This post was originally released on AEA365 in 2023, and was so popular the first time around, it is being reshared from the archives at the request of the Indiana Evaluation Association.
When I attend a community impact meeting, sometimes, I remember to sign in.
I’m Kyle Hannon with Filibuster Press, a community development and book publishing consultancy. When I’m involved with a community meeting, we have a sign-in sheet to keep a record of who is there. From across the room, I will see people who walk into the meeting, usually after the meeting has started, and walk right past the sign-in sheet. How could they do that? Don’t they know it is important for record keeping (grant reporting) that we know how many people were at the meeting?
On the other hand, when I’m simply attending someone else’s meeting, I might be the one who walks past the sign in sheet. When it’s not my event, I don’t always think about it, even though I should know better.
Another way to keep track of attendance at meetings is to actually count the number of people there. This works for events with fewer than 50 people. I have trouble counting even half that number of people. I swear each time I count the number of people in the room I get a different number. Once I’ve settled on a number, somebody else walks in. Maybe two people. Okay, let me adjust the number I just wrote down.
Currently I am working on a great trail project. Knowing how many people are using the trail helps us plan for maintenance and will be helpful for future grant applications and reports. The trail is accessible all the time and we can’t count on a sign-in sheet. It needs to be open, so requiring tickets wouldn’t work either. A turnstile would be nice, but impractical. I found a solution that is like a turnstile but better for trails. Recently, I installed three infrared counters along the trail to keep track of each time something passes by.
A few days ago, I collected the data for the first full month of operation. The data must be downloaded from each counter, on site. Collecting from the first counter was uneventful. It’s in an easy-to-reach location, as long as I remember to turn off the nearby electric fence. The second counter is in a wetland area and is harder to reach. To get to the third counter I had to climb down a steep ravine, cross a creek, and scramble up the other side. This was my karma penalty for walking past sign-in sheets at other people’s meetings.
So, when you are attending a meeting or a hike, remember that you are important. One way or another, someone is trying to count you. Look for a sign-in sheet. Sit up straight so you can seen and counted. And stay on the trail so the trail counter records you.
Lesson Learned
Be counted: If you are attending a meeting or event, and an evaluator wants to know attendance numbers, make sure you participate.
Rad Resources
Trail counters:
Hot Tip
You can count large crowds: “Jacob’s Method” for crowd counting
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Kyle, I really enjoyed your post and laughed out loud regarding counting Karma. Thank you to IEA for resharing this post.