Membership Recruitment: A Marathon or a Sprint? Samford University January 26, 2013

Why Did You Join? Take a minute and think about why you joined your organization. What drew you in? What made you want to be a brother or a sister?

Marathon or Sprint? mar·a·thon /ˈmarəˌTHän/Noun A long-distance running race, strictly one of 26 miles and 385 yards (42.195 km); A long-lasting or difficult task or operation of a specified kind.

Marathon or Sprint? sprint (sprnt) n.1. The act or an instance of sprinting, especially a short race at top speed. 2. A burst of speed or activity; v. sprint·ed, sprint·ing, sprints v. intr. To move rapidly or at top speed for a brief period, as in running or swimming; v. tr. To move over (a distance) rapidly or at top speed for a brief period.

Values-Based Recruitment Values: Define how we will conduct the organization and ourselves and identify what matters to the organization (Sigma Kappa Sorority). Values: The ideas, ideals, rules for living (Phired Up Productions);

Values-Based Recruitment In small groups, use the flip chart paper to describe your ideal chapter member in terms of values. Be prepared to share your answers with the group.

Values-Based Recruitment Ritual: The principles actions, patterns of behavior, expressions (Phired Up Productions). Values Based Recruitment: To recruit men and women based upon the values of our fraternity or sorority (Sigma Nu Fraternity, 2010).

Values-Based Recruitment Sharing leadership success draws leaders; Highlighting academic achievements appeals to scholars; Displaying the strength of sisterhood/brotherhood attracts women/men who are supportive, fun and memorable; Showcasing a commitment of time and energy to serve will attract those who want to give back to your organization -Sigma Kappa Sorority

Recruitment: 24/7/365 "From the outside looking in you can never understand it. From the inside looking out you can never explain it.” What are your thoughts about this quote?

Recruitment: 24/7/365 You need purpose and people When was the last time you spent a portion of your chapter meeting discussing your purpose and goals as an organization and how that relates to membership recruitment? How does your purpose translate into how you will recruit and who you will recruit? When was the last time you practiced communicating your organization’s core values and beliefs?

Recruitment 24/7/365 What do you think year-round recruitment would look like on your campus?

Recruitment: 24/7/365 Reasons chapters give for not recruiting year-round: “Our chapter achieved quota and is well above total;” “Recruitment takes so much time, we barely have time to do it once a year!” “We are exhausted!” “Everyone who wants to be Greek participates in formal recruitment” “It doesn’t work”

Recruitment: 24/7/365 Matt Mattson and Josh Orendi of Phired Up Productions provide three tips to make year-round recruitment more manageable: 1) Cure the Eventitis disease; 2) People don’t join organizations…People join people; 3) You can’t recruit people you don’t know…so go meet them!

Recruitment: 24/7/365 Four Competencies of Dynamic Recruitment Skills: Having the ability to communicate, socialize, and effectively grow your membership; Product Knowledge: Having a good understanding of your organization, its value to members, and its value to the community; Audience Awareness: Having the awareness of who you want, where he/she is, and how to find him/her; Motivation: Having the drive and guts to do what is necessary to get the results you desire. Colleen Coffey & Jessica Gendron, I heart Recruitment

Recruitment 24/7/365 Even though the idea is that we are always recruiting people and sharing our organization’s values by the way in which we choose to live our lives….that doesn’t mean as chapters and councils we do not need concrete plans! The following slides give some thoughts on things you can do this spring to prepare for a Fall recruitment period. This is just a starting point for you to add in your own organization’s timeline and chapter needs!

Recruiting Timeline January: Review recruitment evaluations from the Fall; Review council recruitment policies; Appoint committees/chairs and review responsibilities; Spend time talking about your organization’s ritual/values/purpose/goals; Review current chapter image and desired image (see previous point); Review qualities the chapter is looking for in a member (do they reflect the organization’s values?); Continue to recruit

Recruiting Timeline February: March: Implement a plan for educating your chapter about the recruitment process (pay special attention to new initiates); Ensure that your PR plan is supporting recruitment efforts (are you acting in a genuine manner?); Review the recruitment budget (understand that most recruitment activities cost nothing!); Continue to recruit. March: By this time all materials should be ordered for specific Fall recruitment events; Continue to meet regularly with recruitment officers, other chapter officers, advisors, committees and the chapter as a whole about the values that are guiding your membership selection process; Have conversations about values-based recruitment during chapter meeting;

Recruiting Timeline April/May: Continue to educate chapter members about the recruitment process and teach members how to recruit; Finalize plans for specific recruitment events in the Fall; Continue to recruit—acknowledge to chapter members that just because they may not be on campus over the summer they are still representing their chapters and they are always recruiting! Members should be living their organization’s values in their daily lives. *As always, follow your specific organization’s recruitment policies and institutional guidelines

Resources Phired Up Productions; www.phiredup.com I Heart Recruitment; by Colleen Coffey & Jessica Gendron Kappa Alpha Theta Membership and Recruitment resources

Holly Morris Luther hmluther@gmail.com Contact Information Holly Morris Luther hmluther@gmail.com