Culturally Based Organizations

Educational sessions designed to meet the unique needs of culturally based organizations. This institute is focused on providing resources, skills, and strategies for organizational growth and development.

Enrollment during conference registration is preferred. Please contact [email protected] to modify your registration.

Culturally Based Organization Institute

Sponsored by Dr. Don Trahan

Program is offered in five (5) parts, participants are welcome to attend any or all sessions:

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Greek Life
• Managing Unconscious Bias
• Marketing and Branding in Greek Life
• Building Strategic Partnerships in order to Leverage Institutional Support
• Change Management in Greek Life Today: Innovation and Inclusion

“Great, I have a ‘seat at the table’, what about my voice?” “That’s not how our process works!” Does this sound like you or members of your organization, NGLA?  During this Institute, fraternity and sorority life members will learn how to identify, address, and resolve areas for growth (e.g., recruitment, academics, burnout, collaboration, managing their orgs. and councils, leveraging resources) in their respective organizations. This Institute will address how to effectively and efficiently lead change management as Greek leaders, regardless of councils, in today’s society. Attendees will learn about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) among Greek leaders and develop the necessary skills to manage diversity on their respective campuses, with a specific focus on the challenges and limitations of understanding DEI in contemporary society. Moreover, attendees will learn about the campus climate, focusing on engaging members from diverse backgrounds in order to foster inclusive excellence as leaders. Attendees will leave with the knowledge, skills, and awareness to advance Greek Life in a diverse society.

MRIHA & Marketing: The Growth System for Culturally-Based Orgs & Local Chapters presented by Hailey Mangrum & Jason Allen

#MRIHA (pronounced mer-ee-ha) is about as simple of a model as you can get. Those letters stand for five simple steps that are designed to help culturally-based AND local fraternities and sororities break free of the models used by other councils, and push forward with a system of growth that truly helps. The current incoming student marketing has an ever-increasing demand for experiences like ours, and we need to be ready to deliver the life-changing gift of membership to those incoming students that deserve and desire it.

Recruit with Purpose: Strategies for Successful Fraternity Recruitment presented by Austin Arias

Now more than ever, you need quality members to help your organization succeed and grow. But, honestly, you feel you are still not hitting the mark. Your numbers are down or you are not gaining the members who can continue your legacy and add value to your organization. Let's assess what you are doing, reframing each action into a best practice. It is time to build events that actually integrate values, turn around your approach by building actual connection through conversation and create a community buy-in to growth. There is so we can do together. Learn how to build an actual comprehensive STRATEGY you can use to find those ready for brotherhood.

Memory and Black Fraternalism: An Intersectional Cultural Analysis of the Role of Archival Imagery in The Black Fraternal Movement presented by Tish Norman

Recent research has broadened views of contemporary Black fraternalism by exploring its widespread effect on college campuses and among student affairs professionals. This journey begins by focusing on a distinctive period when photography served as an archival tool to capture historical moments in the Historical Black College and University experience.  This prolific presentation and NGLA favorite continues by critically analyzing archival images, drawn from various collegiate and personal collections, documenting the experiences of Black Greek-letter organizations from the mid to the latter half of the 20th century.

From Wishing to Reality: Recruitment 101 for Culturally Based Group presented by Michelle Guobadia

You wish you had bigger intake/pledge classes/lines? You wish you had standing room only for your Interest Meetings/Informationals? Are you cultivating membership or just wishing and praying that people will come to your organization? Stop thinking old school and learn about the new school ways of building your potential membership pool, connecting with your market, and getting the quality membership you have always wanted! We RECRUIT, get over yourself! Come learn how to make it happen

Does Risk Management Apply for NPHC/MGC Organizations? Oh, Yeah! presented by David Westol

Get your excuses ready: "Risk management doesn't apply to our chapter/council because...we don't have huge houses/huge parties/alcohol at events/we're too small to be sued" You done yet? Now, let's talk. We'll look at health and safety concepts and practices in general and as those apply to NPHC/MGC organizations, consider some actual cases, and then discuss specific issues and how we can host, hold or participate in events while reducing risk and keeping our sisters and brothers safe.

Visibility & Marketing: Telling The Story of CBFOs presented by Hailey Mangrum

If they don't know you exist, their lives can't be changed. If they don't know you exist, they can't help transform the future of your organization. If they don't know you exist, your group can't survive, much less thrive the way it deserves to. They = students. Students who aren't members of your organization, but could be. It's time to take control of the narrative to increase our presence on campus and within the local community. Join us for a real conversation on visibility.

Lifting Up CBFO Growth presented by Hailey Mangrum & Jason Allen

It's time to lift up the GROWTH of culturally-based sororities and fraternities. We must choose to provide smart, relevant, and appropriate strategies and tactics to help our CBFOs attract, select, and secure more of the right people for our chapters. This session is meant to help you get over any of those challenges. Real, practical, relevant tactics and resources will be shared so that you can help culturally-based chapters grow in the ways that help us achieve their missions and serve more students.