Supporting Recruitment Behind The Scenes: The Role of Advisors in Your Recruitment Experience

Panhellenic recruitment is an exciting, fast-paced season filled with anticipation, nerves, and a whirlwind of activity. While potential new members navigate their first steps into sorority life, advisors play a crucial role behind the scenes, guiding and supporting every step of the process.

In this blog, you’ll hear from two dedicated voices: a campus fraternity/sorority advisor who oversees the broader recruitment experience, and a local chapter advisor who works closely with an individual chapter. Together, they share what it’s really like to support recruitment from different angles by balancing logistics, leadership, and those unforgettable moments that make recruitment so special.

Campus Advisor - Molleigh

Outside of my collegiate experience, I have been a part of 24 Panhellenic recruitments on 12 different campuses. Being a campus fraternity/sorority advisor during Panhellenic recruitment is kind of like being a wedding planner, camp counselor, therapist, and crisis manager all rolled into one. The days are long, the coffee is constant, and your phone battery never survives past noon.

Advisors are the go-to problem-solvers during recruitment. Behind the scenes, they’re making sure recruitment runs smoothly, rules are followed, and everyone remembers to breathe.

From troubleshooting last-minute room changes to calming nerves and ensuring everything runs according to policy, it’s a nonstop week of long hours, constant communication, and quick decision-making.

Advisors support Panhellenic leaders as they navigate everything from policy enforcement to last-minute PNM withdrawals, and while there may be some frantic late-night texts and emergency Starbucks runs involved, it’s truly a collaborative effort. Watching council members grow in confidence, lead with integrity, and rally their community is one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

Chapter Advisor - Maddy

My personal sorority journey has been full of many highlights, but perhaps one of the most inspiring was the first year I watched PNMs run home as an advisor. I had been a part of many bid days before then; first during my collegiate years and then on campuses across the country as a staff member for my national organization.

Somehow, this first bid day advising still felt different. There was something about the experience of going through the entire weekend with chapter members and seeing the fruits of their efforts that made that bid day extra sweet (possibly also supported by the birthday theme complete with cupcakes). Two years into advising, I’ve been in awe of the gift it is to watch women grow from those first PNMs I watched run home to the chapter leaders I work with today.

As I’ve become a more seasoned advisor, I’ve learned so much about what chapter members do (and do not) know about what their advisor's role is with the chapter. These knowledge gaps can become especially visible during recruitment.

Whether your chapter president, a recruitment officer, or a general member, these are some things your advisors want you to know going into recruitment season:

Who is a chapter advisor?: An advisor is an alumna of your sorority. She can be from your chapter, but many times your advisor may have gone to another school. This means she’s experienced recruitment on various campuses or across years, giving a seasoned perspective that can often help you feel grounded in times of stress.
Advisors are volunteers: Not only is your advisor a volunteer, she’s likely also paying for her own travel, lodging, and taking time off work to be at recruitment events. The one thing you can be sure of is that your advisor wants to be there for you. She wouldn’t be volunteering her time and money if she wasn’t invested in your success.
Advisors bring wisdom: As touched on in the first point, your advisor has experienced multiple recruitment across different campuses and/or years. This experience provides her with a broader perspective on chapter wellbeing and the stakes of recruitment. If you’re feeling nervous as a first time recruiter, overwhelmed leading recruitment as a chapter officer, or feeling like a round was ruined because the philanthropy video wouldn’t play, talk to your advisor. I promise we have seen a problem like yours before and that we can help renew your confidence in knowing that your chapter is going to succeed in the long run.
We are a team: One thing I am not as an advisor is an autocrat. My role is to provide advice, emotional support, and to say no to things only when they violate a policy or can damage the wellbeing of the chapter.

Chapter officers and advisors have the same goal in recruitment and beyond: the success of the chapter. Your advisor is here to help you turn your vision into reality and have a successful term. Work together to maximize your achievements!

Through all the chaos and nervousness that shows up in recruitment, there’s something special about being in the middle of it all. Watching chapter women step into leadership, seeing PNMs find their home, and knowing your support helped make it happen is the feeling of a lifetime. It’s a time of organized chaos that somehow always ends in something beautiful.