Topic #1 – Recruitment Strategies
(What are your most successful recruitment strategies? How do you reach groups such as foster youth, unhoused persons, justice-impacted individuals, veterans, GED, ESL?)

• Attending events that are specifically targeting these populations
• Attend GED graduations/partner with GED centers to help with FAFSA and provide basic college information
• Partner with probation/parole offices
• Give Accuplacer testing to individuals at the area correctional facilities
• MBTI presentations for academic career enrichment classes
• Assisting area seniors who are not served by Talent Search
• Door-to-door outreach at local apartment complexes
• Provide program information to caseworkers who serve foster youth
• Visit shelters, transitional housing, and food banks to provide information or host sessions
• Partner with local veteran resource centers to provide workshops or information sessions
• Organize or participate in community resource fairs
• Ensure outreach materials and communications are relevant and accessible
• Utilize program alumni who may have a similar background to connect with potential participants

Topic #2 – Community Partnerships
(Who are your most valuable community partners? What does the partnership look like? Who would you like to have a partnership with, but don’t know how to set it up?)

• Local jails, re-entry offices
• High Schools
• Adult Education Programs
• Statewide pathway programs
• Faith-based institutions
• Family engagement offices at local schools
• Recovery centers, transitional housing
• Workforce development agencies
• Public Libraries
• Community resource programs/Case workers for different programs
• Local housing authorities
• Scholarship foundations
• Local recreation centers

Topic #3 – Financial Aid/FAFSA
(How are you tracking 24-25 FAFSA completion? What issues are you still seeing with the new application? Do you have any tips or tricks you use with the new application? What other types of financial aid resources have you been using?)

• Get verbal/written confirmation of completion from participants
• Creating a FAFSA tracking system (spreadsheet that tracks participants’ status at all milestones)
• Hosting FAFSA workshops and documenting completion at the event
• Encourage participants to bring contributor in with them to complete the FAFSA together
• Follow up through email/text for completion updates if participant is completing at home
• Hold scholarship workshops for participants who need additional aid or don’t qualify for PELL
• Work closely with financial aid office to receive confirmation of completion
• Continued hardships for students whose parents don’t have socials, students whose parents won’t provide contributor information, and students in tricky marriage/tax filing situations

Topic #4 – Technology/Apps/Tools/Social Media
(Which social media platforms are you using and which have had the most success? What are you posting on social media? What types of technology or virtual apps/tools are you using?)

• Mailchimp
• Targeted social media ads/boosting posts
• Texting platforms
• Billboards
• YouTube
• Google Drive
• Remind App
• Padlet
• Blooket
• Canva
• PosterMyWall
• Blumen