HONORARY INITIATION GUIDE FROM PROSPECTING TO DEBRIEFING HONORARY INITIATION AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT Nt every yung adult has the pprtunity t becme a member f a men s cllege fraternity. Sme attend schls that d nt have Greek rganizatins, ther peple s schedules in cllege did nt allw them t jin, r they never fund the right fraternity fr them. Pi Kappa Phi wuld like t give thse men anther pprtunity. While mst f ur members jin as undergraduate students, lng ag Pi Kappa Phi chse t ffer membership t men thrugh a nn-traditinal means. As an Hnrary Initiate, this privilege takes n an additinal meaning fr the initiate and Pi Kappa Phi. Becming an initiate as an adult is cmparable t receiving an hnrary degree frm a university, r a certificate f recgnitin by an hnr sciety just in the way undergraduates are initiated fr their wrk as assciates r fr their campus leadership rle. Hnrary Initiatin is recgnizing an adult fr his achievements, but as Pi Kappa Phi, we cnsider it recgnitin fr all that he has accmplished as well as what he may accmplish in the future. The hnr f Hnrary Initiatin is shared with thse wh have demnstrated cngruence with the values f Pi Kappa Phi. In turn, we then share with them the deeper meaning f ur brtherhd thrugh ur Ritual. Each chapter f Pi Kappa Phi chses utstanding individuals t becme members as adult rle mdels because they realize jining a fraternity is a life-lng cmmitment. While mst f fraternity fcuses n the fur r five-year cllege experience, there is still mre that men can d fr the Fraternity, and a quality Fraternity experience has a great deal mre it can ffer thse men. The Fraternity recgnizes that alumni bring experience, wisdm, knwledge, and a vast netwrk; all prving t be invaluable t the rganizatin. Tday, mre than ever, Pi Kappa Phi students need mentrs and we have many alumni wh already aspire t help ur students by giving back. Develping exceptinal leaders and lifelng friendships is what Pi Kappa Phi is all abut. Becming an initiated brther f Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, n matter the age is a great hnr and privilege. WHY? BENEFITS OF HONORARY INITIATION STUDENT CHAPTER Shared sense f purpse and values in life such as service t thers, integrity and hnesty Receive mentrship and friendship frm established members f families and the cmmunity Drive lcal participatin with The Ability Experience Develp a bnd with adult rle mdels Give recgnitin fr cnsistently living Pi Kappa Phi s prfessed values Grw the fraternity netwrk and leverage that new cnnectin fr jb pprtunities Prvide greater pprtunities fr cmmunity invlvement Prvide recgnitin fr psitive cntributins r leadership t cmmunity r campus Receive supprt fr schlarships and educatinal prgrams fr the chapter Increase attendance at chapter hsted alumni and family weekends/events
WHY? BENEFITS OF HONORARY INITIATION THE ADULT Shared sense f purpse and values in life such as service t thers, integrity and hnesty Mentrship and service pprtunities Participatin with and supprt f The Ability Experience Develp a bnd with imprtant yung men in life Recgnitin fr cnsistently living Pi Kappa Phi s values Opprtunity t make an impact n yung men during the mst critical time f their develpment Membership badge and certificate t display Netwrking and new jb pprtunities New scial circle t share in men s fellwship Recgnitin fr cntributins in shaping well-runded yung men Recgnitin fr psitive cntributins r leadership t cmmunity and sciety Subscriptin t the Star & Lamp magazine Supprt schlarships and educatinal prgrams thrugh the Pi Kappa Phi Fundatin Attend lcal-area alumni engagement events WHO? PROSPECTING AND IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL HONORARY INITIATES The best way t cnstruct yur Hnrary Initiatin Strategy is t begin by identifying a prspect list f men in the cmmunity and/r men wh are clse t current fraternity members wh already exemplify the shared values f Pi Kappa Phi. Yu can develp a prspect list by identifying: Cmmunity leaders mayr, sheriff, public wrks, cmmunity center Faculty members prfessrs, TA, grad students in yur prgram Lcal churches and ther places f wrship pastrs, assciate pastrs, clergy, deacns Staff n campus campus activities, husing and residence life, athletics Dads fathers and grandfathers f brthers, recent alums, and assciate members Bilgical brthers brthers at ther schls r cmmunity clleges Attendees at Parent s & Family Weekend events uncles, cusins, gdparent, family-friends Recmmendatins frm current alumnus Once yu have yur chapter s prspect list, best practice is t facilitate a cnversatin abut an Hnrary Initiatin thrugh a current chapter brther wh has a relatinship with the individual. Schedule a meeting between that particular brther, the Histrian, a lcal alum if pssible, and the ptential Hnrary Initiate. 2
HOW? FIVE STEP PROCESS TO SUCCEED AT HONORARY INITIATE ENGAGEMENT STEP ONE: THE MEETING Set up a quick meeting r have an imprmptu meeting. Be ready and prepared t highlight the fllwing in yur cnversatin with the prspect. Prepare Explain Ask The impact Pi Kappa Phi has had n yur life Share sme significant and relevant chapter statistics, e.g. chapter GPA, size, invlvement n campus and in the cmmunity Have an idea f, and further identify hw and why this individual represents the values f Pi Kappa Phi Use the cnversatin t find cmmn grund and cmmn interests Share what an Hnrary Initiatin actually is, a full hnrary-type membership Share the fun f fraternity and tell a stry that relates fun t cmmn interests Share the cncept f sub rituals and hw they build fellwship and brtherhd Outline the benefits f Hnrary Initiatin fr the prspect: describe hw yu can envisin them bringing credit t the fraternity, hw they wuld impact the chapter and the brther s lives, and the benefit yu expect them t receive frm jining Describe and give examples f the rle alumnus play in the chapter s success and give infrmatin n the cntinued brtherhd thrugh the alumni chapter. Give detail abut the cst f fraternity: is the chapter willing t cver any f the cst? What des the $50 Hnrary Initiatin fee cver and why $100 is recmmended (White Diamnd bk, badge, rse at initiatin, help the chapter with recruitment, etc.) Describe why yu want t hnr this individual, re-cap the cnversatin and the cmmn interests and gals See if the persn wuld be interested Answer any and all questins if yu dn t knw the answer, find the answer and get back t them in a reasnable timeframe Make the ask - We ve had a great cnversatin, I m glad I was able t share Pi Kappa Phi with yu and answer yur questins. Wuld yu becme an initiate and jin Pi Kappa Phi? STEP TWO: FOLLOW UP Once the persn has agreed t be initiated, d a gd jb in ffering persnal and timely fllw-up with next steps: Send him lgistical details fr the initiatin Date Time Place Attire Invite him t invite him ut t chapter and alumni events Send him a schedule f chapter key meetings and service events 3
STEP THREE: INITIATION As the chapter prepares the facility fr the Ritual f Initiatin, ensure that his experience is first class in every way. Ensure that a member is at the facility, ready t greet him Give him his initiatin card t fill ut (gld and white) Invite him t be initiated early in the evening, especially if yu will be initiating multiple peple, e.g. the current assciate member class Offer a quality pre-briefing abut what he will encunter and what t expect, i.e. take a few extra mments t explain what the initiatin will be like Once he is initiated, invite him t watch thers be initiated STEP FOUR: LECTURE & DEBRIEF After perfrming the Ritual f Initiatin, be sure t invite him t learn mre abut the experience via the Lecture and Debrief. Be ready t present him with his member badge and red rse Allw the chaplain, archn, r certified ritualist f the chapter t spend a few extra mments with the man t persnally explain sme f the ritual and answer any additinal questins Intrduce the man t ther alumni and/r Hnrary Initiates wh are in attendance at the ritual and/r debrief STEP FIVE: POST INITIATION Perhaps the mst imprtant part f the Hnrary Initiatin prcess is the fllw-up after the gentleman has actually been initiated. This is a critical perid that can be leveraged in rder t get him mre invlved with Pi Kappa Phi and many f the chapter s activities. Next steps shuld include: Hnrary Initiate him n Chapter Gateway Mail in his initiatin card (alng with all the thers) Pay his Hnrary Initiatin fee ($50 t the natinal headquarters) Share that yur chapter has perfrmed an Hnrary Initiatin via letusknw@pikapp.rg, Facebk, Twitter, and Instagram Invite him t fllw Pi Kappa Phi s and the chapter s scial media accunts Scheduling a meeting with the individual t ask hw he d like t stay invlved Add him t chapter email lists and scial media grups Get him in cntact with the alumni chapter and any alumni grups in his area Send a thank-yu nte thanking him fr the supprt f the fraternity and chapter 4
TESTIMONIAL JACOB GARRETT, ARCHON OF THETA ALPHA (SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI) WHY DO IT? Every semester, ur chapter has at least ne Hnrary Initiate. We have initiated everyne frm family members t ur faculty advisr n campus, even the gvernr f Mississippi. Alumni imitates have prven incredibly beneficial fr ur chapter in several ways. Alumni initiating family members has enabled the chapter t grw ur members persnal cnnectins t the chapter while making Pi Kapp mre f a family affair; the first persn I actually gt t initiate as Archn was my father. Initiating ur faculty advisr enabled him t attend the ritual f initiatin and all f ur frmal brtherhd meetings, in turn allwing him t have a mre hands-n rle with ur chapter. In additin, we lk fr nn-greek cmmunity leaders in an effrt t grw ur chapter s influence in the cmmunity while als grwing ur undergraduate brthers netwrking capabilities. Overall, spreading ur brtherhd t great men in ur lives and the cmmunity has helped the chapter in numerus ways. HOW? When the semester begins t cme t a clse, we start reminding the chapter abut lking fr Hnrary Initiates, whether it s smebdy s dad r a leader in the cmmunity that they persnally knw. We ask this pretty early in the semester t give the ptential Hnrary Initiates sme time t make sure their schedule is free. A brther brings an Hnrary Initiate up t the chapter during chapter meeting, the man is discussed (as in wh they are, what they d, why wuld we initiate them, etc.), and then the chapter actually takes a vte n whether the persn is t be initiated. A 3/4 vte is needed fr them t be passed (It is very uncmmn fr an Hnrary Initiate t be denied if a brther speaks n their behalf). The gentleman is then ntified that he is mre than welcmed t be Hnrary Initiated and lgistics such as cst (whatever the natinal fee is, plus a cpy f The White Diamnd and a badge) and where t be the night f initiatin is discussed. We give a cpy f The White Diamnd a cuple weeks ahead just s the gentleman can becme acquainted with the fraternity in advance. They are initiated the same night as the assciate class s an extra setup is nt needed. 5