Take a moment to reflect on your sorority membership. You’ve probably changed a lot since you received your bid. You’ve likely developed new skills, stepped out of your comfort zone, made lifelong friends and so much more. Sorority membership is an impactful and empowering experience that we want as many women as possible to experience. When we graduate college, our recruitment days are not behind us. We continue to recruit as alumnae by sharing our story, talking to potential members and encouraging them to participate in recruitment whenever we get the chance.
This year, there is a strong possibility that recruitment looks different and alumnae will help play a role in continuing to grow our membership. We all play an important role in promoting the sorority experience and ensuring we share the value of membership. Whether students return to campus in the fall, go virtual or move to a hybrid model, we know that sororities are an essential part of the collegiate experience–regardless of how that experience is delivered.
As alumnae, we have all have different roles to play to protect and enhance the sorority experience. Potential members often look to alumnae they know to answer questions, write recommendation letters and tell them what the benefits of being in a sorority are. In addition, many of us are advisors or volunteers working closely with collegians who might be a little worried about recruitment. We are also members of alumnae groups that support collegians and educate potential members and their caregivers about the sorority experience. Some of us are sorority alumnae who don’t have a title but want to advocate for the experience. No matter what your role is, we must all do our part to ensure the success of recruitment this fall.
Sororities are an essential part of the collegiate experience – regardless of how that experience is delivered.
All Sorority Alumnae
Each sorority alumnae should make it her goal to share her sorority experience. Potential members and their caregivers want to know that sorority membership is worth it. The best way to know is by hearing the testimonials of sorority women. By telling the world your story you take ownership of your sorority experience. You give permission for potential members to see themselves in your shoes. As a proud sorority woman who owns her experience and believes other women can benefit from membership.
Each sorority alumnae should make it her goal to share her sorority experience. Potential members and their caregivers want to know that sorority membership is worth it. The best way to know is by hearing the testimonials of sorority women. By telling the world your story you take ownership of your sorority experience. You give permission for potential members to see themselves in your shoes. As a proud sorority woman who owns her experience and believes other women can benefit from membership.
There are many ways to share your story. Social media is a great way to share your story with the highest number of people. Posting pictures and reflecting on the benefits of your lifelong sorority membership shows potential members what experience they can have. Think about your experience and how knowing your story can be valuable for a potential member. Perhaps you can share what you got out of your lifelong membership? Think about how your sorority membership helped you past graduation or how can other women benefit? Using hashtags like #JoinASorority allows your content to reach more people and see the biggest impact.
In addition to sharing your story, you can reach out to a college-bound woman you know and talk to her about sorority membership. Tell her what the benefits of membership are, share information about the entire sorority community and how she can join when she gets to campus. We can’t recruit the women who don’t know about our organizations and the true benefits. By having that conversation, you help this potential member envision herself as a sorority woman and be open to the idea of membership when she arrives on campus. While this might seem like a small impact, if each sorority alumna did this, we would reach thousands of potential members each year. You also help positively impact one woman’s life through one conversation.
Alumnae Advisors or Volunteers
We know that recruitment has a strong likelihood to look different this fall, with the possibility of being completely virtual. For many collegians, and alumnae, it is hard to wrap our heads around virtual recruitment. However, as advisors to current collegiate women, we have a duty to reassure them and guide them through the uncertainty that still lies ahead. As students discover that recruitment may need to be held in a virtual format, they may have some concerns and worries. However, we can share with them that there are positives that come from these changes. For example, a virtual recruitment may allow more women to participate due to the schedule flexibility. As we all know, potential members might miss part or all of recruitment due to the schedule as many women work full or part-time jobs while in college. This virtual format allows more flexibility and removes barriers to joining our organizations.
At the same time, we must prepare our collegians to answer the questions they will likely receive from potential members. Questions about cost and the financial commitment to sorority membership are always top of mind. However, we can expect to receive more questions about finances this year. We need to help prepare collegians to fully explain the cost of membership even more. Potential members want to know where their money is going and how they benefit from putting their money into our organizations. While we know, as sorority women, that the cost of membership goes to a lifelong experience, resources, events and so much more, we have to be prepared to be totally transparent during recruitment.
This starts with education for our collegians. They need to fully know what goes into their budgets and what each dollar is going toward. If they understand this information, they can more accurately express this during recruitment. At this time, NPC is also suggesting revisiting your budgets. Is there room to cut out unnecessary spending? If we know we won’t need things for recruitment like rented furniture, flowers or food we should eliminate that from the budge to help lower dues. At the same time, virtual recruitment may come with its own expenses for technology and software.
We hope you can express these points with collegians you work with. It might be helpful to have virtual trainings or meetings with your students. Allow them to express their concerns and questions while you answer and reassure them that this process will work and we will recruit members this year.
Alumnae have more of an impact on Panhellenic recruitment that we know. We are vital to successful recruitment and this year is no exception. In order to continue to see our organizations thrive, we all must do our part and band together.