Demonstrating Demand: Recruitment and Engagement
Charter School Bootcamp May 2022
Jennifer Larson, Founder & CEO, Hive Digital Minds
1
18 Years Collaborating with Charter School Leaders
Parent & Entrepreneur
Charter School Founder
School Marketing Consultant
AGENDA
Why Prioritize Community Outreach?
Validate Your Idea
Why would families leave their current school to attend yours?
Talk to families, educators, community members, business leaders
Look at strengths and weaknesses of existing school programs
School Startup is About Building Relationships
Importance of a large, diverse founding team - board members, volunteers, consultants
Define early on what it takes to have ‘founder status’
Student Recruitment Starts with Brand Awareness
Rule of Seven (or is it 15?)
Understand the Conversion Funnel
Where to Begin
Basic Marketing Kit
Brand Guide - logo, color palette
Email Newsletter
School Handout - postcard, flyer
Social Media - Facebook, Instagram
School Swag / Promotions
Virtual Opportunities
Social Media Strategy
Recruit someone to run your social media
Post weekly, all year long (summers included)
Brainstorm a list of content ideas
Create a schedule for posts
Community Outreach Programs
Community Surveys
To better understand community need
Test survey with your internal team
Distribute - in person, online, email to friends/family
Use results in your charter application
Community Events
Start information meetings now
Identify locations for meetings
Attend events in your community
Partner w orgs to co-host events relevant to families
Create a calendar of events
Community Partnerships
Identify orgs aligned with your mission
Churches, Chamber of Commerce, non-profit orgs, local businesses, any family-focused org in your community
Get Letters of Support
Resources
5 Step Marketing Plan for New Schools - Hive blog
Enrollment Playbook - understanding conversion metrics
Social School 4 Edu - best practices for schools (great blog!)
Canva - graphic design program (great for social media and newsletter images)
Google Analytics 101 - basics for measuring website traffic
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