JEWISH OUTREACH SCAN OF ATLANTA

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JEWISH OUTREACH SCANOF ATLANTA
Prepared by The Jewish Outreach Institute
With the Support of the Samberg Family Foundation
Full Narrative Report Available
Online www.joi.org/atlanta info_at_joi.org
1270 Broadway, Suite 609 New York, NY 10001
[phone] www.JOI.org
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Questions to Answer

• Who Does Outreach Target?
• Defining Outreach and Understanding the
  Unaffiliated
• How Are We Reaching Out?
• Methodologies that Find and Connect the
  Unaffiliated
• How Are We Welcoming In?
• Gatekeepers, Website, Cost as a Barrier, Policies
• How Do We Serve?
• Recommended Next Steps

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Scan Methodology

• Anonymous Emails
• requesting program information to 44
  institutions received 24 replies (55)
• Website Scan
• Phone Interviews
• 83 Jewish communal professionals at 46
  institutions(20 communal agencies and 26
  congregations of all major denominations)

Majority of institutions scanned in Atlanta
identified outreach as a priority for their
organizations, with 38 of 46 (83) stating it was
a very or extremely high priority
Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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The Outreach Imperative

• From the 2004 Jewish Community Study of North
  Metro Atlanta
• Disaffiliation
• 51 unaffiliated with any Jewish organization
• 59 unaffiliated with synagogues
• Area is much younger than national average
  families with young children most likely to
  affiliate.
• Intermarriage
• 35 households intermarried (48 among those
  married in last ten years)
• 55 of the children in intermarried households
  are being raised Jewish, and another 32 are
  being raised Jewish and something else, (much
  higher than average) but only 16 of intermarried
  couples are affiliated with synagogues (average).
• Transplants
• transient nature of the population63 have
  moved to the area within the last 20 years, with
  only 7 born in Georgia.

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Outreach
to take Jewish community out to where the people
are, rather than waiting for them to come to us
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JOIs Public Space Judaism Model

• Uses outreach methodology and trained outreach
  professionals to create personal relationships
  and guide people into deeper engagement.

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Public Space Judaism Programs in Atlanta

• Only a handful (the norm nationally) Examples
• My Own Backyards Great Shofar Blow Out, 200
  people, many unaffiliated
• Chabad Hanukkah Menorah Lightings, 1,500
  people, over 40 unaffiliated
• Marcus JCCs Sophie Hirsh Scrochi Discovery
  Museum, 150 people, 50 unaffiliated, 20
  intermarried.
• Some Partnerships with Secular Public Space
  Programs
• For example, Congregation Bet Haverim at Atlanta
  Pride Festival.
• Potential Public Space Judaism programs
• Only identified one, Purim Parade name
  collection could lead to follow-up/engagement.

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Destination Jewish Culture Programs in Atlanta

• About a dozen programs identified (the norm
  nationally) Examples
• Jewish Arts and Culture (JAC) Jewish gospel
  concert in a church, 1,000 people, 45
  unaffiliated number of other JAC programs as
  well
• Atlanta Jewish Film Festival of the American
  Jewish Committee secular theaters, 43,000 people
• North Metro JCCs Family Fun Day, 700 people,
  35 unaffiliated.
• Several potential Destination Jewish Culture
  programs, including
• Healthy Women, Healthy Lives program in public
  libraries may benefit from greater secular
  publicity
• Monthly Happy Hour held in bars, attracts 40-50
  young adults, 30 unaffiliated, but guesstimate
  since name collection is not consistent
• Sabbath Service in the Park uses secular media
  and public spaces, 200 participants, 20 were
  unaffiliated, may benefit from systematic
  name-collection and follow-up (challenge of
  Shabbat name collection).

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Open Door Community Programs in Atlanta

• Most prevalent type of outreach, in Atlanta and
  nationally.
• Examples
• Marcus JCCs Jewish Festival, 15,000 attendees,
  communal partnerships, raffles, secular
  marketing other programs such as the Jewish Book
  Festival as well
• Ahavath Achim Congregations Eisenstat Lecture,
  free, high-profiled speakers, secular marketing
  (incl. flyers in stores), 5,000 people
• Chabad of Alpharettas Outdoor Sukkah Festival,
  Lag BOmer Picnic and Shavuot Ice Cream Party,
  free, up to 300 participants, 35 unaffiliated.
• Many more potential Open Door Community
  programs lack
• important outreach methodology, such as
• Name collection
• Follow-up
• Low cost
• Secular marketing.

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Outreach MethodologySecular Marketing and
Advertising

• To reach the unaffiliated our marketing must
  follow our outreach
• to go where the people are, to secular venues.
• 42 of 46 institutions scanned (91) use Jewish
  media to publicize events and services
• 28 of 46 (61) have used secular media to attract
  participants, though sporadically Only 4
  institutions (9) cited secular media as their
  most commonly used form of publicity
• 13 out of 46 institutions (28) indicated the
  occasional use of TV or radio
• 14 of 46 (30) indicated that their own
  institutional websites were the primary mode of
  publicizing events requires the public to find
  them.
• Example of Secular Marketing
• The Breman Museum lists exhibits in secular
  press including many sections of the Atlanta
  Journal Constitution (entertainment, arts,
  religion) uses PSAs on radio and has a policy
  of developing reciprocal relationships with
  secular organizations who become promotional
  partners.

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Outreach MethodologySecular Partnerships

• Unaffiliated Jews may be active in a variety of
  the professional, political, cultural and social
  justice groups in Atlanta partnering with such
  secular organizations allows us to find those
  unaffiliated Jews, learn their needs and
  interests, and try to engage them.
• 15 of 46 organizations scanned (33) collaborate
  with secular partners to hold joint events.
• Example of Secular Partnerships
• The Jewish Family and Career Services Rainbow
  Center held a reception following the Unspoken
  Past exhibit on Atlantan gay history at the
  Atlanta History Center (free 35 participants
  majority unaffiliated names collected).

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Outreach MethodologyName Collection

• We must know who comes to our outreach events in
  order to follow-up with them and provide relevant
  next steps into deeper Jewish engagement.
• Effective name collection is a challenge for
  Jewish institutions throughout North America, and
  Atlanta is similar to other communities
• 27 of 46 institutions (59) do sporadic or no
  name collection at programs they identify as
  reaching at least some unaffiliated participants
• 19 institutions (41) do collect names
  consistently
• Only 13 out of 44 institutions (29) asked for
  the e-mailers contact information to continue
  the engagement when anonymously e-mailed with a
  simple question about programming.
• Examples of Name Collection
• Chabad of Cobb captures names at all events and
  enters them into a special database by age,
  affiliation and frequency of attendance
• At My Own Backyards Great Shofar Blow Out,
  greeters are stationed at the entrance to ensure
  that everyone fills out a raffle to win a shofar.

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Outreach MethodologyFollow-Up/Making Personal
Connections

• People connect to people, not buildings or
  programs. We can put a face on our community
  through personal follow-up. As newcomers get to
  know us, theyll feel more comfortable engaging
  the community.
• 37 of 46 organizations scanned (80) indicated
  that they or someone else in their institution
  follows up with newcomers, notably higher than in
  other communities
• However, considering the lack of consistent name
  collection among all but 19 of these
  organizations, follow-up is benefiting just a
  small percentage of potential outreach contacts
• 28 of 46 organizations (61) indicated that new
  outreach contacts are distinguished from regular
  members in some way, such as entered into
  separate databases.
• Example of Follow-Up
• Congregation Or Hadashs membership committee
  assigns different people to supervise follow-up
  with new contacts through both a general e-mail
  and a personal phone call, and invitations to
  upcoming events.

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Defining Target Audiences

• Outreach is a methodology, not a target
  audience. But knowing our target audience helps
  us employ outreach methodology to reach the
  traditionally underrepresented.
• Intermarried households
• A sensitive topic in Atlanta, some dont ask,
  dont tell policies
• 12 of 46 organizations (26) do not know the
  percentage of their intermarried
  members/participants 20 (43) believe between
  0-10 12 (26) believe between 11-40 and 2
  believe higher than 40
• 12 of 46 organizations (26) run programs that
  seek to attract intermarried participants half
  of those have intermarried membership of less
  than 25, 3 with less than 10
• Referrals from organizations that do not offer
  interfaith programs are usually very general
  (try the JCC or the Reform congregations).
• Multiracial Jews
• No synagogue identified multiracial Jews as among
  its outreach priorities only 2 organizations,
  AJC and JFCS, identified this population as an
  outreach priority the Marcus JCC and Federation
  both reported programs for this population.

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Defining Target Audiences (continued)

• Programming for Young Adults
• There is considerable programming for young
  adults in Atlanta
• 21 of 46 institutions (46) including 8
  synagogues run at least one program intended to
  target this age group
• 16 institutions (35) rank serving young adults
  among their principal missions most offer
  membership discounts.
• Programming for the GLBT Population
• GLBT not a high priority for most of the
  community
• Just 6 of 46 organizations (13) have ever
  offered specific GLBT programs
• 2 institutions (Bet Haverim and JFCSs Rainbow
  Center) regard serving the GLBT community as
  their primary goal 2 others offer ongoing
  programs.
• Programming for Older Adults
• Older adults are seen as a growing demographic
• 14 of 46 institutions (30) report reaching out
  particularly to older adults, but only 6 of them
  described programs aimed at attracting older
  adults
• 20 institutions (43) offer membership discounts.

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Institutional WelcomingGatekeepers

• Whether finding their way in through outreach
  efforts or on their own initiative, first contact
  between Jewish institutions and unaffiliated
  newcomers can be make-or-break moments for future
  engagement.
• Easiest ways for newcomers to initiate contact is
  by phone or email.
• Who answers your phones?
• How are they trained to handle sensitive
  questions, such as from intermarried couples?
• Do they understand the importance of collecting
  names? Follow-up?
• How well versed are they in your organizations
  programmatic offerings? How about other programs
  in the community?
• 28 of 46 organizations (61) indicated that new
  outreach contacts are distinguished from regular
  members in some way, such as entered into
  separate databases.
• Who answers your email?
• How quickly do they respond? (24-hour rule)
• Do they understand the importance of collecting
  names? Follow-up?
• 24 of 44 institutions (55) replied to JOIs
  anonymous emails and only 13 (30) asked for
  contact information in order to deepen contact.

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Institutional WelcomingWebsites

• Most institutions see their websites as a major
  portal of entry for newcomers one-third of those
  scanned cited their websites as their most
  important form of publicity.
• Of 54 Atlanta Jewish organizations selected for
  the website scan, 43 (79) had operational
  websites.
• Of the 43 institutions with websites
• 33 (76) had easily located contact information
• 30 (69) included the names of specific contact
  people
• 31 (72) updated their websites in some way,
  often with a monthly calendar.
• Example of an Effective Website
• Kosher Chameleon, which hosts parties for Jewish
  young adults, uses its website as a vehicle for
  follow-up by posting photos of their events
  together with ads for upcoming events and
  emailing the website link to those names theyve
  collected.

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Institutional WelcomingPolicies

• When an institutions policies prevent it from
  serving particular newcomers, it can still help
  to find them a welcoming place within the Jewish
  community by partnering with other institutions
  or making referrals.
• Intermarriage
• Of 29 organizations scanned that offer
  officiation services, the clergy at 8 will
  officiate at interfaith weddings, usually with
  conditions
• Of the 38 institutions scanned that do not offer
  interfaith officiation, 9 (24) refer interfaith
  couples to a rabbi at another institution (with 7
  able to mention a particular rabbi).
• GLBT
• 22 of 46 institutions scanned (48) report no
  official policy, leaving the picture unclear the
  rest, except for two, affirmed that a GLBT couple
  would receive equal treatment
• 8 institutions would offer commitment ceremonies
  but most have never had the opportunity arise.

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Institutional WelcomingCosts

• Some Jews simply cannot afford the high cost of
  affiliation others dont make a financial
  investment in the community because they dont
  yet have an emotional investment in it. The
  community must first invest in them, without
  expecting immediate returns.
• High Holidays
• 26 of 46 organizations scanned offer High Holiday
  services to nonmembers only 11 advertise them in
  the secular media
• 8 congregations offer free High Holiday services,
  but only 4 advertise them.
• Programs
• 39 of 46 organizations scanned (85) offer at
  least one program free-of-charge 25 (54) also
  offer programs for 10 or less.
• Membership
• 32 of 46 institutions scanned (70) are
  membership organizations
• More than half charge over 1,000 as a base
  standard household membership
• 31 institutions (67) offer discounts, mostly
  based on age however, in many cases this
  information is not advertised in the secular
  press.

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005
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Recommended Next Steps

• Atlanta is not behind other Jewish communities
  scanned, yet there are ways to grow the
  community
• Training of communal professionals and volunteers
  on key outreach methodologies such as name
  collection, personal follow-up, inclusive
  language, gate-keeping, etc.
• Technical assistant to individual institutions to
  build outreach best practices into existing
  programs and create new programming
• Increased program collaboration among Jewish
  institutions and with secular partners
• Community-wide outreach committee leading to the
  creation of a community outreach coordinator.

Jewish Outreach Scan of Atlanta December 2005