TO ALL BODIES OF ELDERS IN THE UNITED STATES BRANCH TERRITORY Re: Survey on Use of Printed Publications
Dear Brothers:
The branch office is working on arrangements for the 2015 regional conventions. This year an electronic copy of convention releases will be made available for downloading or stream- ing at the same time that physical copies are made available. Therefore, we are asking that a sur- vey be conducted that will be used to determine how many physical copies of each release we should send to each regional convention. It is thought that some families (or single adults) who ex- clusively prefer an electronic copy may choose not to obtain a physical copy of the release at the convention. Some may have access to the Internet on their portable device, and others may choose to download the publication later when a wireless (Wi-Fi) Internet connection is available to them.
The announcement on page 2 of this letter should be read to the congregation at the first Service Meeting after its receipt. Immediately following that meeting, the congregation secretary should use the attached 2015 Convention Release Survey to interview briefly one representative of each family and record the information needed by the branch office. If the secretary is not able to carry out this responsibility, another capable elder should do so.
After the survey is conducted with those in attendance at the Service Meeting, the secretary should consult his list of families and consider who was not able to participate. He should make an effort to contact those families and obtain the information as described in the announcement. For any who cannot be reached, an estimate should be made so that all in the congregation are repre- sented in the final tally. He should then submit the information using the path or Quick Reference (QR) code and password below no later than February 2, 2015. The survey should be retained for future reference until your congregation has attended the regional convention.
PS to coordinator of the body of elders and secretary:
Please arrange for the announcement below to be read to the congregation at the first Service Meeting after its receipt. Thereafter the secretary will follow the instructions in the letter.
ANNOUNCEMENT TO CONGREGATION
The branch office is currently working on arrangements for the 2015 regional conven- tions. In the past, only physical copies of convention releases were available to those in attend- ance. Currently, many publishers use electronic forms of our publications for personal study, others use the printed publications, and others use both. The increased use of electronic publica- tions can result in substantial savings for the organization. Therefore, in an effort to conserve dedi- cated funds, we would like to ask that you please participate in a brief survey tonight.
It should be noted that this information will be used to determine the number of physical copies of the releases that will be shipped to each regional convention. For those who make use of electronic publications, information will be provided at the convention for you to download or stream the publications at the same time that the physical copies are being distributed. You may have Internet access from your portable device, or you may choose to access the electronic copy later when a wireless (Wi-Fi) Internet connection is available. In this way, all can obtain the re- leases in the format of their choice. As in previous years, additional physical copies will be available through the congregation in the usual manner after the convention season is over.
This evening, Brother __________ will conduct the survey immediately following the Ser- vice Meeting. We ask that one representative from each family approach him and inform him of your preferences. In order for you to respond quickly and accurately to the survey, please consider the following for each member of your family. You will be asked to answer these two questions.
Question 1:
Question 2:
How will each member of your family want to receive a new study publication at
the convention?
A. Electronic copy only via jw.org
B. Printedcopyonly
C. Bothelectronicandprintedcopies
How will each member of your family want to receive a new video at the conven-
tion?
A. Electronic copy only via jw.org
B. PhysicalDVDonly
C. Bothelectronicandphysicalcopies
Please note that answers indicating only electronic copies will result in fewer physical copies at the convention. Therefore, it would be appreciated if those indicating only electronic copies would not later decide to obtain a physical copy at the convention.
Thank you for conveying this information promptly and accurately to the secretary this evening. We look forward to all of the blessings anticipated for the 2015 convention season.