Vice Archon Recruitment Manual - Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity

MESSAGE
Just like anything else you do for the fraternity, you are often forced to work against the misconceptions that other have
of us. People may simply confuse us with other fraternities, or simply make assumptions about us based on stereotypes,
or you may even be combating a negative image from the chapter’s past incidents. In any case, careful attention to the
message the chapter chooses to put out can make a big difference in what type of members we bring in. Unlike
marketing a single event, your message is the way in which you want the outside world to see you. There are a few ways
that you can do this:
Step 1: Build Your Message
Think back to the values-based portion of this manual. It mentions how the identity is formed from your values, mission
and personal experiences. Each of these things take an important role in your message. If these are the core reasons
why your group exists, then they should be the main elements of your message. In everything from what’s on your tshirt
to what you day about the fraternity during presentations, to the selling points for potential new members, your message
should reflect the identity of your group.
What’s the tagline?
In the values-based section, you were asked to come up with a mission statement for your chapter. This is usually
something simple that reflects the values of the organization and the direction it wants to take. Pi Kappa Phi for example
uses ‘we will lead’ or ‘leaders by choice’ as not only a reflection of our belief in leadership, but also as a call to action.
What is a good tag line for your chapter?
Tell Your Story
If a mission statement is a call to action reflecting our values, then your story is a collection of experiences that reinforce
how our values our lived. This is important to be able to give context and personal testimonials to what the organization
says it does in order for people to make the human connection to the identity. For example, when we discuss leadership,
we can look to the story of the Nu Phi.
“Over a century ago at the College of Charleston, a small group of men decided that they wanted to be leaders
on their campus. In order to be a part of the Chresthomatic Society – their student government – you needed
to be in fraternity. The men were not happy with the fraternities that existed there, so instead of joining one,
they created their own. Ever since that faithful moment, our fraternity firmly believes in the abilities of men to
be leaders and impact their communities.”
Think about the questions you answered on page 3. How do these things help form your story? How do they tie back to the values?
“I belong to a group that believes in being a lifelong brotherhood of leaders and serving people with disabilities.
Last year, I had the chance to hold a leadership position that taught me a lot about myself. At the same time, I
also raised $5000 to ride across the country on a ride called Journey of Hope for Push America. These
experiences have truly helped me be a better person. “
Step 2: Create Your Brand
You are likely to have a number of Greek organizations on your campus, and as such, it can be difficult for non-Greeks to
tell some organizations apart. One way to help make your chapter more recognizable is by having consistent messaging.
This means that you used the same tagline, the same stories and the same imaging to identify your group in all of your
marketing, This also means being consistent over time, not just choosing a new theme every time your chapter goes
through formal recruitment. Think about this: on your campus, you can very likely have Pi Kappa Alpha, Phi Kappa Tau,
Phi Kappa Theta, Pi Beta Phi, and any number of other groups, to someone who is non-Greek, trying to differentiate can
be like learning a foreign language. When marketing the fraternity consider the following things.
• Pi Kappa Phi and !"# look a lot like other organizations, but when you attach a tagline like “Leaders by
Choice”, it becomes easier to differential you from everyone else.
• Just like every fraternity has letters, they also have a crest, chances are, you couldn’t look at all the ones on your
campus and match them to their fraternity.
This stands out from these:
PI KAPPA PHI VICE ARCHON RECRUITMENT GUIDE |!11!