A Crib Sheet For Advisors
by Matt Mattson
A few months back we got this wonderful request from an advisor (Seneca Crump) at Ohio State.
We want to develop a list of common language that Phired Up utilizes to work with chapters around growth so we can begin normalizing this language into our coaching practices. Do you all already have a list of common terminology/words used with Phired Up? In addition, we will be walking the students through steps to developing a successful, comprehensive recruitment plan for their chapter, and I wanted to know if you had any access to recruitment plan outlines/templates that we could utilize as a reference to re-create our own?
This question was so good, we wanted to share our response publicly as sort of a “crib sheet” to help advisors work with chapters. Thanks Seneca!
In general, we typically go through the following questions with a chapter (from any council) when we’re working with them to develop their overall growth plan. There are certainly deeper questions to get into (that are often council-specific), but these are a good place to start.
- Who are your chapter’s “workhorses“? Who is the team you’ll gather together regularly and know you can trust to do the hard work of chapter growth? When will this group be having meetings to do outreach, follow-up, and planning work regularly?
- How can I help you get your ChapterBuilder account set up, organized, and ready for immediate use?
- What is your chapter’s criteria for selecting the right members? How will you ensure you’re evaluating a prospect’s riskiness, values-alignment, and culture fit? How will you do that in an inclusive and equitable way? A chapter’s answers might be somewhat “secret,” but these questions are vital.
- How will you drive names onto your Names List? What tactics will you use to intentionally network, meet non-members, and give yourself a chance to recruit them?
- What is your plan for building relationships with prospective members? Show me how you’ll organize events, activities, one-on-one meetings, interviews, etc. Are all of these plans likely to build authentic, trust-filled relationships?
- How will you create intentional human-to-human opportunities for people to consider, discuss, and accept an invitation to membership? “Closing the deal” is a commonly under-planned portion of the growth process.
- Do you have a growth coach that is consistently asking you questions like this to help you systemize your plan?
Here are some generally universal growth-related terms our team uses when working with chapters.
Chapter Growth Vocabulary/Concepts
Names List: A chapter’s list of prospective members. Probably kept on ChapterBuilder. This is the center of any chapter’s growth system.
Recruitment: The overall process a chapter uses to attract, select, and secure new members. This process varies significantly by council and by chapter.
Marketing/Growth Marketing: The work a chapter does to a) communicate it’s core narrative, b) drive leads onto its names list, c) communicate expectations of membership, and d) develop trust with its audiences. More information here.
Social Excellence: The simple momentary choices members make to create meaningful, authentic human connection. More information here.
Dynamic Recruitment: A philosophy of growth that is active, intentional, and relationship-focused. More information here.
Values-Based Selection: A chapter’s process for using organizational values as a primary source for determining the process and criteria for the selection of new members. More information here.
Principles of Inclusivity & Equity in the Joining Process: Every chapter should work to make their joining process as inclusive and equitable as possible. More information about 9 Universal Principles can be found here.
Pre-Close: A personal human-to-human conversation about the concerns a prospective member might have prior to a formal invitation for membership. More information here.
Virtual Recruitment: A range of tactics used to attract, select, and secure new members through digital media. More information here.
Prospect/Potential New Member/PNM: Any non-affiliated person who has entered into a chapter’s joining process but not yet joined.
New Member: Any individual who has accepted an invitation to join a chapter generally within a single academic term.
Referrals: The act of asking other people to introduce a chapter or recommend to a chapter individuals who might be engaged in conversations about joining.
Mind Joggers: The process of a group of chapter members listing all the non-affiliated qualified students they already know. (Video) & (Resource)
Quantity Drives Quality: A growth philosophy that reminds a chapter that the more prospects they have to choose from, the more likely it is that they’ll find the right members for their chapter.