Continuous Open Bidding (COB), Explained

What is COB?

Continuous open bidding, or COB, is the process some chapters use to recruit new members outside of formal recruitment, usually a handful of girls at a time through low-key events like a coffee, a dinner, or a craft night, rather than the full round-based system. If formal recruitment didn’t go the way you hoped, COB is often how you still end up with a bid and a home.

Most recruitment blogs won’t tell you the honest version of this, and I can, because I’ve spent my sorority career in the basement of 40-plus recruitments, and I went through COB myself.

Below I’ll walk you through how COB actually works start to finish, why so many chapters are doing it now, what to do in the moment if formal didn’t go your way, and the part sometimes tiptoe around - whether joining through COB is somehow “lesser.” One term you’ll see throughout: the basement is the back room where chapters debrief and decide on PNMs (potential new members) during formal recruitment.

TL;DR

• COB is how chapters recruit outside formal recruitment, usually a few girls at a time through casual events.
• You don’t sign up for COB and meet every chapter. You find the specific chapters with open spots, often through an Instagram link or someone you know inside.
• Many open COB spots are semi-predetermined, going to a friend of a friend or a girl they couldn’t take last cycle. Knowing someone in the chapter matters a lot.
• If formal didn’t go your way, do not assume your dream chapter has COB spots open. They might not until next recruitment.

How does COB work, start to finish?

The first thing to understand is that COB is nothing like formal. You don’t register once and get funneled through every chapter on campus. Only certain chapters have spots open, and then you have to get yourself in front of them.

Usually if there’s interest and a spot, you’ll get invited to an event. Sometimes it’s something structured like a craft night or a make-your-own-bouquet thing. Sometimes it’s as simple as coffee or dinner. Every chapter does COB differently.

At some point the chapter will sit down and talk about you and vote on whether to offer you a bid. A lot of this comes down to how many spots they have and how many girls are interested.

Why are so many chapters doing COB now?

This part actually matters for understanding your odds, so stick with me.

Ten years ago, the chapters doing COB were mostly the ones struggling. Weaker reputations, smaller member bodies, spots to fill because formal didn’t fill them. COB carried a quiet stigma because of who was doing it.

That’s changed, and the reason is wonky but worth knowing. National Panhellenic sets something called total for every campus, which is the number each chapter is allowed to grow to. The method they use to set total can leave chapters with a gap between their current size and total, sometimes ten-plus open spots, sometimes just one or two. Often half to all of the chapters on campus are ending up with COB openings. So the old assumption that “COB equals the chapter nobody wanted” is not true anymore.

What should you do if formal didn’t go your way?

First, breathe. I mean that. You came here stressed and I’m not going to add to it.

The single most important thing to understand is this: if you drop out of formal recruitment before you sign your MRABA, you’re free to go through COB. MRABA stands for Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement, the form you sign at the end of formal that commits you to accepting a bid if you’re matched. The reason this matters: is if you declined a bid that you matched to, the MRABA binds you do not going through any form of recruitment for a full calendar year.

If you ISPed and didn’t bid match, but you’re open to other chapters. It’s geniunely worth looking at who has spots open.

The bottom line

COB is a lot more common now. Find the chapters that have openings and see where the process takes you.

I joined through COB, and it’s a big part of why I do this work now. So when I tell you that you can still end up exactly where you’re meant to be, I mean that. It’s what happened to me, and I’ve watched it happen to more girls than I can count since.

If you want the full walkthrough, everything I’ve learned about COB from 15+ years of recruitment knowledge, it’s all in the COB Playbook. It covers finding the open chapters, the messages you actually send, and how to attend COB events. And if you’re the first in your family to go Greek and half this vocabulary is brand new, start with Going Greek When Your Family Didn’t, which walks through the terms, the dues, and the whole system without assuming you already know the language.