Here is a tip for you. Guys don’t join fraternities due to the events you have.
Sure, it is fun to play pool and eat wings. Hoops and a cookout aren’t a bad time. Stogies and beer are some of my favorite things. In the long run though, people don’t join because of events.
THEY JOIN BECAUSE OF RELATIONSHIPS.
The relationships you form are the reason why guys want to join your fraternity. So why does your fraternity blow a huge chunk of their budget on rush events that are (at best) forced fun?
My advice – reallocate most of your recruitment funds to the social program. Spend your time during rush building relationships with your prospective new members.
If you can’t let go of the idea of having events – continue to have them. Just don’t spend (waste) a lot of money to do so.
The benefit of this is your social program should be significantly more robust with this infusion of cash. This will lead to a great semester – one that brothers will be talking about for years. Outsiders will notice how awesome the semester was, and will see the enthusiasm that the brotherhood has.
And guess what? Forming relationships with these guys who want to be part of your awesomeness will be cheap and easy. This will make rush a heck of a lot easier, and it will make the brotherhood a heck of a lot happier.
To learn more, check out our most in-depth article on fraternity recruitment: The Complete Guide to Fraternity Recruitment.