It’s the summer recruitment season, a time when many staff members abandon their offices to get out in the community and make personal connections with families. Maybe your school is hosting a BBQ, guiding yoga in the park, or hitting the pavement door to door. Whatever the event, you need to maximize the time your staff is dedicating to the cause. Having the right materials on hand bolsters credibility, guides conversations, and most importantly gives your staff the ability to follow up with families. Here are three things you want on hand when recruiting in person.

1) School One-Pager

A one-pager serves as a visual reference for staff as well as collateral you can share with families. The one-pager can be laid out on an 8.5x11 page or 5x7 card and should include the following elements:

School Overview

Clearly communicate the reason why your school exists, the students you serve, the unique focus of your program, and how you tangibly make families’ lives better. For some organizations, your mission statement captures this information well. For others, your mission statement was created for a broader audience (boards, donors, etc.) and may have limited appeal to families. Here’s a good example overview for a fictional school:

“Many high school students in Dayton don’t receive the individual support necessary to put them on a path to college. Shining Star Academy is a tuition-free public charter school that gives students in grades 9-12 a vision for their future and an individualized learning plan to help them get there. Every year, we send hundreds of students to college to pursue the careers of their dreams. With the right support, every student can become a star.”

Academic Results

Academic results add to the credibility of your program. I find that the best way to include these stats is in the form of charts or graphs. Not only does this visually enhance your layout, but it allows you to make the information easy to digest. Include results that speak specifically to the problem your organization is trying to solve. For example, if a high school exists to put students on a path to college, they should share stats about their college acceptance rates (rather than 9th-grade science scores). If applicable, include state or standardized tests in comparison to other schools as well as any awards you’ve received.

Parent Testimonial

Your results support your case through numbers while your parent testimonial supports your case through narrative. Scan through your school’s Google and Facebook reviews to find a testimonial that is the best living example of why your school exists. Ask that parent for permission to print their review and include a headshot. Layout the testimonial with a unique font that differentiates it from the other text on the page.

Steps to Enroll

The final element of your one-pager should be the steps to apply. Many times we share the benefits of our program and why parents should apply, but leave them in the dark about the enrollment process. Outlining the enrollment process eliminates fear and confusion and makes it more likely for parents to take action. Break down your enrollment process into three steps. Include a website, QR code, or phone number that will help them start the process.

Bonus: Before ending your conversation with a parent, write down your work number directly on the one-pager and circle it. Let the parent know they can call you if they have any questions!

2) The Application

If staff provide a compelling pitch, a parent may want to apply right away. Instead of directing them towards a website where they complete the application on their own, staff should be ready to complete it with them on the spot.

The most efficient way to capture applications is by using a tablet or smartphone. This ensures all the information is accurate and keeps you from having to input the application from paper to digital.

A school tablet may be outside your organization’s budget, and staff may find it cumbersome to complete applications on their smartphones. In that case, you can fall back on paper applications. If you are recruiting with paper applications, make sure you’ve blocked out time on your calendar to input the information in your enrollment system within a few days of the event. You want to provide the parent confirmation of the application as well as the next steps as soon as possible.

3) A Digital Lead Form

Many times parents will be interested in your school, but may not feel ready to apply. In this case, you need a simple digital lead form. This form allows you to collect the minimum amount of information from a family so that you can follow up through automated emails, texts, and phone calls. 

Staff can bookmark the lead form on their tablet or smartphone. It should be simple and take seconds to submit, so I would avoid paper forms.

Example fields: 

Guardian Name

Guardian Email

Guardian Phone

Student Grade

Staff Who Feel Equipped

Having the right materials on hand allow staff to relax and be as personal as possible with families. They won’t be scribbling contact information on the back of envelopes, directing families to a website they will never visit, or feeling like an application is all or nothing. When staff feels equipped they interact more confidently and can focus on what matters - helping families find the perfect school for their children.

Sawyer Schafbuch is a StoryBrand Certified Guide and founder of Everydesk, helping quality schools recruit students. He recently moved to Des Moines, IA with his wife and daughter.