Current Membership Picture
 
 
 

The membership of Temple Beth El appears to have held in the 630-660 "family" range for the past several years. Since this is the first year of having the membership records separate from the mailing list, the precise membership figures for prior years are not known. Since November 1995, about 20 members moved, died or resigned; about 40 new members were added; and 655 dues bills were mailed. Efforts to investigate discrepancies and update the Temple membership records are ongoing.
 

Based on the capacity of the sanctuary and social hall for the High Holy Days services, and upon the available space for additional classrooms for the religious school, it appears that the current building is capable of supporting 650-700 families under current operating scenarios. More could be supported with changes in operations to get around the facilities limits for single religious service attendance and/or single school session attendance.
 

The 1994 Temple survey was clearly opposed to satellite locations (71 percent opposed for religious services, 66 percent opposed for school purposes, 62 percent opposed for special programs). The members were also concerned about the potential consequences of growth; with 60 percent citing dues increases, 49 percent citing building expansion, and 44 percent citing whether growth would be self-funding as their main concerns. The growth concerns answers were clearly skewed toward longer tenured members, with much less concern on the part of respondents who had been members less than 10 years compared to those who had been members over 20 years.
 

The survey respondents also held that growth should neither be actively encouraged (31 percent) nor discouraged (6 percent), but should be allowed to occur naturally (44 percent). It is noted, however, that the same respondents placed the ideal membership number at an average of 790 families.
 

Need for Change - Membership
 

The need for growth in membership as a prerequisite for financial stability and the ability to fund an increased portfolio of Temple programs is a real one. Increased membership will also add to the vitality of the Temple by increasing the pool of available skills and workers to draw on in developing those programs.
 

Just as real as the need for growth is the need to avoid stepping across the boundary that would necessitate large capital expenditures for increased facilities. Higher maintenance costs due to more people using the building can likely be absorbed, but major facilities expansion should be avoided for several years to come.
 

Recommendations - Membership
 

Increasing membership to a target level in the 650-700 range near term, with a longer term target in the 700-800 range is necessary for financial stability and vitality of Temple programming. The shorter range goal requires little or no adjustment of facilities or operations, but the longer range goal has a prerequisite of creative adjustments to operations to enable the High Holy Days services and religious school to be accommodated without major building expansion.
 

The Temple must take a much more aggressive stance, both in attracting new members and in ensuring that current members rejoin each year. The procedures to be put in place by the Vice President - Membership, to attain the membership goals, especially the shorter term one, could include:

personal telephone calls or letters to new Stamford residents

open house programs which provides an opportunity to potential new members to review programming and meet professional and lay leadership

New Members Shabbat, welcoming through Project Ezra and/or small progressive dinners

providing a financial incentive for new members to join and for congregant introductions

making every effort to locate and attract young intermarried couples.
 

New members should be assigned to specific Temple members (e.g., membership committee and the leadership of other working committees) so that they are made aware of programming and personally invited to attend events. This type of mentoring should continue for a minimum of the first two years of a family's membership. New members should be matched to mentors with similar interests. Wherever possible, intermarried couples should be mentored by other intermarried couples.
 

All working committees and arms of the Temple should be especially aware of new members' areas

of interest and arrange programming so that those members might meet and share similar interests with other congregants.