10 QUICK Recruitment Ideas For Right Now

April marks for many of us the beginning of the end of the semester. Finals are approaching, quickly followed by the summer break. Between our classes, our jobs and our activities, the calendar fills up quickly, leaving seemingly little room for anything beyond our standard responsibilities. Telling you that recruitment of all things should still be holding a place on your priority list these last few months of the semester, then, could evoke a predictable reaction:

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Knowing that schedules are busy, to-do lists are long and sleep is limited, here is a list of quick, small, but effective ways to continue working toward your recruitment goals even during this crazy time of year.

1. Write down the names of 10 students that you know are not affiliated with a fraternity or sorority. 10. Right now. (If you can’t, then skip #1 and move directly to #2). If you can, the send them a text to grab lunch, play sports, study for finals, or hang out this weekend.
2. Go make at least 1 new friend. Seriously. If you’re surrounded by people, pick one, extend your hand and shake theirs. If you’re alone, take a walk and find a new friend.
3. Reserve a table in the library to study at during finals week. Invite your friends – new and old – to join you. Studying with friends will make the end of the semester even just a little less stressful!
4. Ask your Fraternity/Sorority Advisor for the list of students who dropped out of the recruitment process during this year. Take one of those folks out to lunch or coffee, and discuss why it might be worth it to try recruitment again next school year.
5. Make sure your organization is registered for any involvement fair or organization expo this fall.
6. Why wait until the fall? Set up a table in a popular place on campus, and immediately get out from behind it. Start a RPS tournament. Give away free hugs. High-five strangers as they leave the library. Why not?
7. Take the group of your newest recruiters to the mall, and challenge them to walk around, meet new people, and make at least one new friend. Best story of meeting a stranger wins a prize! (you should play too.) Practice makes perfect!
8. Ask your chapter members to write down the name and contact information of any unaffiliated students they might know on campus. Check out the Mind Joggers activity available for free here.
9. Challenge: can you make 5 new friends in 5 days? Try it. Try to introduce yourself and shake the hand of 5 strangers within the next week.
10. Call us. We’d love to help you brainstorm, plan, and develop a recruitment strategy for the fall!

It is rarely a matter of not having time for recruitment, but of making the time for recruitment. By implementing any one of these short, fun and efficient ideas (or all of them), you can continue your growth all the way through the busy end-of-the-semester time of year.