It’s a haunted house, but it’s just your council dashboard with no recent activity. 👻

We’ve all seen it: leads sitting untouched, chapters that haven’t logged in since recruitment, and an interest form no one has updated in a while. A lead with no follow-up is basically a ghost, and a dashboard nobody checks turns into a digital graveyard fast.

The good news? Your ChapterBuilder Council Dashboard (CBCD) isn’t just a place where data lives. Your ChapterBuilder Council Dashboard can help you see what’s happening across your community, recognize where students are showing interest, and identify opportunities to better support your chapters. When councils use it intentionally, they can spot where students are showing interest, where they’re falling through the cracks, and where chapters need support.

Whether you serve on a Panhellenic, IFC, NPHC or MGC council, these seven steps will help you clear out the ghosts and turn your dashboard into a true council strategy tool.

1. Know Who’s in Your Community.

Take a look at your council’s chapters and make sure your CBCD community is up to date. Confirm that the right chapters are connected and that your council has visibility across the entire community.

Council-specific check:

➜ Panhellenic: Are all chapters participating and represented?

➜ IFC: Is every fraternity connected and actively using the system?

➜ NPHC: Are your historically established chapters and newer/returning organizations represented?

➜ MGC: Are all organizations represented, including smaller or newer chapters?

2. Check Your Council Interest Form.

Your interest form is often the front door to your entire community. Make sure it’s current, easy to understand, and directing prospective members to the right organizations.

Council-specific check:

➜ Panhellenic: Is your form helping students explore the Panhellenic community before recruitment?

➜ IFC: Can students easily identify the fraternities they’re interested in?

➜ NPHC: Does the form allow students to express interest in specific organizations while still introducing them to the broader NPHC community?

➜ MGC: Does it make it easy for students to explore organizations that may not fit a traditional recruitment model?

3. Look at Your Data Before You Make Decisions.

Take a look at your leads, activity, and engagement to understand what’s actually happening across your community. What is your data telling you about where students are showing interest and where chapters may need additional support?

Ask:

➜ Where are students showing interest?

➜ Which organizations are receiving interest?

➜ Where are students falling through the cracks?

Use the data to start conversations—not just create reports.

4. Make Sure Your Community Is Following Up.

A lead sitting in CBCD isn’t a strategy. Your council can help establish clear expectations for what happens when a student expresses interest. Do chapters know when new leads come in? Who is responsible for reaching out? Is there a plan to keep the conversation moving?

Council-specific focus:

➜ Panhellenic: Create consistent expectations around timely outreach before and during recruitment.

➜ IFC: Encourage chapters to respond quickly and personally to new interest.

➜ NPHC: Focus on relationship-building and meaningful follow-up—not just sending information.

➜ MGC: Make sure smaller organizations aren’t missing opportunities simply because they have fewer members or resources.

Council goal: Every student who expresses interest deserves a thoughtful next step.

5. Turn Your Dashboard Into a Council Strategy Tool.

Don’t just have a dashboard—use it to lead your community.

Set a regular council rhythm to review CBCD data, identify trends, celebrate wins, and determine where your community needs support.

Try this:

1. Monthly → Review community data

2. Identify → Trends + gaps

3. Discuss → What chapters need

4. Act → Choose one community-wide priority

5. Revisit → Measure what changed

Your dashboard should help your council move from “What happened?” to “What are we going to do about it?”

6. Find the Leads that are Being Left Behind

A lead with no follow-up is basically a ghost.

Use your ChapterBuilder Council Dashboard to identify where students may be falling through the cracks and where chapters could use additional support. It’s one thing to encourage consistent follow-up. It’s another to know whether it’s actually happening.

Look for:

➜ New leads without activity

➜ Leads that haven’t been contacted

➜ Chapters receiving a high volume of interest

➜ Chapters receiving little or no interest

➜ Leads sitting in the system without a clear next step

Then ask your chapters:

“What happens after a student submits an interest form? Are we making sure someone is following up?”

7. Get Your Chapter Using the Tools.

Your council can help chapters do more than simply have a ChapterBuilder account. Help them understand how to use the tools to organize prospective members, track conversations, and keep recruitment moving throughout the year.

Encourage chapters to use:

➜ Leads → Organize and manage prospective members

➜ Activity Feed → See the relationship-building happening with leads

➜ Phone/Texting → Follow up directly when available through their account

➜ Forms → Capture interest and event registrations

➜ Events → Create opportunities to move prospects from interest to interaction

➜ Notes/Tags → Keep track of important relationship information

Council challenge: Pick one ChapterBuilder feature to spotlight each month and help your entire community adopt it.