# Presentation: 139342

## Recruiting and Retaining IDA Participants

- by Amy Shir
- AFI Resource Center

## Purpose of Recruiting Segment

- To help you:
- identify your target markets,
- reach them with the right message, and
- enroll them into your IDA program.

## Objectives of Recruiting Segment

- Define recruitment and explore reasons some AFI Projects have struggled in this area
- Explain key relationships among AFI time limits, recruitment and retention
- Identify and describe target markets and market segments
- Construct benefit-centered messages
- Find ways to build trust
- Enroll with little “waste”

## Marketing

- Is the AFI Project accessible?
- Is the opportunity cost of participating greater than the perceived benefits?
- Is the project’s value communicated compellingly?  Or does it sound like a scam??
- Is it marketed at the times and places people will hear it?
- Is it designed and delivered for the right group(s)?

## Recruitment

- Why have some AFI Projects had difficulties recruiting participants?
- How do we build relationships with our prospective participants?  Why would they trust us?

## Where to Recruit?

- Brainstorm Ideas

## Where to find participants?

- WITHIN YOUR AGENCY
- Graduates of CCCS credit repair
- Vita site participants; tax clients
- Faith based organizations
- Community college students
- Habitat for Humanity Wait List
- Welfare to Work Clients
- Single Parent Groups
- Refugee Resettlement Programs

-    Head Start parents
-    Small business centers
-    CAA’s
-    Affordable Housing Clients
-    Section 8 Clients
-    Vocational School Students
-    Employers (e.g.,  hotels, restaurants,    big box stores, cleaning services, other retail or service employers)

## AFI Project Time Limits & Recruitment

- Do people enrolling in years 2 & 3 have enough time to acquire the asset? Can they finish all of the other requirements, e.g., financial education, asset education, credit repair, others?
- What are the implications for your recruitment activities?
- How would communication about your program in year 3 potentially be different from your marketing communications during start-up, years 1 & 2?

## Golden Rule of Account Design

- Monthly deposits (how do our projects block and tackle for our participants?)
- +
- Match during the savings period
- +
- Attendance at required trainings
- =
- Participants acquiring their selected asset

## AFI Eligibility

- TANF Eligible in Your State
- _OR_
- Household Adjusted Gross Income of 200% of Poverty or Less; or Qualifying for Earned Income Tax Credit;
- _AND_
- 	Household Net Worth < $10,000, excluding home and one vehicle
- IDA savings deposits must come from earned income.

## Measurable Recruitment Goals:  An Example

- GOAL:  165 account holders
- Average 27-30 per quarter for 6 quarters, allowing for attrition and start up time
- Generate 25 inquiries per month during each quarter of the first and second project year. (600)
- Register 12 people per monthly orientation during each quarter of the first and second project year. (288)
- Generate 30 eligible applicants from orientations and referring partners during each quarter of the first and second project year. (240)
- Enroll 180 account holders>165 completions with 8% attrition
- Actual attrition may be much higher, even more than 50%.

## Evaluation

- Track your results
- How many _queries_ from what strategy?
- How many _applicants_ from target market members or referral sources?
- How many _eligible_ applicants from target markets/sources?
- How many _enrolled_ from target markets/sources?
- Retention/attrition rate for target markets/sources?
- Be prepared to make changes in target markets or recruitment strategies.

## Purpose of Retention

- Keep those participants you worked so hard to find, recruit and enroll!!
- Save time and money!
- Ensure that as many participants as possible acquire selected asset.

## Objectives of the Retention Segment

- Define attrition and retention
- List factors that impact attrition and retention rates
- Describe accountholder success
- Identify facilitators as well as obstacles to successful completion at each step in the AFI Project

## Objectives of the Retention Segment (con’t)

- Identify and prioritize programmatic strategies to enhance success and mitigate/eliminate obstacles
- Develop and implement retention plan
- Describe different methodologies and resources that can facilitate problem solving during emergencies

## Accountholder Success

- What is accountholder success?
- Why is identifying and communicating interim success important?

## Retention and Recruitment

- What is the relationship between recruitment and retention?

- Most Programs look like this           Best Programs look like this

## Slide 18

## Strategies for Retention:Group Instructions

- Brainstorm all facilitators and barriers for the step your group has been assigned
- Select the 2 facilitators and 2 barriers that have the biggest impact on retention at that step
- Develop specific strategies that will mitigate/eliminate barriers OR enhance facilitators.  Be specific.  Answer: HOW

## Report Out-Group Instructions

- The “step” you examined
- A few of the facilitators and obstacles you identified
- The 2 facilitators and 2 obstacles that in your opinion have the biggest impact on retention
- The 2 best strategies identified for each category

## Lessons from the Field

- Offer alternatives for making deposits: e.g., direct deposit, mail-in, deposit only ATM
- Implement systems of contact and encouragement:  Continually monitor progress and Savings Plan. This depends on good data management and organized client files.
- Require savings prior to enrollment
- Do credit check early in program to assess

## Lessons from the Field (con’t)

- Require some or all financial education prior to enrollment
- Schedule flexible, accessible trainings
- Provide support for training attendance: location, transportation, childcare, food, interpreters
- Plug into VITA site; encourage lump sum deposit

## Allowable Emergencies

- Expenses for medical care
- Payments necessary to prevent eviction or foreclosure
- Living expenses following job loss
- Establish parameters for replacing emergency withdrawals within specified timeframe.  Provide support network to hasten return to program.

## AFI Resource Center

- For more information on this topic or other AFI Training Curriculum modules, contact the AFI Resource Center at the Office of Community Services
- Phone:	(202) 401-4626
- Email:	AFIProgram@acf.hhs.gov
- Web: _[http://www.acf.hhs.gov/assetbuilding](http://www.acf.hhs.gov/assetbuilding)_