Chapters meeting the goal will be recognized with awards during the 2000 International Convention. Early birds reaching their goal by April 1, 1999, will be the first-ever recipients of the Journey Challenge Awards at the 1999 International Convention in Anaheim. At press time, 33 chapters had already met the Challenge!

The chapters at Macomb Community College, South Campus, in Warren, Michigan, and Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Florida, are two of the chapters that have met -- and even exceeded - their Journey Challenge goal. To ensure that your chapter meets with the same success, try these tips from the pros that know how it's done.

On their way to meeting the Challenge both of these chapters soon learned that chapter visibility and effective communication are keys to successful membership recruitment. At the beginning of the semester the Macomb Community College chapter faced a problem shared by many Phi Theta Kappa chapters - few students on campus were aware of the Society, its purpose and its benefits.

Chapter members posted flyers and used the "Let Your Journey Begin" posters throughout campus to spark initial interest in the Society. The chapter also established a regular Phi Theta Kappa column in the monthly newsletter distributed to Macomb's 25,000 students.

Before the chapter's orientation, the newsletter's Phi Theta Kappa column featured vital information on the Society and urged readers to watch for letters inviting them to accept membership. Having been made aware of the invitation, potential members would not assume the letter was just "junk mail from the college," said chapter advisor Jim Plante.

The invitation letter was sent to 1,400 eligible students. Nearly 200 candidates attended the orientation and received a packet of information on Phi Theta Kappa and the chapter. The packets also included a membership application and information on the chapter's enhanced membership program.

During the orientation, each chapter officer gave short presentations on the benefits of membership and the importance of the four hallmarks. Afterwards, students were encouraged to approach officers individually. "I think the connection between the officers and the candidates is what made the candidates feel comfortable about coming up," Plante said.

If interested students could not attend the orientation, officers would conduct it over the phone. They would also provide private inductions to those who had conflicts. "The point that we're available and we're accessible makes a big difference," said chapter president Elizabeth Grace.

The chapter at Tallahassee Community College faced many of the same challenges as the Macomb chapter. Many students at Tallahassee were unfamiliar with Phi Theta Kappa, and, in addition, the chapter's leadership was brand new. When Jeb Blackburn assumed the advisor position in the fall, the chapter had only three returning members. The chapter used posters around campus to spread the word about the chapter. In addition, Jeb e-mailed all of the faculty urging them to encourage their eligible students to accept membership.

Although these efforts to increase the visibility of the chapter were effective, chapter president Sandy Gallant considers their invitation letter to be their most successful membership recruitment tool.

Having heard about his successful membership letter, Gallant e-mailed International President Thomas Jordan and asked him for guidance. Thomas sent her his original letter with some helpful hints. Sandy tailored the letter to suit her school and chapter and asked the college president to sign it. "It was the icing on the cake to have the president saying you really should join," she said.

Thanks to their intensive publicity campaign, more that 130 students attended the chapter's orientation. During the orientation Gallant shared her own Phi Theta Kappa success story. She closed the orientation by offering her phone number and e-mail address to the crowd, encouraging those with questions or suggestions to contact her.

Both Blackburn and Gallant agree that enthusiasm has played a large part in their chapter's success. "If your officers and the people in charge have a high enthusiasm level, then it's going to go into the group too,"asserts Blackburn. An enthusiastic attitude has certainly made the difference for this chapter. They have inducted more than 180 students this semester!

Try following in the footsteps of these award-winning chapters and watch your chapter rise to meet the Journey Challenge.