Attracting New Members With Creative Leadership

Reaching out for new members can be one of the hardest things for UUs to do. We'd much rather that new people seek us out and then we're happy to share our religion with them, but we're often not very good at bringing them in. When we do think about ways to attract people, our first thoughts are often of advertising in major newspapers. Our second thought is of the high cost. A series of ads can cost thousands.

Newspaper ads have their place. But there are other options — and congregations that are putting them to good use. The 10-year-old Bowie UU Fellowship, Bowie, Maryland, with 82 adults and 65 children, is using them all. Because it meets in an elementary school and lacks a physical identity, the fellowship and its minister, the Rev. John P. Gaffney, work hard to create a presence. Here's what it does:

• Sends letters before Christmas, Easter and in August to home buyers from the past two years. Names come from a member in real estate. Cost: $300
• Posts fellowship notices on supermarket bulletin boards.
• Gaffney also does two free half-hour cable TV shows each month, talking about his sermons or the church.
• Advertises in the local newspaper and makes sure to send brief news item to the county edition of the Washington Post.

A direct mail campaign worked for the new UU Congregation of Somerset Hills, Pluckemin, NJ. When the congregation was forming, it contacted National Public Radio and for $500 obtained 5,000 names of NPR subscribers in the New Jersey area. The list was narrowed to 1,500 nearby households which were sent a letter and brochure, using volunteer labor. Postage was under $200. (Example of brochure)

The congregation went from 15 members a year and a half ago to 132, plus 100 children and youth. Ellen Thomas, president, noted that other publicity initiatives also may have drawn people in, including a popular booth at a 4-H fair and news articles, but many came carrying the NPR letter. "We felt the mailing was well worth it," she said.

The UUA ran national messages on NPR for three years with good results, but will not this fall because of declining response, says John Hurley, UUA director of information. Congregations may place their own messages on their local stations. Charges can range from $15 to $300 per spot.

Hurley said UUA spots that got good response from NPR listeners, included one with a quote from Unitarian minister/historian Earl Morse Wilbur: "The essence of Unitarianism is the constant struggle for freedom, reason and tolerance." Also, because radio listeners confuse UUism with the Universal Life and Unification churches, congregations might consider using a statement that dates them, as in: ". . . a force for freedom, reason and tolerance in (city) since 1870."

Two congregations, Davies Memorial UU Church, Camp Springs, MD (101), and Southwest UU Church, Strongsville, OH (60) did bulk mailings of 24,000 and 19,000 pieces, respectively, in recent years. Neither is certain how many joined, but in each case the total is believed to be under 15.

A former Unitarian church at San Juan Capistrano, CA, which later merged, becoming UU Church of South County, Mission Viejo, CA (102), bought 5,000 names on two mailing lists in the early '90s and targeted families with children 10 and under in two mailings at a total cost of around $1,000. Gila Jones, former vice-president, said 8 to 10 joined. Most were new UUs.

Direct mail can be useful, says Debbie Weiner, director of electronic communications, but do enough homework to make sure you're reaching the right areas. "You can get it pretty honed in if you're careful about the zip codes and study the demographics of the area." Look in the Yellow Pages under Mailing Houses. Lists of new home owners are a matter of public record, available at your city or county clerk's office.

A carefully targeted mailing will probably draw in enough people to at least pay for itself. But don't count on it for large numbers. Be cautious also with cable TV, says Weiner. Viewership can be small and demographics may not be a good fit.

Paul Vancouver, a member of UU Fellowship of Grand Traverse, MI (233) whose career was in direct mail, recommends mailing in August or January, listing sermon topics, and including a checkoff form for ease of response. If your congregation has done a successful direct mailing, please let InterConnections know.

For congregations with no money, Weiner urges creativity. "Go where the people are that you want to attract. If I had a good RE program, an up-to-code playground, and a clean toddler room, I'd make an attractive flyer and put it on bulletin boards in groceries, fast-food restaurants, kids' clothing stores and indoor playgrounds." Make sure you're included in Welcome Wagon information.

Don't overlook the obvious. First UU Church, Ann Arbor MI (545), has a small display ad with a color logo in the Yellow Pages. "When we ask our visitors how they found us, there are three frequent answers," says Sandy Simon, membership chair. "First is Yellow Pages, then our website, and then friends."

Jim Mason, member of the UUA's Electronic Communcations Committee, believes Internet websites are gaining on the Yellow Pages as a place where people find UU congregations. The problem, he said, is that churches often have difficulty finding someone to keep the site up to date. If that's your problem, then keep it simple. Most important, he said, is a photo of the building and several members, some of your beliefs, your community involvement and a map.

The UU Congregation of Susquehanna Valley, Northumberland, PA, chartered in 1992, has grown to 100 by using NPR spots, Yellow Pages, and ads in small papers, and by religiously sending news items to local papers and alerting them to story possibilities, said the Rev. John C. Morgan, now on sabbatical. "We did everything, but I think our success was due more to the continual use of media rather than any one thing."

Come Grow With Us
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills

Could You Be A Unitarian Universalist?

Are you looking for greater meaning in your life?

Would you or your family like to belong to a supportive, creative and dynamic religious community?

Are you seeking a place where your children can explore their heritage and still have the freedom to determine their own religious identity?

Do you want to be part of a religion that makes a difference in your community?

Are you looking for a spiritual home that respects your deep religious questioning?

If you've answered yes to any of the questions above, you may be looking for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills — and we are looking for you.

This religiously liberal, inclusive community was formed in 1997.

We want to include your hopes and you dreams and your needs as we continue to grow our new religious home.

What Makes Us Unique?

Unitarian Universalism is a non-creedal religion grounded in the belief that individuals can rely on their own reasoning and inner wisdom in seeking religious truth. Together, we join to affirm and promote the following principles: *

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person.
• Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and the society at large.
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Our congregation is one of the more that 1000 congregations belonging to the Unitarian Universalist Association. We have had a consistently progressive presence throughout American history. Famous Unitarian Universalists include Thomas Jefferson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Fuller, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Whitney Young and many, many others.

Unitarian Universalism draws from many sources and traditions: *

• Direct experience of the transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces that created and uphold life.
• Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion and the transforming power of love.
• Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life.
• Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.
• Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science.
• Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

* From the by-laws of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations

Want To Know More?

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__ Religion for interfaith families
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Please send to:

The Unitarian Universalist
Congregation of Somerset Hills
271 Route 202-206 South
Box 25
Pluckemin NJ 07978-9998

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