Reflect on the previous recruitment cycle, and help the chapter unify on needs to improve to begin the planning process for next semester. 

Items to discuss in each category could be specific events, outreach processes, member motivation, systems usage, etc.  

Depending on if the retreat is focused on member skills or operational strategy, reflections can be personally attributed, or chapter related.

Use a whiteboard or post it notes to allow members to participate and have their voices heard. Ensure all members participate. Duplicates are okay as they highlight significant points.

What items does the entire chapter agree with from each column? Are there any topics that are debated between columns?

Correct any ‘quick fixes,’ and use as a baseline for the rest of the retreat. At the conclusion, ensure all major points have been touched upon and action items created if needed.

Using this slide as an idea-generator for Good, Bad, and Ugly; could also be utilized to help isolate concerns that may not have been conceived previously.

If there are any further pitfalls that the facilitator sees regularly from the chapter, plug them here.

Are there any pitfalls that the members notice align with any of the listed pitfalls?

Explain to the chapter the difference in techniques:

Static: soft approach, using methods that require little effort, and expect PNMs to make the first impression.

Dynamic: Controlled approach, using methods that require more relationship building approaches, expecting members to make the first impression.

It is important to note that both techniques are necessary, and finding a balance is key to success.

Analyzing current recruitment processes, make a T-Chart, and have the chapter write out its static and dynamic

processes in each appropriate column.

Is there too much of one or the other? Is the chapter exploring all possible avenues? Are there missing components?

Breakdown of the hierarchy in recruitment.

It is important to point out that all members have a role regardless of their relationship to recruitment.

Also, it is important to note that recruitment is catered to new member experiences, not for older members.

Discussion on current role breakdown- who has what responsibility in the chapter? Are there members who could do more, and are there members who do too much? How can the process be evenly delegated?

Discuss how to keep members motivated.

Look at the room right now- who is missing, if anyone? Why are they missing? How can we ensure those members will participate down the road?

Discuss accountability within the chapter- does the chapter follow through when members don’t meet expectations?

How are members recognized for their hard work? Ensure the chapter understands that recognition is just as important as punishment.

The biggest takeaways are that the chapter needs a balance and needs to follow through on the accountability measures they put into place.

Have each member write on a post-it notes what currently motivates them to participate.

Have every member display their post-it notes together.

Then, write up a list of incentives and disincentives to build into the chapter’s processes, and ensure there is an accountability plan to supplement.

Discussion that every member needs to have a role in recruitment events.

What is needed at each event- break down potential jobs and ensure that jobs are productive to the event itself?

The bulk of the chapter should be Group/activity Recruiters- these are members who are generally participating at the event, interacting with PNM’s, holding productive conversations, and gathering information for the vetting process.

Next level is specified roles, such as the event logistics, house tour guides, etc.

Closers and Floaters are the most socially conscience members, they can assess social interactions and adjust on the fly as needed. They don’t always participate in the activity but rather interact with all PNMs at the event.

Committee and Exec board members provide accountability, direction and aid floater roles in that they support the plan established by the chair.

The chair serves as the ultimate leader of events, ensuring all members are in the correct roles.

Roles should play to the strengths and characteristics of members and should consider the ‘flow of an event’, or the perspective in which a PNM’s participates in the event.

Conduct a walkthrough of a sample event. What roles are needed, where are members stationed and how are they participating?

How is a PNM greeted, how are they walked through the space/house?

What activities are available for the PNM to engage in as an icebreaker?

What type of conversations are taking place, how are PNMs matched to members?

How are PNM’s exiting the space, what kind of follow-up is scheduled?

Recruitment works in a funnel system. At the top is all eligible men on campus- all eligible men of which the chapter has interacted with should be added to the list at this level.

As the funnel shrinks, so does the list. The funnel shrinks through processes of outreach (who responds), events (who attends), vetting (who fits the membership qualifications), and bid acceptance (who receives and accepts)

Everyone eligible is a prospect until they aren’t.

What pipelines does the chapter pull from regularly? If members are involved on campus, do they recruit via those spaces? Have all avenues been explored to find candidates?

Encourage members to continuously be involved and present in on-campus activities to increase the pipelines. In addition, consider other connections on campus, including academic departments, residence halls, sorority connections, etc.

Hold a competition to determine who knows the most men on campus in 2 minutes- write down as many names as you can, ignore qualifications to brotherhood.

Add all names with contact information to the list and add notes regarding the candidates. This is the start of the lead-list.

Brainstorm all possible pipelines available. Encourage the chapter to be creative and think outside-the-box. What connections do members have on campus and in the community? Where do most men congregate on campus? What opportunities are untapped?

Discuss what tabling looks like on campus- is it a normal process? If not, does the chapter participate in tabling for other events? If so, how can recruitment be applied to those situations.

Discuss how to make quality first impressions.

Walk through practice repetitions with tabling.

How are members approaching PNM’s? What do potential icebreakers look like?

What does the elevator pitch look like?

What opportunity is presented by the member?

What does the member’s body language portray? How can it be improved?

To ensure that the maximum number of candidates are attending events, the intentional use of messages via text, email, or social media is critical.

There are four components to an invite message, particularly in cold outreach.

Discuss ensuring that there is a process to guide the outreach and ensure that the workload is spread out and that members are matched intentionally to the PNM’s they are reaching out to.

The main takeaway with outreach is to incite a response- the more a PNM is responding, the easier it will be to get them to attend an event - end each message with a specific question to elicit this response.

2-3 messages if a PNM does not respond right away- don't be afraid to double or triple text, just ensure that the message is genuine and truthful

Send a sample text to the facilitator containing all components. Read a few aloud and provide feedback to the messages according to the components.

The chart listed is a sample, and a discussion should be held on what the timeline looks like for each particular chapter.

What do conversations look like at each step, and how does each step contribute to a decision on a bid?

Do members understand their role in each step of the timeline?

Ensure that PNMs are also communicated to on where in the process they are, and what steps are needed to advance. This will help with PNM retention from event to event.

There should be a mix of individual, small group, and entire chapter experiences so that PNM’s can see all perspectives of the brotherhood and allow space for different conversations.

Send a sample text to the facilitator containing all components. Read a few aloud and provide feedback to the messages according to the components.

Create a timeline for both formal recruitment and informal/COB (if applicable)

Discuss members’ roles at each phase, conversations and information transfer at each phase, follow up communication, and criteria to join.

Theory behind building genuine connections:

Choosing to engage- being proactive to begin a conversation with a PNM

Choosing to care- paying attention to the PNM, active listening, and finding commonalities

Choosing to be vulnerable- being honest with a PNM personally or related to the fraternity, demonstrate trust (which is critical to brotherhood) and removing the power dynamic from the situation

Choosing to give opportunity- off the vulnerability piece, leverage it to find a ‘spot’ for the PNM to fit in and contribute to the brotherhood.

How do our members approach each step of relationship building? Where do our members struggle?

Conversations with PNM’s will look different depending on their stage of the recruitment cycle.

Asking “why not what” questions keep the conversation going- consider asking someone the following questions: ‘What is your favorite color” vs ‘why are you in the major that you are’- dead-end questions create awkwardness and make it difficult to build relationships.

Social Penetration Theory- the idea that the deeper the conversation/questions asked, the tighter the bond created.

70-30 rule: 70% of the time should be a PNM talking, 30% of the time should be the members asking questions. Through this questioning process, we can gather information relevant to bid considerations, and find a ‘trigger point’, or a topic that relates to the fraternity experience.

Once a trigger point is established, then the member can begin to pitch the fraternity experience.

Back up topics- in case the PNM is shyer, it is okay to have one personal topic and one fraternity topic that can be discussed comfortably. This reduces awkwardness and allows for possible last-chance connections to be made- only to be used as a last resort.
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Have members split into pairs and label themselves A and B.

For 30 seconds, members stared at each other in silence. This will set a tone of discomfort and allow members to understand the awkwardness that is natural in recruitment.

In the duration of one minute, A should ask questions they don’t already know about their partner, and B should respond to those questions honestly. Then switch.

How many questions were asked by each guy?

What were the topics of conversations? How could they potentially relate to the fraternity experience?

How did the conversations relate to membership qualifications?

The takeaway is to keep conversations loose, but to ensure that vital information is retained and distributed, conversations need to be intentional.

STARS is utilized to ensure members are recruiting quality candidates that can contribute positively defined.

The structure is very loose and customizable, but the goal is to use STARS as a baseline to ensure the minimum requirements are met by PNM’s.

STARS should both guide the information collected via conversations as well as guide the voting process.

Draw up a qualification system for the chapter.

How is STARS incorporated?

How do the qualifications align with the chapter’s values and goals?

Preclosing can take place in a formal setting like an interview or in an informal conversation.

This phase takes place when members are ready to or considering offering a bid.

The purpose is to gain context in how a PNM views their potential membership and isolate any concerns the PNM may have.

Members should ask the PNM to quantify their decision on a 1-10 question basis. Once a number is given, ask the PNM why they chose to quantify their reasoning the way they did.

Validate their concerns or hold-ups and then isolate those concerns.

Once a concern is isolated, establish a path to address those concerns.

For example, PNM offers a 7/10. The reasoning is they are concerned about the financial component. Validate their concern and set up a meeting with the treasurer and the PNM to discuss options and educate further on where dues go. Then establish a follow up timeframe with the PNM.

Repeat until there are no further concerns.

This allows the PNM to gain insight into aspects they may not have had information on previously and allows the chapter to address concerns that are common and adjust as needed.

Have members pair up and practice pre-closing techniques. 1 member should be offering the bid, one should be offering concerns. Follow the flow chart, and have members offering validate concerns, establish opportunities, and set a follow up for each concern. Allow the partner to have fun and be creative and come up with as many concerns as they can. Then rotate.

Were there any concerns brought up that were a challenge to create an action plan to address?

If needed, list common concerns.

Discuss notetaking of PNM information- how are these notes transcribed? What information is valuable to a bid decision.

Using chapter builder will help speed up this process and ensure that all members have their voices heard.

Ensure that there is a strict schedule for bid voting meetings, and that there are rules on deliberation.

Remember that there is an associate process for a reason, and if it is split on the decision to offer a bid, offer the bid and keep an eye on the PNM to ensure they are upholding expectations set.

Make sure that the process is organized and efficient

Establish a plan for bidding.

How often do votes occur?

Who has the ultimate decision, the chair, committee, or chapter?

What are the rules of deliberation?

How are notes from events and interactions utilized?

What does the bid offer look like?

How is it characterized: Is it exciting, professional, or something else?

What kind of celebration is planned?

Are expectations set immediately with new members?

The chart depicts the sales pitch by the Growth Consultants for expansion projects.

When discussing the fraternity internally, the flow chart is read top to bottom, when talking to PNM’s or non-members, the chart is read bottom to top.

At the top is the most abstract component of our organization- if you know, you know mindset. Our letters at the top define the organization, but most people do not understand the meaning of the letters.

The next box is a quick definition of the fraternity. ‘If someone asked you what PKT is, this is your quick response.’ This should summarize all opportunities presented by the fraternity.

The next two levels are values. For the purpose of the Executive Offices, it is broken into three main themes: service, our mission, and our historical value. Below service is acts of service and philanthropy, and below the mission are the four pillars. The values describe how we act, and what we thematically align with.

Below the values represent actual examples that demonstrate these values and ultimately define who we are as an organization. The actions and characteristics listed help to show how the activities the fraternity participates in align with our values, and by doing so define our organization.

It is critical for the chapter to reflect and be able to articulate all aspects of the fraternity to ensure that the new member class is diverse in focus and motivated.

It is important to align the expectations set in recruiting to the actual experience- helps with retention, and goal setting for the future.

Ultimately, the goal is to have a unified, unique pitch to demonstrate the chapter experience in a way that anyone can understand the purpose and experiences offered by the chapter.

Have chapters design their own culture chart. At the top, put PKT like the diagram. Under PKT, the chapter identifies six traits or values they align with. Feel free to use examples on the diagram or from national value statements.

Under each value, using post-its, have members list characteristics, events, or opportunities that align with the trait/value.

After completed, see how the diagram reflects the chapter’s beliefs.

What value is lacking examples?

What values are the strongest for the chapter?

Does the pitch align with the vision members discuss with PNM’s?

Are there missing components the chapter would like to add?

Are there other resources available to the chapter, or desired by the chapter?