Brothers,

Let’s talk about diversity in recruitment for a second. I’m not talking about the buzz word that we all say we value and appreciate when we are talking to potential members or having a brotherhood with eight different majors and saying that counts in an 80-man chapter. I’m talking about intentionally seeking new members with differing views and opinions in order to better our organization.

So, why is this hard? It sounds logical to do things that would help our organization improve, but why haven’t we done it yet? Below are some of the biggest barriers that we typically face in adding diversity to an organization:

 - Homophily (the tendency of individuals to associate with others who are like them) 

• This is not an entirely terrible idea! However, how can we challenge ourselves to find potential members who share values, but have a different way of thinking? 

 - The “They Wouldn’t Want to Join” Expectation: 

• It is easy to assume potential members would join a multicultural fraternity if there is one that they closely identify with, but that is not inherently true. Maybe they just feel like they belong there. But who is to say that if we open our doors that, they wouldn’t feel welcome in our organization too.
• Why not? Maybe they have just never been asked.

 - Understanding Potential Members 

• As fraternity men, we are in a very privileged position. But are we meeting the needs of our potential member’s? The incoming generation is looking for diversity and development opportunities more than ever and can see if we say we value it or if we actually do. Can first generation students and students from a low-income background afford to be a member and participate in our prestigious organization? 

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 - Quit comfy recruitment. It might work now, but it won't work forever!

 - Define diversity for your organization and university: Look at the cross section of your university and your IFC. How can you help challenge your chapter to match that?

 - Develop outreach strategies: What organizations are you going to present to talk about who you are as an organization? Can you build and expand that to reach leaders in other organizations with varying perspectives?

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It's time to put an end to comfy recruitment, where we only talk and recruit members who are exactly like us. It is preventing our members from being prepared for the real world after college and causing major stagnation operationally. As we head into the new year, and recruitment season starts back up, remember to be intentional with recruitment to try and bring new perspectives into your organization.

Changing your perspective, changes your experience!

Fraternally,

Nick - Director of Growth

Perge!

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