Project Type: Chapter Administration, Initiation
Project Cost: $0, Scales with Chapter Size
Project Attendance: Scales with Chapter Size
Description
At Illinois Alpha, we require all potential new members to attend an information session to learn more about the organization. Since our university is so large, it’s hard to convey all of the information about Tau Beta Pi through the initial email invitation, so the email contains a brief summary and invitation to the Information Session.
Materials
- TBP Nationals Promotional Materials
- Slides
- Overview of Tau Beta Pi (National Level)
- Overview of Tau Beta Pi (Chapter Level)
- Benefits of joining (Scholarships, resume, chapter activities, etc.)
- Overview of initiation process
- Membership after initiation and alumni chapters
- Snacks/food (optional)
Cost Breakdown
- TBP Nationals Promotional Materials (free)
- Optional snacks/food (scales with chapter size)
Preparation & Administration
- Pick a date and time for your information sessions. If you have a large initiate class, you may want to offer a couple of different date/time options. Illinois Alpha most recently had ~150 candidates and held 3 sessions, all of which people could join either in person or on Zoom.
- Share information about your information sessions with your potential new members.
- Create a slide deck for your chapter. We recommend following the outline listed under “materials” and keeping the entire presentation to approximately 30 minutes, with time at the end for questions.
- Be sure to share the slides and any other resources with initiates after the info sessions, especially if you have an initiation process that has several steps (interviews, bent polishing, committee meetings, events, meetings, etc.)
Additional Notes & Resources
- As with most events, providing food is encouraged if chapter funds allow.
- For larger chapters, saying “TBP Info Session Sessions and Free Pizza” significantly increases the number of people who attend the info sessions to hear the presentation, which in turn increases initiation numbers for the chapter. However, that also means you may be spending $300+ per semester on pizza, so it’s up to the chapter to decide if this is worth it.