Monday, June 8, 2020

Sharing Your Sorority Experience with Potential Members

By now, many of us can imagine that this fall, NPC sorority recruitment is likely to look very different as campuses move to virtual instruction or a hybrid of in-person and virtual instruction. As members of NPC sororities, both alumnae and collegiate members, we are all vital in attracting potential new members to the sorority experience. But, it can be nerve-racking not knowing how to approach a potential new member or what to do if she approaches you.

You want to handle these conversations in a way that promotes the overall sorority experience, not just one organization or chapter. The potential member should be learning about your experience and how she can have similar experiences in any NPC sorority. 

During your conversation with her, you can offer to answer any questions she has about sorority membership. Making a personal connection with her allows her to gain an insight into sorority membership which can lead to her participation in recruitment. By having that conversation, you might also encourage her to join a sorority if she hadn’t been thinking about it before. After all, we can’t recruit women who don’t know about our organizations or the benefits of membership. 

 Structuring the Conversation

To help you feel more confident having these kinds of conversations about sororities and your sorority experience, we’ve broken it down into an easy three-step process, inspired by our friends at Phired Up.

By now, many of us can imagine that this fall, NPC sorority recruitment is likely to look very different as campuses move to a hybrid of in-person and virtual instruction or full virtual instruction. As members of NPC sororities, both alumnae and collegiate members, we are all vital in attracting potential new members to the sorority experience. But, it can be nerve-racking not knowing how to approach a potential new member or what to do if she approaches you.

You want to handle these conversations in a way that promotes the overall sorority experience, not just one organization or chapter. The potential member should be learning about your experience and how she can have similar experiences in any NPC sorority.

  • Quick greeting
    • Finding a way to introduce yourself and state who you are, if the potential member doesn’t already know you. You can also mention what organization you are a member of here.
  •   Share benefit(s) of membership
    • There are many you could list but reflect on your experience and the benefits you have a connection with. Think about skills you’ve grown, relationships you’ve built, connections you’ve made and opportunities presented to you thanks to your sorority membership.  
  • Share how she can have access to the experience
    • End with an actionable closing that allows the potential member to learn more, sign up for recruitment, attend an information event, etc. This might take some research, but you want to give this woman a way she can find out more information. Many young women may not know how to sign up for recruitment or that they even need to sign up. Help make it easier for her to join a sorority.

Modeling the Conversations

So, what does that look like when you have a conversation in-person with a potential member? Let’s pretend you’re at a Starbucks on campus and a woman in line behind you asks about the sorority button on your backpack and asks what sorority you are a member of. Your response might look something like this:

            “My name is Sally, and I’m in Alpha Alpha Alpha sorority. I met my best friends in my sorority and they’ve really helped me find a home on campus since I’m an out of state student. If you’re thinking about joining a sorority, we’re having an information night tomorrow, you should come and learn more about the other sororities on campus.”

Alumnae might not always have the same experience running into a potential member in a campus Starbucks, but they may have other unexplored connections with potential members. If you are an alumna, do you know any of your co-workers that have a daughter or niece going to college? You could share your experience with your colleague who can talk to the college-bound woman they know. Parents and caregivers play a significant role in helping students decide if sorority is for them. Also consider connections you have at places you volunteer, organizations you are a member of, other family members, etc.

Taking the Conversation Online

Social media is a powerful tool you can use to share your story and connect with potential new members and their parents/caregivers. Sharing your sorority journey can have a positive impact in a few ways. It allows women interested in joining to learn more about the sorority experience through you. You have lived the sorority experience and know if sorority is worth the investment (which we hope you think it is). That is exactly the information that potential members are seeking. Is sorority worth it?

You can maximize your posts by using hashtags like #JoinASorority so your post can be found by a broader range of women. For collegiate members, think about using hashtags that promote the graduating class like #ClassOf2020 and the name of your university to help your posts be discovered by incoming students.


In addition, when you share your story you invite potential members and their caregivers to connect with you. If a potential member likes your post or follows you, it is perfectly ok and encouraged to
 reach out to her and make a connection. This is where you can implement the three-step process to having a conversation with her. You can see an example of this with image to the right. 

We hope you will begin to think of the ways you can help attract potential members to the sorority experience. Our organizations depend on bringing in new members this fall and it will take collegians and alumnae to see a successful recruitment in the 2020-21 academic year.