Module 1

[Company Logo Image] The Fraternity of Alpha Kappa Lambda

Recruiting the Future Initiative

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Module 1, Understanding a Chapter's Needs

Part of a chapter recruitment program is to set goals for a chapter in regards to the number of men recruited each semester. This may sound like a simple process, but if your chapter truly thinks it is, then you are doing it wrong. The process of setting these goals requires a true assessment of the chapter and the campus where your chapter is located.

The related worksheets for this model are listed as Module 1 in your workbook. You may want to keep the workbook in front of you as you progress through this module.

Setting SMART Goals

As you set your recruitment goals, you will want to make sure they follow the SMART Goals model, they are:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Time oriented

This allows chapter members to be realistic about their recruitment efforts and what is the right number of new members. Chapters that set unrealistic goals can make poor choices in order to reach the goal, become lazy because the goal was too easy to attain or may become disheartened because the goal was unattainable.

The Chapter Needs Variables

Many chapters assume the only variable in assessing their needs is the number of new men needed. The forget to identify what type of man they need.

Relate this to a daily activity that you do such as going to class. You could easily walk into the closest classroom on campus, participate in class and then go home. Unfortunately, if this class is not on your schedule, does not meet your education requirements, and/or doesn't provide you with new knowledge, it has been useless. It does fill up your time commitment to going to class, but it doesn't fill the other needs in your education.

Chapter needs are much the same. There are many types of men on your campus with numerous talents. It might be easy to recruit one type of man or men with the same talent, however they will not meet the complete needs of your chapter.

Identifying The Chapter's Number Needs

The first variable you will need to determine the number of men needed for the successful continuation of your chapter. Remember, recruitment is the life blood of the Fraternity. The number you come up with on your worksheet may or may not surprise you. Remember there are a number of factors to take into consideration as you complete the worksheet:

	Ideal Size - This is the size that your chapter members, alumni, and the National Fraternity want to see your chapter at. Your chapter members should constantly be aware of this number and be comfortable with it.
	Campus Comparison - This identifies how your chapter compares to other chapters on your campus. These factors include, how many chapters there are, what the largest is, what the smallest is, what the average campus size is, the total recruitment numbers, the average recruitment numbers and so on.
	Your Chapter History - This takes into account what size your chapter has been over the last 4 years, 6 years, 10 years. It includes the recruitment average of the chapter over an extended period of time.
	Chapter House - A chapter house helps dictate number needs based on the number of beds to fill as well as the number of extra men needed to keep the house filled over time. NOTE When a chapter house is full there is still a need to recruit more men. And a house is not a chapter in itself, just a part of the chapter.

Make sure you take into account each step as stated before you identify your final number. You will want to compare this number with other members from your chapter participating in this program. If the numbers are different, you will want to find out why. When you turn in your worksheets, make sure you tell us which member's worksheet will be used as the official assessment.

Identifying the Chapter's Type/Skills Need

In today's society there can be an uncomfortable feeling when we label people and judge people on those labels. In regards to the purpose of our Fraternity there is a need sometimes to do just that. Not taking into account the type of person you are recruiting can be very detrimental to a chapter over the long run. Not identifying the needs of the chapter and recruiting based on those needs can leave a visible void in the chapter as well.

As you complete the Recruit Skills/Type Assessment make sure you keep in mind the purpose behind the assessment:

	The chapter has areas of weakness the current members do not and cannot fill. For example, chapter scholarship and improvement of individual membership scholarship is important. Unfortunately the junior in your chapter with a low grade point average is not going to be able to dramatically effect change in the chapter's overall scholarship in the current year or for the years to come. Therefore the chapter may set a specific target GPA for the recruits they are after. Recruiting the men with high scholarship is more realistic than changing the scholarship of a current member.
	The chapter has an image/reputation to keep. An example would be a chapter with a reputation for civility will not want to recruit men that have reputations for being violent or for getting into fights. The same can be applied to image, the chapter that prides itself in appearance will not want a recruit that bathes once a month.
	The chapter may need a change. Sometimes the current membership in the chapter is too similar and the chapter becomes too narrowly focused or complacent. Bringing in men different then the current members can broaden the experience of your chapter dramatically and reinvigorate your chapter.
	The chapter has expectations. A chapter should have expectations of its members such as scholarship, finances, time commitment and involvement. You need to identify these expectations before you can recruit men that meet them.

Did you know?

Insurance rates chapters pay through National Fraternity are directly related to the number of undergraduates the National Fraternity has.
The number one AKL Chapter Killer is recruitment. The majority of our closings (all of our closings over the past five years) have resulted from chapters failing to recruit and grow.
Small chapters experience the same problems with cliques that large chapters do.
Alumni involvement on the National and Local level tends to come from members that had a large chapter experience.