What Do You Mean We Have to COB?

Tips on getting a chapter to buy into Continuous Open Bidding by guest blogger, Lauren Orr, Educational Leadership Consultant

Many sorority women have negative connotations of the continuous open bidding process Why has maximizing membership through informal efforts become such a recruitment faux pas? Any Vice President of Membership needs to be equipped with an arsenal of techniques to get her chapter to "buy into the COB process" and get her chapter on the right track to positive growth.

Before embarking on continuous opening bidding process, general knowledge of what COB is and what value it can bring to your chapter is crucial. Extensive information on continuous open bidding can be found in the new manual located on Metro, Delta Zeta's private social network in the Chapter Officer Resources Container, Collegiate Resources link, but a defining snapshot of COB is listed below:

· Continuous Open Bidding Defined: The process by which a chapter continues to recruit new members informally until it reaches the campus's selected, maximum number of members.

· Continuous Open Bidding is Considered Informal Recruitment: During COB, contact with potential new members is often seen as being more casual. Unlike formal or structured recruitment, COB allows each chapter to manage their own recruitment schedule, distribution of invitations, and issuing of bids rather than the Campus Panhellenic. Informal recruitment is typically more personal than formal or structured recruitment and promotes one-on-one interaction between active members and potential new members.

· Continuous Open Bidding Timeline: Informal recruitment occurs mostly after quota or total is not reached during formal or structured recruitment. It can last throughout the academic year depending on the number of members needed to reach maximum membership.

· Continuous Open Bidding has Value: Although, COB can be seen as negative by a few, it has been proven for years that COB can not only bring value to a chapter, but can save a chapter from losing the value it already has as well. Selling the value to a chapter can be tough at times, but will in the end outweigh the concerns that may come up in discussion.

Any successful Vice President of Membership needs to be prepared to explain COB to her chapter. During this time, chapter members can challenge even the most prepared Vice President of Memberships and ask tough questions that are not easily answered. The following tips will help answer the most common questions:

1. Be excited: Excitement is contagious. Get the chapter members pumped up about the idea of COB and explain what great benefits in can bring the overall state of the organization in order to get them to buy into the idea.

2. Present materials in an organized manner: Knowing the facts about COB, having informative hand-outs, and facilitating positive and constructive discussion with the chapter are ways to get the chapter members to buy into continuous open bidding in an organized way.

3. Put all information out there: Being open about the continuous open bidding process and keeping the members informed of the progress will help member buy into COB and stay motivated as recruitment efforts continue.

4. Enlist the chapter to brainstorm ideas: There is no better way to get a group of women to buy into the idea of continuous open bidding then to let them voice their opinions and ideas. Allowing members to actually feel like they are contributing to the continuous open bidding planning will help them buy into the idea of informal recruitment as a whole. Hosting a continuous open bidding brainstorming workshop or simply taking ideas for events at a chapter meeting can get members to buy into COB.

5. Formulate a plan: Have a plan of attack for informal recruitment, not only so members can schedule themselves to be in attendance at COB events, but so they can be prepared for what is coming up next as well. Presenting a schedule and a plan for continuous open bidding from the beginning will get women to schedule participation in COB events and give members something to look forward to on their calendar.

6. Implement an incentive and rewards program: Like any other incentive program, it is important to reward the women who are actively participating in the chapter's continuous open bidding efforts. Making continuous open bidding fun and rewarding the members who are continuously participating is a great way to get women to buy into COB and keep them motivated to proceed throughout the process.

7. Celebrate successes: During COB when the chapter hits an important milestone, celebrate! Continuous open bidding is not always easy, so when a major accomplishment has been achieved, have fun and celebrate the success of the chapter.

Getting a chapter to buy into continuous open bidding is not always a simple task. Once a Vice President of Membership and other chapter leaders decide that COB is necessary for a chapter, having a plan that promotes excitement, organization, and contribution will help members buy into the idea of informal recruitment. Remember, with a little preparation and effort, a Vice President of Membership can motivate a chapter to positively participate in COB with great success.

Good luck and have fun reaching maximum membership!