COB Best Practices

[adpiucf]

Thought this would be a good place to paste links from past threads about good ideas for COB, and to also ask the question: What are some of the best COB events?

List your favorites/most successful!

* Incorporating COB/COR events into everyday chapter events (like membership education workshops on life skills, sisterhood picnics or dinners, philanthropy events or service)

* Promoting COB/COR through flyers, personal invitations, school newspaper

* Setting realistic goals from each event

* Getting chapter members involved on campus to actively recruit from their circle of friends and fellow club members in various campus organizations

* Mixers with non-social Greek groups and non-Greek clubs like service and business fraternities-- to gather names and get interest. Your members have the potential to belong to these groups, as well, so you're not stealing anyone away.

[33girl]

Best: Personal invites
Worst: Inviting everyone (flyers, chalking etc)

The more low key, the better. Many women who joined through COB did so because they disliked the fakiness and formality of formal rush, so having COB events that were too "rush party" like would defeat the purpose.

[lauralaylin]

Originally posted by 33girl
Best: Personal invites
Worst: Inviting everyone (flyers, chalking etc)

The more low key, the better. Many women who joined through COB did so because they disliked the fakiness and formality of formal rush, so having COB events that were too "rush party" like would defeat the purpose.

This isn't true everywhere though. My chapter did a ton of COB events that were just like formal, and it worked wonders. We went from being one of the smallest to being at total and increased our rushing strength significantly. But at that campus, many women didn't realize they were interested in sororities at the beginning of the year, so doing this in the spring was smart. I think it depends a lot on what yoru school is like and how many spots you need to fill.

[honeychile]

-Never forget that COB is 24/7, 365 days a year! If you're headed out for an ice cream, call a PNM & ask if she'd like to join you. Interesting movie or documentary on tv? Ask a PNM if she's interested. Art show or Museum showing? Take a PNM. Going to a "fun" restaurant? Yep, take a PNM.

-If you know that you & a PNM have something in common, build on it! If you both miss your dogs, think about offering to walk some dogs for the Humane Society.

-If you're at a party and you see a PNM alone (around closing time), offer to take her home.

-If you're in a club together, make the most of it! Sit with her, get on the same team with her, etc. When I was a PNM, but before Rush, a XYZ & I were both tour hostesses, so we quizzed each other.

ETA: A lot of these things can be done in a group. Each PNM is different, and you need to respect that. Some respond to one on one situations better, while others prefer the group approach. The sooner you figure that out about each PNM, the easier it will go!

[Little E]

Good Thread.

I think the biggest thing is simply making friends and often we forget this.
Don't introduce the sorority in your first or second meeting. Make friends, slowly introduce them to sisters without pushing the sorority aspect, eventually talk about it, but people join people they like, not just the pushy ones. If they say no- well, you still have a new friend.

The chapter I advise has really gotten this into their recruitment strategy and is doing just fabulously.

[33girl]

Originally posted by Little E
Good Thread.

I think the biggest thing is simply making friends and often we forget this.
Don't introduce the sorority in your first or second meeting. Make friends, slowly introduce them to sisters without pushing the sorority aspect, eventually talk about it, but people join people they like, not just the pushy ones. If they say no- well, you still have a new friend.

The chapter I advise has really gotten this into their recruitment strategy and is doing just fabulously.

Good advice, and the key word here is SLOWLY.

Too many people look at the "5 step model" of recruitment and think it's something you do all at once. It can take a year or two.

[KSUViolet06]

*I totally agree with the 5 step model.

[Little E]

Originally posted by 33girl
Good advice, and the key word here is SLOWLY.

Too many people look at the "5 step model" of recruitment and think it's something you do all at once. It can take a year or two.

See look at you over achieving and remembering the name of it!! I've also heard it refered to as a "Coke Date"

I have found from both my chapter and the one I advise that women recruited through this method tend to be very involved in the chapter because it was a longer more thought out process. Just meaning less intense and quick than formal rush or even the more common COB style. Less time pressure to decide. I believe the women who we really did this with were also much less likely to deactivate/depledge/de-whatever-your-term-is. It may just be the campus' I've worked with are not traditional Greek campus' so it worked better for the women and campus culture.

ohh I was going to say the key that honeychile mentioned is make it part of your normal activities. You don't need to add 30 new events to the chapter calendar. It is about eating lunch at a table together, studying, working out, work study, etc.

[seussN10]

So these are good practices for a group doing a more structured COB.

Be sure to advertise COB events. There may be someone on campus that would be interested but doesn't know who to contact.
-Place posters around campus.
-Create smaller posters/fliers that can be handed out to interested individuals.

Invite friends to attend events. Make the invite personal. Regardless of wither they say there interested in joining a sorority.

Invite people you don’t know all that well. Ask the person sitting next to you class. This is how one my good friend joined.

Also keep your website up to date. That means listing the dates, time and location of different events. Make sure to include a CURRENT email address of your recruitment chair. A PNM might have questions or is interested but can’t make any of your planed events. Respond in a timely fashion. It’s just polite.

When planning events make sure that PNM will be able to actually talk to people and get to know them. While movie nights are fun, it is hard to meet new people with a movie going on in the background. Do activities like spa night or dinner.

If your activity requires a special type of dress, like a self defense class, make sure that PNM’s know. The same thing goes for events that cost money. If you expect a PNM to pay make, sure they know in advance.

And last, let PNM know if they got a bid or not. Don’t leave a PNM waiting to hear back from your chapter. Let them know when you expect to get back to them, if it’s going to be awhile. If you only discuss bids during chapter meetings, tell them they should hear from you after the meeting.

[KDMafia]

Originally posted by seussN10

And last, let PNM know if they got a bid or not. Don’t leave a PNM waiting to hear back from your chapter. Let them know when you expect to get back to them, if it’s going to be awhile. If you only discuss bids during chapter meetings, tell them they should hear from you after the meeting.

This is so important. Especially with the unstructured COR events where there isn't a real "bid day" set by pan hell or the chapter. There have been girls at my school heartbroken cause a chapter they rushed was too scared to admit that they weren't giving her a bid. So they just avoided it so she waited for two weeks. Finally or pan hell had to get involved and confront the chapter about it.

[honeychile]

Originally posted by Little E
See look at you over achieving and remembering the name of it!! I've also heard it refered to as a "Coke Date"

I have found from both my chapter and the one I advise that women recruited through this method tend to be very involved in the chapter because it was a longer more thought out process. Just meaning less intense and quick than formal rush or even the more common COB style. Less time pressure to decide. I believe the women who we really did this with were also much less likely to deactivate/depledge/de-whatever-your-term-is. It may just be the campus' I've worked with are not traditional Greek campus' so it worked better for the women and campus culture.

ohh I was going to say the key that honeychile mentioned is make it part of your normal activities. You don't need to add 30 new events to the chapter calendar. It is about eating lunch at a table together, studying, working out, work study, etc.

I agree with it all! It's an entirely different creature than the "rounds" parties, but you'll make strong bonds.

We called them "Chat Dates", but I've heard the term Coke Date, too.

Lastly, it's only kind to let a woman know that she's going to be released. You may want to think (as a chapter) of a discreet way of saying it, but you do NOT have the right to keep her hanging on, when another GLO could be dying to bid her!

[KSUViolet06]

*I agree with everyone that it's important to make COB part of activities that you always do anyway. A group of 5-10 of us always eat lunch in the Student Center, so we just decided to invite PNMs (who expressed interest through our fliers and such) to lunch with us.

*Keep it simple. Remember, the point of COB is for it to be different than formal recruitment. There isn't always a need for massive decorations or meticulously planned parties. TV nights, game nights, or movie nights are both simple and effective.

*While these events are supposed to be more informal, be sure that your chapter looks neat and presentable. Set a few guidelines for dress if necessary. For example, no sweatpants or workout gear.

*These are relaxed events, but the rules of what's appropriate still apply. If you KNOW the PNM and know what she is comfortable with, then great. But I say if it's inappropriate for formal recruitment, then it's inappropriate for COB and shouldn't be said.

*Find a "happy medium" in the number of events girls should attend before you bid them. Unless you ALL know someone VERY well, you shouldn't bid anyone after ONE event, BUT I personally do not think it should take more than 7-8 days worth of events to get a feel for the PNM. To me, if you're still unsure about someone after that many events, that's not a good sign.

*Yes. I know it can suck espesically if you're the one who has to break the news, but if you're not going to bid someone, let them know ASAP. Please let the PNM know what date she should hear from you.

*Let PNMs know what the event entails so they can figure out what to wear. I joined Sigma through COB, and I wore my GOOD khakis from A&F to go BAKE COOKIES. I got pretty messy too, so ti's always good to give them a heads up.

[Little E]

Originally posted by JocelynC

*Keep it simple. Remember, the point of COB is for it to be different than formal recruitment. There isn't always a need for massive decorations or meticulously planned parties. TV nights, game nights, or movie nights are both simple and effective.

I would still keep movie nights to one per semester. They don't foster lots of conversation and the goal is to get to know someone. If your chapter watches a regular TV show that is also a great time to invite people. It is weekly and is a nice girl bonding time.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally posted by Little E
I would still keep movie nights to one per semester. They don't foster lots of conversation and the goal is to get to know someone. If your chapter watches a regular TV show that is also a great time to invite people. It is weekly and is a nice girl bonding time.

Good point.

[PhoenixAzul]

Originally posted by Little E
See look at you over achieving and remembering the name of it!! I've also heard it refered to as a "Coke Date"

< hijack >

A "coke date" to me, is a method we use to introduce NM's to people. Usually it's a napkin or a paper plate or something with a silly question written on it (anything from "what time is it" to "What is your life's goal?", and the goal is to go to an active member of another org and introduce yourself/get them to sign it (usually done at mixers or other social things). We usually keep them as momentos of our NM period (still have mine 3 years on!). So called a coke date because it involves a napkin, supposedly following a Coca Cola resting upon it (implying casual situation).