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Recruitment is one of the most important aspects for any Greek chapter, thus, there’s always a lot of pressure on those running recruitment. While this time can be stressful and make you want to rip your hair out, don’t forget the one great resource of your chapter: alumni. Chapter alumni, or even regional alumni (alumni who are part of your organization but not your specific chapter) are a great addition to the recruitment team. Alumni can answer recruitment questions, help members practice, suggest strategies that were successful in the past, and also lend an extra hand around the house. If you plan on incorporating alumni support into your upcoming recruitment (and we all at ChapterTalk strongly suggest you do), here are some tips to help you avoid alumni disaster and get a leg up on the competition.
Tell Alumni Early and Keep Them Informed
Although your chapter may know the recruitment schedule months in advance, don’t assume that your alumni will as well. Remember to inform your alumni about recruitment as soon as possible, and keep them up to date on any changes to the schedule. Unlike active members, most alumni are working full time and have other obligations (work, vacations, family, significant other, children, etc.). By giving alumni advance notice so they can clear their work schedule, hire a nanny, or get some time off, you’ll guarantee a higher attendance rate and a lower chance of last minute cancellations.
Keep Alumni Active
Once you get alumni to the recruitment events, remember to keep them busy. As stated before, alumni have different lives, responsibilities and priorities than active members. While active members have an obligation to be at recruitment events, alumni do not (you can’t fine an alum for missing recruitment). Thus, value your alumni’s time and make the best use of it. Like everything else, this also takes planning. If alumni are scheduled to help at a recruitment retreat, make a schedule for them as well (i.e. when they’re not “mock recruiting” with active members, what do they do? how long do they need to stay?). If they’re helping out at the actual recruitment events, plan their schedule as well. Remember: being prepared to keep the alumni busy and active will not only make you look organized, but it will also ensure your alumni are happy and ready to volunteer the next time you ask.
Say ‘Thank You’... Again and Again and AGAIN!
Too many times have we heard about alumni who, after helping out at recruitment, were never properly thanked by the chapter. Although to some this may seem like the most trivial part of recruitment, it is actually a much bigger deal. When alumni volunteer, they usually have to make sacrifices in other parts of their lives: taking vacation days at work, paying someone else to watch their kids, or missing quality time with their partner. While many alumni are happy to make the sacrifice in order to help the chapter, few are ever inclined to do so again if they feel their time and work were unappreciated. As alumni support can improve your chapter’s recruitment, be sure to remember those two magic words, “thank you”, and use them as often as possible. At the end of a recruitment event or retreat, have the entire chapter come together and thank the alumni (an applause isn’t entirely out of the question). And if you want to go above and beyond, leave a little extra room in your recruitment budget for thank you cards (sent out in a timely fashion once recruitment is done). Remembering to thank your alumni is not just about manners and being polite; it’s also about acknowledging the hard work of the alumni, expressing your appreciation for their time, and encouraging them to volunteer again.
Avoid Alumni Drama
Finally, although alumni are older than active members (and hopefully more mature), remind yourself that drama can happen. Alumni drama isn’t necessarily like chapter drama (“she stole my boyfriend”, “he hit on my girl”, etc.), but unchecked, it can be just as messy and stressful. Many times during recruitment, chapters will find that they have an, to put it nicely, “over-zealous” alum who wants to be involved in everything. While alumni interest is much appreciated, these types of alumni can cause problems with other alumni. Mainly, the over-zealous alum will usually appoint themselves “alumni leader”, and then alumni responsibilities like cleaning up after each party will turn into orders (“you alumni, clean this up!”). Situations like this make other alumni uncomfortable, resentful, and less likely to volunteer in the future. To avoid these problems, make sure there is an active member directing the alumni or working closely with your alumni board (if the board organized the alumni in the first place). Also, if any alum gets out of line, be sure to take care of the situation before it blows out of proportion.