Build Your Fall Recruitment Plan

by Matt Mattson

How do the best chapters prepare for a successful recruitment period in the early parts of the fall semester? That’s the question every fraternity chapter recruitment chair should be asking right now.

I had a recruitment chair that I personally coach ask me that recently, and he’s what I recommended…

Build a month-long, detailed, fall recruitment calendar that starts on MOVE-IN day, and ends a month later. This is really important. Every week should include, at a minimum, the following:

a.    2 Call Sessions
b.    2 Strategies to Grow Your Names List (6 Cylinders Ideas)
c.    2 Recruitment Events (Mostly away from the house until 3 weeks into the semester)
d.    As many 1-on-1’s/2-on-1’s/Small Activities as you can fit in.
e.    1 Day to vote on prospects.

Here is a sample from a past year. It’s very detailed and pretty intense. That’s what the best chapters do.

SAMPLE 6-WEEK FALL RECRUITMENT CALENDAR

Remember, building your recruitment plan depends on your ability (along with the workhorses in your chapter) to effectively answer the following five questions in detail.

1. How will you build your Names List?
2. How will you build meaningful relationships between the people on your Names List and your organization’s members?
3. How will you objectively evaluate prospective members’ qualification for membership using your values — how will you choose new members? (Use your Values Based Selection Process)
4. How will you “close ” prospects (how will you gain their deep commitment to joining)?
5. How will you represent your values throughout everything you do to try to attract a high quantity of high quality people to your cause?