Appendix - Recruitment Materials

Appendix C

Supporting Recruitment Materials

C.1 Participant Contact Materials for 6-Month Follow-up Survey

1. Invitation email/letter

2. Reminder email/letter 1

3. Reminder email/letter 2

4. Reminder email/letter 3

5. Reminder text message 1

6. Reminder text message 2

7. Reminder text message 3

8. Thank you letter

9. Study Flyer

Invitation email/letter

Subject: Please Complete Your [TechHire/Strengthening Working Families Initiative] Study Survey!

Dear <FIRST NAME> <LAST NAME>,

Thank you for applying to the <PROGRAM> program at <GRANTEE> and agreeing to participate in the [TechHire/Strengthening Working Families Initiative] Study! The study is being led by researchers from Westat and MDRC, and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. When you applied to get training, you learned that we would contact you to take part in one or more future surveys. We are reaching out to invite you to participate in the first follow-up survey.

About the Survey: This survey will take about 20 minutes to complete. The survey will ask you about any education and training activities in which you have enrolled and how things are going with your current job. Your participation in the survey is voluntary; you may refuse to answer any question and doing so will not affect any program benefits or assistance you might receive. If you choose to participate, any information you provide to us will be kept private. Only the researchers involved in this study will see your responses.

What’s in it for you? (1) Hearing about your experiences is very important even if you were not selected to receive services from the [PROGRAM] program. It is your chance to help us and your community leaders learn how to better serve others who are out of work or looking for better jobs. (2) You will receive a gift card as a thank you for your interview. The gift card can be used anywhere that credit or debit cards are accepted. Please complete your interview TODAY at:

<SURVEY LINK>

If you complete the survey by <DATE>, you will receive a

$30 gift card

If you finish the survey after <DATE>, you will receive a $20 gift card. This gift card may take 4-6 to arrive by mail. If you have difficulty reaching the website, you can go to the survey website and manually enter your personal access code:

[STUDY SURVEY WEBSITE]

Access Code: <RESPONDENT ACCESS CODE>

If you have any questions, please call our survey support center at: [STUDY PHONE NUMBER]. You can also send us an email at [STUDY EMAIL]. The Westat survey support center will be staffed Monday-Friday, 9 am to 5 pm (EST). Thanks again for agreeing to be a part of the study. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

Westat Survey Director

Reminder email/letter 1

Subject: Reminder: Please Complete Your [TechHire/Strengthening Working Families Initiative] Study Survey!

Dear <FIRST NAME> <LAST NAME>,

Recently we sent you a letter inviting you to complete a brief online survey for the [TechHire/Strengthening Working Families Initiative] Study. This study is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. This is the study we mentioned when you applied to get training through the Department of Labor program. Hearing about your experiences is very important even if you were not selected to receive services from the [PROGRAM] program.

If you complete this survey by <DATE>, we will send you a gift card worth $30 in appreciation for your time. If you complete the survey after that time, we will send you a gift card worth $20 once you complete the survey. This gift card may take 4-6 to arrive by mail.

To complete the survey online now, go to the following secure website:

<SURVEY LINK>

If you have difficulty reaching the website, you can go to the survey website and manually enter your personal access code:

[STUDY SURVEY WEBSITE]

Access Code: <RESPONDENT ACCESS CODE>

As a reminder, the survey will take about 20 minutes to complete. Your participation is voluntary, but your response is extremely important to the success of the study. Your answers will be kept private and won’t be seen by anyone other than the research team. Your answers will be combined with answers from others taking the survey.

Westat and MDRC are the research organizations conducting this study. If you have any questions, please contact the survey support center at [STUDY EMAIL] or [STUDY PHONE NUMBER]. The Westat survey support center will be staffed Monday-Friday, 9 am to 5 pm (EST). Thank you for participating in this important study. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

Westat Survey Director

Reminder email/letter 2

Subject: Gift Card for completing the [TechHire/Strengthening Working Families Initiative] Study Survey!

Dear <FIRST NAME> <LAST NAME>,

Recently we sent you an invitation to complete a brief online survey for the [TechHire/Strengthening Working Families Initiative] Study, paid for by the U.S. Department of Labor. This is a reminder that time is running out to participate in this survey!

Your participation in this survey is extremely important, even if you were not selected to receive services from the Department of Labor program. Your voice matters, your answers will help design better job training programs for others in your community.

If you complete this survey by <DATE> we will send you a gift card worth $30 after you finish to thank you for your valuable input. If you complete the survey after that time, we will send you a gift card worth $20 once you complete the survey. This gift card may take 4-6 to arrive by mail.

To complete the survey online now, go to the following secure website:

<SURVEY LINK>

If you are having difficulty reaching the website, you can go to the survey website and manually enter your personal access code:

[STUDY SURVEY WEBSITE]

Access Code: <RESPONDENT ACCESS CODE>

As a reminder, the survey will take about 20 minutes to complete. Though your participation is voluntary, your response is extremely important to the success of the study. Your answers will be kept private and won’t be seen by anyone other than the research team. Your answers will be combined with answers from others taking the survey.

If you have any questions, please contact the survey support center at [STUDY EMAIL] or [STUDY PHONE NUMBER]. The Westat survey support center will be staffed Monday-Friday, 9 am to 5 pm (EST). Thank you for participating in this important study. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

Westat Survey Director

Reminder email/letter 3

Subject: Last chance to complete your [TechHire/Strengthening Working Families Initiative] Study Survey!

Dear <FIRST NAME> <LAST NAME>,

When you applied for training through the <PROGRAM> program at <GRANTEE> in <RAMY>, you learned that you would be contacted about two future follow-up surveys for the [TechHire/Strengthening Working Families Initiative] Study, which is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor and its research partners, Westat and MDRC.

There’s very little time left to complete the first survey, and we’re eager to hear from you!

Your participation in this 30-minute survey is your chance to help improve the quality of job training programs. Here’s what you need to know:

1. You will receive a gift card as a thank you for your interview. If you complete by <DATE> we will send you a $30 gift card after you finish. If you complete the survey after that time, we will send you a $20 gift card after you finish. The gift card can be used anywhere that credit or debit cards are accepted. This gift card may take 4-6 to arrive by mail.

2. Hearing about your education, training, and employment since is very important, even if you were not selected to receive services from the DOL program. Your input will help improve employment opportunities for others in your community.

3. Your participation in the survey is voluntary. You may refuse to answer any question and doing so will not affect your participation in any program benefits or assistance. Your answers will be kept private and won’t be seen by anyone other than the research team.

To complete the survey online now, go to the following secure website:

<SURVEY LINK>

If the survey link does not work, please go to the below website and enter your access code:

[STUDY SURVEY WEBSITE]

Access Code: <RESPONDENT ACCESS CODE>

If you have any questions, please contact the survey support center at [STUDY EMAIL] or [STUDY PHONE NUMBER]. The Westat survey support center will be staffed Monday-Friday, 9 am to 5 pm (EST). Thank you for participating in this important study. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

Westat Survey Director

Reminder Text Message 1

Dear <FIRST NAME>, Please complete the [TechHire/SWFI] Study survey. Check your email or mail and follow the link to the survey. Questions? Call [STUDY PHONE NUMBER].

Reminder Text Message 2

Dear <FIRST NAME>, Please complete the [TechHire/SWFI] Study survey. Check your email or mail and follow the link to the survey. Questions? Call [STUDY PHONE NUMBER].

Reminder Text Message 3

Dear <FIRST NAME>, Please complete the [TechHire/SWFI] Study survey. Check your email or mail and follow the link to the survey. Questions? Call [STUDY PHONE NUMBER].

Thank you letter

<Date>

<FIRST NAME> <LAST NAME>

<STREET ADDRESS>

<CITY>, <STATE> <ZIP CODE>

Dear <FIRST NAME> <LAST NAME>,

Thank you for participating in the survey for the [TechHire/Strengthening Working Families Initiative] Study. We appreciate the time you took to answer our questions. You participation will be critical to help design job training programs for others. We have enclosed [$30/20] gift card, in appreciation of your time and effort.

If your mailing address, phone number, or email address changes in the future, please call us at [STUDY PHONE NUMBER] or email us at [STUDY EMAIL] . We will be contacting you about a similar survey in one year. If you complete that survey, we will send you an additional $35 gift card if you respond quickly.

It is important for us to have your up to date contact information, to hear about your experiences even if you were not selected to receive services from the [PROGRAM] program. Your experiences will help us and your community leaders learn how to better serve others who are out of work or looking for better jobs.

If you have any questions, please contact the Westat survey support center at [STUDY EMAIL] or [STUDY PHONE NUMBER]. The Westat survey support center will be staffed Monday-Friday, 9 am to 5 pm (EST).

We thank you for helping with this important study.

Sincerely,

Westat Survey Director

Study Flyer

We are sorry we missed you! We are following up on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor related for the [TechHire/Strengthening Working Families Initiative] Study. You agreed to participate in this study about 6 months ago. We have tried to contact you via email and phone, but have not heard back.

The survey will take about 20 minutes and we will give you a $20 gift card as a token of our appreciation.

To complete the survey via the web please visit:

[STUDY SURVEY WEBSITE]

Access Code: <RESPONDENT ACCESS CODE>

To complete the survey by phone, please call [STUDY PHONE NUMBER].

To schedule an in person interview for the study, please call [STUDY PHONE NUMBER]

Please reference this number when you call: <RESPONDENT ACCESS CODE>

You may also speak to my supervisor <NAME> by calling [SUPERVISOR PHONE NUMBER]

Thank you and we look forward to speaking with you soon!