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USING WINTER BREAK EFFECTIVELY CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE
As the fall semester wraps up and everyone makes their way home for winter break, what will you do to help prepare your chapter for spring recruitment? Almost one third of SigEps are recruited in the spring. Whether spring is your primary recruitment period or an opportunity for you to add onto your fall totals, mastering spring recruitment can help you stock your chapter with the most talented men on campus.
Brad Golson, Lousiana State, ‘05, chapter counselor at American, shares his thoughts about spring recruitment success and highlights how collaborative undergraduate members, chapter leaders and volunteers can use the holiday break to set the chapter up for a big spring. Here are some of the best practices he has observed over the last two years:
Do not spend the entire break lying on the couch. Save yourself time and a headache by starting to plan for spring recruitment (formal or informal). With no classes and a slower pace on campus, chapters should use this time to:
- Reserve all venues for recruitment events— on and off campus.
- Assign responsibilities for spring events such as purchasing recruitment supplies, making menus for recruitment events or managing a budget.
- Inform individuals who will be speaking during recruitment events so they can start working on their talking points.
- Organize your list of target recruits— this includes gathering new names and organizing names you already have. Create a spreadsheet with vital contact information, and notes like hometowns and majors for each recruit. Keep track of which brothers know them personally.
- Encourage brothers to interact with potential new members from their hometowns over the holidays and report progress to recruitment leadership.
Chapter leaders and volunteers can help drive this preparation effort by scheduling a few check-ins over the break, either by phone or in person.
If you maximize your time over the holidays, be sure to acknowledge the hard work of specific individuals at the first chapter meeting of the spring semester. This will give you credibility as a chapter leader and start getting people excited about spring recruitment.
Brad’s experience rings true for chapters ranging from large state schools such as Louisiana State to small private schools like American. Successful spring recruitment takes meticulous planning and execution. Chapters that build a list of quality prospects, become friends with those recruits, and pitch the features and benefits of joining SigEp will excel in recruitment regardless of the time of year.
Spring recruitment isn’t hard, it just takes work. Use the winter break slip to your advantage— keep working on recruitment!
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