How Does a Local Fraternity go National?

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This question was submitted by one of our readers. If you have a question you want me to answer go here to submit it: Fraternity Advice.

Question:

I was recently elected to the position of fraternity president of a local fraternity. My fraternity is fairly young, though due to virtue of transfer students, we happen to have brothers at other schools around the country. I believe that we are at a critical point in our fraternity’s life, in which the contemplation to become national is here.

I contacted the NIC (North American Interfraternity Conference), but I have yet to receive any advice back from them about how to approach going national. I believe that this is a necessary step to move a great organization to a greater level.

So the question is, what options do I have to go national? What can I do to move forward?

Answer:

I wrote an article a few months ago titled How to Start a Fraternity. It is one of the most popular articles on the site and will help answer a lot of your questions.

If I were in your shoes, I would research and find out which national fraternity is the best fit for your brotherhood. For example, it wouldn’t make much sense for you guys to join a Christian fraternity if most of the brothers are Jewish or vice-versa. You can find all the information you need on the homepages of all national fraternities.

Then, determine which national fraternities are a good fit for your local fraternity. Send those fraternities an email and explain your situation. Your local fraternity will be very attractive to a national fraternity because you aren’t starting from scratch. You already know what fraternity life is all about.

Things should progress pretty quickly from there. Chances are you will have a colonization period once you decide to join the national fraternity. That will serve as a probationary period to determine if your chapter is a good fit.

If all goes well, your local fraternity will become a chapter of the national fraternity during a chartering ceremony.

Good luck!

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