Brenau University's new initiates from Spring 2009

Many of our chapters are working on recruitment for their fall initiations now and we wanted to share some cool ideas we’ve heard chapters are doing to recruit the best and the brightest students. Here are a few of our favorites:

• “Nomination” e-mails sent from academic grade reports. Students feel honored to qualify for membership and you can reach a lot of people without spending a lot of time.
• Choose chapter ambassadors to help spread the word to their individual chapters. You can target scholarship chairs, a student who is a previous initiate of GSA or simply a leader in the chapter. Ask these students to encourage membership, even consider hosting a small competition to see which chapter can bring in the most new members. This brings a diverse group of students into the organization and hopefully all of your chapters are represented!
• Charge initiates a small “local dues” on top of the $25 national dues. Use this additional money to sponsor book scholarships for new members. A possible monetary incentive for students will increase interest.
• Run names of qualifying students in an ad in the student newspaper, congratulating them on their academic achievement and outlining steps to get involved in Gamma Sigma Alpha. The public recognition is great for students and gives visibility to the organization.
• Ask the Deans office to promote membership when sending out congratulatory letters to students who qualify for the Dean’s list. This allows campus administration to support the cause and adds credibility to the organization.
• Set recruitment goals surpassing the number of initiates your group brought in last year. Set up a contest to see which previous GSA initiate can recruit the most number of new initiates, offer a small incentive to that student. This idea empowers the current membership to recruit and sometimes yields the best results.

Does your chapter have a unique recruitment idea? If so, leave a comment or contact us here. Good luck and let us know how we can help you achieve your recruitment goals!

The Gamma Alpha chapter of Gamma Sigma Alpha was chartered at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995 and continues to be one of our largest chapters nationwide, initiating more than 150 students each year. Current membership is almost 400 members. How does the chapter recruit so many members? Tactics include:

• Current Gamma Sigma Alpha members visit chapter meetings to discuss the organization and encourage qualified members to apply
• Two new member scholarships are offered to Gamma Sigma Alpha initiates
• Membership selection is all completed online

In addition to recognizing academic achievement, the Gamma Sigma Alpha chapter at UNC at Chapel Hill also strives to complete 1-2 service projects each semester. For more information about UNC’s Fraternity/Sorority community, you can visit: www.greeks.unc.edu. Thanks for being a shining example for Gamma Sigma Alpha, keep up the great work!