Back-to-school and back-to-college season is quickly approaching, so it’s time to prepare for Greek bidding and initiation season. Whether you’re an organization leader preparing initiation gifts for the whole incoming class or you’re a Big preparing for their Little’s reveal, you should be stocking up on gifts. There’s no better way to welcome new members than with a gift basket filled with merchandise for their new sorority. There is a wide selection of sorority-themed gifts, but which ones are the best for new members? Regardless of your position or sorority house, here are some of the best gifts you can include in initiation baskets for new sorority members.

What Are Sorority Gift Baskets?

If you’re unfamiliar with sorority gift baskets, now is the perfect time for a crash course before the school year and Greek season begins. To start, those interested in a sorority don’t become official members until the initiation process. The initiation process varies for every sorority and is usually kept secret between its members to increase their bond. After members are fully initiated, their sorority or Big Sister presents them with customized gifts to welcome them into the sorority.

Keep reading to find a complete list of perfect gift ideas for initiation gifts for your organization. These sorority themed-gift ideas are also ideal for sorority Bigs to gift to their incoming Littles during this year’s reveal ceremonies.

Apparel

Every sorority member needs customized apparel that features their house’s letters. Providing your new members, or “Littles,” with sorority-themed apparel will help them become closer to their sisters and feel like part of the community. Even something as simple as wearing a piece of sorority-customized clothing can help your new members feel more at home in the organization. They can proudly wear their sorority apparel to class and other on-campus events to show their loyalty. Wearing matching shirts for events and photos also helps your members bond.

Some clothing and apparel options perfect for customizing as sorority gifts include T-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, leggings, workout gear, varsity athlete jackets, and more. Consider ordering apparel items in bulk that match your sorority’s theme and colors.

Accessories

There are endless options for accessories to customize for sorority gifts. Sometimes your new members might be looking for a way to represent their organization without wearing a bold T-shirt or other apparel. In this case, include a few smaller accessories in your gift basket. Try ordering customized necklaces, earrings, scarves, bracelets, and more. Jewelry makes a great understated sorority gift that new members can wear anywhere, no matter the occasion. Another excellent accessory option is customized hats. Custom ball caps for women make a perfect addition to any sorority gift basket for their usefulness and versatility—members can wear hats on their way to class, during sporting events, and more. Plus, hats have some of the longest lifespans of any accessory or apparel items, so your members will treasure and use them for many years.

Bags

Every busy college student needs something to help them carry around their books, notes, and writing utensils, especially when traveling to their Greek house from across campus. Storage bags such as tote bags, gym bags, duffel bags, and backpacks make perfect incoming sorority gifts. Embroider or print bags like these with your sorority’s identifiers so that your members can show them off to each other and everyone else on campus. Bags are also great for holding all the smaller gifts you’ll include in your gift baskets.

Stickers

Stickers make great gifts for sorority gift baskets because they are fun, inexpensive, and easy to order and design. New members can stick them on all their favorite study materials such as laptops, notebooks, binders, and more. You can even supply larger stickers for car windows or bumper stickers.

Drinkware

Some students need a reminder to stay hydrated during the day, which is where custom sorority drinkware can come in handy. Water bottles are perfect for students to carry to class, sporting events, and other campus activities. Your members will get to show off their Greek letters while staying hydrating and practicing healthy habits. However, water bottles aren’t the only type of drinkware that makes a perfect sorority basket addition. You can also try customizing tumblers, coolers, cups, mugs, wine glasses (for members over 21), and more. These drinkware options also make the perfect addition to any sorority house.

Decorations

Decorative gifts are also a popular feature in sorority gift baskets. Items such as decorative paddles, photo frames, custom letters, chalkboard signs, and canvases are all items that you can include to help Littles feel connected to their organization. Not all sorority members live at the sorority house on Greek row. In fact, larger organizations would never be able to accommodate all their members. In this case, some newly initiated members will still need to live in campus housing. However, by decorating their dorm or apartment with these sorority-themed goods, they can still feel connected to their sisters and organization no matter where they live.

Where To Find Sorority Gifts?

These sorority gift items are a great place to start when filling your basket, but where do you find custom gifts such as these? You’ll often begin by finding a blank version of your product online and customizing it through a screen-printing service, embroiderer, etc. For example, if you’re looking for apparel and accessories, start here at KBETHOS with our wide selection of women’s hats for sale. We carry a wide variety of colors to match your sorority’s theme, and we offer hats in bulk to make ordering for your whole organization a breeze. Here at KBETHOS we can help you top your sorority initiation baskets off with the perfect hats.

Have any of these best gift ideas to include in sorority initiation baskets stood out to you? These custom items can go a long way toward making new members feel appreciated and right at home with their new sorority. So, if you’re in charge of putting baskets together for new members, remember these gift ideas and how meaningful they can be for new sisters.