Hi Sarah-
Been there, done that, unfortunately. A lot of times all it takes is a very good, very focused pledge class. My big-bigs’s class came into our chapter when there were only 13 members. They set a goal and by the time they graduated the chapter was at total plus!!
First of all, have a chapter retreat and if there are any problems, get them on the table and solve them. You can’t convincingly tell women how great your sisters are if there are unresolved issues.
I don’t understand why your nationals (what sorority are you in, by the way?) would do that with the yearbooks – that seems like a very inefficient way to target women. They should definitely send in someone to help you on a long-term basis if at all possible. At the very least, they (and you) should put out an alert to local alumnae and see if they can help. (attending parties, giving names of women, etc.)
Find out who didn’t get bids in the last formal rush and see if any of those girls would be interested. And just talk about it with your friends – you never know how many of them would like to be Greek, but were turned off by formal rush. If there are women who are friends with a lot of sisters – encourage them to take that next step and join.
The most important thing is, no matter what your nationals or anyone says, never, never, NEVER give women bids just to get numbers. It will drag the whole chapter down worse than low numbers ever could. Quality, not quantity. PERIOD. There ARE women out there who would rather be in a small group where they can stand o}t, than in a large one where they might feel faceless. All you have to do is find them. Best of luck & let us know what happens!!!
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