15 Ways to Increase Participation in Financial Aid Night NC College Access Conference 2012 Ms. Chynna Bonner, Presenter

1. Timing is crucial! Place the date earlier (OCT/NOV) rather than later (DEC/JAN)….NOT around Christmas Break!

2. Invite all grades! Why limit Financial Aid Night to just Seniors? Invite the entire High School.

3. Invite Area HS’s Build a rapport with your colleagues at nearby schools and use each other as a resource.

4. Change your Speaker Do not use the same speaker every year. Spice it up! Parents of juniors are more apt to return if they know a different presenter is coming to share additional information not expressed previously.

5. Change Your Format Talk with your speaker ahead of time to find out what format they will be utilizing. No one wants to hear a monologue of ‘Financial Aid Facts’. Amy Denton, CFNC does a great job of getting the audience involved by asking them questions.

6. Make learning FUN! It’s time for The FAFSA Feud! (play along)

7. Keep it Short Parents/families are busy, busy, busy. One hour is plenty of time for Financial Aid Night. Build trust by starting and ending at the time specified.

8. Personal Invites Work Utilize one-on-one senior meetings in the Fall to personally invite each and every senior. “I need you there.” “You need to be there.” “Can you and mama come?”

9. Advertise Early ‘Save the Date’ gives families ample notice to plan to be present Also, ‘Save the Date’ alerts other staff not to schedule conflicting events on that night

10. Piggyback other events Why not have Financial Aid Night immediately after Open House or 1 st Nine Weeks Report Card Pick-up Night. Parents appreciate when their time is valued and they can kill two birds with one stone.

11. Overlap Advertisements Advertise, Advertise, Advertise: post on school website, do classroom visits (utilizing CFNC.org as a prep resource), secretary sends a daily blasts to all parents of announcements

12. Use Creative Advertisements In addition to the routine flyers (if you have the ink and paper, Hahaha), write a skit to be performed on the morning announcements, post a giant poster in the front vestibule or on your door counting down to Fin Aid Night 10, 9, 8, or how about asking all seniors to sign a giant “Pledge to Prepare” instead of just signing up to attend.

13. Enlist the help of others when advertising Write an ‘Alert Now’ message for your Principal to send out via telephone to all parents (gr. 9-12) Students sell to students better than any adult ever could. Enlist the help of your student Ambassadors, SGA, etc. Again the message is “I need you”. Students want to help!

14. Know Your Audience When advertising, communicate in a friendly manner. Do not try to impress with financial aid jargon or terminology that may not be understood by your students and/or parents. i.e. instead of financial literacy – knowledge about money matters; competency—”how-to”, etc.

15. Issue a challenge Last but not least, appeal to the spirit of competition: Track your attendance yearly and ask the current seniors to break the attendance record from the prior year. (Use percentages not actual numbers.) Again the goal is to make it FUN!

Thank you! Contact Information: Ms. F. Chynna Bonner Jr/Sr Counselor Southside HS Chocowinity, NC