• Is your shul considering an expansion, renovation or purchase of adjacent property?

• Are you thinking of hiring a chazan or assistant rabbi, but first need to know what your members think?

• Might your minyan configuration or timing need updating?

• Are you spending a lot on youth programming or adult education lectures, but don't know the extent to which these are utilized or appreciated?

• Do you need a more efficient way to conduct elections?

• Are you interested in a comprehensive survey of members to determine their overall level of satisfaction with your membership services, programming, shiurim, rabbinic services, etc.?

 

These are just a few examples of the kind of issues that can be greatly helped by polling your membership.  I offer polling and election services to shuls and other non-profit organizations at a very low cost.  By retaining an outsider, you can expect more candid and comprehensive responses - members will not be intimidated on sensitive issues.  Results will be presented to the president, board, committee or whoever is leading the project, while retaining the confidentiality of individual respondents.

 

I am equipped to promptly conduct surveys ranging from a single vote or question (e.g., assessing a major shul event) to a complete membership satisfaction survey with 50-100 questions.  Our database contains hundreds of sample questions, as a starting point.  The steps involved in the process are as follows:

1. Contact me to discuss what your needs are, to get advice or obtain a fee quote.

2. Prepare an email listing of your members, or those to whom you want the survey sent.

3. We will prepare the survey questions, based on your input, and review them with you.

4. Once the questions are finalized, we will provide you with a link to send along with a cover note regarding the survey (alternatively, we can send the survey directly, either shortly after you send an introductory note, or together with this note).

5. We will follow up with reminders to those that do not respond, and thank you notes to those that do.

6. Members that don't use email can be given the opportunity to fill out the survey manually, if you so choose.

7. After the survey period is closed, we will prepare a summary or report on results and provide them to you.

8. A phone or in-person meeting can be held to review the results.

 

My qualifications are as follows:

• MS degree in Mathematical Statistics from Columbia University

• Recently retired from over 37 years as a fully credentialed actuary, pension consultant and department head for a leading NYC employee benefits and HR consulting firm

• Full career's experience in collecting and analyzing data

• Former president of a large Teaneck, NJ shul, along with numerous other volunteering roles and a record of accomplishment

• Currently fulfilling a "second career" performing volunteer or partially paid work within the Jewish community

 

For shuls or non-profit Jewish organizations, I will provide the above surveys for a fraction of what a full service firm (like my former employer) would charge.  For example, an election or brief survey can be done for only $100.  Why?  Because I like doing this type of work, understand budget limitations within our communities, and am interested in helping improve operations in our shuls and other non-profits.

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Contact me at 201-836-6408 or 201-741-7774, or by email at mkarlin@shulsurveys.com.

Michael Karlin