Four Weeks until Induction

Identify eligible students and mail invitation letters. In cooperation with the college registrar, the advisor will load into PAM a file of all students who meet the chapter’s specified eligibility requirements. PAM will generate temporary passcoads for each eligible student. Advisors and college registrars may call the Advisor Hotline at 877.PTK.1918 for assistance.

Send an invitation letter signed by the college president to all eligible students. Member Benefits Brochures, sent to each chapter at no charge in January and August, should be included in the invitation. The downloadable, customizable sample invitation letter is available at www.ptk.org/advisor/forms/invletter.htm. The sample invitation includes important information about submitting the membership application and fees online. Invitation letters should include:

• Congratulations on the student’s excellent academic record;
• Notification of eligibility for Phi Theta Kappa membership;
• Invitation to an Orientation for eligible students to learn about Society membership benefits;
• A temporary username and password and a link to the online membership application;
• And a contact name with telephone number and email address for questions.

Three Weeks until Induction:

Follow up with a Phone-a-Thon. Make a second contact with eligible students. To add a personal touch, members and officers may call potential members as a follow-up to the invitation letters. Remind eligible students of the upcoming orientation dates, times and location, and answer any questions they may have regarding membership. By following up the invitation letter with a phone call, many chapters have dramatically increased the number of students who accept membership.

Two Weeks until Induction:

Hold New Member Orientations. At the Eligible Student Orientation, prospective members should be instructed to visit http://www.ptk.org/acceptmembership to fill out an online Membership Application and learn about the chapter. Printable applications are also available at www.ptk.org/advisor/forms.htm. Emphasize the deadline that signed Membership Applications and fees must be received in order for students to participate in the formal induction ceremony.

One Week until Induction:

Submit membership applications and fees to Headquarters. Students applying online can securely fill out their application form and also safely pay local, regional and international fees via Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover. All local fees collected online by Headquarters will be reimbursed to the appropriate chapter. Members who complete the application online will be able to access their benefits within 24 hours.

For students who do not register online, advisors should collect the membership application and fees. Advisors who complete the application process for students must submit member names and fees to Headquarters within 30 days of collecting student fees. Advisors may pay membership fees by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover), college check or purchase order.

Tips for a Successful Phone-a-Thon

Don’t let students at your college miss the great opportunities that Phi Theta Kappa has to offer. Phone-a-Thons are a proven method of increasing membership acceptance and strengthening fellowship among current chapter members. For prospective members unfamiliar with Phi Theta Kappa, peer interaction can provide the extra bit of information and persuasion to act upon the membership invitation.

Plan Ahead – Schedule a time when more members and officers can participate, keeping in mind that calls should also be made when prospective members are most likely to be home.

Make It a Team Effort – Find an office on campus with enough phones for every officer/member participating, and assign everyone an equal number of prospective members to call.

Set a Goal – Groups work better together when they have a common goal, so make sure everyone knows how many new members your chapter needs to meet your Pinnacle Scholarship Award Program goals.

Use a Script – Use the online sample script available at www.ptk.org/pinnacle/samplescript.pdf to prepare two scripts for callers. One script should be for speaking directly with prospective members, and the second for leaving a message. Create a list of frequently asked questions and ensure that callers are familiar with Phi Theta Kappa, so they will be able to address questions from eligible students.

Have fun! The best part about a Phone-a-Thon is that it is a great opportunity for current members and officers to enjoy spending time with each other. Incorporate food and games to make Phone-a-Thons a favorite fellowship activity in your chapter!

Emphasizing Inclusion Promotes Chapter Growth – In most instances, a chapter’s eligible student orientation meeting exposes prospective members to Phi Theta Kappa for the first time. The orientation is the appointed time for chapter leaders to encourage prospective members to accept membership into the Society’s fellowship of scholars. To be successful, chapter leaders must first develop an understanding of what prospective members can bring to the chapter.

Prospective members arrive at the eligible student orientation with their own life experiences and unique characteristics. By recognizing the value of each prospective member’s uniqueness, the chapter presents a favorable first impression – affirming from the start that Phi Theta Kappa is a community of scholars that values what everyone brings in respect to age, race, ethnicity, sex, religion, sexual orientation, or enrollment status.

The list of unique characteristics is long, but the message is the same, “you are welcome in Phi Theta Kappa.” Sending the inappropriate signal or even not sending a signal at all can be counterproductive and prevent creative, hard-working prospective members from accepting membership and contributing to the chapter.

In recent years, there has been a widespread shift in thinking about how to insure that everyone feels at ease about joining and participating in organizations and programs. Emphasis on diversity has shifted to an emphasis on inclusion. Emphasizing the idea of inclusion is more proactive, creating an environment that makes all types of people feel welcome. This atmosphere is important because it lets individuals know that they do not have to compromise their uniqueness in order to be a part of a group or organization, demonstrating instead that Phi Theta Kappa is compatible and adaptable to their unique characteristics.

Inclusion is especially important to Phi Theta Kappa because, as the community college honor society, Phi Theta Kappa is naturally a reflection of community colleges – the nation’s and even the world’s most diverse educational institutions. Plus, the face of community colleges is becoming even more diverse. This is especially true in the area of international students, who often bring a distinct set of values and beliefs to the community college and Phi Theta Kappa. Chapters should note that some international students may not understand the concept of an honor society or how membership could benefit their educational and career aspirations. Having these students excited about becoming a member of your chapter enriches your chapter significantly, creating a climate where all chapter members learn and grow from interacting and developing friendships.

Another time your chapter needs to be inclusive is when considering the time to hold the orientation for eligible students. Many community college students commute, work full-time jobs or have family or other commitments that may present a challenge for them to attend a new member orientation. Flexibility is one of the most important elements of inclusion. By providing multiple orientation times, your chapter makes an important statement of inclusion to a variety of students whose schedules are far from traditional.

The same is true of other groups, but the application may be different. For example, it is beneficial to network with the African-American, the Asian, the Hispanic student associations or other similar groups. Such networking is another element of inclusion. Chapters can connect with these groups by sending them copies of the Phi Theta Kappa Membership Benefits and Scholarship Guide, speaking at one of their regular meetings and contributing to their print or electronic communications. Such interaction advances the idea that the chapter recognizes them as fellow community college scholars and welcomes them in Phi Theta Kappa.

Promoting an open atmosphere of inclusion helps insure a chapter’s continued growth. The diverse membership that emerges from this atmosphere creates an environment that bolsters Phi Theta Kappa’s mission of creating an intellectual climate for the exchange of ideas. Make sure your chapter shows as often as possible that Phi Theta Kappa values diversity and actively promotes an atmosphere of inclusion where the entire community college family is welcomed to flourish in a common pursuit of excellence.