Build the Brotherhood

Strengthen the Bond.

Every recruitment season is a new opportunity to welcome outstanding men into our Brotherhood, and continue building the greatest version of each chapter.


A New Recruitment Challenge

The Build the Brotherhood Challenge is more than a recruitment competition. It’s a commitment to building the strongest possible Phi Delta Theta chapter on every campus. Success is not defined by one exceptional recruitment class, but by the consistent pursuit of growth and excellence. 

As General Council President Nat Love reminds us, we must guard against elation—celebrate our achievements but never allow success to become complacency. Every recruitment season is a new opportunity to strengthen the Bond, welcome outstanding men into our Brotherhood, and continue building the greatest version of our chapter. 

How the Challenge Works

Every chapter is placed into a division with other chapters based on geography.  Each chapter then receives a customized recruitment targets for both the fall and spring semesters. This gives every chapter a clear goal to pursue each semester and a fair opportunity to compete, regardless of chapter size or campus.

🥉Bronze Goal 

A strong recruitment result 

Bronze Goal delivered a strong recruitment result and established a foundation for continued growth. Recognition will include: 

  • Framed Recognition Certificate 
  • Phi Delt Sticker Packs

🥈Silver Goal 

The recommended recruitment target

The Silver Goal is the chapter’s official competition target. Chapters that reach it will receive: 

  • Framed Recognition Certificate 
  • 36″ x 30″ Phi Delt Flag


🥇Gold Goal

An exceptional recruitment resulT

The Gold Goal represents exceptional recruitment performance. Chapters that reach Gold will receive: 

  • Framed Recognition Certificate 
  • Customized Banner Stand 


Find Your Division
Find Your Goals

Other Annual Awards 

Division Champions: Awarded to the chapter with the highest percentage of their annual recruitment goal achieved. 

  • Custom Table Cover 

Rookie of the Year: Awarded to the Emerging Chapter with the highest percentage of their annual recruitment goal achieved. 

  • $1,000 Credit Towards Installation Fees

Most Improved: Awarded to the chapter that recruits the largest increase in Phikeias compared to the previous year.  

  • $500 Bulk Order Credit to the Phi Delt Store 

The Gold Standard: Awarded to the chapters that meet or exceed their Gold Goal both semester. 

  • $1,000 Bulk Order Credit to the Phi Delt Store

The Greatest Version: Awarded to the chapter who achieves the highest percentage of both their fall and spring Gold Goals. 

  • Customized Canopy Tent 

The goal of the Build the Brotherhood Challenge is not only to grow the Fraternity, but to strengthen every chapter by welcoming outstanding men into our brotherhood. Whether your chapter has a long history of recruitment success or is working to reach its full potential, there is always an opportunity to improve the quality of your next Phikeia class. Great recruitment begins with a strong pipeline. The more men you meet and build genuine relationships with, the greater your opportunity to identify those who truly embody the values of Phi Delta Theta. Quantity creates opportunity for quality, allowing your chapter to be more selective and intentional in extending bids to men who will strengthen your brotherhood for years to come. 

How Goals Were Created 

Recruitment goals are unique to each chapter. They were developed using: 

  • Recruitment performance from the past three years 
  • The chapter’s most recent fall and spring recruitment results 
  • The number of graduating seniors 
  • Current chapter size compared with the campus IFC average 

The goals are intentionally ambitious. In most cases, they are set above the chapter’s strongest recent performance rather than simply asking the chapter to maintain what it has already accomplished. The logic is simple: challenge every chapter to improve while keeping expectations realistic and grounded in its campus environment. 

How to Win Your Division 

Division standings are based on the percentage of the chapter’s Annual Recommended Goal achieved. 

Division Score = Total New Members Recruited ÷ Annual Recommended Goal 

For example, a chapter that recruits 26 men against a goal of 30 would finish at 87%; or a chapter that recruits 16 men against a goal of 12 would finish at 133%.  

Using percentage of goal allows chapters of different sizes to compete fairly. A chapter of 25 members with a goal of 10 can fairly compete with a chapter of 125 members that has a goal of 50 because each chapter is measured against its own customized target. 

The chapter with the highest percentage of its Annual Recommended Goal achieved on June 30, 2027, will be named the Division Champion. 

The Divisions