Amplify DU

Member recruitment is one of the most important things a Delta Upsilon chapter does. From a purely logistical standpoint, we cannot fulfill our mission of Building Better Men unless we have brothers in our chapters. But recruitment is about so much more than getting members into the door. It is about finding like-minded individuals who are eager and passionate to live out our Four Founding Principles and contribute to the development of DU.

Since our founding nearly 187 years ago, recruitment has been a priority for the International Fraternity and our chapters. Students have long looked for opportunities to enhance their college experience through friendship and personal and professional development opportunities. Perhaps now more than ever, this is true.

As we continue to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Delta Upsilon has the opportunity to provide experiences to young men that they have missed out on over the past year and a half: developing strong interpersonal relationships, social and service opportunities, personal development, and so much more. To seize upon this opportunity, Delta Upsilon has enhanced its recruitment programming to better equip chapters to recruit men of merit into our ranks.

Our goal: to Amplify DU in terms of growing our membership numbers, strengthening our chapters and spreading the word about why Delta Upsilon membership is so beneficial.

This summer, Delta Upsilon launched our newest educational initiative—the Amplify DU: Recruitment Training Program. The goal of this virtual program is to provide tailored recruitment support to chapters. Running from June through August, Amplify DU featured five webinars for Vice Presidents of Recruitment, recruitment advisors and other members of chapter recruitment teams, as well as small group meetings and guided chats with other VPs Recruitment. Small groups consisted of brothers from chapters with similar campus or recruitment type for more specialized coaching.

The idea for Amplify DU came from the existing Recruitment Symposium educational track that takes place annually during the Regional Leadership Academy and the recruitment coaching sessions DU staff began offering during the pandemic. As recruitment began to shift to virtual, small group and hybrid formats in 2020, more and more chapters were seeking resources to adjust their traditional recruitment efforts.

“From our recruitment coaching sessions, it was clear chapters were eager for more recruitment support, especially tailored support unique to their chapter needs,” said Director of Chapter Development & Growth Hayden Rahn, Oregon ’16. “The format of Amplify DU allowed us to provide general recruitment webinars that are applicable to all chapters, as well as that tailored support. Having similar chapters together in the small groups really added to the idea sharing and support offered.”

Small groups were facilitated by alumni recruitment coaches who volunteered to help with the program. These alumni have a passion for Delta Upsilon and recruitment, many with experience in corporate marketing, recruiting or sales.

In total, 115 undergraduate brothers and 10 advisors participated in the Amplify DU webinars. 66 brothers were assigned to the small group coaching portion of the program.

“Going through Amplify DU this summer has given me much needed information of how the recruitment process runs, and I now feel I have gained the confidence and motivation needed to be successful,” said Randy Manzano, Arlington ’23, VP Recruitment for the Arlington Chapter. “Having a recruitment coach to chat with has helped me keep recruitment front of mind over the summer. We have a jump start on recruitment and are looking forward to a successful fall.”

As part of the program, participating chapters are eligible for incentives based on their participation in Amplify DU and their recruitment performance in the upcoming year. Past recruitment data was analyzed to create specific recruitment goals for each chapter. For meeting or exceeding these goals, chapters will earn complimentary registrations to upcoming DU educational programs. For simply participating in the complete Amplify DU program, 22 chapters received $500 recruitment scholarships they can use to award to incoming students and drive awareness of Delta Upsilon.

These specific and measurable goals will help chapters in making data-driven decisions.

As the school year begins, chapters will continue to receive resources and support when it comes to recruitment. A Recruitment Tips section on the Delta Upsilon blog (deltaupsilon.wordpress.com) is regularly updated with recruitment articles, additional resources are being developed for chapters with deferred/spring recruitment, and staff have set up Recruitment Office Hours for chapters to virtually discuss recruitment and ask questions. These office hours are being held weekly on Mondays from 2-5 p.m. EST and Wednesdays from 1-4 p.m. EST. Links are included in the biweekly Friday Fast Breaks newsletter to chapter officers and advisors.

“Delta Upsilon remains committed to setting our chapters up for success in recruitment,” Rahn said. “The DU is experience is so valuable, and we owe it to the men on campus to provide them the opportunity to grow, learn and find a network of like-minded friends.”