I am a T! I am a T-R! You know the rest.

Happy autumn! Today I have officially been traveling for one month and one day, and the time has flown. My first break has come and gone, but sufficient rest is a goal I have not yet achieved.

August and September are pivotal months for sorority women. At the close of every summer, we go back to our respective schools armed with teasing combs and T-shirts hot off the press. We’ve rehearsed our lines for weeks, but are utterly spontaneous and flexible in our delivery. Our jaws hurt from chatting, smiling and sing-screaming till your ears bleed. (The goal is, of course, to make the women waiting down the street look back at your house.) Remember those days? It’s recruitment time!

I get asked a lot whether recruitment is the same around the country, and the answer is yes. Now, there are exceptions depending on university culture, but formal recruitment is still the method most commonly utilized to gain new membership among NPC sororities. Though the process takes a lot of work (can I get a Delta?), recruitment is the ultimate bonding experience for a chapter. Plus, it’s the only time of year it makes sense to wear matching outfits and maniacally scream at people on your doorstep.

Despite what I’ve said above, the chapters I speak to about recruitment must learn to look beyond those fun but silly details. New membership is not about hairspray and door decorations. Nor is it about surviving the week and offering a few bids. The process of recruitment ultimately blossoms into a group of individuals--unique women that have chosen to celebrate all that is Tri Delta, or whichever organization they choose.

The best technique I ever learned about recruitment is that people join people, not organizations. When a potential new member participates in recruitment, she simply does not care about what your symbols represent. It doesn’t matter to her that your chapter won Greek Sing last year. You know what does matter to her? You.

Think back to your recruitment experience. Quick--who do you remember? If you’re like most, you can think of one person you spoke to that simply made you yearn to be her sister. Mine was Megan Shelton. I was torn between Tri Delta and another chapter, but when I saw Megan waiting for me at the chapter house door on preference night, my decision was made. Sure, I smiled at the slideshow and got goosebumps during the skit, but I felt at home because Megan was at my side.

Of course, the moment your bid is accepted by a new member, your next step is retaining her. Show her that the organization to which she’s dedicated her life will reciprocate that devotion and love. More on that in a future post.

I am moved to write about this crucial time of year partially because my own Tri Delta chapter, Phi Xi at Wichita State University, is recruiting in full force at this very moment. So please forgive me as I give them a shout out. Best of luck, Phi Xi sisters! Sing those songs, smile those smiles and try not to get too loud in the Great Room. Celebrate Bid Day like it’s the best day of your life—you deserve it!

I’ve seen the incredible numbers submitted in recruitment reports across the nation, and though they are fantastic, numbers on paper aren’t the true gift of recruitment. It’s great to make quota and get new T-shirts, but always remember that the people make the experience. And that experience starts with you.

One more thing: I have a plea to all Tri Deltas across the country. Can we PLEASE quit refering to our new members “Baby Deltas?” They’re not babies. The moment we look at new members as younger as or less experienced than the rest of the membership, we lose our credibility. Absorb them into your sisterhood as equals. Better results guaranteed!