check out this new tool for tracking & managing sorority points ~ YOUTOPIA! reward and recognize members for their involvement in activities/events and let members easily view point opportunities and their current standings at any time online.
http://www.youtopia.com/info/greek/
submitted by: Riki, ZTA alum, TCU
❉ ❉ super sweet spotlight ❉ ❉
one of the classiest gifts you can give your favorite greek guy ~ fraternity cufflinks!! the collegiate standard has a terrific selection of “man gifts” perfect for the frat gentleman in your life. the ideal way for your boyfriend or big/little brother to show his chapter pride!! i LUV these ☺
http://www.thecollegiatestandard.com
“sorority ever after” a new TV show is now casting ~ looking for sorority sisters who have graduated college and either still live together, or live in the same city!
http://sororitysisterscasting.com.
submitted by: Sheryl
chapter idea file ~ make these canvas boards for a sisterhood workshop! have each sister decorate a canvas with things that describe her personality, character, and values. let everyone share their board. focus on how everyone is unique to the chapter. “individually unique, together complete.”
This isn't a question but I wanted to tell you a really cool story! So I was at work the other day and I worked a terrible 11 hour shift and my FAVORITE elementary school teacher came in and I was talking to her about college and I told her I joined a sorority and she asked which one so I told her (my sorority is regional in New York so theres only 4 chapters) and to my surprise she was in the same one as I am! We did our secret handshake and she was telling me all about when she was in college!
Asked by
melanieex24
that’s what sisterhood is all about!!!
❥ XOXOXOXO ❥
Asked by
kakelynsunshine
it’s NOT too late at all!! being a junior or sophomore is perfectly Ok. for the purposes of recruitment, you are qualified by your credits/grade level, not your physical age. so if you are technically a sophomore, that’s how you are considered by the chapters. it’s important for them to know how many years you have left as a collegiate member.
you have experience, maturity and a college level academic track record under your belt ~ all positives for a PNM! accent your strong points and what you have to offer a sorority in your remaining years at school. explain what you bring to the table as a grounded and enthusiastic girl who is ready to step into leadership and be a good role model for your pledge class.
in most chapters they like to have a balance between the new freshmen and some “older” girls who have good heads on their shoulders. you should be just what they are looking for! gooood luck! xoxo ;)
To the girl concerned being black & joining an NPC sorority: I rushed a NPC sorority as a freshman & I couldn't have been happier. Every school is different, but most "good" sororities only care about character & how you present yourself, not color :) good luck!
Although I love my sorority house, it is a little lack-luster. It would definitely help if we gave the house a makeover to impress PNMs (even though it is such a small part of recruitment) Ive heard of other houses renovations being completely funded by alumni donations. How realistic is this?
Asked by
heylay
i think this totally depends on the level of your alum support and their financial resources. you might also consider holding internal fundraisers for ‘house improvements’. bottom line ~ this is a chapter finance and budget issue that your executive board would oversee.
for a small sprucing up, why not host a sisterhood work weekend? if everyone pitches in to paint, clean and update a little, it wouldn’t cost much. fresh paint can change your world! if a sister, or a mom, can use a sewing machine, she can make fresh pillow covers for example. even curtain panels and chair seat covers can be easily DIY. add to that some creative flea market or discount shopping and your sorority house will sparkle on a tight budget. keep in mind, your alumnae might be more willing to help make things, or donate some nice pieces, than give cash.
i would start doing some research on ‘design on a dime’ style home decorating projects (HGTV comes to mind). get ideas from pinterest or decorating websites too. with creativity a new look can be yours for not very much money. and don’t forget the dads who can use a power saw to add some architectural details to your lack luster house. by utilizing the labor of your sisters and their families, i believe you can get a new look without breaking the bank. xoxo ;)
Hi! I was looking through the sorority tag and found your blog which I absolutely love! I just recently became very interested in Greek life because all my friends who were a year above me joined sororities their freshman year of college. So, I researched more about it and I've become almost obsessed and I'm super excited for recruitment! My only concern is that I'm Asian so I'm wondering if that gives me a lesser chance of receiving a bid?
Asked by
youthfulwanderlust
i am thrilled that you are interested in greek life! being asian has no effect on your chances one way or the other. sororities are looking for sisters and life long friends who they have things in common with, not matching skin color. NPC chapters do not discriminate by race.
chapters will focus instead on your activites, leadership, grades, character and all around like-ability! if you are outgoing, charming, sweet and smart, you are sure to find a sorority home during recruitment.
IF you are specially interested in an “asian cultural” sorority, some colleges have those too. some girls feel more comfortable sticking with their ethic group ~ and that’s Ok. whatever you like the best is the way you should go!
if you go to my sorority sugar homepage, you will see several links on the navigation bar that will give you even more information about greek life! goooood luck next fall. xoxo ;)
Asked by
lillylovingforlife
i think email is the best way to initiate contact ~ at least to begin with. remember the sorority letters are ‘chapter to chapter’, not panhellenic as a whole. for example, if you are rushing a DG chapter, you need a letter from an active or alum DG to be mailed to the chapter on your campus. the process is specific to the chapters where you need letters, and must be sent ‘member to member’, not through you as a PNM.
so if you can reach out to your local panhellenic via email and ask about how to connect with the alums you need, that would be ideal! i would start with the website you’ve found, write and ask how you would make contact with a DG, AST, KKG, & DZ for example and take it from there. you can also look for the individual alumnae chapters in your area. that will allow you to go directly to your target organizations.
you are on the right track…
• pinpoint the sororities you need letters from specifically.
• email your request to the target alum chapter or individual members.
• introduce yourself in your email and include an informative resume.
• include the name and address where the rec letter should be mailed (the chapter on your future campus).
• follow up with a thank you email when the process is completed.
• don’t forget to brainstorm about active sisters you may know. they can write letters too. know any older girls from high school who are now in one of your target sororities? they can be active on any campus in the country.
• keep in mind ‘young alums’ too. girls who have recently graduated are sometimes overlooked, since they are not active in their chapters any more, and may not be part of an alumnae group yet.
• network with everyone in your town, friends, relatives, business associates, distant family, friends of friends, church and club members, teachers, coaches, neighbors, anyone you know is a little better than a ‘stranger’ letter!
good luck and keep being pro-active! xoxo ;)
Q: I go to school at an 80% male university in the middle of nowhere. There are two sororities on campus. We are currently at 10 active members and the other sorority is about double. We are in desperate need of expansion and would like to double our number with this years fall recruitment, however we want quality, not quantity; which is the main reason why we have much less girls than the other sorority. What are your suggestions for successful (informal) recruitment events and other tips to help us double this year? ~ controltheskys
A: i applaud you for establishing greek life even when the numbers are working against you. way to go! i think it’s possible to recruit at least 10 more new members in the fall. your chapter needs to do some market research and find out what will attract the highest quality PNMs. you are selling a “product”. to do this effectively in a challenging environment, you must discover who are your potential members and what message will your target audience respond to best. your chapter must find the right girls and lure them in with desirable benefits.
a chapter brainstorming session is in order! find out the answers to these questions and you will be able to tailor your “pitch” to the girls who are likely to join…
- in general, what type of girls like to join your sorority? create a profile of your ideal PNM.
- where can these PNMs be found ~ what majors or departments favor your type of girls? the science department? performing arts?
- what do your target PNMs do for fun? outdoorsy sports? bar-hopping?
- what social media is best for reaching the kind of girls you are looking for? facebook, twitter, instagram?
- does the school newspaper, radio station or student bulletin board reach the girls on campus? what about dorm organizations, clubs, sports teams, table displays on the lawn, or other college-wide publications/events/groups?
- how can your existing members personally network to recruit friends of friends on campus?
- what are the top 5 reasons to join your chapter? what specific benefits can you offer?
- why should the PNMs join the greek community in general? what’s ‘in it’ for girls who may not know much about greek life?
- what little promo item would your PNMs respond to? for example ~ cookies with your greek letters, sorority koozie, sorority pen & notepad, decals, etc… tailor a small “advertising” piece to the preferences of the girls that you want to attract.
- can you team up with the other chapter and host a “get to know greek life” event to educate the PNMs on the joys of greek life? learning about sorority membership in general may be beneficial for both chapters. use the panhellenic spirit to help you both.
- can you enlist some help from fraternities? you don’t mention how many frats there on campus with 80% males, but if there is an active fraternity system, you should tap into their structure to promote sorority growth. this would benefit your chapter tremendously.
- what are the common misconceptions and complaints about sororities at your school? it’s tough to hear, but if you can review the negatives that are keeping girls away (usually out of ignorance or mis-information) then you can meet those negatives head on. address and eliminate all obstacles to joining.
after you have done your research from A to Z, then you can tailor your informal rush events to fit the desires of your PNMs and to spotlight the strong points of your chapter. if your sisters (and target PNMs) love music, then a song or dance themed party would be perfect. if everyone is really into high tech, then make sure you are communicating through the latest apps. your approach and your end results are tightly related!
the basic chapter plan: learn who, what, where are the PNMs • educate • communicate • promote • publicize • attract • share • entice • then close the deal with a maximum number of new members!! gooooood luck!! xoxo ;)
Q: I’m a sister of Phi Sigma Sigma and this upcoming fall is our first semester where we don’t have formal rush. I go to a school where Greek life isn’t that huge on campus, so we’ve never really done anything besides formal rush. We don’t have Greek row, or our own house even. Do you have any ideas on how to go about doing a social rush, or maybe ideas of ways we can really put ourselves out there? This will be my senior year and I’m really hoping to make a difference! ~ sammmhope
A: casual, informal rush can be lots of fun and much less stress too! i would start by brainstorming what your chapter really likes to do and what their personality is. your social events should reflect what your chapter is all about. for example, would your sisters like to go indoor rock climbing, or host an ice cream party? would they rather rollar skate, belly dance, or have a build-your-own-pizza night? show “who you are” and recruit new members at the same time ~ that’s the goal. only your chapter can know what suits them best. if your sisters are having fun, then it will be easier to attract PNMs. think outside the box and take advantage of any unique local attractions in your area too.
typically an informal rush is a combination of these things: an information session, maybe a reception, tea or open house and about 3 casual parties. members have fun together while evaluating the PNMs at the same time. even though it’s not formal, you should still make rush ‘important’. tee shirts, promotional materials, favors, fun foods and decorations are all part of making your chapter stand out to PNMs. you can’t skip all the sugar!
also, put yourself in the shoes of a PNM and ask yourself these questions:
- what makes this phi sig chapter stand out from the other sororities on campus?
- what do they like to do for fun?
- what does their sisterhood mean? what are they all about?
- why should i join the phi sig girls instead of XYZ sorority?
- does the phi sig “sugar” represent all the spirit, sisterhood and good times offered by the chapter?
- are the sisters welcoming, friendly, chatty, caring, and just great to be around? do i fit in here?
- without a sorority house, how do the sisters stay connected?
- have i seen publicity about phi sig around campus? am i aware of their mission?
i hope all these ideas & tips get you thinking about what events to plan and how PNMs may be viewing your chapter. you need to shine a little brighter ~ if you are outside the fall formal recruitment system! for more help, specific party ideas, etc… i suggest you go to my Pinterest library of information posts and browse the topics that apply. i think you can build a wonderful informal rush for fall by doing what your chapter loves best and spotlighting your sisterhood!! xoxo ;)
http://pinterest.com/sororitysugar/sorority-girls-do-it-better/
