You’ve Probably Got a Recruitment Problem

October 3, 2022 No comments Article

By: RJ Taylor + The Phired Up Team

This blog is meant to be a thought exercise for organization and community leaders.

Do you have a problem with people not paying their dues on time?
Do you have a problem with new members feeling overwhelmed and undersupported?
Do you have a problem with older members checking out?
Do you have a problem with older members who think they know it all?
Do you have a problem with leaders feeling stretched thin by their many campus involvement responsibilities?
Do you have a problem with members refusing to get involved in organizations outside the chapter?
Do you have a problem with members only seeking outside leadership opportunities?
Do you have a problem with leaders who are in it for themselves or their resumes?
Do you have a problem with members who are in it for their family or their resumes?
Do you have a problem with members who like to sit in the back row and complain but never offer solutions?
Do you have a problem with members not making grades?
Do you have a problem with new members not making grades?
Do you have a problem with members only showing up to social events?
Do you have a problem with members who don’t even show up to social events?
Do you have a problem with members who say: “we don’t recruit”?
Do you have a problem with cliques?
Do you have a problem with drama between members?
Do you have a problem with drama between other chapters?
Do you have a problem with drama with alumni?
Do you have a problem with coming up with creative ideas?
Do you have a problem with not following through on creative ideas?
Do you have a problem with members having the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality?
Do you have a problem with toxic members?
Do you have a problem with the founding members who just graduated and didn’t transition to the next class on “how to” run this thing?
Do you have a problem with too many seniors graduating this year, too many Juniors left during COVID, and now your chapter membership isn’t sustainable across all classes?
Do you have a problem with executive board roles and responsibilities not being clear?
Do you have a problem with low attendance at chapter events?
Do you have a problem with getting members to sign up for national events?
Do you have a problem with meeting attendance requirements for campus community events?
Do you have a problem with meeting attendance requirements for HQ events?
Do you have a problem with feeling weighed down by the 47 reports due to your campus FSL office?
Do you have a problem with feeling weighed down by the 47 reports due to your HQ office?
Do you have a problem with paying off your debt to the state/regional/national organization?
Do you have a problem with paying off your debt to the housing corporation?
Do you have a problem with not having the money you need to do things that are fun?
Do you have a problem with not having the money you need to do things that are purposeful?
Do you have a problem with keeping dues affordable?
Do you have a problem with being put on social probation?
Do you have a problem with alumni not staying engaged?
Do you have a problem with alumni who want the experience to remain the exact same as their own?
Do you have a problem with not feeling able to have difficult conversations as a chapter?
Do you have a problem with fundraising?
Do you have a problem with raising money for the cause you are passionate about?
Do you have a problem with members who won’t show up for community service?
Do you have a problem with members who repeatedly violate risk management policies?
Do you have a problem with getting consistent advisor support?
Do you have a problem with leaders not knowing how to hold members accountable?
Do you have a problem with members not knowing how to hold leaders accountable?
Do you have a problem with planning out the semester after it’s halfway over?
Do you have a problem with members not following policies or organizational/campus procedures?
Do you have a problem with officers saying “no report” each week?
Do you have a problem with officers feeling burned out?
Do you have a problem with keeping the house or meeting facility in any sort of good condition?
Do you have a problem with starting over every semester after nonexistent officer transitions?
Do you have a problem with having to make everything mandatory?
Do you have a problem with hazing?
Do you have a problem with following through on what you promise interested students?
Do you have a problem with managing a bad past reputation?
Do you have a problem with getting social media engagement?
Do you have a problem with members embarrassing the chapter with their behavior?
Do you have a problem with members having low social confidence and an inability to connect with other people or chapters?
Do you have a problem with managing your budget?
Do you have a problem with fraud/embezzlement by past/current members?
Do you have a problem with navigating negative outlooks from campus staff?
Do you have a problem with navigating negative outlooks from faculty?
Do you have a problem with navigating your relationship with your council leadership?
Do you have a problem with overcoming the internalized unhealthy expectations of fraternity/sorority? (thanks, media)
Do you have a problem with people saying dues are too expensive?
Do you have a problem with people saying membership is too much of a time commitment?
Do you have a problem with not being able to conduct membership due to organization restrictions?
Do you have a problem with members comparing your chapter to other chapters on bigger campuses?
Do you have a problem with members comparing your chapter to other chapters on your campus?
Do you have a problem with mental health and wellness concerns that impact your chapter’s leadership and little to no support to help them through?
Do you have a problem with members consuming excessive amounts of alcohol?
Do you have a problem with members using drugs?
Do you have a problem with parents bullying chapter leaders on behalf of their children?
Do you have a problem with new members not knowing what’s expected of them?
Do you have a problem with navigating Abolish Greek Life?
Do you have a problem with navigating inflation?
Do you have a problem with members only wanting to talk about “when are we getting a house?”
Do you have a problem with filling the house?
Do you have a problem with creating a chapter identity separate from the house?
Do you have a problem with holding people accountable for what happens at the “off-campus house”?
Do you have a problem with your relationship with non-university-affiliated neighbors?
Do you have a problem with members who think being a niche organization limits the prospect pool?
Do you have a problem with not having specific selection criteria?
Do you have a problem with members who believe in outdated or overly selective criteria?
Do you have a problem with people not accepting your invitations to membership/bids?
Do you have a problem with new members quitting?
Do you have a problem with members quitting?
Do you have a problem with the school newspaper not writing positively about fraternity or sorority?
Do you have a problem with a lack of awareness or visibility of your chapter on campus?
Do you have a problem with a lack of awareness or visibility of your council on campus?
Do you have a problem with building relationships with chapters that aren’t a part of your council?
Do you have a problem with members wanting to go “early alum” status?
Do you have a problem with members requesting special status to go financially inactive?
Do you have a problem with members talking about sisterhood/brotherhood/siblinghood but not living it out”
Do you have a problem with members not following through or living up to their promises?
Do you have a problem with (insert your problem here)?

You’ve probably got a recruitment problem.

Because recruitment CREATES culture! Yes, culture change in fraternities and sororities is essential, but culture creation can be transformational.

Ask yourself these questions:

What is the earliest moment you think the problem could have started to form?
When could the unspoken expectations behind your problem have started to be misinterpreted and misaligned?
Who are you attracting to your chapter? Why?
In what ways are you trying to attract them?
If a prospective member had to choose one word to describe your chapter’s joining process, what word do you think they’d choose?
If the average student on your campus had to choose one word to describe your chapter, what word do you think they’d choose?
What promises are you making to prospective members (both explicitly and implicitly) in your joining process?
What percentage of the promises does your chapter follow through on?