In 2008, Kappa Alpha Order began an initiative to help its chapters identify and recruit more and better new member—an effort to EXPAND our potential member pool. An advertising agency, with many large corporation clients, agreed to work with KA on a pro bono basis.
The first steps were examining KA’s current brand and conducting a focus group with high school seniors. This helped us identify KA’s new positioning statement, “The moral compass for the modern gentleman.”
However, it’s not enough just to say KA is the moral compass for the modern gentleman. You have to prove it. So KA developed a guidebook for college freshmen, which will help them enjoy their first months at school without ever losing their moral center. This guidebook is called Brasstacks.
Brasstacks is available now for fall 2008 fraternity recruitment. These books are to be distributed weeks before (i.e. summer, fall for deferred recruitment chapters, orientations, welcome week, move-in day, etc). How about a fall organization fair before school?
Recently the Executive Council and Advisory Council, including many undergraduates at the Emerging Leaders Academy & Crusade RoundTable were exposed to this plan, program, and new idea. 100% approval and support has been received by all. The file of the book is too large to send via email so a lengthy discussion of the book can be had with your associate director for chapter services. We already have many pre-orders and are processing them now for shipment.
Brasstacks books will be supported by a micro website (www.brasstacks101.com), posters, stickers, interactive texting/emailing and suggestions for setting up events to give them away. This can all be purchased through the National Administrative Office with supporting materials coming online VERY soon. This all comes in one package and the pricing is as follows:
1 book $25
*ideal for an alumnus with a few freshmen contacts
5 books $50
*ideal for an alumnus with a few freshmen contacts
25 books $75
*ideal for an alumni chapter or group with a small summer recruitment event
100 books $100—Bonus 50 more books for a total 150!
*Active Chapter Pricing/Alumni Chapter Pricing
200 books $200—Bonus 100 more books for total 300
*Active Chapter Pricing/Alumni Chapter Pricing
The microsite www.brasstacks101.com should come online soon and is free for use by anyone—promote it as a tool for freshmen to review—perhaps in an introductory email or letter to freshmen.
Anyone exposed to the program will come away with a positive and accurate impression of KA. And recruiting the very best modern gentlemen will come naturally to KA chapters nationwide. THEN, you can continue to sell KA to them and teach them more about Robert E. Lee, our history, and our values.
This is not an attempt to replace anything you currently do—this a structured, materials and concepts driven “Pre-Recruitment” “pre-rush” program. These booklets and this program do not go hand in hand with “rush/recruitment week.” In fact, handing these out at formal recruitment week will be a waste of money and time. But, as recruitment is year round, you can hand these out all year with the hopes of reaping their benefits days, weeks, and months later.
Brasstacks teaches college freshmen men the basics about studying, social life, girls, and other normal subjects—but it doesn’t “throw KA in their face.” So if someone was nervous about fraternities, had a false perception of them, or otherwise wouldn’t have been recruited, this is a great way to put KA in front of them, in the form of a cool looking educational piece.
This program may not be for your chapter; however, if you are constantly complaining about fewer men going through formal recruitment, this is your way to EXPAND the pool of new members to EVERY single man coming to your school. Then you recruit the best from them. It’s QUALITY AND QUANTITY, not one or the other. If your recruitment is going well, and you’d like to add a new component to it, this also is a program for you.
So, go ahead, order some “Brasstacks” books and you’ll get a call from your associate director of chapter services to help explain the program more, set you up with the whole program, and get them shipped to you soon.
Contact your associate director for chapter services or Jesse Lyons at jlyons@ka-order.org or John Pfingston at jpfingston@ka-order.org today for questions and orders!
Other recruitment materials are still for sale and the new brochures are in final approval stages for production!! Again, this program will not replace regular recruitment, it will enhance the Recruitment Edition KA Journals you hand out, the brochures, and the personal discussion of KA with each potential member. Best of luck!
