theta polo shirts for the chapter’s executive committee via the Phi Delt Store
• A 65″ TV for the chapter house
• A custom recruitment banner (X3)
• A custom recruitment table cover (X3)

Alabama Alpha – 6
Alabama Beta – 6
Alberta Alpha – 6
Arizona Alpha – 26
Arizona Beta – 18
Arkansas Alpha – 12
Arkansas Beta – 8
British Columbia Alpha – 8
British Columbia Gamma – 6
California Alpha – 12
California Chi – 12
California Delta – 30
California Epsilon – 15
California Kappa – 18
California Nu – 20
California Omega – 22
California Phi – 15
California Pi – 26
California Psi – 26
California Rho – 8
California Sigma – 10
California Upsilon – 10
California Xi – 13
California Zeta – 16
Colorado Alpha – 22
Colorado Gamma – 20
Connecticut Alpha – 14
Connecticut Delta – 10
Connecticut Gamma – 15
Florida Alpha – 20
Florida Delta – 38
Florida Epsilon – 24
Florida Gamma – 25
Florida Iota – 24
Florida Kappa – 13
Florida Mu – 14
Florida Nu – 15
Florida Omicron – 15
Florida Theta – 14
Florida Xi – 15
Georgia Alpha – 6
Georgia Delta – 8
Georgia Epsilon – 10
Georgia Eta – 6
Georgia Gamma – 8
Georgia Iota – 12
Georgia Theta – 10
Idaho Alpha – 10
Idaho Beta – 25
Illinois Beta – 24
Illinois Eta – 6
Illinois Gamma – 10
Indiana Alpha – 29
Indiana Beta – 10
Indiana Delta – 6
Indiana Epsilon – 30
Indiana Gamma – 30
Indiana Iota – 8
Indiana Kappa – 12
Indiana Theta – 23
Indiana Zeta – 30
Iowa Delta – 10
Iowa Gamma – 20
Kansas Alpha – 6
Kansas Beta – 6
Kansas Delta – 8
Kansas Epsilon – 8
Kansas Gamma – 12
Kansas Theta – 10
Kentucky Alpha-Delta – 22
Kentucky Eta – 14
Kentucky Iota – 10
Kentucky Theta – 14
Louisiana Alpha – 28
Louisiana Epsilon – 12
Manitoba Alpha – 8
Maryland Beta – 8
Maryland Delta – 18
Maryland Gamma – 6
Massachusetts Epsilon – 16
Massachusetts Eta – 18
Massachusetts Gamma – 10
Massachusetts Zeta – 7
Michigan Alpha – 13
Michigan Beta – 14
Michigan Delta – 24
Michigan Eta – 10
Michigan Theta – 15
Michigan Zeta – 10
Minnesota Beta – 6
Mississippi Alpha – 6
Mississippi Beta – 15
Missouri Alpha – 24
Missouri Beta – 6
Missouri Beta Prime – 6
Missouri Iota – 8
Missouri Kappa – 10
Missouri Zeta – 8
Montana Alpha – 12
Nebraska Alpha – 9
Nebraska Beta – 6
Nebraska Gamma – 36
Nevada Alpha – 10
Nevada Beta – 8
New Hampshire Beta – 6
New Jersey Alpha – 25
New Jersey Delta – 14
New Jersey Epsilon – 12
New Jersey Gamma – 20
New Jersey Zeta – 14
New Mexico Alpha – 10
New York Alpha – 16
New York Eta – 10
New York Kappa – 11
New York Lambda – 23
New York Zeta – 6
North Carolina Beta – 9
North Carolina Epsilon – 7
North Carolina Eta – 12
North Carolina Gamma – 34
North Carolina Zeta – 10
North Dakota Alpha – 14
North Dakota Beta – 8
Nova Scotia Alpha – 10
Ohio Alpha – 24
Ohio Beta – 12
Ohio Epsilon – 12
Ohio Eta – 13
Ohio Gamma – 12
Ohio Lambda – 10
Ohio Mu – 10
Ohio Theta – 12
Ohio Xi – 10
Ohio Zeta – 25
Oklahoma Alpha – 15
Oklahoma Beta – 14
Oklahoma Epsilon – 6
Oklahoma Gamma – 8
Ontario Alpha – 8
Ontario Delta – 8
Ontario Epsilon – 8
Ontario Gamma – 8
Oregon Alpha – 16
Oregon Beta – 16
Oregon Delta – 8
Pennsylvania Beta – 10
Pennsylvania Delta – 10
Pennsylvania Iota – 14
Pennsylvania Lambda – 10
Pennsylvania Mu – 18
Pennsylvania Omicron – 8
Pennsylvania Pi – 10
Pennsylvania Rho – 20
Pennsylvania Sigma – 8
Pennsylvania Theta – 30
Pennsylvania Zeta – 22
Quebec Alpha – 6
South Carolina Beta – 18
South Carolina Gamma – 8
South Dakota Alpha – 8
Tennessee Alpha – 24
Tennessee Eta – 8
Tennessee Theta – 12
Texas Delta – 20
Texas Epsilon – 14
Texas Eta – 10
Texas Gamma – 18
Texas Kappa – 9
Texas Mu – 14
Texas Nu – 24
Texas Pi – 10
Texas Tau – 8
Texas Theta – 12
Texas Upsilon – 10
Texas Xi – 16
Texas Zeta – 11
Utah Alpha – 17
Virginia Beta – 27
Virginia Eta – 16
Virginia Kappa – 6
Virginia Lambda – 7
Washington Alpha – 18
Washington Beta – 10
Washington Delta – 8
Washington Gamma – 15
West Virginia Gamma – 6
Wisconsin Alpha – 17
Wisconsin Epsilon – 8
Wisconsin Gamma – 16
Wisconsin Zeta – 12

The post Phi Delta Theta Announces Spring 2025 Recruitment Challenge Numbers appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

Already recruited in the fall?

If your chapter already participated in fall recruitment, consider the opportunity to bring in a second member class this spring. A spring recruitment class strengthens your chapter’s momentum and brings in fresh perspectives. Use this time to seek out individuals who align with Phi Delta Theta’s values of Friendship, Sound Learning, and Rectitude.

Tips for Spring Recruitment

As you gear up for recruitment this spring, remember the cornerstone of our mission: Transmit Greatness. We’re not just recruiting men for today—we’re building the future of Phi Delta Theta by inspiring others to carry forward our legacy of excellence.

Here’s how you can prepare to ensure your chapter stands out during spring recruitment:

1. Develop a Vision for Recruitment

Think beyond numbers. What type of men do you want standing alongside you? Look for those who embody the values of Phi Delta Theta and can elevate the chapter’s impact on campus and beyond.

2. Strengthen Your Campus Presence

Every interaction is an opportunity to share your chapter’s story. Host open events, support campus organizations, and be the visible leaders who exemplify our values. Let your actions speak volumes about the power of brotherhood.

• Make an effort to chat with someone in class, who knows! They could make a great Phi.
• Encourage brothers to get involved in other activities (sports, clubs, campus organizations, etc.) outside of Phi Delta Theta, not only does this make for a diverse membership, but it may introduce you to some new people.
• Attend campus sponsored activities and sporting events.

3. Proactively Seek Referrals

The best people often know the best people, and tapping into their network can be a game-changer. By proactively seeking referrals, we unlock access to the top students on campus and valuable connections that can drive success.

• Ask current members
• Ask members in other clubs and organizations
• Ask nearby Phi Delt chapters
• Ask alumni
• Ask professors/advisers

4. Reconnect With Alumni

Our alumni are living proof of Phi Delta Theta’s ability to transmit greatness. Tap into their networks, ask for advice, and invite them to engage with potential recruits. Their stories inspire and validate the lifelong value of joining Phi Delta Theta.

5. Showcase Brotherhood on Social Media

Plan chapter activities that reflect the bonds of friendship and shared purpose that make Phi Delt unique. Whether it’s through service, learning, or leadership, let potential recruits see that being part of Phi Delta Theta means being part of something bigger than yourself.

6. Leverage Resources from General Headquarters

General Headquarters offers an enhanced recruitment coaching program for chapters in need of recruitment assistance to help them reach their greatest potential. The program focuses on providing recruitment chairmen and committees with timely resources and expertise needed to increase their membership size and remain a sustainable and premier fraternity on campus.

Brothers, this is your moment to carry the torch forward. By preparing with purpose and embracing the call to transmit greatness, you’ll attract men who are ready to lead, serve, and grow alongside you in our Fraternity.

Let’s rise to the occasion and build a chapter that continues to make Phi Delta Theta proud for generations to come!

The post Preparing for Spring Recruitment: Transmit Greatness to the Next Generation appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

Social media is a powerful tool for connecting with potential new members and showcasing the unique experience Phi Delta Theta offers. By strategically sharing content, your chapter can attract individuals who align with the Fraternity’s values and mission. Here’s how to effectively use social media to recruit new members while emphasizing the bonds of brotherhood.

Showcase Brotherhood

At the heart of Phi Delta Theta is the bond of brotherhood. Through service, leadership, and shared learning, your chapter exemplifies the values that make Phi Delt unique. Use your social platforms to highlight these moments so potential new members can see that joining Phi Delta Theta means becoming part of something bigger than themselves.

Follow Phi Delta Theta GHQ!

Content Ideas to Inspire Your Posts

Meet the Members
Post photos and brief bios introducing current members. Share their interests, accomplishments, and favorite Phi Delt memories to make your chapter feel more welcoming.

About Phi Delt
Share your mission, values, and goals as a chapter. This not only educates potential recruits but also reinforces your shared purpose as a chapter.

Why Phi Delta Theta?
Members join because of the people. Let your audience know the impact Phi Delta Theta has had on your life. Share personal stories that highlight the transformative power of brotherhood.

Fraternity History
Engage your audience with interesting facts and stories about Phi Delt’s storied past. This helps recruits understand the legacy they can become a part of.

Academic Support
Highlight tips and resources for academic success. Show how Phi Delta Theta supports its members in achieving their academic goals.

Repost GHQ Content
Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters frequently shares content worth reposting. It’s a simple way to showcase the Fraternity’s national initiatives and help recruits see the bigger picture.

Behind the Scenes
Give a glimpse of Fraternity life by sharing candid moments from chapter events, meetings, or casual hangouts.

Testimonials
Share testimonials from current members about how Phi Delta Theta has enriched their lives. Authentic stories resonate and inspire others to join.

Polls and Q&A Sessions
Use Instagram Stories or other interactive tools to engage with your audience. Ask them what they’d like to know about Phi Delt or campus life.

Contests and Giveaways
Host a fun competition or giveaway to increase engagement. It could be as simple as branded swag for those who answer trivia questions about Phi Delta Theta.

Member Spotlights
Feature a Member of the Week or Member of the Month to celebrate accomplishments and highlight the diverse individuals who make up your chapter.

Collaborations
Work with other campus organizations and share the partnership on social media. This showcases your chapter’s involvement in the wider campus community.

Recruitment is about making connections and demonstrating the values and experiences that make Phi Delta Theta special. Use your social media platforms to tell a compelling story, engage your audience, and invite potential members to learn more about how they can join your brotherhood.

Remember, Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters is here to help! If you have any questions regarding digital content or engagement opportunities, please contact Director of Strategic Content Kate Ferguson.

The post How Phi Delta Theta Chapters Can Use Social Media to Attract New Members appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

Spring Recruitment is Almost Here!

Throughout the semester, Phi Delta Theta’s staff provide the resources, marketing assistance, and support necessary to help all chapters meet their growth goals. High-performing chapters will be rewarded with a variety of incentives, making this collective effort an enjoyable and positive experience for everyone.

How can you help us hit this milestone? Your involvement makes a difference! Here’s how you can support our mission:

Refer a Future Phi: Know a young man who embodies Phi Delt’s values? Share his name with us so we can connect.

Share Our Story: Follow Phi Delta Theta on social media, and amplify our posts by sharing them with your network.

Engage Locally: Whether it’s assisting with recruitment, mentoring young members, or just showing up, your presence matters.

As we approach spring, let’s keep the momentum going strong! Together, we can make a lasting impact and ensure that the legacy of Phi Delta Theta continues to thrive. Thank you for being a part of this journey!

Expanding to New Campuses

This year, Phi Delta Theta is growing stronger than ever! This fall, we proudly expanded and returned to four campuses: Grand Valley State University, Ohio State University, Florida State University, and Rutgers University, introducing our brotherhood to even more campus communities.

Looking ahead to the spring, we’re excited to announce expansions to California State University, Fullerton with the California Alpha Alpha Chapter and return to Georgia College & State University with the Georgia Zeta Chapter.

You can help these chapters thrive by referring potential new members who embody the principles of Phi Delta Theta. Additionally, if you are an alumnus in these areas, we encourage you to volunteer for the Chapter Advisory Board (CAB) to help guide and support these chapters as they grow. Together, let’s Transmit Greatness to these new communities!

About Transmit Greatness

Guided by The Bond, our founders envisioned Phi Delta Theta as a fraternity grounded in Friendship, Sound Learning, and Rectitude, believing these values would inspire members to lead virtuous lives and positively influence the world. Over 175 years, through member dedication, Phi Delta Theta has evolved into a premier fraternal leadership society, offering transformative experiences and fostering community that profoundly impacts countless lives.

Looking ahead, the Fraternity must remain agile to meet the evolving needs of current and future members. Today, Phi Delta Theta faces a critical juncture amidst challenges such as declining college attendance, the struggle of many to find their place, and escalating mental health issues. It falls upon us, as fraternity men, to step forward as a steadfast source of support during this pivotal time.

As our Founder Robert Morrison once said, “To do what ought to be done, but would not have been done unless I did it, I thought to be my duty.” It is up to our community to transmit greatness to the future generation of Phis, especially those who may not yet realize the lifelong benefits our brotherhood provides.

Starting this fall, Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters is calling on all chapters to help us welcome 5,000 new members. We are challenging the Phi Delt nation to transmit greatness by referring and recruiting young men who exemplify our values. By highlighting the benefits and opportunities of membership in Phi Delta Theta, we can help more young men navigate life’s challenges with the support of a community dedicated to their personal and professional growth.

Celebrating Recruitment Success

Each chapter was given a strategic recruitment challenge tailored to their campus’s growth potential, past recruitment trends, and the number of brothers graduating this year. Chapters that meet or exceed their recruitment goals won’t just be doing what ought to be done—they’ll also be entered into a drawing to win one of many incentives.

Congratulations to the following chapters who reached their goal:

The post Phi Delta Theta is Over Halfway to 5,000 New Members — Help Us Reach the Finish Line appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

This induction of the Michigan Theta Emerging Chapter was made possible through the unwavering support of local alumni and Fraternity leaders. Key supporters included Province President Michael Boulter, Kettering ’12, General Council Treasurer Nat Love, Michigan ’81, and Chapter Advisory Board (CAB) Chairman Joe Perin, Butler ’15, along with other CAB members. The ceremony also welcomed Grand Valley’s assistant director of student life, Jeremy Paul, Otterbein ’19, who expressed his excitement for the Fraternity’s contributions to the GVSU community.

The Michigan Theta Emerging Chapter enters GVSU’s Greek community with an impressive foundation of academic and extracurricular excellence. The chapter holds the highest GPA on campus with an average of 3.46 across more than fifteen diverse majors. Its members include student-athletes, club leaders, and representatives from various campus organizations, all committed to fostering a values-driven brotherhood.

Looking to the future, the Michigan Theta Emerging Chapter aims to be “an ideal example of male leadership by having a reputable brotherhood with shared values, and by leading by example and holding each other accountable.” This vision positions the chapter to thrive as a key part of GVSU’s Greek life and the broader Phi Delta Theta community in Michigan.

Your Journey Starts Now!

We want to help you make the most out of your college experience.

Find a Chapter

I’m Interested

Start a Chapter

The post Phi Delta Theta Expands to Grand Valley State University with Induction of Michigan Theta Emerging Chapter appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

Chapter Recruitment Challenge

Throughout the year, Phi Delta Theta’s staff will strive to provide the resources, marketing assistance, and support necessary to help all chapters meet their growth goals. High-performing chapters will be rewarded with a variety of incentives, making this collective effort enjoyable and positive experience for everyone.

End of Fall Update

We’re excited to announce that Phi Delta Theta is over halfway to our goal of recruiting 5,000 new members! Thanks to the dedication of our chapters and the support of alumni and friends, we have welcomed over 3,000 new members. With the momentum from this fall, we’re on track to reach our target, especially with spring recruitment just around the corner.

Recruitment Coaching Available

General Headquarters will also offer an enhanced recruitment coaching program for chapters in need of recruitment assistance to help them reach their greatest potential. The program focuses on providing recruitment chairmen and committees with timely resources and expertise needed to increase their membership size and remain a sustainable and premier fraternity on campus.

Interested in being a recruitment coach? Check out our new contracted recruitment coach positions available on Phi Delta Theta’s employment page.

Spring Recruitment Tips

Spring recruitment offers your chapter a significant advantage: the men you’ll recruit in the spring have had time to acclimate to campus life, establish friendships, and understand what they’re looking for in their collegiate experience. This allows them to make a more informed decision about joining a fraternity, and it provides your chapter the opportunity to connect with individuals who have demonstrated leadership, involvement, and commitment in their first semester. Additionally, spring recruitment often allows for more meaningful and intentional conversations, giving you the chance to build stronger connections with potential new members who align with Phi Delta Theta’s values.

Our Goal

Phi Delta Theta is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of our members and society. Our commitment to lifelong engagement ensures our members continue to grow and contribute long after college, embodying the values that make Phi Delta Theta exceptional. Together, we can achieve our goal and ensure the legacy of our Fraternity. Let’s transmit greatness and build a brighter future for Phi Delta Theta and the young men we support.

The post Transmit Greatness: Recruiting the Next Generation of Phis appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

As the 2024-25 academic year kicks off, Phi Delta Theta is calling on all chapters across North America to transmit greatness by welcoming one of the largest fall Phikeia classes in our history! To make this happen, each chapter has been given a strategic recruitment challenge tailored to their campus’s growth potential, past recruitment trends, and the number of brothers graduating this year. Chapters that meet or exceed their recruitment goals won’t just be doing what ought to be done—they’ll also be entered into a drawing to win one of many incentives.

*Phikeias must be reported in myPhiDelt by December 31, 2024, to count towards this challenge.

*Phi Delta Theta will enter all eligible chapters or emerging chapters into a drawing, and one group will be selected for each of the available incentives.

THE COLLECTION OF INCENTIVES INCLUDES:

• A $500 donation to a philanthropy event (X2)
• A $1,000 credit toward future Phikeia dues (X2)
• A $2,500 credit toward the chapter’s 2023 membership dues
• Fall 2024 recruitment t-shirts for the entire chapter via the Phi Delt Store
• Phi Delta Theta polo shirts for the chapter’s executive committee via the Phi Delt Store
• A 65″ TV for the chapter house
• A custom recruitment banner (X3)
• A custom recruitment table cover (X3)

CHAPTERS:

Alabama Alpha – 47

Alabama Beta – 54

Alberta Alpha – 10

Arizona Alpha – 60

Arizona Beta – 20

Arkansas Alpha – 66

Arkansas Beta – 14

British Columbia Alpha – 20

British Columbia Gamma – 15

California Alpha – 15

California Chi – 13

California Delta – 25

California Epsilon – 10

California Kappa – 15

California Nu – 10

California Omega – 15

California Phi – 18

California Pi – 51

California Psi – 20

California Rho – 14

California Sigma – 15

California Theta – 15

California Upsilon – 19

California Xi – 15

California Zeta – 25

Colorado Alpha – 40

Colorado Gamma – 35

Connecticut Alpha – 7

Connecticut Delta – 12

Connecticut Gamma – 29

Florida Alpha – 40

Florida Delta – 14

Florida Epsilon – 28

Florida Iota – 26

Florida Kappa – 22

Florida Mu – 25

Florida Nu – 45

Florida Omicron – 25

Florida Theta – 26

Florida Xi – 32

Georgia Alpha – 41

Georgia Delta – 20

Georgia Epsilon – 31

Georgia Eta – 10

Georgia Gamma – 14

Georgia Iota – 12

Georgia Theta – 10

Idaho Alpha – 20

Idaho Beta – 20

Illinois Beta – 8

Illinois Eta – 30

Illinois Gamma – 6

Indiana Alpha – 48

Indiana Beta – 13

Indiana Delta – 17

Indiana Epsilon – 6

Indiana Gamma – 6

Indiana Iota – 6

Indiana Kappa – 20

Indiana Theta – 35

Indiana Zeta – 6

Iowa Delta – 10

Iowa Gamma – 31

Kansas Alpha – 40

Kansas Beta – 10

Kansas Delta – 35

Kansas Epsilon – 12

Kansas Gamma – 36

Kansas Theta – 10

Kentucky Alpha-Delta – 6

Kentucky Eta – 32

Kentucky Iota – 22

Kentucky Theta – 28

Louisiana Alpha – 10

Louisiana Epsilon – 15

Manitoba Alpha – 13

Maryland Beta – 6

Maryland Delta – 10

Maryland Gamma – 6

Massachusetts Epsilon – 20

Massachusetts Eta – 15

Massachusetts Gamma – 14

Massachusetts Zeta – 16

Michigan Alpha – 30

Michigan Beta – 43

Michigan Delta – 10

Michigan Eta – 17

Michigan Zeta – 12

Minnesota Beta – 10

Mississippi Alpha – 85

Mississippi Beta – 45

Missouri Alpha – 54

Missouri Beta – 14

Missouri Beta Prime – 10

Missouri Iota – 20

Missouri Kappa – 10

Missouri Zeta  – 20

Montana Alpha – 10

Nebraska Alpha – 45

Nebraska Beta – 20

Nebraska Gamma – 15

Nevada Alpha – 13

Nevada Beta – 11

New Hampshire Beta – 10

New Jersey Delta – 10

New Jersey Epsilon – 6

New Jersey Gamma – 14

New Jersey Zeta – 10

New Mexico Alpha – 15

New York Alpha – 13

New York Eta – 15

New York Kappa – 6

New York Lambda – 10

New York Zeta – 29

North Carolina Beta – 25

North Carolina Delta – 22

North Carolina Epsilon – 22

North Carolina Eta – 20

North Carolina Gamma  – 6

North Carolina Zeta – 10

North Dakota Alpha – 16

North Dakota Beta – 12

Nova Scotia Alpha – 10

Ohio Alpha – 15

Ohio Beta – 6

Ohio Epsilon – 28

Ohio Eta – 15

Ohio Gamma – 20

Ohio Lambda – 25

Ohio Mu – 9

Ohio Theta – 25

Ohio Xi – 10

Oklahoma Alpha – 55

Oklahoma Beta – 50

Oklahoma Epsilon – 22

Oklahoma Gamma – 17

Ontario Alpha – 10

Ontario Delta  – 8

Ontario Epsilon – 10

Ontario Gamma – 10

Oregon Alpha – 35

Oregon Beta – 45

Oregon Delta – 6

Pennsylvania Beta – 16

Pennsylvania Delta – 6

Pennsylvania Iota – 10

Pennsylvania Lambda – 8

Pennsylvania Mu – 6

Pennsylvania Omicron – 6

Pennsylvania Pi – 8

Pennsylvania Rho – 30

Pennsylvania Sigma – 6

Pennsylvania Theta – 20

Pennsylvania Zeta – 6

Quebec Alpha – 10

South Carolina Beta – 49

South Carolina Gamma – 30

South Dakota Alpha – 23

Tennessee Alpha – 12

Tennessee Eta – 28

Tennessee Theta – 13

Texas Delta – 6

Texas Epsilon – 53

Texas Eta – 14

Texas Gamma – 6

Texas Kappa – 18

Texas Mu – 20

Texas Nu – 40

Texas Pi – 10

Texas Tau – 12

Texas Theta – 14

Texas Upsilon – 25

Texas Xi – 29

Texas Zeta – 35

Utah Alpha – 45

Virginia Beta – 6

Virginia Eta – 25

Virginia Kappa – 10

Virginia Lambda – 14

Washington Alpha – 25

Washington Beta – 13

Washington Delta – 40

Washington Gamma – 24

West Virginia Gamma – 10

Wisconsin Alpha – 28

Wisconsin Epsilon – 15

Wisconsin Gamma – 6

Wisconsin Zeta – 12

The post Phi Delta Theta Announces Fall 2024 Recruitment Challenge Numbers appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

After the 2020–21 academic year that COVID-19 significantly impacted, Phi Delta Theta experienced a 22 percent decrease in new members, the most significant decline in the organization’s history. Thankfully, as the fall 2021 term began, the spread of coronavirus had slowed, college students were back on campus en masse, and the recruitment environment improved. Eager to reconnect with brothers and friends, Phi Delts across North America headed back to their respective campuses ready to get back to a sense of normalcy, including moving back into chapter houses, hosting in-person events, and recruiting new members without the need for a Zoom link.

Phi Delta Theta chapters experienced a 62 percent increase in Phikeias recruited in the fall compared to the previous year and an 8 percent increase during the spring.

General Headquarters knew that getting back to normal fraternity recruitment would not be easy. Most recruitment chairmen had never facilitated in-person recruitment, and most potential new members had not experienced an in-person campus environment. To prepare recruitment chairmen and committees, Phi Delta Theta hosted a series of recruitment workshops in August and January while providing updated content through its online recruitment classroom in myPhiDelt. Additionally, chapter-specific social media marketing campaigns were launched with enhanced content that could also be shared locally to attract new members.

Knowing that chapters would need to work harder than in previous years to rebalance the membership scales, Phi Delta Theta wanted to provide additional support and reward those who exceeded expectations. Chapters that needed the most recruitment assistance were assigned a recruitment coach from the General Headquarters’ growth team. In addition, GHQ launched a new Phikeia class recruitment challenge that gave each chapter a numerical goal to work towards based on their current chapter size, campus average, and recruitment averages before the pandemic. If a chapter met or exceeded its “recruitment challenge number,” it was placed into a raffle to win extra conference delegates, recruitment materials, donations to their philanthropy event, and discounts towards membership fees.

Eighty-five chapters met or exceeded their fall challenge number, and fifty-four chapters met or exceeded their number during the spring.

The Fraternity will continue to strategically support recruitment operations and provide coaching to continue our success next year.

Chapters That Met or Exceeded Their Fall 2021 Recruitment Challenge Number:

• Alabama Alpha – 47
• Alabama Beta – 50
• Alberta Alpha – 10
• Arizona Alpha – 42
• Arizona Beta – 15
• Arkansas Alpha – 64
• British Columbia Alpha – 23
• British Columbia Gamma – 16
• California Alpha – 11
• California Delta – 29
• California Epsilon – 12
• California Pi – 41
• California Psi – 17
• California Rho – 11
• California Sigma – 18
• California Theta – 23
• California Xi – 22
• California Zeta – 15
• Colorado Alpha – 32
• Colorado Gamma – 35
• Connecticut Alpha – 8
• Florida Alpha – 33
• Florida Kappa – 30
• Florida Mu – 25
• Florida Nu – 31
• Florida Omicron – 17
• Florida Xi – 27
• Georgia Alpha – 35
• Georgia Delta – 18
• Georgia Epsilon 22
• Georgia Iota – 15
• Illinois Beta – 6
• Illinois Eta – 47
• Indiana Alpha – 45
• Indiana Delta – 11
• Indiana Kappa – 22
• Indiana Theta – 43
• Kansas Beta – 11
• Kansas Delta – 27
• Kansas Epsilon – 14
• Kansas Theta – 12
• Kentucky Epsilon – 38
• Kentucky Eta – 41
• Kentucky Iota – 33
• Kentucky Theta – 25
• Louisiana Epsilon – 13
• Massachusetts Epsilon – 22
• Massachusetts Eta – 38
• Michigan Beta – 42
• Michigan Zeta – 10
• Mississippi Alpha – 78
• Mississippi Beta – 37
• Missouri Beta – 18
• Missouri Eta – 17
• Nebraska Alpha – 44
• Nebraska Gamma – 15
• New Hampshire Beta – 10
• New York Alpha – 17
• New York Lambda – 10
• North Carolina Eta – 16
• North Carolina Gamma – 9
• North Carolina Zeta – 17
• North Dakota Beta – 14
• Nova Scotia Alpha – 10
• Ohio Epsilon – 24
• Ohio Gamma – 25
• Oklahoma Gamma – 12
• Oregon Beta – 42
• Oregon Delta – 8
• Pennsylvania Delta – 15
• Pennsylvania Mu – 6
• Pennsylvania Rho – 33
• South Carolina Beta – 45
• Tennessee Delta – 17
• Tennessee Eta – 21
• Tennessee Gamma – 23
• Texas Tau – 13
• Utah Alpha – 32
• Virginia Eta – 28
• Washington Beta – 13
• Washington Epsilon – 21
• Washington Gamma – 17
• Wisconsin Alpha – 35
• Wisconsin Epsilon – 13
• Wisconsin Zeta – 17

Chapters That Met or Exceeded Their Spring 2022 Recruitment Challenge Number:

• Arizona Alpha – 23
• California Chi – 15
• California Delta – 38
• California Epsilon – 15
• California Omega – 36
• California Pi – 27
• California Rho – 9
• California Theta – 10
• California Zeta – 15
• Colorado Gamma – 12
• Florida Alpha – 21
• Florida Kappa – 12
• Florida Mu – 10
• Florida Nu – 20
• Florida Omicron – 14
• Florida Theta – 11
• Georgia Gamma – 6
• Georgia Iota – 12
• Illinois Beta – 17
• Indiana Alpha – 20
• Indiana Iota – 7
• Indiana Theta – 22
• Kentucky Eta – 10
• Louisiana Epsilon – 15
• Massachusetts Epsilon – 18
• Massachusetts Eta – 15
• Michigan Alpha – 25
• Michigan Delta – 27
• Michigan Zeta – 7
• New Hampshire Beta – 8
• New Jersey Gamma – 20
• New York Alpha – 15
• New York Eta – 10
• New York Lambda – 18
• North Carolina Epsilon – 10
• Ohio Epsilon – 11
• Ohio Eta – 12
• Ohio Gamma – 11
• Oregon Alpha – 15
• Oregon Beta – 13
• Oregon Delta – 7
• Pennsylvania Delta – 13
• Pennsylvania Rho – 17
• Pennsylvania Zeta – 20
• Tennessee Gamma – 17
• Texas Delta – 51
• Texas Xi – 10
• Texas Zeta – 7
• Utah Alpha – 19
• Virginia Beta – 23
• Washington Alpha – 10
• Washington Beta – 9
• Washington Delta – 30
• Wisconsin Alpha – 2

The post Phi Delta Theta’s 2021–22 New Member Class Reaches 4,900, Largest Class Since 2017-18 appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

Recruitment season is once again in full swing as chapters seek to find the best men on campus to welcome into our Fraternity. Recruitment sparks great energy within a chapter, and a successful new member class always seems to propel a chapter to further progress. 

We all know how important recruitment is to our success.

The importance of recruitment leads our chapters to many tactics that they believe will contribute to success. These may include electing the most promising leaders for the recruitment chairman position, developing a calendar of events, generating potential new member leads, designing branded clothing, sharing promos on social media, and motivating brothers to play an active role in the plan.

But what if I told you there is one underlying strategy that is always the grease to successful recruitment? A baseline strategy that is the foundation for chapters that recruit well time after time.

Here it is.

The chapters that consistently recruit well are filled with members who are highly involved on campus throughout the year.

 Campus ambassadorship and involvement are expected of all chapter members, not just something that a few standout leaders do. Upon joining, initiated brothers lead their newest members to get involved with campus opportunities that benefit the individual’s future and the state of the chapter’s operations.

From a recruitment lens, a chapter with highly involved members on campus opens pipelines to other great students hoping to get more out of their college experience. Generating leads becomes easy as members constantly interact with students on campus.

Not only do chapters with involved members succeed with recruitment, but they also thrive in many other facets. The Fraternity’s top award-winning chapters always reflect this.

If you’re reading this and feel like campus involvement is low within your chapter, here are a few tactics that can help create this culture:

1. Find a leader within the chapter who can spearhead the effort. For example, many Phi Delta Theta chapters have activities or campus involvement chairmen positions.
2. As a baseline, create a way to track your members’ involvement on campus to assess the present status and measure its future progress. Do this by looking at the percentage of members involved in a campus organization outside of Phi Delta Theta and the number of campus organizations per member.
3. At chapter meetings, campus involvement should be a consistent topic discussed. The leader of the effort should come prepared to share current opportunities on campus. Visit the student involvement or activities office to identify what is available. Allow brothers involved in specific organizations to share their experience with the chapter.
4. For those brothers not involved on campus, sit down with them one by one and present them with opportunities that align with their passions or major. Many brothers will need to have something presented to them versus seeking opportunities on their own.
5. Identify organizations on campus that can introduce your members to other men who could be great Phis. If there aren’t Phi Delts involved in those organizations, recruit someone with the chapter to join that organization.
6. Welcome someone from the student activities office to a meeting to share opportunities and the benefits of being involved on campus.
7. Aim for 100 percent on-campus participation with any new Phikeia class before initiation.
8. Brainstorm chapter incentives that can be offered to those who commit to being involved on campus.

As I reflect on my own college experience and watch my Phi Delt peers navigate their lives, it’s clear that those who were well-rounded and very involved on campus are having great success in their current pursuits. 

Focus on campus involvement within your chapter and watch your recruitment efforts shine, along with so much more.

The post The Most Important Factor to Achieve Consistent Recruitment Success appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

Follow the steps below over the course of a week to give your newest class the opportunity to further build their own class before Phikeia education begins.

Day 1 – Gather Referrals

Facilitate a mind jogger activity with your newest members to collect potential new member referrals from within their personal networks.

Days 2-5 – One-on-Ones

Challenge each of your Phikeias to reach out to two to three of the names they put on the names list and have them setup a time to chat one-on-one with those individuals. Your recruitment committee can assist here by joining in on these scheduled conversations.

Day 6 – Phikeia-Hosted Recruitment Event

Plan a Phikeia-hosted recruitment event or activity that allows them to gather their contacts together to see momentum building.

Day 7 – Second Bid Day

Present bids to those men who fit well with the current Phikeia class. Begin Phikeia education the next week.

The post How to Increase the Size of Your Initial New Member Class Before Phikeia Education Begins appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

Each year, a number of new members decide to no longer continue their Phikeia journey after receiving and accepting an invitation to join Phi Delta Theta. While each new member has a unique reason for leaving, there are two main reasons that explain why:

Misaligned Expectations

The #1 reason new members leave is misaligned expectations from how they were recruited to what they experience upon accepting a bid. Communications surrounding time commitments and financial expectations are the main culprits. An example of this is stating that new members are only expected to attend one meeting a week for one hour, but in reality, they are asked to participate in social, brotherhood, philanthropy, and service events that far exceed that time expectation.

Lack of Connection

Another major reason why new members leave stems from a lack of meaningful connections. Many times, new members only genuinely connect with a few brothers but do not feel connected to the greater chapter. You see this more in larger chapters, but no matter your chapter’s size, it is important to introduce new members to as many brothers as possible before, during, and after the recruitment process.

Now that we know the main reasons new members leave, it is important to ask yourself and your chapter the following questions to keep new member engagement high and achieve a great retention rate.

Expectations:

• Do new members/members know what is expected of them once joining?
• Why do those expectations exist?
• How are those expectations communicated throughout and after the recruitment process?

People:

• What is your chapter doing to connect potential new members to initiated members during the recruitment process?
• What is your chapter doing to continually strengthen bonds between all members in the chapter?
• What are the expectations, goals, and objectives of your chapter’s big brother program?

Purpose:

• What is the purpose of Phi Delta Theta on your campus?
• What was your personal purpose or reason(s) for joining Phi Delta Theta?
• What is the purpose behind the events and activities included in your Phikeia program?

Motivation:

• What is your chapter doing to show its members how their involvement affects the chapter’s success?
• How is your chapter recognizing members for their accomplishments?
• How often is your chapter communicating to these accomplishments and publicly recognizing them?

Growth:

• Is your chapter helping its members learn and grow throughout their time at college?
• What opportunities does your chapter provide for personal and professional growth?
• What is your chapter doing to continually challenge and educate members after the Phiekia program?

Feedback:

• Who is responsible for tracking membership retention for your chapter?
• What systems does your chapter have in place to receive feedback on membership experiences?
• Once proper systems are in place, how is your chapter communicating and adapting to that feedback?

The recruitment of new members is one of the most enjoyable aspects of Phi Delta Theta membership, but a signed bid is only the first step in a greater effort to provide a meaningful experience for each new member and future brother. Transparent communication, facilitating meaningful connections, and examining the questions above will continually improve your chapter’s retention of its new members.

The post Understanding Why New Members Leave The Phikeia Program appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

Like many organizations, Phi Delta Theta is spending an increasing amount of time each year analyzing and sharing findings from the data it collects. While data analytics can be overwhelming at times, our findings are being used to shape future strategies to improve the Fraternity in many different areas. With a limited staff and only so many hours in a day, we know that mobilizing our volunteers and undergraduates to act on shared data helps us become more efficient with our resources.

When it comes to recruiting new members at the chapter level, data can paint a very clear picture about whether a given chapter is trending in a positive or negative manner. We know that the consistent recruitment of great (and enough) young men drives chapter success. We also know that weak recruitment can very quickly threaten a chapter’s future.

We recently shared recruitment trend lines for all of our active chapters and emerging chapters. The data shows the number of men recruited each year going back to 2013. We’ve been very encouraged by the feedback we’ve received from sharing such data. In many cases, a simple visual has caused many to take action to improve their trend. It has also reassured many that their diligent work on recruitment is producing results.

View Your Chapter’s New Member Class Trend Line

The remainder of this post serves to provide suggestions on how you can act on the chapter’s trend line given your role within the organization.

If your chapter’s trend line is negative:

Step 1 – Digesting a negative trend and committing to positive change is a vital first step for anybody who can enact it within a chapter.

I’m the chapter president or recruitment chairman for a chapter with a negative trend:

• Identify those who can assist in reversing this trend. Make a list of current undergraduate members and volunteers who will advocate for changes that need to be made.
• If your chapter does not have a CAB member who solely focuses on recruitment, make a call to your province president and CAB chairman to develop a strategy to recruit somebody into this role.
• Visually show your trend line to your brothers to begin creating a sense of urgency to do something different.
• Examine how you elect recruitment chairman. Yes, it’s important for recruitment chairmen to be sociable, but it’s equally important for them to be organized and on top of their game.
• Document the chapter’s recruitment strategy on paper for the upcoming year and plan to infuse the discussion into your first chapter or executive board retreat this fall (or even this summer).

I’m on the Chapter Advisory Board for a chapter with a negative trend:

• Has the CAB prioritized recruitment when supporting the chapter? If not, prioritize the placement of a recruitment adviser who has past experience in the role or sales experience in his/her career. Contact GHQ for a list of past recruitment chairman from the chapter or in the area. This audience could be a great pool to recruit support.
• Plan to spend more time with the chapter’s recruitment chairman this summer, either by phone or in person, to review the chapter’s recruitment strategy for the upcoming year.
• When you are in front of the chapter, show the trend line and spark a discussion about the need to improve in this area.
• Reach out to the chapter’s alumni to seek referrals of potential new members who are entering college this fall. Alumni can be great resources for training opportunities too.
• Work with the recruitment chairman, other volunteers, and other resources in the area to plan a recruitment workshop early this fall.

I’m the province president for a chapter with a negative trend:

• The priority should be finding an adviser who can assist the chapter with recruitment. Our best recruiting chapters have volunteers who provide consistent recruitment advice. This is crucial given the turnover in the recruitment chairman role.
• Identify chapters in your province that have positive trend lines and facilitate conversations with those who have negative trend lines.

I’m am an alumnus for a chapter with a negative trend:

• Simply making your chapter aware that alumni are concerned about the chapter’s recruitment trend can go a long way. To do this in a constructive manner, think about the resources you may have access to and offer them to the chapter.
• Take a few minutes to identify great young men in your community who may be attending the campus in the fall and submit a referral form for them.

If your chapter’s trend line is positive:

Your chapter is moving in the right direction, but is its recruitment strategy built to last? It’s easy for complacency to settle in when life is good. Focus on continual enhancements such as:

• Further enhance the chapter’s recruitment strategy and show your brothers how they can help execute the strategy. Continue doing what has worked well. Ditch tactics that can’t be traced to good results.
• Continue to reach out to those who can help you get better, educate your members, and provide recommendations for potential new members.
• Perfect the process of interviewing potential new members in a small group setting.
• Identify types of individuals or areas of campus that are underrepresented within your chapter and recruit to fill this gap.
• Become smarter in your marketing and advertising. Digital marketing and social media is powerful and will work for you even when you’re asleep.

On a global level, Phi Delta Theta has used its recruitment data to identify 30 chapters that have the greatest potential for growth. These chapters were identified through a simple three-factor algorithm: one-year growth rate, three-year growth rate, and the number of men below or above the average size for fraternities on campus. During the upcoming school year, we will be working with these chapters and their volunteers to enroll them in our Recruitment Coaching Program. Our goal is to most effectively deploy our recruitment resources to those chapters in greatest need.

The post Data Doesn’t Lie: How To Take Action After Reviewing Your Chapter’s Historical New Member Class Sizes appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

Dead week has passed, and you have survived your final exams. As you clean out your room preparing to head home or to your internship, there is only one thing on your mind…SUMMER RECRUITMENT.

Let’s be honest, you weren’t thinking summer recruitment. Don’t be ashamed, I am sure you are not the only one. There are the family trips, sporting events, holidays, days spent on the lake, and countless other activities that overshadow our thinking. This is ok. We all need a break!

With the summer break also comes a great opportunity to take advantage of the down-time and get a jump on recruiting your chapter’s next new member class.

Events

The expectations for a successful recruitment season vary within your chapter. Some members might believe that throwing the biggest and best summer events will generate the most signed bids. Others might think that having 40+ men wearing the same shirt might do the trick.

The reality is this – When it comes to summer recruitment, investing your time and money into the relationship side of recruitment will prove to be much more successful. Having events are necessary, but the sole purpose of summer events is to allow your current members to start building relationships with potential new members well before they arrive on campus this fall. So, rather than focusing all of your efforts on larger events, summer recruitment efforts should also focus on smaller events such as lunches with a small group of brothers and potential new members. On the larger scale, you can also do larger events like lake days or a BBQ. However, these events should be in strategically located areas where you have the ability to attract more potential new members.

Whatever your strategy, it’s extremely important to focus on the front-end of the relationship building process. How are you going to know who your referrals are? How are you going to know where they are from? How are you going to make a connection? As you head into summer break, I challenge you to follow my top three steps to a successful summer recruitment strategy.

4 Steps to Successful Summer Recruitment

Build Your Referral List – Send out an opportunity for your undergraduate members, alumni, parents, and other supporters on campus to refer potential new members. This can be a Chapter Builder form, a link to chapter website, your social media platforms, or a Google Sheet. The important part is to have a place for these people to refer anyone they know who will be attending your university from their communities, high school, hometown, church, etc.

Start Small – Building off the referral list you are set to take the next step. You now have two, equally important pieces of information that you will need to make a connection: The member who made the referral and the potential new member himself. Encourage the member who referred the individual to setup a lunch, dinner, or coffee with the potential new member. The purpose of this is to start building that relationship with him. Answer any of his questions he might have about entering his freshman year. Offer to be a mentor to him as he enters this transition in his life. Provide him with marketing materials that have been developed for recruitment. Personalized outreach such as this will show him that you genuinely care about his needs.

Don’t Forget About Parents – Spending time discussing Phi Delta Theta with the parents of potential new members is vital. They have spent nearly two decades raising their sons to be great men, and they’ll want to know how the fraternity experience will enhance the foundation that they have worked tirelessly to build. Be transparent, be prepared, and offer to connect them with selected parents of current members. While your outreach will be beneficial, most parents will gain the greatest value from interacting with other parents who are in the same stage of life.

Chapter Event – After a few smaller outings with a potential new member, you’ll both be eager to bring other members from the chapter into the equation. After marketing this chapter wide event on your social media platforms, this is where a strategically located, larger event comes into play. The key is to plan the event in an area where you have a high density of referrals and current members. Sure, this provides the environment for your brothers to meet potential new members, but more importantly, you are connecting incoming freshman with another incoming freshman.

The purpose of any summer recruitment tactic is to make a connection with incoming students before they step foot on campus. Your chapter will be rewarded with great recruitment success as it builds the level of authentic relationship building leading up to handing out bids.

The post Summer Recruitment – Expectations vs. Reality appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

I’ve always been intrigued by how things start, gain momentum, and ultimately become a success, movement, or trend. Whether it’s dissecting the factors that helped transform an entrepreneur’s idea into a successful business or simply watching a ridiculous video in disbelief after it has reached viral stardom, it sparks my curiosity.

This same curiosity led to some simple research over my lunch break the other day, seeking the answer to a very random question:

On average, how many Founding Fathers did a fraternity have when it was created? So for example, Phi Delt had six, and I grabbed the number of Founding Fathers from 10 other leading fraternities.

The Answer: The Immortal 6.25

With that number in my mind, I reflected on a conversation that I had with a colleague earlier that day. We were discussing the importance of the first five individuals who receive bids on the Fraternity’s expansion projects. Our projects take off immediately when a critical mass of recognized leaders is recruited. As unscientific as that number (5) was in that conversation, my lunchtime research project helped me convince myself that I kind of knew what I was talking about.

Later that afternoon, I received a report that showcased the number of new members that each of our chapters has recruited for the past four semesters. As I was reviewing the numbers, something stood out – In any given semester, there was a range of 15-23 chapters that didn’t recruit anybody.

I immediately made some assumptions about these chapters and many were confirmed:

• The chapter had a very successful recruitment period the semester before.
• The chapter is on a campus with deferred recruitment (freshmen can’t join until the second term) and it relies on freshmen as new members.
• The chapter has never recruited new members during that semester.

While the assumptions seemed to be true, I immediately realized how often they are used as excuses for not taking a new member class in a given semester.

I truly believe that to reach its greatest potential, a chapter needs to recruit at least six men every semester/term. Here’s my reasoning:

Setting up your Recruitment Chairman for success

If a recruitment chairman is in the role for a year, but only has one opportunity to execute, great pressure is placed on him. If he isn’t a good fit for the role or if he fails, it can set the chapter back two years. On the contrary, if the first half of a recruitment chairman’s tenure is building a smaller class, it gives him the opportunity to learn and make mistakes with less risk before the main recruitment period later in the year.

The same goes for your Phikeia Educator

If a Phikeia Educator has the opportunity to execute the Phikeia program on a smaller scale before a larger class is recruited later in the year, he has the opportunity to learn, adapt, and become better, therefore giving your new members a better experience.

Six seems to be the sweet spot

I’ve been around the fraternity block long enough to see how the size of any given class can affect the chapter’s morale and performance. In my experience, I’ve seen less excitement and engagement from brothers when classes are five or below. Going back to the Founding Father data, having at least six men in a given class seems to be the tipping point for future growth. Treat each semester like you’re building a Founding Father class. Obviously, your main recruitment semester should bring in many more than six men, but focus on getting to at least six in your off-season.

Off-season recruitment classes are great for finding top leaders on campus

So you’re on a campus where freshmen can’t join until the second semester. That’s ok. Recruit sophomores and juniors when freshmen aren’t available. They’re more seasoned, mature, and can instantly propel the chapter’s leadership capacity.

Competitive spirit

If I’m a new member and know that there was a class that came a semester before me and one that will be on my heels next semester, I’m going to immediately try to establish myself as a leader. This healthy competition will make everyone better.

Stable membership size

It goes without saying that having a class each semester safeguards the chapter from large dips in membership and leadership gaps. A 6+ man class in your off-season is a hedge against factors that you might not be able to control in your main recruitment season.

Creating a recruitment culture

If your chapter takes semesters off when it comes to recruitment, you’re signaling to your membership that finding good people is only important periodically. Finding good people is always important. Make it the norm, and challenge your newest class to lead the charge for the next class.

Approximately 75% of our chapters are already recruiting 6+ men each semester. This post is directed at the other 25% as a challenge to create that culture. I promise you that you will not be disappointed with the benefits that it brings to your chapter.

The post Why Your Chapter Should Recruit At Least 6 New Members Every Semester appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

After weeks of preparation and planning, you just wrapped up recruitment week on campus. Some of you may have been successful and think your job is done. Others may be disappointed but too burnt out to keep going. The reality is; recruitment is never over. Recruitment Chairman vacation is a myth. The best recruiters and chapters are always looking for outlets to fill their pipeline and recruit during the off-season.

5 Recruitment Tactics To Execute Now That Recruitment Is Over: 

• Distribute recruitment surveys – To evaluate your performance as recruitment chairman, ask your brothers, especially your new Phikeias. Send a simple post-recruitment survey to see how you performed. This will allow you to gather feedback and focus on what needs to be improved.
• Rebuild your names-list – You just exhausted all your resources during recruitment, so your names-list should be empty. The first activity that should be done to begin rebuilding your names-list is a Mind Jogger activity with your new Phikeias. They are going to know the most people on campus that you don’t know … yet. You can also execute any of these 75 lead generators to rebuild your names-list.
• Educate the Phikeias – Creating a baseline of recruitment knowledge throughout your chapter is one of the most important things you can do. So far, your new Phikeias have only experienced how to be recruited. Host a recruitment workshop to show them how to be recruiters.
• Host a Phikeia Recruitment Event – Now that the Phikeias have generated leads and know how to recruit, challenge them to host their own informal recruitment event. This is a great opportunity to expose them to the recruitment process as they build relationships with the future potential new members of the chapter.
• Motivate members to recruit – We’ve all experienced members checking out after recruitment. You just asked your brothers to come to a recruitment event every night for the past week. How can you possibly ask them to come to recruitment events all semester? Simple, you don’t. Go through your chapter’s activity calendar and identify those that are conducive to inviting friends (philanthropy & service events, informal brotherhoods, socials, campus events, etc.). From this, you can create a point system challenge that incentivizes brothers who bring their friends/potential new members to events. For example, for every friend/PNM you bring to an event, you earn a point. The member with the most points at the end of the semester wins a gift card.

As you can see, your job as Recruitment Chairman is never over. These are just some simple tactics to immediately enhance your recruitment efforts with existing resources. Taking the initiative to go beyond recruitment week makes the difference between a successful Recruitment Chairman and an average Recruitment Chairman.

The post Post-Recruitment Vacation Is A Myth appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

The chapter is ready for summer recruitment, but is the chapter’s social media ready? If you are an 18-year-old freshman who wants to learn about the fraternities on campus, then one of the first places you are going to look is social media. When this new student pulls up your chapter’s Instagram, what will make him interested in learning more about your chapter? Does your Twitter account have a link for him to notify you that he is interested? Do you have a social media campaign unique to your chapter? What specific goals do you have for your social media that align with your goals as a chapter?

These are a few of the questions to ask when auditing the chapter’s social media presence. The members in charge of the accounts are responsible for so much more than posting the occasional posed group photo and the recruitment schedule. The Public Relations position in the chapter plays a crucial role in building a positive reputation, engaging the community, and, of course, recruitment. We have all heard, “People don’t join organizations, people join people.” While this is true, your social media should be the place where you tell the story of the people in the organization.

Here are my 4 Steps to Social Media in regards to preparing for summer recruitment.

1. Have Consistent Branding. If the Instagram username is @PhiDeltaThetaABC and has the crest for a profile picture, do not go to Twitter and use @ABCPhiDelt with a group photo of the guys. Branding should be consistent and easily recognizable across all platforms. The ‘Brand Assets’ page on phideltatheta.org is perfect for this. The bio on chapter profiles is crucial. The first 140 characters of your bio will appear in search engine results so use the most important information first. The bio portion is great for telling your chapter’s story, but will also help drive traffic to your chapter’s profile through optimization.

1. Develop Specific Social Media Goals. Our social media platforms have the ability to drive results once we figure out what results we want. SMART goals are ideal for this scenario. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Bound) For example, we want 20 potential new members to fill out our online interest form before summer recruitment starts. From there, we can start developing a strategy and content to achieve that goal.

1. Create a Chapter Campaign Strategy. Once the goals for a campaign are set, the next step is to create a campaign that is authentic and unique to the chapter. What is something that our organization offers that they cannot get elsewhere? What is a main priority for our organization that we want to share with all potential new members? For example, one campaign could be Phi Delt Family. This could be illustrated through member testimonials, endorsements from family members, and stories of what makes the ‘Phi Delt Family at XYZ University.’ This campaign should ultimately push people to indicate their interest in your organization with a simple call to action such as an “I’m Interested” or “Learn More” button. FuturePhiDelt.org is a great landing page for potential new members.

1. Post Content Consistently. Nobody wants to follow an account that has 3 posts since 2012. Content should be posted on a weekly, if not daily basis. Some social media marketing experts go as far as to suggest 6-8 unique posts per day. While this may seem like a lot to handle, it drives results. It is hard to engage potential new members without creating any traffic. The 5 key content types are Entertain, Inspire, Converse, Educate, and Convince. Make sure the content is well-balanced and focused on the audience. Keep posts short and sweet, use videos and images whenever you can, and prepare content ahead of time to make posting regularly an easier process.

There is so much power in social media marketing, but it is often underutilized. Now is the time to take an in-depth look into what our story is on social media and if it’s a story that makes people interested in joining. Create a social media campaign, deliver well-balanced content on a regular basis, and you will see results come bid day.

The post 4 Steps To Effectively Use Social Media For Summer Recruitment appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

With some chapters already finished formal recruitment, and some chapters just getting started, I find myself seeing and hearing similar plans from chapters on how they are going to have a successful ‘rush.’

It almost always starts with a “rush schedule.”

“We’re feeling pretty good about rush. We have our rush schedule created already”

“We have some great rush events planned”

“We have 8-10 guys already interested so we just need to make sure we get them out to some events”

My guess is that you’ve heard someone say something along these lines within your chapter.

Most of you are also probably familiar with the phrase “people join people, people don’t join organizations.” That also applies to events. Potential new members don’t join because of the events you host, they ultimately join because of the people they meet and the relationships they build.

If you believe in dynamic recruitment, then rush schedules are one of the last things to focus on for successful recruitment.

When we send an expansion team to a campus to build a new colony of Phi Delta Theta, their first step is not to schedule a calendar of events. In fact, none of their steps involve making a calendar of recruitment events. Our expansion consultants are able to consistently and successfully recruit at campuses across the United States and Canada, of all shapes and sizes, simply by meeting people and getting to know them.

A recruitment strategy that reflects dynamic recruitment would be one where the chapter spends most of its time brainstorming about who they are looking for, where they will find those types of people and how they can engage them in conversation. Develop individual strategies so each member understands how they can contribute to recruitment. Educate all of your members on the impact successful recruitment can have on the rest of chapter operations. Help each member develop their own personal motivation for why they should actively help the chapter recruit.

“If we recruitment more athletic members, or even just more members, we could have a better IM program”

“Our philanthropy raised $5,000 last year, but if we doubled our chapter size, could we raise $10,000? How awesome would that be?”

“The chapter has set a goal to raise our GPA, so if we target more academically successful new members, what kind of impact would that have on our chapter?”

Do not continue to build a rush schedule and then figure out how to get guys to your events. Instead, focus on meeting people and building relationships on campus and then plan events to give those new friends an opportunity to meet more of your members. Take the time to train our members on how to be confident in their knowledge and abilities to meet people anywhere, anytime and always be recruiting.

Meet potential new members year-round, build relationships, and help them develop their own personal ‘why’ for joining Phi Delta Theta. Then, your “rush” or “formal recruitment” schedule with events becomes less stressful since most of the recruitment work has been done already. Your future members will begin meeting each other, and each individual as the opportunity to become completely confident that this is the best decision for him or for the chapter.

Good luck to every one this September, this fall and this year. Phi Delta Theta has build a reputation of being a leader in the fraternity world. We are not afraid to change the way we do things if we believe it to be the right way. Let’s see if we can impact the way we approach recruitment. Stop with the rush schedules and get out there and meet some new friends.

The post Why ‘Rush Schedules’ Frustrate Me appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

Alcohol and fraternity recruitment; on many campus these two items are unfortunately synonymous with each other. Our fraternity men often believe that recruits are “looking for alcohol” or will not join unless we give them alcohol. Reality says that recruits will take their cues from you, the recruiters. If you can show them a good time without alcohol, they wont miss it. If all you talk about is alcohol and parties they will look for it and expect it, and if you hand them a beer as soon as they walk through the door you will have a member who expects to have alcohol at every function from that point on. The fact is, it is our members who want to have alcohol at recruitment because they just do not know how to talk to new recruits without a beer in their hand. Conversation is hard and translating our fraternal values into words can be even harder if our members do not have experiences with our values to fall back on. Below are some common excuses fraternity advisors hear about why fraternities need alcohol at recruitment, and the rebuttals to those arguments. Use this in your next recruitment planning meeting when the guy in the back of the room who only shows up for parties and just happened to wander into your meeting starts to speak up.

He’s Not Who We Thought He Was

We’ve all been there, at a party somewhere and there’s this random guy hanging out who starts to get a little out of control. No one is really sure who he is or how he got there but all of a sudden he’s starting a fight, or creeping out the female guests, or puking his guts out in the bathroom. Now multiply that by the number of recruits you have at your event. No one really knows any of these guys, where they are from, what their names are or what their background is. They could be cool, chill and fun to hang out with, or they could be violent, belligerent, or a rapist; but you gave them alcohol that night so the responsibility for their behavior belongs to you and your chapter.

A Modern Day Animal House

As fraternity men we spend a lot of our time combating the “Animal House Myth” that fraternities exist just to party, haze the pledges, use women and flunk out of school. When we spend our time recruiting with alcohol we just reinforce that stereotype; what our community shows potential members is that we cannot even go a week without drinking. Yet we wonder why the media likes to portray fraternities with the same “Animal House” lens.

But We Are a Social Fraternity

Have you ever looked up the definition of social in a dictionary? Social is defined by friendship, relationships, alliances and interactions. Not once do the words “party” or “alcohol” get mentioned. We are members of social fraternities, fraternities that are built on friendship and brotherhood, not alcohol.

But When You Drink You Find Out Who He Really Is     

This excuse assumes that when you drink you are having real conversation and that you cannot have a real conversation without alcohol. The reality is that more real conversations happen every day without alcohol than with it. Having positive interactions with people can provide meaning to the conversation, can build stronger relationships and is likely to bring the recruit back the next day. Fraternities should be teaching our men to have these conversations sober to prepare them for the real world where alcohol is not the base of all conversation.

We Can’t Get the Active Brothers to Show Up for Recruitment Without Alcohol

Ever wonder why a chapter that doesn’t recruit with alcohol has so much more success getting brothers to show up for recruitment (and everything else)? It’s because when you recruit with alcohol you end up with a bunch of alcoholics and men who don’t know how to hang out together without alcohol being present. Pretty soon every activity your chapter does without alcohol has poor attendance because no one wants to go if they cannot drink.

But the Recruits Will Not Come if We Don’t Have Alcohol

First of all do you really want to recruit guys that are only looking for alcohol? Those are probably the guys that will only show up for parties too, and will cause problems when they are there. Secondly if you create an environment where the recruits feel comfortable hanging out with each other and make your recruits feel welcome in your house or recruitment location they will not need alcohol to have a good time. Men bond together in friendship and brotherhood naturally, you just have to plan ahead and have activities going on to facilitate that bonding.

All the Other Fraternities are Using Alcohol

Recruitment is all about branding yourself. It is the Public Relations arm of your not for profit organization, so of course you want to brand yourself as being better than the other fraternities on your campus. Why then do you all try to do the exact same activities as one another (i.e. all attempt to use alcohol as your main recruitment tool). Stand out, be different, choose a new path. Establish yourself as the fraternity that can hang out together without alcohol. Show the men who are looking for more out of their fraternity experience that your chapter has something to offer. Let the other chapters recruit the problem members while you get all the guys that want more from the fraternity than four drunken years.

We Need Alcohol to Have Fun

If this is true than the real world will not be kind to you. We have all had valuable experiences with our chapter brothers sober whether those experiences are white water rafting, doing an outdoor ropes course, attending chapter meeting or just sitting down and having a meal together. We know that alcohol is not the only way to have fun so why create that façade during recruitment? When we do, the recruits begin to expect everything to involve alcohol.

It’s Against the Law (and your National Policies)

I hate using the law argument but the reality is that throughout the United States of America the legal drinking age is 21. Very few fraternity recruits are of the age where they can legally consume alcohol, and it is illegal for the chapter to provide alcohol to recruits. Additionally your national fraternity has rules against having alcohol during recruitment and you put your status as a fraternity at risk when you decide to ignore this policy.

Keith Ellis is the Associate Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at the University of South Carolina. Keith spent three years at the University of Kentucky as the fraternity advisor and worked diligently with the fraternity leaders there to build a strong values based community. Keith graduated from the University of Memphis in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and during his time as an undergrad was a chartering member of the Tennessee Beta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon and served on the Standards Board, as Vice President of Recruitment and as President. Keith received his Maters in Higher Education Administration from the University of Kansas before moving to Kentucky to be the Assistant Director of Student Involvement. Keith is pursuing a doctoral degree in Educational Policy Evaluation focusing on legal issues and hazing in Greek Letter Organizations. Keith has served as a UIFI facilitator and is on the faculty for the Novak Hazing Prevention Institute. 

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Effective recruiting of new members comes from first and foremost truly believing in what your organization stands for and being passionate when conveying that message.  But, who are you telling your message to?  Anyone who will listen?  Are you strategic about your delivery?

#1 Strategy: Recruit men with high GPAs

As a Dean working with Greek organizations for many years  I’ve seen chapters come and go, but the most stable fraternal organizations are those that maintain an overall high GPA.  How do they maintain their high GPA?  Easy………by recruiting members with a high GPA in the first place.  Sometimes we get into a dangerous mindset of thinking that we should offer a bid to a potential member because he’s ‘a good guy’ and would make a great brother.  Think again.  This decision will have negative consequences.

So, why recruit new members with high GPAs in the first place?

• Men with higher GPAs are more likely to recruit  other men with higher GPAs.
• Your members are more likely to be involved in high profile leadership positions on campus.
• Your chapter will retain more members.
• Your chapter will be stronger and stick around for a lot longer than the others.
• High chapter GPAs make you chapter eligible for local and national awards and recognition.

THIS IS THE EFFECT!

So, how do you figure out who has high GPAs on campus?

• Offer scholarships to potential new members the summer before they arrive.  The applications tell the story.
• Have potential members sign a grade release form BEFORE extending a bid.  Your Greek Life office should have these available.
• Ask your college or university to provide you lists of members of academic honorary organizations, e.g., Blue Key or Mortar Board.
• Tap into your college’s honors program?  Can you get class lists?
• Ask college department chairs for referrals.
• Recruit Residence Life staff members or other students in high profile leadership positions that have grade requirements.

If you are responsible for the success of your fraternity then start with a successful strategy!

Michelle Merritt is the Associate Dean of Students at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois.  She is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Womens Fraternity.  Michelle graduated from Monmouth College in 1989 with a B.S. in Speech Communications and went on to receive her M.S. in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.  Prior to her current role at Monmouth College, she served as the Assistant Director of Housing at the University of Central Missouri and Residence Hall Director at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

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Ask any fraternity man or sorority woman who their “person” is, and they can tell you instantly. It’s the one person that they feel is responsible for their membership in their organization. Whether it’s the person that continuously called, texted, and Facebook crept you until you came to an event, or the person that connected with you over free hamburgers, it’s the one person that you believe helped sell you on this thing we call fraternity. For me, it was Lindsey. Lindsey and I shared a few classes together. It was something about the way that her face lit up when she talked about her sorority, or how happy she was when I saw her with sisters… Or maybe it was that when I talked to Lindsey, she would tell me about how much I would be an asset to the sorority, instead of trying to sell the sorority to me. Whatever it was, I wanted to be a part of it.

As you begin the school year and delve into the crazy time of recruitment, think about your person. Think about the guy that really connected with you and made you seriously consider what it would be like to be a member of Phi Delta Theta. Then ask yourself what you need to do to become someone else’s “person.”

So often, we focus on selling ourselves based on our accomplishments from the past year- Greek Week champ, All Sing winner, Intramural champ, and the amount of money we’ve raised for our philanthropy. Don’t get me wrong- those are big wins! Often though, we forget why the men are really walking through our doors. Men are walking through our door looking for brotherhood. They’re looking for an opportunity to get involved on campus. They’re looking to become a part of something bigger than themselves. They’re looking for a place that they can walk into and feel comfortable; a place to call home.

My advice to you is that instead of spitting out random facts about your organization, take a little extra time to share your story. Why did you join Phi Delta Theta, and what have you gained from your experience thus far? Likewise, be a listening ear and find out what the men that you’re talking to are looking for in a fraternity. Have high expectations in the quality of men that you’re looking for, but also ensure that you’re living up to those expectations. Think about your cardinal principles of friendship, sound learning, and rectitude, and share what striving to live those daily means to you.

And if you do these things, you may just become someone’s “person.”

Tabatha Sarco is currently the Assistant Director of Student Involvement of Lynchburg College, located in Virginia. Before coming to LC, Tabatha completed her Masters in College Student Personnel at Bowling Green State University, where she advised the Interfraternity Council. Tabatha is a 2006 graduate of Austin Peay State University, which she earned her degree in Psychology and Leadership Studies. She is a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority.

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At Phi Delta Theta leadership conferences and in conversations with undergraduates, the following question has been posed many times – “What do you want your Phi Delt legacy to be?”  Not legacy in terms of a relative who will become a future brother, but instead in terms of the impact you want to leave behind for your chapter and our organization. While for many of you, that may be a difficult question to answer at this point in your life.  As a Chapter Advisor and a higher education professional, I always think that my legacy as a Phi Delt may actually be a Phi Delt undergraduate student, one that I may get to work with who does something that positively impacts our world. How many of you have ever thought about the Phi Delt legacy you hope to leave and how that relates to who you bring into your organization next?

Well, it’s now that time of the year.  For the past few weeks, college campuses everywhere have been busy welcoming students back to campus; energy is brewing, excitement for a new year is everywhere, college football is beginning and fraternity men everywhere have jumped back into regular operations after a summer break.  Thousands of men are walking around campus, not knowing that they could be a part of one of the greatest organizations to exist for men…. If only a connection could be made with a Phi Delt on their campus….

While many chapters recruit year-round, the fall generally provides an extra focus on the recruitment process and the growth of your chapter.  While this excitement is apparent,  for many chapter leaders, it can also be an incredibly frustrating time. Chapter leaders may already be hearing the following excuses:  “Recruitment is hard”, or “It’s not my responsibility to recruit, that’s why we elect a Recruitment Chairman”, or “I’ve already put my time into this chapter!” We’ve all heard these before from the same members, and we know who they are. Picture them, name them… again, we know who they are…

Upon being asked to write this post, my mind was spinning about all of the different things I could write about that are recruitment related.  It wasn’t until yesterday, while having a conversation with one of the fraternity men that I advise, that I posed the question, “What do you want your Phi Delt legacy to be and what contributions have you made to this organization?” This caused me to think about the many conversations I’ve had over the past four years regarding the recruitment process and the subsequent impact it has on an organization.  The creation of your Phi Delt Legacy may have begun when someone recruited you.  It can now be amplified when you recruit someone else who has the potential to create an immeasurable and positive impact on your chapter and our organization.  So if the journey of leaving your mark as a Phi Delt begins with the recruitment process, how do you combat myths or misunderstandings of what recruitment should be?  Below are some thoughts on re-examining how your chapter recruits and redefining the recruitment process to help you leave your Phi Delt Legacy:

Recruitment is what we do as fraternity men.

Just like any other organization, in order to survive, we need to be continuously recruiting. Many say, recruitment is the “lifeblood” of the organization, and it truly is. Without it, we don’t stay alive.  If members of your chapter do not want to grow their own organization, why did they join?  How are they acting on what they pledged to do in the Phikeia oath?  And more importantly, how were they recruited? This could teach you a lesson in who not to bring into your chapter in the future.

Recruitment is not a week or 2 week process.  Recruitment is every day.

The most successful chapters make recruitment a part of the culture.  It’s what you do every day.  It’s not a two week process along with the other fraternities.  It’s not over just because your week or two weeks of doing large events has ended and you have matched the same number you did the previous year.  Recruitment is a continual process of making positive and meaningful connections with other college men and introducing them to your organization to determine whether or not they would make a good addition to your chapter.

Recruitment is about making a connection… an authentic one.

I was walking around the Student Involvement Expo on the campus I work at last week, watching hundreds of student and community organizations promote themselves to potential members.  There was a clear difference between the chapters that were making connections and those that were not.  Those that were not were passing out flyers for their organizations and allowed students to grab them and walk by.  Those that were making connections had meaningful conversations with students lasting more than three minutes before even handing out a flyer to the interested party. To make authentic connections, you have to ask questions, not only the typical name, where from, major questions, but more than that.  Think about how you can truly get to know that person.  How can you learn about why they ended up there at that table, in that space, and at that time, having a conversation with you? How did that happen?  Why is the conversation happening?  Find commonalities.  Learn about their passions and interests and go from there. It’s simply the art of meeting people and making them your friends, friends who you may want to make your brothers someday. This is more than just handing someone a flyer…

Recruitment is about the little experiences others have with us.  

When you think about creating meaningful connections, remember that every interaction one of your members has with another individual is a recruitment opportunity.  Scary isn’t it?  Maybe not as much as it seems. Let me break it down for you.  Think about it this way.  Every time you interact with another individual regardless of gender, you could be making a connection that could lead to another connection that could ultimately lead to a brother.  A student-leader I worked with e-mailed me today.  He noticed that I currently serve as the Chapter Advisor for the Phi Delt chapter on campus and wondered how he could meet the members of the chapter.  He had recentlybecome interested in fraternity life, and I was able to connect him to the chapter based on our past experiences.  Thinking more broadly, how are others experiencing you on a daily basis, and how does that relate to creating potential connections?  Just something to reflect on.

Recruitment is not hard, but it does take effort and organization.  

Recruitment is not a one man job.  It takes the entire chapter. While recruitment is what we do, occurs every day, and is about making connections, it does take an investment by multiple individuals to make it work.  It also takes clear organization.  Who is keeping track of potential new members and how?  What are your standards for potential new members?  If you do coordinate some larger events as part of recruitment, who assists with the planning and coordination?  What does individual outreach to potential new members look like?  To be able to recruit, you’ve also got to have these logistical pieces figured out.

While the above may not tell you exactly how to recruit, my goal was to provide a framework for reflecting on your current recruitment process or structure.   In order to make adjustments, begin to think a bit differently about the impact of your recruitment strategies.

With that, start now, and begin the process of creating your own Phi Delt legacy through the recruitment of others. You never know, your Phi Delt legacy could be the guy sitting next to you in your 10am class tomorrow morning and that connection is just waiting to be made…

Keith currently serves as the Coordinator for First & Second Year Programs in Orientation & Transition Programs at Colorado State University where he coordinates the welcome week/fall orientation program, a mentoring program and a conference for first-year students as well as second year student experiences. He also teaches in the first year of the President’s Leadership Program and the Greeks Against Sexual Assault Training Seminar. Additionally, Keith has been working on creating a small business in northern Colorado focused on providing leadership and team development consulting services. He currently serves as the Chapter Advisory Board Chairman for the Colorado Gamma chapter of Phi Delta Theta.

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Fall is one of my favorite seasons for multiple reasons: college football, apple cider and fraternity recruitment.  If your chapter has actively recruited new members during summer vacation, congrats.  My guess is the vast majority of chapters are gearing up for the yearly meat market known as “formal rush” where you hope complete strangers walk through your front door, eat your wings and then accept their bid at the end of the week.

Working as an Expansion Consultant, I’ve picked up on numerous recruitment strategies that are proven to work, but are rarely utilized. I recently made a comment to a co-worker that I wish that I knew all these strategies as an undergraduate.  Instead of dwelling on the past, I decided to pass on my knowledge to all of you in the form of this list. Without further ado:

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Recruitment as an Undergrad:

#1 –  Use the IFC Recruitment List

Does your IFC provide a list of all people that have signed up for/shown interest in recruitment?  Do you get that list days/weeks/months in advance?  If so, there’s no reason to not start contacting those people immediately.  They’ve already shown interest, and that’s half the battle in recruitment.

In conjunction with #1, if that IFC list gives phone numbers, use them.  It may feel awkward at first, but they’ve already shown interest.  It’s easy to ignore an email or text, but everyone picks up the phone (it could be a girl!).  Your conversation looks something like this:

You: Hi is this _______________?
Them: Yeah
You: Hi, My name is ________________ and I’m calling in regards to your fraternity interest form.
Them: Yeah?
You: I’m with Phi Delta Theta looking for the best and brightest here at ______________ and after looking at your past accomplishments you were someone I had to talk to.
Them: Okay
You: I was wondering if you had 10-15 minutes to meet in the Union and talk more about this opportunity?
Them: Sure, I have a break tomorrow from 10-12
You: Perfect, lets meet at 10.  I’ll text you a couple hours before to make sure that time still works and I look forward to meeting you.

That’s it.  In 2-3 minutes you just got the first crack at a top-flight Potential New Member before Formal Recruitment even starts.

#3 – A Cup of Coffee is Cheaper Than 300 Wing

Personal experience has shown that having a personal 1-on-1 meeting is a much more effective recruitment tool than hoping the greatest students on campus are craving wings.  Take a second to imagine how much money your chapter spends on food, now calculate how many cups of coffee could be bought at individual meetings (For my fellow Poli Sci majors, take that amount and divide by $2).  The best part: most PNM’s will decline the free cup of coffee.

Use the meeting as a chance to get to know the PNM on a more personal level, as well as finding out if they meet your standards for membership (see #10).  Once you get the introductions over with, briefly explain the benefits of Phi Delta Theta, as well as Greek Life in general.  As a reminder those are:

• Making a big school feel smaller, joining the wider Greek community
• Lifelong friendships
• Networking (175+ campuses, 160,000 living alumni)
• Leadership Opportunities
• Giving back to the community
• Non-Hazing Fraternity
• Alcohol-Free Housing
• Direct business applications (sales, event planning, project management, accounting, marketing)

On average you should aim to talk no more than 60% of the time.  While its important to get your message across, it becomes easy for PNM’s to lose interest.  In order to combat this, ask the following ownership questions:

• What was the biggest lesson you learned in your sport/community service/leadership position?
• Where do you see yourself going after college, and how do you plan to get there?
• What is your greatest accomplishment?
• Tell me about a time you faced adversity and how you over came it?

If these sound like job interview questions, they are.  Actively listen to their responses and try to tie in their answer to one of the benefits above.

#4 – Events Do Not Matter

Every time an undergraduate asks me what the best rush events are, steam erupts sideways from my ears Looney-Toons style and my blood pressure spikes.  Any event that encourages genuine conversation is a “good” recruitment event.  Some of the best chapters in North America incorporate recruitment into events they already do as a chapter like pick-up sports and community service.

#5 – Get Out of the House

Just like your mom when you played too many video games, I’m telling you to GO OUTSIDE!  Far too often chapters hold all their recruitment events at their chapter facility.  Imagine you’re a freshmen on a new campus.  You meet a sophomore who invites you over for free food at his fraternity house later that night.  You walk up to the address to find a colossal 4-story house with strange letters that are so big you could see them from space.  You slowly climb each of the 12 stone stairs and are face to face with a giant red door and can hear a dull roar of conversation and music coming from the other side. Kind of intimidating right?  Look outside your four walls for opportunities both on-campus and in the community.  You would be shocked at how many CHEAP and FREE opportunities there are out there.

#6 – Dress to Impress

Its hard to look a PNM in the eye and say you’re part of an elite social organization wearing shorty-jorts and a party tank.  I’ll take it a step further and even say wearing matching shirts make you look like a cult.  At a minimum, I would suggest un-ripped jeans or shorts with a collared shirt and nice shoes.  Additionally, the best-of-the-best students are not going to be impressed by a t-shirt with references to alcohol, drugs or sex.  There’s also a great opportunity here.  Ask a couple girls from your favorite sorority to put on a “Dress For Success” seminar for the chapter.  You’ll learn a lot AND improve your sorority relations.

#7 – Train Your Members
Everyone has heard the cliché “You’re only as strong as your weakest link”, and recruitment is no exception.  Every member should be proficient in these basic social skills: handshakes, eye contact, conversation and remembering names.  Also every member should know and be able to communicate information about the following: local and international history, dues, hazing policy, time commitment, leadership opportunities, academics, housing and networking.  If a Potential New Member asks five different brothers about dues, and gets five different answers, how does that make your chapter look?  This is another opportunity to call upon your favorite sorority and have members practice their skills and responses.

#8 – Bumping

One of the most common responses for a PNM choosing one chapter over another is “I knew more people there.”  For as much as I personally dislike sorority formal recruitment, they excel in this area due to a process called bumping.  Without getting too technical, the concept is to engage PNM’s in a meaningful and memorable conversation and then pass them off to another member with something in common.  Through this method, Potential New Members are meeting and connecting with more than one person in the chapter in a meaningful way.  If you haven’t picked up on the recurring theme here, re-read the last sentence in #6 and #7… wash, rinse, repeat.

#9 – Dealing with Millennials

This generation of students has been told they’re special from birth.  Don’t be afraid to use this to your advantage and stroke their ego a little bit more.  It may feel strange at first, they will be more focused on the compliment than anything else.  Try and use the following phrases/questions in conversation:

• You’re level of involvement is impressive
• You’re exactly the type of student we’re looking for
•  How did you maintain such a high GPA and stay so involved?
• You exceed all of our qualifications
• What weren’t you a part of?
• You’re the most impressive candidate I’ve seen all  day/week/month/summer
• I think you would bring a huge benefit to our organization

The above statements can be combined with a solid pre-close for a great 1-2 punch.  This is also a chance to mention that you should never lie to PNM.  If your chapter is deficient in some area of operation, use this concept to show opportunity.

Example: You’re talking to a PNM who regularly does over 100+ community service hours a year and has won national recognitions, but your chapter is last on campus in service hours.  You say: “ Our chapter has been working really hard to improve our community service program, based on all the work you’ve done you seem like exactly the right person to step into a leadership position right away and lead the charge”.

#10 – Set High Standards and Tell Everyone

If there was only one thing on this list I wish I could go back and change, this would be it.  Too often bids are given out because a PNM is “Cool, Legit and Solid”.  As organizations that strive for greatness, we should hold ourselves and our PNM’s to higher standards.  This is accomplished by creating what’s called a Values-Based Recruitment Criteria, which articulates important values, and measurable criteria for membership.

The next step is communicating these standards.  If I was a chapter participating in formal recruitment with a house, I would find a way to put those criteria on a banner that takes up an entire wall.  This banner would be so big it would be impossible to miss.  In addition, I’d print out copies and post them on every door, every bathroom stall and in all my recruitment materials.  This serves two purposes.  First, it shows PNM’s that you hold members up to the high standards that you agreed to when you signed The Bond and that you’re an elite organization.  Second, it deters all those who do not meet your standards so you have more time to focus on your 5-star prospects.

It is also important to revisit these criteria on a regular basis, and slowly ratchet them up until the entire chapter is full of the campus’ best leaders.

Alex graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science. Within his Chapter he held the offices of Philanthropy Chairman, Vice President, Recruitment Chairman and two terms as Phikeia Educator. Beyond his Chapter, he also served on the Greek Week Steering Committee and IFC as the Vice President of Recruitment. Through his hard work and effort both inside and outside of his Chapter, he was honored as a “Distinguished Greek Leader of 2010” which was awarded to six students out of a Greek Community of over 5,000. Brother Carrick has had the pleasure of attending all three major conferences: ELI, RBC/RW and PLC and he is the President of the Oxford Alumni Club.

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I’ve always felt that Phi Delta Theta isn’t your typical fraternity and, as a result, attracts the kind of guy who is looking for something more in his college experience. It wasn’t until recently that my chapter, Michigan Delta, was able to produce hard evidence to back up this belief.

After a very successful fall recruitment that produced our chapter’s largest Phikeia class in nearly 20 years, our recruitment committee saw a valuable opportunity to evaluate what potential new members are looking for in a fraternity. We created a survey that covered all the bases, with questions ranging from their first thoughts about Greek Life to the factors that mattered most in deciding to accept their bid to Phi Delta Theta. Additional questions, such as when and where they met their first Phi Delt, were intended to help us to further evaluate our campus presence and our recruitment strategies. After finalizing our question set, we had the Phikieas answer the survey at their first meeting of the term.

The results of our survey couldn’t have been clearer.

Out of our 14 Phikeias, only one of them was interested in Greek Life when he first came to Kettering University. All of the others either hadn’t considered joining a fraternity or were leery of them, based on their preconceptions. The results were, once again, extremely clear when we asked those who hadn’t initially considered Greek Life what changed their mind. The most common response was “the people”, while “the opportunities provided by a fraternity” also got a few mentions.

Later in the survey, we listed a variety of factors and asked the Phikeias to rate (on a 1 to 5 scale) how large of a role each one played in their fraternity decision. The runaway favorite was “People and Friendships”, which nearly received a 5’s across the board. “Morals of the House”, “Dry House”, and “Academics” were the other factors that received an average rating above a 4.0. All other likely reasons for joining a fraternity (“Athletics”, “Affordable Housing”, “Chapter Size”, etc) averaged out in the middle ground and had quite a bit of variability, depending on who you were asking.

I feel that the results of this survey do an excellent job of highlighting a few areas that deserve everyone’s attention during this fall’s recruitment. The main thing that we need to keep in mind is that the overwhelming majority of our future brothers aren’t looking into joining a fraternity. It’s something that they won’t actively pursue, which means that we have to go about recruiting them in a slightly different manner. Rather than hoping that potentials come into our chapter house to meet us, we need to get out of our house and go meet them. It’s no coincidence that our brothers who were the most active on campus were listed the most frequently as the first Phi Delt that our Phikeias had met. The greater the presence that your chapter has on campus, the higher the odds that you’ll meet a potential new member, make friends with him, introduce him to a few of your brothers, extend to him a bid, and have him decide that he wants to join your chapter. There’s a reason why chapters that are highly involved on campus always do well during recruitment.

The other thing main point of our survey was that people join people. Friendship was easily the most important reason for joining Phi Delta Theta, according to our Phikeia survey. We didn’t double our chapter size due to having the best rush events; we did it through simply trying to make friends. We made it a point to leave the discussion about Greek Life on the backburner until we started looking at giving them a bid. It’s at that point where we’d talk to them about what Phi Delta Theta had to offer. It’s one thing to hear a sales pitch from a stranger; it’s another to hear it from a friend. Our potentials didn’t feel like they were being “rushed” at all. Rather, they saw our house as a place where they could be among friends. After that, joining the fraternity was the next natural step. What’s great about the new Phi Delt branding initiative is that it takes all of the focus off of the recruitment distractions. We no longer have to worry about banners, t-shirts, or bid cards. Instead, we can simply focus on meeting new people.

The old sayings that “most freshmen aren’t looking into joining a fraternity” and that “people join people” were nothing new to us at Michigan Delta. We’d heard countless speakers and advisers beat these adages to death before. With Kettering being an engineering school, I guess that it only makes sense that none of us would buy into these ideas until we had data that backed them up. Hopefully the results of our survey have left you with a few things to think about as you approach this fall’s recruitment.

Good luck brothers!

Brother Boulter is currently the Chapter President of  Michigan Delta (B-Section) at Kettering University. Michael has also served as Assistant Recruitment Chairman, Works Manager, and Social Chairman. An agent of change at Michigan Delta, he has led the way in numerous Chapter efforts ranging from the creation of accountability systems to the establishment of the GM to GMI Run, a 65-mile relay that won the Kettering 2010 Philanthropy of the Year Award. Michael was also his Chapter’s representative to both ELI in 2010 and PLC in 2011.  He was selected to be a Peer Mentor at the 2011 Emerging Leaders Institute.  Outside of Phi Delta Theta, Michael is an avid marathon runner and is an Iron Phi. He holds positions as President of the Running Club and as the Recruitment Chairman of IFC. As an Electrical Engineering major at a cooperative education school, he enjoys spending 6 months out of every year gaining real-world experience and making contributions to his co-op employer.

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While on vacation with my wife earlier this year, I was 326 pages into The Social Animal  by David Brooks when a concept called Social Mobility was introduced. I was familiar with this concept from my days in college, grad school and on the news but never considered the direct application to Phi Delta Theta. It’s actually a fairly hot topic now as the “great divide” between the wealthy and middle class is harped on in political debates and by pundits on broadcasts. Essentially, it’s the concept that birth should not equal destiny and that certain opportunities can be provided to balance that out.

Then about a month later, I was presented with our initial core brand concept of “Greatness” from Pocket Hercules, our branding agency and with our new tagline, “Become the greatest version of yourself.” I realized that there was quite a bit of synergy to these two concepts but in our case, social mobility is provided very simply through a Phi Delt experience. We aren’t talking about the difference between the impoverished and the wealthy. Instead, we are talking about the opportunity to enhance a college experience, improving an individual’s overall potential during their college years and the ramifications for success in their adult life.

By becoming a Phi Delt, an individual is given the following:

1. Access to like-minded individuals who strive for success through the values they commit to in their Fraternity experience
2. A social experience that is a great “living laboratory” that promotes personal and professional development

When we say “Become the greatest version of yourself,” this is what we really mean. We have members that come from many different “walks of life”; however, they are attracted to our chapters by meeting like-minded individuals who are bound by common values. Then, through their fraternal experience, our members are afforded an opportunity to leverage these relationships and experiences into an enhanced trajectory for their lives and careers not offered in any other collegian organization.

This experience is why you hear all of the stats regarding fraternity and sorority members as the world’s leaders. Within Phi Delta Theta, we have had eight Pulitzer Prize Winners, three Astronauts, one VP and one President of the United States amongst many other Famous Phis!

The term “elitist” is often associated with fraternities and sororities. The reality is that the only thing here that is elite is our values. Phi Delta Theta was founded on friendship, sound learning and rectitude but all other Greek organizations are founded on very similar concepts of brotherhood/sisterhood, academics and service. Those who commit to these values, commit to one another and to live by them.

The practical application is how we define ourselves when communicating the benefits of membership. Rather than talking about this vast intangible alumni network and vague opportunity to lead, you can talk about experience between you and your brothers and how you can grow and thrive within the context of the chapter. Describe your interaction with alumni who have been willing to offer an internship or job, with chapter brothers who have culturally enriched one another’s lives by sharing interests and about your brothers who have fully embraced their chapter leadership opportunities, leading them to other roles on campus and beyond.

We always define ourselves as a social Fraternity based on interactions with our pledge class, big brother and favorite sorority. Having said that, it may be time to start challenging ourselves and realize that being a member of a social fraternity actually defines who we are individually well beyond our college years as we aspire to become the greatest possible version of ourselves.

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Throughout the past several years, the Kansas Delta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Wichita State University has “ratcheted up” membership standards across the board with the goal of increasing the quality of men in the Fraternity.  These scaled up standards affect both current members and potential recruits alike.  The Chapter takes it one step further and has higher standards for individuals to hold executive positions.  The increased standards include higher GPA requirements, more community service hours, campus involvement and a focus on personal character.

Some critics of the ratcheting up plan feared that it would deter recruits from joining because high standards would be seen as an unnecessary burden that would get in the way of their college fun.  On the contrary, the size and performance of the Chapter has skyrocketed in nearly every aspect over the past half-decade.  Academic excellence, athletic performance, domination in countless large-scale campus events like Hippodrome and Homecoming and unmatched professional potential are encouraging signposts of the program’s success.  The Fall 2010 chapter average GPA for Kansas Delta was 3.358, which is an increase from the previous year’s 3.305. This is the highest fraternity GPA and is also higher than the all-male average on campus by far.  The Chapter has had the highest fraternity GPA for three-and-a-half of the past four years.  Furthermore, the Fall 2010 new member class that began with 34 outstanding men is expected to see 26 of those men initiated mid-January.   This will be the largest and highest-quality class seen in six years.

When asked why they chose to join Phi Delta Theta, many new members expressed an admiration of the high standards and professionalism, not to mention the Fraternity’s success on campus.  Long story short, higher standards attract better people, better people lead to more success, and more success attracts even better individuals.  So, let the story of Phi Delta Theta at Wichita State University be an inspiring one for any organization wanting to up the ante – “recruit better people than yourself.”

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Note: The only thing that I found to be consistently effective in all circumstances, (regardless of the varying settings, formalities, etc.), was to directionally exploit each situation to cater to the attention/interests of the individual(s) we were speaking to. Now, I know “directionally exploit” immediately registers a negative, almost self-interested connotation, but in this instance, I am using the word a little differently. When I say “exploit”, I mean to completely and intuitively utilize the specific setting the conversation takes place in to make the potential new member not only feel comfortable having the conversation with you, but to also ensure that the exchange sparks a distinctive interest in your chapter. That is, every fraternity at the University can uniformly spew off an enormity of statistics and facts that they believe will impress a recruit enough to make him favor their organization relative to the others on campus. The key is to understand the specific situation the conversation takes place in, and consequently know when and how to talk about your chapter during your discussion. Directionally exploiting situations is what set my chapter apart from all the other dog and pony shows on campus. Whether it is scholarship interviews over the summer, playing basketball at the rec center, or the monotonous formal recruitment process in the fall, each situation presented its own unique opportunities to distinguish ourselves and our fraternity as something a potential new member wanted to become a part of. I understand you already know the ins and outs of recruiting, (most likely much more than I do), and I’m not trying to lecture you on how to do your job.  I am just telling you what worked for me and my chapter this year. Below is some of what I believed to be the key to our success…

Summer/Informal Recruitment

Offer scholarships: This alone brought us 100+ names of incoming freshman before school even started. Even if they don’t win your scholarship or sign on with you informally, they know specific people in your chapter whom they can identify with later, namely during formal recruitment…(we had five plus guys that we interviewed during the summer join with us through formal recruitment in the fall)

Recruit who you know: While my situation was a bit irregular, I knew of several guys coming from my hometown to the University in the fall. I informed them of our scholarship opportunities, and also extended an individual invitation for each of them to stay at the house during their orientations. Not only did four of the guys end up joining, but each of them were a key asset in getting people from their dorms/classes to stop by and check out our chapter. Even if you had a high school graduating class of 30 and don’t know a single incoming freshman coming from your hometown, others in your house do.

Alumni referrals: Granted, it is easier said than done, but I had several alumni contact me letting me know that their sons, grandsons, nephews, etc. were coming to Iowa in the fall. Alumni newsletters are clutch, and at the very least make certain that your recruitment chair’s contact information is available online.

Formal Recruitment

Be Different: Not in the hipster anti-mainstream sense, but more so in the “directional exploitation” sense discussed in my note. For the average PNM, all the chapters on campus seem more or less the same in the beginning. Basically, the image is a big mysterious house filled with an indiscriminate number of strange and intimidating people with letters from a foreign alphabet posted on the front. Because of this, it is your chapter’s job to distinguish yourselves during formal recruitment by making things much more colloquial. It’s all about what I call, the “Recruitmentality”. The typical “where are you from, what’s your major” talk is impersonal and only goes so far. Start off by addressing the ridiculous formality of the process, (I referred to it as demented speed dating), and ask them how they feel about going through it. In many ways, conversations with potential new members are like conversations with women. Pose the right questions make sure that they are ones talking for majority of the time, (people love to talk about themselves- I shoot for a 1/4 ratio, every second I speak, they speak four more), and to some extent play hard to get. Not country club, nose in the air hard to get, but more so that your chapter has a lot to offer, but doesn’t just offer it to anyone. Essentially, make them feel like this situation is unique to them, and thus offers them a special opportunity to be part of your chapter.

Utlilize your freshmen: We heavily utilized our informal pledge class in helping out with formal. By bringing our Phikeia along for the ride, potential new members were able to speak to freshman just like themselves who had recently just taken the “big step” in joining a fraternity. This not only adds a more personal appeal to your chapter, but stands as a statement that your fraternity offers younger members sincere opportunities to get involved.

General Recruiting

• Keep your house clean
• Appropriate attire
• Understand that you are being constantly evaluated
• First impressions are everything
• REMEMBER THEIR NAMES- a huge part of our success was the simple process of saying each guy’s name 10 times in our head when he told us.  Little things count.
• Be REAL (PNM’s can smell bullsh*t a mile away, and if they can’t, they’re probably not a guy you’d want in your chapter in the first place)

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Why stalk people you DO NOT know, when you can (and should) recruit people you DO know. If we focused on our natural network of friends, and that of our brothers and sisters’ we have more than enough high quality leads to recruit. Sure there are artificial strategies to build up the potential pool – referrals, cold calls even wandering around our classrooms introducing ourselves to strangers. These buckshot methods have no quality control to our efforts and just make people feel weird.

Collect names from our brother and sisters of people they think would be good members. Tell them to ignore how likely or not that person will join. If we push them to really think, it should be about three times the size of the chapter. Now we have a Wish List. This list should be where we are focusing our recruiting efforts. Not buckshot, sniper. Many people on the Wish List think and say they will never join. OK. Many of us said that once too. And, just like us, these are the women and men who will make your chapter great. Who will make our founders proud. Who will become the family we get to chose.

The founders of our fraternities and sororities relied upon the natural networks they develop to find new members. They got to know people through NORMAL life. Meeting people with whom they lived, studied and worked. People with similar interests whom they met NATURALLY. The values of the fraternity or sorority were used as a measuring stick against what they knew of that person. They debated and discussed whether the person would bring honor to them through fraternal association with them. Then asked him or her to join them in a sacred bond of sisterhood or brotherhood.

The challenge in recruiting some of the best of our Wish list is that they know us well enough to question our claims. If your chapter ISN’T all that it says it is, they know the truth. A brother once told me that this type of recruiting can’t work. See, he wouldn’t put one of his close friends through the pledge program. He just couldn’t do that to someone he really liked! WHAT!? Others have said she is too old. She’s already a Sophomore, or (GASP!) a Junior! Well if our chapter doesn’t find value in older leadership, or just repeats the same old programming focused at the first two years of school, there is no wonder why we have such senior flight! Maybe recruiting more of these Wish Listers will force us to find, and fix the flaws in our chapter. Hmmm.

Sounds so natural. Sounds so clean. No cheesy awkward sales B.S. Sounds like the exact OPPOSITE of what so many chapters are doing RIGHT NOW in their desperate frenzy of getting new members. “Hi, what’s your name? Wanna join an organization for the rest of your life? Let me tell you about my fraternity! We are the BEST fraternity on campus. We’ve won Greek Week for the last THREE YEARS! We throw the sickest parties. You want good grades? That’s cool. We have a guy who got a 4.0 last year. We are really diverse. We totally have the tightest brotherhood too. Want some wings?”

As co-founder of CAMPUSPEAK, David Stollman has facilitated workshops on over 350 campuses and has also served on the faculty of numerous university and fraternal leadership conventions.  David is a crowd favorite keynoting the Greek regional conferences – MGCA, SEIFC, NGLA, SEPC, and WRGLC.  He is also an active volunteer for his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon.  David went to the University of Maryland for undergraduate degrees in both Government and Communications. David lives in New York City and enjoys following his Maryland Terps basketball team.

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It starts with you. It starts with one.

You can’t motivate your chapter to do work. You can’t even motivate five people to do work. The only thing you can do is motivate yourself. Do Work! You have the power to recruit and be successful. You may not be able to single-handedly double your chapter in size within the next four to six weeks of the semester, but you DO have the power to bring men or women into your organization – one, two, five or more highly qualified and highly motivated members. However, you aren’t going to get there by complaining or by pushing members of your chapter to do it. The only way it will happen is if you – Do Work!

You have to model the way. You have to – Do Work! If you are in charge of recruitment for your chapter and don’t actually do any recruitment, how can you expect any of your members to do any work? You have to be the role model. You have to set the standard. You have to be the best recruiter in the chapter. You have to be the most motivated member of the group. You have to – Do Work! Stop worrying about what people aren’t doing and get busy. Make friends, attend events, hang out, be visible, and be around. Do the things you wish your members would do. As you start to bring people to the organization or into the organization, others will notice and want to help, but if you aren’t doing the work – who will?

YOU have to meet people. You have to get their contact information. You have to add their name to the Names List. You have to hang out with them doing small activities. You have to talk to them about the sorority/fraternity. You have to – Do Work! Be the model of Social Excellence within your chapter. Be the model of good recruitment. Set the standard. Do Work!

Here are five things you can do in the next seven days:

1. Sit somewhere different in class or next to someone you don’t typically sit near (you may have to show up a little late or a little early to do that) and turn them and introduce yourself and ask them to study with you.

2. Go to a campus event on campus (blood drive, speaker, late-night event, student government meeting) and work the room. Meet the people who are there.

3. Call, email or facebook someone you met earlier in the semester and reconnect. Find a reason to hang out, study, or find something that they are doing for a student group they are in and go.

4. Ask one of your new members to introduce you to the people on their floor. Have them take you into their dorm door-to-door to meet them, say hi, and try to strike up a conversation with them (asking about future plans, classes, etc.)

5. Sign up for a service event on campus and go. Make friends with the other people there.

Recruitment success starts with you. It starts with one. Stop complaining about everyone else. Stop making excuses. Suck it up and – Do Work! You may be the only one, but if you don’t, who will? Do Work!

Jessica Gendron Williams is the Director of Women’s Educatoin for Phired Up Productions and brings a wealth of experience and skill when it comes to organizational recruitment and fraternity/sorority culture.  You can see more posts by Jessica at Phired Up’s Recruitment Blog.   Jessica has a Bachelor of Art degree in Graphic Design from Eastern Illinois University and a Master of Science in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University – Bloomington.  She is co-author of I Heart Recruitment: The Eight Steps to Limitless Possibility for Sororities.  Jessica is a proud member of Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority which she joined at EIU.  She now lives in Peoria, Illinois with her husband.

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It is exhausting, expensive and time-consuming.  Most importantly it is used as a crutch by many chapters, relying on potential new members to come to us rather than seeking out the top men on campus.  Should we do away with rush?  Of course not.  Rush is a great opportunity to introduce potential new members that you have been year-round recruiting as well as showcase the fraternity to men that are first considering fraternity membership.  However, rush should be the icing on the cake, not the end all be all.  Similarly, the amount of time the chapter spends focused on rush should proportionate to other methods of recruitment.

Unquestionably, every campus and Greek community is different.  However, here are some time-tested recruitment tactics that if used will yield positive results:

Discuss recruitment weekly – If your recruitment chairman has no report after rush, you’re blowing it.  Recruitment should be discussed weekly.  Whether it is discussing potential new members, upcoming small-group activities, or even ideas for rush the next semester/term, you have to keep recruitment relevant.  The weekly recruitment discussions should be supplemented by recruitment committee meetings where the overarching recruitment plan is discussed in depth.  This committee will also help the recruitment chairman manage the chapter wish list and plan recruitment activities and events.

Ask for referrals – If you need to grow your wish list, just ask.  During the summer, send out emails to all chapter and area alumni asking for names of students they might know are or will be attending your college.  After every sorority has taken a pledge class, visit each sorority and ask them for referrals of the top men on campus they know that should be in a fraternity.  Bring flowers and consider offering a prize such as a formal dinner for the sorority that offers the most referrals.  On one expansion project, our expansion team has received over 400 referrals from seven sororities.  The colony ended up holding a dinner with every chapter.  I guess it was a win-win situation…

Get involved – Do you have members who say they don’t know any potential new members?  Of course you do.  There is a good chance that these guys are not involved in another orgazation on campus.  I would recommend that you make it a requirement that all members are involved in one other student organization on campus.  The more organizations your chapter members are involved in, the larger your prospect pool.  Have your members bring in the rosters from their other organizations and share the names of all the members who should be Phis.

Scout! – Top sports teams don’t wait until draft day to narrow their search for new team members.  They begin the search years in advance to the big day and look for men that will compliment their program.  Why don’t we do this?  The scouting for the top Phi prospects begins today.  Go to your campus website, search student organizations, and add the names and emails of every male non-Greek student organization leader to the wish list.  I would recommend club sports, student government, campus newspaper, resident advisers, new-student orientation, faith-based, and business-oriented organizations.  Discuss these names with chapter members and have people who know them invite them to coffee or lunch with a member of your recruitment committee.  If no one knows them, it’s time for the recruitment committee to make first contact.  Once you recruit the leader of a group, there is a good chance other will follow.  Don’t beleive me?  Just ask the 60+ Founding Fathers at San Diego State…

Know your product – It is great to talk about Neil Armstrong, Lou Gehrig, and Burt Reynolds but how do those guys benefit our potential new members?  Take time to make a list of the things in your chapter that benefit your members.  Supplement that list with other benefits of membership provided through the Fraternity’s Foundation and General Headquarters.  Discussing things like leadership conferences, online networking, member-development webinars, and the hundreds of thousands of dollars given out in scholarships to members of Phi Delta Theta.  It also helps to know statistics.  Did you know that 230,000+ men have been initiated into Phi Delt, we have 115+ alumni clubs, and nearly 169 chapters and colonies?  If you didn’t, there is a good chance that neither did your potential new members.

Read dummy! – There are few people that naturally are good fraternity recruiters.  For the rest of us, there are books and websites that can actually teach you how to be better recruiters. Visiting websites like www.recruitordie.com or www.phiredup.com for online recruitment resources.  Read books like Mattson and Orendi’s Good Guys and  Carnegie’s How to Make Friends and Influence People for additional advice.

Try some of these out and see what works.  If it doesn’t work right away, go back to the drawing board and figure out how it could.  Once you have it figured write it down!  Every chapter should have a detailed, written-recruitment program to pass down to each successive recruitment chairman.

Dustin Struble is a 2006 graduate from California State University, Chico where he served as IFC President, Order of Omega President, and was a student government officer.  Dustin joined the GHQ staff in 2007, originally as a consultant for the Northeast Region.  In 2008, he took over as Director of Expansion overseeing the growth of all colonies and interest groups of the Fraternity.   Following his time in Oxford, Dustin intends to pursuit a Masters Degree in Higher Education.  Dustin enjoys running, reading, karaoke, and In-N-Out Burger.

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