Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Delta Zeta Alumnae and the Recruitment Recommendation

By Guest Blogger Meredith Purser, Recruitment Committee

In the life cycle of a Delta Zeta chapter, no single season is more critical to its continued growth and health than that of recruitment. Delta Zeta collegiate members work to recruit new members that exemplify the values of our Founders. Their task is to see beyond the résumé and transcript to the woman within. Is she truly a Delta Zeta?

In working with a chapter as a College Chapter Director (CCD), I can tell you, it is no easy task to accurately assess a person’s true character in those precious few minutes granted to us during formal recruitment. It becomes even harder when, depending on the campus, there are several hundred to perhaps a thousand young women participating. Everyone is showing their best face, so how can a chapter spot the ones that really should stand out from the rest?

A key piece to assisting a chapter with this process are alumnae who send in recruitment recommendations!

When an alumna takes the time to fill out a Recruitment Introduction Form for a young woman, it means that she sees something in her that really says, “I am a Delta Zeta.” When a chapter receives an introduction, they can see past the papers and numbers—they can see the potential sister within!

The same form provides the chapter a method for identifying women with legacy status. We afford additional consideration to legacies only if we know who they are. Who would know better whether a potential new member is a Delta Zeta at heart than her own family? It is never “tooting your own horn” to send a recommendation for your own sister, daughter or granddaughter!

Although we do not require the same level of formal consideration for potential new members who are non-legacies, those connections are also valuable for chapters to know and should be included on the Recruitment Introduction Form. Having an aunt or cousin that is a Delta Zeta gives chapter members a great talking point to begin getting to know that potential new member.

Having the loving advice and support from alumnae sisters during recruitment can mean the difference between a good new member class and an exceptional one. If you know of a young woman that will be participating in recruitment, talk to her, encourage her, and then send in your recommendation. Delta Zeta will be richer because of it!

You can find the form to recommend a member on our website at http://deltazeta.org/join/recommendamember

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