What can we do to encourage people to sponsor?
“Get the community to mentally revisit their own walk and the impact it had on them and their lives – read their letters again and get a fresh injection of wanting others to experience the same experience they had. Are we hiding our ‘light under a bowl?”
“Get them to believe in the value of the product ie Emmaus walks. I think this survey is a great idea and a depending on what is done with the data collected, it could be helpful in gauging why people are not sponsoring”
Comments About Marketing Materials
“Having been involved in professional marketing for the last 20 years I see several major flaws which in my opinion is the cause of low numbers of pilgrims”
“Yes, we need to have faith in Gods leading of pilgrims to us but we also need to do more to work with God using the skills we have. On the last walk for example I had 6 prospective pilgrims in mind for the walk but the absence of any promotional material made it very difficult to leave anything with them”
“When I attempted to get promo flyers I was told they were not available and that maybe a couple would be forthcoming on special request. Not having a promo flyer limits promotion to personal friends and I think most of our personal friends have already done the walk”
Alternative Point of View
“I am a bit concerned about a “marketing” approach.
I believe that Emmaus should be a movement that is motivated and actioned by FAITH, not a marketing strategy. Our faith should direct Emmaus, not marketing directing Emmaus.
I also believe that it is vital in order to maintain an impetus, Board positions should not be filled for more than 2 terms by a community member.
This brings about a continuum in Christian leadership development (which is one of the purposes of Emmaus) and ensures that the Community “owns” the program, not individuals. (one of the reasons the founding fathers of the USA enshrined a 2 term maximum in the American constitution)”