Sponsorship/Letter of Reccomendation

You find out that the chapter at your college/university or the alumnae/alumni chapter has a rush. You are beyond excited, nervous; your adrenaline kicks in on the thought of you fulfilling your dream of becoming a member of XYZ org. You attend Rush with your excitement in tow, trying your best to impress who could soon be your sorority and or fraternity sister/brother.

Then reality sets in. The fee for membership is announced at Rush, and it is a lot more than what you anticipated. You realize you have to have so many hours of RECENT community service. You need a sponsor and don't have one. You have to have a FINANCIAL member write you a letter of recommendation that can speak about your character,  your RECENT community service efforts and why they feel you would be the perfect candidate for membership.

The problem? You do not have the money. You don't have a sponsor. You can't find a financial member to write you a letter of recommendation. You realize that you are either lacking in the community service hours, or the service hours you do indeed have has been from years prior. So what do you do? Well, it appears you didn't prepare yourself for membership. Real Talk! When I found out I wanted to be a member of Delta Sigma Theta (14 years old btw), I did my research. I  have spoken to members. I was able to establish various relationships with Deltas. I also attended multiple events. The internet wasn't as popping as it now, and the only website that was available at the time was the DeltaNet founded by Sorority Sister Bonita Jackson (BeeJae, RIP Soror). I loved that website. It was filled with a wealth of Delta information. Her popular blog post entitled "So you think you want to be Delta" was VERY popular and appeared on many College and Alumnae websites. She is the reason why I decided to create this blog. Her website helped me SO much, and I wanted to pay it forward to all prospective BGLO members.

Although it wasn't publicly known HOW much it would cost, I worked my tail off during Summer months while I was in college to save at least $1100 for the initiation fee.  (It cost nowhere near that much, thank GOD)! I kept my community service hours current, and I stayed in touch with the people that was in charge of my volunteer service so I could use them as a reference. I was hoping to use my ex's sister to gain a letter of rec. from her since she is a Delta (unfortunately, that fell through) I was blessed enough to have two other Delta on standby who were willing to write me a letter. (Thank Goodness) I guess my point is, I was prepared. I was ready. I just needed for the members to take a chance on me. Thankfully they did. The competition was fierce at my University. EVERYONE wanted to be a Delta, so to be quite honest, even after putting my best foot forward, I wasn't expecting to be chosen during the first try. I was wrong. They extended an invitation to me. I was blessed enough to have received the necessary votes for me to start the process of becoming a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

If you don't have the $, the sponsorship, or someone to write your letter, all is not lost. You need to take this time to work, work, work! Work on saving that money. Work on establishing meaningful relationships with members of the org you so desire to become a member of. My RD gave me the BEST advice. She stated that if someone asks you to write a letter of recommendation are you willing to PAY for their initiation dues? (Hint, membership in all of these orgs are NOT CHEAP). If so, write them a bomb rec. If not, then keep it moving.  I have had a quite few young ladies in applying for membership at both the College level and at the Alumnae chapter ask me for a letter of recommendation.  How many have I written? ONE! I am very particular on writing letters, and if I haven't worked with you, (and recently) and cannot honestly speak on how you can be an asset to the organization from my personal experience, then I will not be writing a letter. Some of the women I haven't heard from in a while. So the first time I hear from them was to ask for a letter of recommendation? Sorry sweetheart but Issa no. If you know me personally, you know that I am a HARD working Delta. I am very active with my chapter, so I will only be writing letters for people that I feel will work hard for the organization as well.

When people say no, don't take it personally. Just realize that you need to ask someone that you feel comfortable with, that can speak to your character, work ethic and knows you personally. This is vital. We (and by we I mean ALL members of BGLOS) have enough T-shirt wearers in our Orgs and don't need any new ones. A T-Shirt wearer is a person that wants to be a member of XYZ org, goes through the process, only to be never seen again. But trust and believe they will make random appearances at Greek Parties or will give a shout out twice a year on Social Media. (The time they crossed as well as their Founders Day). They are either only active/financial while they are in college, and never pays another DUE after graduating from college, or goes through the process as an alum member, and disappears. As I have always stated, LIFE happens. (It did for me during my first few years of getting married, and although I was a member at large while making my monthly Diamond Life Payments, I was not affiliated with an actual chapter).

I tell people all the time, membership in these organizations requires Sisterhood/Brotherhood, MONEY, TIME, and EFFORT! Without them, these orgs would not exist. Just giving you all a food for thought as Rush season is upon us. Good luck all of you, and for those of you that are currently going through the process.