CONNECTFosterMore-Because No Child Makes It Alone
A non-profit coalition united on behalf of foster youth to increase participation in foster parenting, mentoring and educational opportunities.
Are any other organizations collaborating on this proposal?
FosterMore is a coalition of nonprofits and foundations united to increase opportunities for foster youth. Funding partners include Disney ABC Television Group, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Casey Family Programs, Pritzker Foster Care Initiative, Stuart Foundation, Entertainment Industry Foundation and Ralph M. Parsons Foundation. Nonprofit partners include First Star, StoryCorps, The Jewish Board, Foster Care 2 Success and Raise a Child. Managing the effort is CAN and Propper Daley.
Please describe your project proposal.
To fill LA County’s urgent need for foster parents, our team of communications and marketing experts conducted research and focus groups to develop an online recruitment effort. The initial effort used micro-targeting digital messages to potential foster parents and mentors reaching millions of county residents with a proven message to move them through the prospective foster parent funnel. We would like to expand our online effort to meet the pressing need for foster parents in the county.
Which of the CONNECT metrics will your proposal impact?
Social & emotional support
Government responsiveness to residents’ needs
Rates of volunteerism
In what areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
County of Los Angeles
Describe in greater detail how your proposal will make LA the best place to CONNECT?
The need for foster parents is profound in Los Angeles County. With this in mind, our team of communications experts conducted research and focus groups to develop a campaign to recruit foster parents and mentors, while at the same time reintroducing the potential of foster youth to the public.
The initial effort used micro-targeted digital messages to potential foster parents and mentors and reached millions of county residents with a proven message to move them through the prospective foster parent funnel. Our messaging features uplifting stories of individuals and families whose lives were positively impacted by foster care. Set to the One Direction hit song “The Story of My Life” with voiceover provided by Emmy winning actor Ty Burrell, the moving ads are currently being utilized in a targeted online ad buy focusing on LA County residents.
In a new approach for the field, FosterMore is using 21st century techniques to engage people in the lives of youth in care. This kind of specific targeting works at two levels—at best we have recruited a new person to actively support foster youth, and at the same time we have promoted the larger mission of FosterMore to change hearts and minds.
The online media buy targets precise demographics, primarily on Facebook and the audiences targeted include middle and upper income households, LGBT families, single women and more. With a budget of just under $12,000 the initial effort garnered 1.876 million impressions, with 609k of those watching the videos. One hundred and thirty three viewers were converted to leads (by filling out our contact form) and after follow up, 45 individuals were referred to foster family agencies and mentoring opportunities. The overall cost per lead in LA was $68.34. By comparison to other media buys, this is a very low viewership cost which can be attributed to compelling content and thoughtful media buy targeting.
What’s more research shows that foster parents on average spend two years considering this decision. Our effort may serve to accelerate their decision and bring new leads into the funnel. Based on our results to date a periodic investment in advertising (targeting the same demographic) could yield a conversion rate of 0.005% from those who viewed the ads. If our assumption proves correct, the county can expect 3,047 new foster parent and mentoring leads in 2018. If we look at the static ad impression figures at a conversion rate of 0.001%, we can anticipate 1,877 new leads in 2018.
We are seeking to expand our online effort to meet the pressing need for foster parents in LA County. The grant would be used for direct digital contact with a micro-targeted audience of potential foster parents. We estimate an investment of $25,000 could return 312-384 foster parent leads over a 6-8 week effort. Further the long-term impact could yield an estimated 5,700-7,000 additional foster parents starting 18 months from the date of execution.
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
It is important to look at the impact of the ads through three different lenses, aligned with FosterMore’s goals. Each of the three goals has a metric to measure success.
* Recruitment of Foster Parents: The number of referrals made to LA County Foster Family Agencies is a clear metric for success and evaluation. The cost/referral allows for comparison with the efforts of other organizations to reach the same demographic.
* Reintroducing Foster Youth to the Public—The overall number of individuals who see the ads and watched the films is a strong metric for success because the ads are purchased to reach a specific demographic of potential foster parents.
* Long Term Culture Shift: Based on previous research of our partner organizations that states that the average foster parent spends two years in the prospecting pipeline, we may be able to project interest starting in 18-24 months, assuming appropriate follow up is conducted. It is our belief that a periodic investment of advertising (targeting the same demographic) could yield a conversion rate of 0.005% from those who view the ad.
How can the LA2050 community and other stakeholders help your proposal succeed?
Publicity/awareness
Community outreach