Recognizing we are living in unprecedented times, Alpha Chi Omega is doing its best to support our members and strengthen our sisterhood. While the campuses of our 146 collegiate chapters are currently closed, we remain steadfast in our belief that recruitment is a year-round opportunity to recommend the best and brightest young women within our individual networks.

In preparation for formal recruitment in the 2020-21 academic year, we want to provide resources to help alumnae and collegiate members recommend and recruit outstanding potential new members.

Starting in 2015, our recommendation form moved online, replacing the paper version. This online resource is mobile-friendly and provides you with a record of your submitted recommendations. While we acknowledge this has been a transition, it is a progressive step in assisting our chapters efficiently and effectively manage the recruitment process. On average about 15,000 online recommendations are submitted every year. We are truly grateful to all alumnae who take the time to complete recommendations!

GROWING OUR MEMBERSHIP
Long before it is time to submit any recommendations to a collegiate chapter, alumnae have the privilege and responsibility of helping to grow Alpha Chi Omega’s membership in the following ways:

Promote Alpha Chi Omega as a part of your life. Doing so will increase the name recognition and familiarity of Alpha Chi Omega to legacies and other potential new members prior to recruitment.
Increase the strong reputation of Alpha Chi Omega by identifying and connecting with young women who would make valuable additions to our membership.
Educate legacies and other potential new members regarding Alpha Chi Omega’s standards and values, as well as privileges of membership.

BENEFITS OF THE ONLINE FORM
Our online recommendation form is the only way to recommend potential members. The online form allows you to:

• Submit your recommendation directly to the chapter - no need to search for the right contact information\
• Save and edit your recommendation form before submitting it to the chapter
• Receive email confirmation when the chapter receives your recommendation form
• Receive email notification if your recommended potential new member joins the chapter
• Create an online record of all of your previous recommendations

GENERAL TIPS
If you do not already have one, you will need a username and password for the Alpha Chi Omega website to access the online recommendation form.

Make sure you're viewing the form using a current version of Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari; please do not use Internet Explorer.
As soon as you start a new form, type in the potential new member’s name and hit the SAVE button. This will save your form to Alpha Chi Omega’s database rather than your local computer.
Any time you reopen the form, be sure to do so by clicking the “Edit this reference” icon in the table at the bottom of the page. You may edit the form at any time before submitting it to the chapter.
The recommendation form times out after 3 hours. Be sure to save your form often to avoid losing information and needing to start over. 

Be sure to submit the recommendation at least seven days prior to the beginning of formal recruitment to allow chapter officers time to review the form. Chapter recruitment dates will appear once you select the chapter of Alpha Chi Omega on your potential new member’s campus. If the form is not submitted before this deadline, chapter officers may not have time to review it prior to your potential new member starting recruitment.

Please note there is no longer an option to submit a photo of the potential new member. This is because potential new members provide their own photos to the chapter when they register for recruitment. Chapters use the photo the potential new member submitted to upload into their electronic management system. Based on feedback from chapters, we’ve found they do not use the photos submitted with the recommendation. Eliminating the photo in the recommendation saves you time in getting the photo and eliminates challenges that have come with uploading the photo.

Questions? Please email recommendations@alphachiomega.org with any questions related to the online recommendation form or the legacy process.

ACCESSING THE FORM
When the time comes, it is the responsibility of alumnae to utilize the recommendation form to inform our collegiate chapters of a legacy or other potential member participating in recruitment on their campus.

All alumnae are encouraged to complete this form for any relative or friend who will be participating in recruitment whom they feel would make an outstanding member of Alpha Chi Omega.

To submit a recommendation, you will need to have a username and password for the Alpha Chi Omega website. Then click on “Recommend a Member.” This will take you to the recommendation form. If you are having trouble creating an account or logging into the website, please contact recommendations@alphachiomega.org.

HELPFUL RESOURCES AND UPCOMING TRAININGS

• Recruitment Recommendation Form Instruction Manual
• Recruitment Recommendation Form FAQ Document
• Upcoming webinars (Click titles to see training details and register. All events will be hosted at 9 p.m. EDT / 8 p.m. CDT / 7 p.m. MDT / 6 p.m. PDT and will also be recorded.)
• May 5: Recruitment Then and Now
• May 27: Alumnae Chapter Recommendations
• June 11: Preparing Your Legacy for Recruitment

LEGACIES
While legacies are not guaranteed membership in an Alpha Chi Omega collegiate chapter, all collegiate chapters welcome the opportunity to meet Alpha Chi Omega legacies. It is our intent to educate both alumnae and collegians about the importance of inviting legacies to membership.

It is always difficult when a legacy gets released during recruitment; however, as long as the chapter follows the national policy, the final decision of membership selection is the responsibility of the collegiate chapter. Recruitment can be a difficult and stressful process, particularly on large campuses—there are sometimes as many legacies going through recruitment as the chapter will have spots in quota.

While our legacy policies and our recruitment procedures are national-level policies, membership selection is a chapter-level decision, which is truly made by the collegiate members at that time.

OUR LEGACY POLICY
Here is a brief review of Alpha Chi Omega's legacy policy. We are providing this information so you may assist potential legacies as they enter into formal recruitment, as well as better understand the policies regarding legacies of Alpha Chi Omega.

A legacy to Alpha Chi Omega is a sister, daughter, granddaughter or great-granddaughter of a member. The Alpha Chi Omega member and her family member define their legacy relationship (i.e. step relations, blended families, etc.).

Alpha Chi Omega values the relationship between a legacy and an alumna member. Chapters are regularly educated regarding the national legacy policy. An undergraduate legacy who meets Alpha Chi Omega’s membership standards and eligibility requirements is considered a preferred candidate and:

Is invited to the first invitational round of events during the formal recruitment process
Is invited to at least one recruitment event in an informal or continuous recruitment process
If she is invited to a formal recruitment preference round, she is placed at the top of the collegiate chapter’s bid list