Building Better Men

Membership recruitment (or better known by the outdated term “rush”) seems like a daunting task to many Delta Upsilon chapters and members. Recruitment is something that takes time, effort, teamwork and a lot of planning. And for some, engaging one-on-one with potential new members takes them out of their comfort zone. However, recruitment is arguably the most important thing a chapter does. Without having members, DU cannot fulfill our mission of Building Better Men, and chapter operations become difficult.

Since DU’s founding in 1834, membership recruitment has always been a priority. Our goal is to build strong chapters and to provide more young men with the valuable experience DU provides. It is no surprise that “Growing the Undergraduate Membership” is one of the four pillars of the Fraternity’s current strategic plan.

Here are some of the many ways Delta Upsilon is assisting our chapters in their recruitment efforts. 

Recruitment Programming

Recruitment has long been a topic of discussion at Fraternity educational programs such as the Regional Leadership Academy and Presidents Academy, and educational programming at the recent 2024 Leadership Institute in Atlanta centered around recruitment and retention.

At LI, each chapter was expected to have at least one participant in a special Recruitment Symposium held on the first day of the program. Here, the Fraternity solicited the help of DU recruitment experts who have spent time on staff in recruitment, advise chapters, and have valuable professional experience. Mark Gehrke, Boise State '11; Jacob Ellis, Purdue '16; and Hayden Rahn, Oregon '16, led attendees on this Recruitment Symposium journey and hosted five additional recruitment sessions throughout LI for both undergraduates and alumni.

In 2024, the Fraternity embarked on its fourth year of the Amplify DU: Recruitment Training Program, which featured three large-group recruitment webinars, small group meetings, and one-on-one coaching with a Recruitment Coach this summer. Chapters were assigned their small groups based on similar characteristics, such as campus type, recruitment timeframe, housing type, etc. 

Resources and Support

In January 2024, the Fraternity launched an online Recruitment Toolkit to provide recruitment marketing resources to chapters. The toolkit features an in-depth social media marketing guide, customizable design templates for social media graphics and recruitment fliers, best practices for recruitment videos, and branding information. The goal is to continually update and add to this toolkit to better give chapters the recruitment resources they need.

The Fraternity's new DU Portal—our online member hub—also allows chapters to actively track the recruitment of potential new members through various stages of the recruitment process. This goes beyond keeping a Names List and allows chapters to make notes, mark if the individual has been contacted, has come to an event and more.

International Headquarters staff members also work closely with chapters to create recruitment goals and offer ongoing support. Each chapter has a dedicated staff liaison with whom they work throughout the year. This staff member uses chapter and campus historical data to create goals and strategies around recruitment. For chapters in need of more hands-on support, staff members and volunteers may visit campus to host recruitment workshops, Building Better Men Retreats, and have an in-person presence at recruitment events.

To further assist all fraternities in their recruitment efforts, the North American Interfraternity Conference has also created national ad campaigns supporting fraternity recruitment and launched a scholarship program for high school students.