Winning Formal Recruitment
Tyler Boggess, Drake '10, Chapter Services Director-East
As we start to ramp up for the fall semester, a big thing on the minds of most chapter leaders is preparing for success in recruitment. Many chapters have the opportunity to bring in the right number of high quality individuals during the first few weeks on campus by making the most of formal recruitment before transitioning to year round efforts.
Winning formal recruitment is an important first step to a successful year. As your chapter prepares for the first and most important challenge of the fall, consider these steps to help you along the way:
Before Formal Recruitment Starts:
- Have a Plan – write down your plan to win, and follow it. A good plan should include a recruitment goal and the specific steps that will allow you to reach your goal. Go beyond IFC-sponsored events to find men who might not have thought about joining a fraternity.
- Identify Your Standards – what kind of brother are we looking for? What is our minimum GPA requirement? What kinds of values and character do we want him to have? Identifying our ideal brother helps us narrow down a large group to quality individuals.
- Determine Your Message – and practice it. Why should someone join SigEp? What sets our chapter apart? What are the benefits of joining SigEp? Clarify your message and spend time practicing how to articulate that with the entire chapter before formal recruitment starts.
- Manage a Potential New Member List – whether it’s from the university, IFC, Balanced Man Scholarship, or brother referrals, keep names and information in a shared central location. Google Docs work best. Spend time researching and getting to know as many of these men before hand for the next step.
Quick tip: Typically, for every 10 names on a list, one person will be a good fit for SigEp, will have the finances, and will end up joining. Translation: If we want to recruit 30 new members, we should have a list of 300 potential new members. - Connect Common Interests – use your research and what you know ahead of time to identify who should be talking to whom. Match brothers with potential new members (PNMs) ahead of time. If a PNM loves to play a certain sport, make sure your star varsity or IM athlete knows his name and that he needs to find him. With hundreds of men coming to your events, it pays off to have this organized ahead of time.
During Formal Recruitment:
- Execute the “Rounds” – Generally speaking, the progression of formal recruitment can be successful by focusing on these things:
- Round 1 – should be all about getting to know the potential new members. Ask about the 5 Fs: Firsts, Friends, Family, Fun, Future
- Round 2 – spend some time going a little more in depth with the PNMs. This is the time to start talking about values, and asking 2nd and 3rd level questions to get to know someone. Be sure to relate things back to SigEp wherever possible.
- Round 3 – it’s time to talk about the benefits of SigEp, and why they should join. This is where the practice of articulating your SigEp message pays off. Be sure to handle any objections they may have.
- Game Plan Before Each Round - Whether that is a formal recruitment night, event, or meeting of any kind, bring the chapter together and discuss what to talk about that night. Remind them of what to say to the potential new members and how to say it. Preparation is essential to success.
- Bring your A-Game – use the 3 As of recruitment:
- Appearance – brothers should be well dressed and our facility should be clean.
- Attitude – everyone is drawn to positive energy. We must be open, welcoming, and excited to be meeting potential new brothers.
- Action – planning and preparation is nothing without execution. Spend time planning for success, be assertive in introducing yourself, and take the initiative to connect common interests.
- Set Your Chapter Apart – How are we differentiating ourselves from the rest of campus? Are we talking about and doing the exact same things, or are we standing out from the rest? What makes our chapter unique? The details in formal presentations, published materials, and our general approach to recruitment can help us stand out. For a college freshman, joining a fraternity may be the first big life decision he makes on his own.
The better we explain what makes SigEp different from other campus organizations and fraternities, the easier we make it for the right guys to choose SigEp. Have a volunteer lead a chapter discussion on how we explain SigEp to potential members. That can make a profound impact on our ability to talk about the benefits of membership.
One of the best things you can do is contact your Regional Director or SEC Manager to ask for help identifying how you can win formal recruitment. Good luck this fall!
For more information, check out the recruitment page of SigEp.org.
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