Survey results were originally reported to Monsignor Talley and his staff on July 18. At that time, it was decided to report results to parish members immediately after the staff had time to reflect upon and internally discuss the findings. That time has come, and key findings from the survey follow:
Responding SJN parishioners are educated, comparatively affluent, and involved in the parish. Nearly three- quarters (74%) of responding household heads have college degrees and 32% have attended graduate school. Additionally, the median household income of respondents is over $89,000 annually – nearly twice the $48,000 median for US households. Perhaps most impressive of all, 80% of the responding households said they are involved in at least one SJN parish activity, and respondent households have already pledged an average about $2,800 to the SJN Building Fund. These statistics suggest a vigorous and involved parish community.
There is widespread dissatisfaction with SJN’s existing facilities. About 46% of responding parishioners said SJN’s existing facilities (i.e., church, meeting space, etc.) are adequate, but 47% said they are inadequate. The remaining respondents said they are undecided. (Figure 1.) Respondents expressed the greatest degree of dissatisfaction with SJN’s ability to accommodate meetings and organizations, parish social functions, private functions, and Christmas and Easter Mass. Results indicate that respondents want SJN to be a “full service” parish – one that is able to accommodate community and social functions as well as religious services.
A strong majority of respondents said they would support a parish hall, a larger church, meeting rooms, and a youth center. Each of these building elements was supported by at least 75% of respondents, suggesting that the majority of parishioners recognize a need for improved SJN facilities. (Figure 2.)
When asked to choose between building plans, respondents said they preferred The New Church Plan to The Parish Hall Plan. Although a clear majority of respondents said they support both plans, on a forced-choice basis, the $9.5 million New Church Plan is preferred to the $4.6 million Parish Hall Plan by a 48% to 37% margin. About 4% of respondents said they do not prefer either plan, and 11% said they do not know which plan to support. (Figure 3.) You might recall that The New Church Plan would encompass a new church, day chapel, meeting rooms, and converting the existing church into a parish hall and youth center. The Parish Hall Plan would reconfigure or add to existing facilities and include all of the above elements except a new church.
As currently configured, The Parish Hall Plan is affordable. Nearly half of respondents (49%) said they would be willing to donate $310/year for three years for The Parish Hall Plan. $310/ year is the average amount each parishioner would need to donate for SJN to raise the $4.6 million required this project. Despite half of survey respondents saying they would be unable to donate $310/ year, the average amount that respondents said they could donate is $427/year – enough to pay for the entire project with minimal financing if we assume that each SJN household not responding to the survey were to donate at about half the rate claimed by survey respondents. (Figure 4.)
The New Church Plan would be affordable only with cost reductions or additional financial support. Despite The New Church Plan being the preferred building plan, only 24% of respondents said they would be willing to donate $1,000/year for three years to support it. Although $1,000/year is the amount each parishioner would need to donate to raise the remainder of the $9.5 million required for this project, the average amount that respondents said they would donate is just $606/year. Assuming this average level of donation from survey respondents and about half the donation rate from non-respondents, SJN could pay for The New Church Plan only if additional cost savings, funding, and/or financing totaled $4.5 million. So, for example, if the project cost could be reduced by $2.0 million and an additional $2.6 million could be raised and/or financed, the project would be plausible. (Figure 5.)
As a parish, SJN must overcome several attitudinal barriers before raising funds for either plan. Some survey respondents indicated that they would likely withhold donations because they perceive inequity in giving between SJN parishioners, require more information about what is to be built, or doubt that anything will be built given the starts and stops of past SJN building efforts. Others altogether questioned the need for any new facilities. These findings suggest that SJN leadership must precede any fundraising activities with communications that address such questions and inspire confidence that whatever project is started will indeed be completed.
If a new church building were constructed, respondents would predominantly favor one that has a similar or slightly more traditional architectural style than SJN’s existing church. About 33% of respondents said they would prefer a new church building that is neither more modern nor more traditional than SJN’s current church, while 51% would favor a more traditional architectural style and 16% would favor a more modern style. (Figure 6.)
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
“English as a Second Language" (ESL) Classes offer beginning and intermediate level instruction in learning to speak, read, write, and understand the English language. The classes meet twice each week for 10-week sessions.
