Your alumni are a valuable recruiting resource. They possess two traits that are vital for recruitment that your fraternity needs. Utilizing these traits can make your recruitment easier and more successful.
First, they know freshman that will be attending your university before they ever set foot on campus. These guys could be family, friends, or simply acquaintances. Getting to these guys before the other fraternities do could be a huge benefit for your chapter.
Second, there is a level of trust and respect built in because of the personal relationship these guys have with the freshman. If your alum explains how incredible his fraternity experience was, the freshman will be more inclined to believe him because he is a trusted source.
So how do you tap into this resource? You need to keep in contact with your alumni. Every summer you need to email your alumni and ask them if they know anyone who will be attending the school next year and would make a good rush candidate. When alumni respond with names, ask them if they will make contact with the person to plant the seed. This doesn’t need to be anything overbearing. All that needs to be done is to let the freshman know that the alum was in a fraternity, and it was a great time.
Then, when these guys arrive on campus, someone from the fraternity needs to introduce themselves the very first day of move-in. It has to be done early or you run the risk of another fraternity getting to him. In the introduction, be sure to mention that your alum gave the fraternity your name, and said that the fraternity has to show him a good time. If it is put in those terms, there is virtually no way the guy will turn down the fraternity’s offer.
Finally, be sure to close the communication loop. Email the alum letting him know that the fraternity made contact with the guy, and that he has been out to a rush event. Be sure you treat the guy with dignity and respect. Remember that you are a reflection of the alum that gave you the recommendation. You don’t want to do anything that would embarrass him.
To learn more, check out our most in-depth article on fraternity recruitment: The Complete Guide to Fraternity Recruitment.