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Greater Atlanta
Unitarian
Universalist
Congregations
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Welcoming Visitors
Congregational representatives were given instructions on how to collect data on the number of visitors who came because of hearing the announcement on WABE90.1FM. They were told not to dramatically alter the way they greet visitors during the campaign period. They were to simply add "NPR/WABE" to their visitor form and distribute the form to every visitor (Appendix A, Tracking Tools, Visitor Form).
All nine congregations participated. Results were tabulated over 12 weeks in which the announcements took place (the first two weeks were condensed into one week at the beginning and hence the 13-week drive became 12). We wanted to compare the previous year’s data over the same 12-week period; however, to our disappointment, we could not use it because it was heavily distorted due to the quantum jump of visitors in all congregations following the 9/11/01 terrorist attack. Comparison between the first six months of 2002 and the 12 weeks of the campaign shows a slight decrease in the average attendance in general, and not an increase.
Results
The summary of the results for the individual congregation and total for all congregations is shown below. The first row indicates the number of total visitors during the campaign. The number of visitors who indicated "NPR/WABE" on the visitor form is shown in the second row. The bottom row shows the percent increase in number of visitors during the campaign.
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Emerson | |
First Ex. | |
GA Mtn | |
Northwest | |
UUCA | |
Gwinnett | |
Marietta | |
UUMAN | |
West GA | |
TOTAL
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| No. of Visitors |
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28 |
18 |
32 |
88 |
155 |
19 |
30 |
43 |
15 |
428
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| WABE Visitors |
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2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
13
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| % increase |
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8 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
23 |
0 |
3.1
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The following observations can be made from the above data:
- The average increase in attendance for all nine congregations combined is 3.1%.
- The percentage-increase in visitors for individual congregations during the campaign ranged from a low of 0% to a high of 23%. The apparent reason for this may be dependent on how and who collected the data at the greeters' table.
- The statistical results of the nine congregations strongly depend on the two largest congregations – UUC Atlanta and Northwest UUC. The increase in the number of visitors who came after hearing WABE announcements at these two congregations, for some reason, is abysmally low. If we exclude these two congregations in the statistics, then the average percentage-increase is 6.9%.
Pre-Campaign Visitor Numbers
Creating a baseline of visitors was a challenge. This campaign was to begin mid-August, 2002, so tracking visitors immediately prior to the effort would mean during the summer months – a traditionally slower period for UU congregations. We decided to compare the previous year's data over the same 12-week period but that information was not sufficient because it was heavily distorted by the quantum jump of visitors in all congregations due to the national tragedy on September 11, 2001. We then decided to track visitors for two years prior to this campaign and found that many congregations did not maintain visitor numbers. Visitor information for 2000 was not available for many congregations.
Furthermore, as we gathered post-campaign numbers (December 2002 through January 2003), 2 of the 9 congregations were unable to provide weekly visitor data – their greeters could not find the visitor forms. Through this project it became clear that tracking visitors must be a goal for UU congregations. For any congregation to evaluate and build upon its own publicity efforts efficiently, they must have a strong baseline of visitor information.
Conclusions
- The visitor tallies seem to depend on who and how the data is collected in each congregation. The more persuasive and dedicated the greeters are to the cause, the truer the results. Casual discussions with the individuals indicate that the drive by the leadership (ministers, congregational representatives, lead greeters) had a bearing on the results.
- When questioning the low visitor tallies, we discussed this possibility: since the website had a significantly stronger attraction for the listeners, might a visitor check the "website" box instead of the "NPR/WABE" box on the visitor form? Would they remember and identify the last source of information, rather than the initial radio ad (which directed them to the website)? This is an excellent question that might have merit, but cannot be measured.
- We observe that tracking visitors at the congregations' front doors has too many uncontrollable variables; it is too subjective and inconsistent to be a tool for measuring the effectiveness of advertising UUism on PBS/NPR.
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