As of this writing, there are an estimated 391,000 children awaiting foster placement in the US. So Epworth set an audacious goal: more than double the number of children it placed last year.
Achieving this meant reaching beyond the pool of existing foster parents and appealing to those who may have never considered it. It was a daunting proposition, but there was one phenomenon that hinted at opportunity. Research revealed that, in the wake of the pandemic, millions of Americans were re-evaluating their lives, taking stock of what was (and wasn’t) offering real purpose and value, and reaching beyond the status quo in countless ways to serve a new set of more meaningful priorities.
We saw this as fertile ground where we might sow a new target audience: the “foster curious”.
This birthed a strategy that steered clear of persuasion and aimed simply to pose the question “what if?” So we enlisted this archetype to recount their own soul-searching, and revisit a time they felt like our audience might currently. We focused on the moment they first began to consider fostering as a possibility and what lead them to follow “what if” just a little further.
Initial responses (including DMs like this one asking specifically about the messaging) were encouraging. And outcomes followed suit. A month prior to the goal deadline, new recruits were up 103% over the year prior.
