Capturing Community: The Power of Event Photos in Synagogue Engagement

Hundreds of thousands of membership renewal communications will occur between congregations and their members this week. To make their constituents feel the love from their synagogue, smart congregations will use creative colors, smart formatting, and event photos in their messaging. When people are included in these pictures, they are especially powerful. Community members need to recognize themselves in pictures. They are more likely to participate, attend an event, and renew their membership if they see themselves having fun. 

Who Will Take the Pictures? 
The easy answer is staff or volunteers. Unfortunately, that's the end of the easy part. Staff have to balance event coverage with working hours. A synagogue team is like a Swiss army knife, with various personalities and skills, so it’s crucial to match the right person to the right event. Consider compensating staff for the extra hours worked, either with a free meal or appropriate compensation for their time. 

The key is to have a dedicated person in charge of photography at every event (not the same person, but at least one per event). As with every event, you should have a dedicated membership/engagement professional present. Volunteers are another option, but getting them to focus and complete the job can be challenging. If you haven’t read the post on “how to engage and keep talented volunteers,” you can find it [here]. 

Now that you have your staff person or volunteer, here are some tips and times for getting started on your roster of great synagogue and community photos. 

Pre-Friday Night Services 
Many attendees are dressed nicely, relaxed from a long day at work, and ready to attend shul. Sometimes there are also young families, and congregations love seeing future members in their younger families. Pre-Shabbat food and drink is often served outside, with plenty of natural lighting. 

Top tip: Kol Nidre and the first Passover Seder are also great opportunities for photos since people arrive quite early before the holidays begin. You can often pass these off as Shabbat service photos. 

Gala 
People dress to the nines, and there is often a paid photographer present. Capture the elegance and joy of the event, which can be very appealing in membership renewal communications. 

Schools 
Whether it is at Sunday school or preschool, you can benefit from some excellent marketing opportunities from kids having fun. (Most synagogues have limits on photos of their members' children, so please be advised that not all of your families will want their kiddos in pictures.) 

Room Setup 
It's worthwhile to showcase your space to potential members looking for future bar mitzvahs or weddings. You should have someone who knows their role is to capture some photos of the event—five to ten photos are usually enough for one or two pieces of marketing collateral.

How ShulCloud Helps 
With a comprehensive suite of tools for organizing, storing, and presenting event photos effectively, ShulCloud can greatly enhance your efforts to capture and publish engaging event photos. With the website gallery, you can display community events and organize your photos with ease. Your synagogue's vibrant community can be highlighted visually in membership renewal communications with ShulCloud's email marketing capabilities. With ShulCloud, you can not only increase membership renewals, but also foster a sense of belonging among your congregation, making your communications always engaging. 

Ready to transform your synagogue? Explore how ShulCloud can streamline your photos and create unforgettable experiences for your community. Book a demo with ShulCloud today and see the difference!