5 key takeaways on family engagement from the 2024 CampusESP Summit
Last month we held our 6th Annual CampusESP Summit, an epic customer event packed with best practices for parent engagement. With over 65 schools in attendance, we spent the day connecting with recruitment and admissions leaders, orientation experts, student success teams, and parent and family practitioners on the impact of families.
More than 20 of our partner schools and peers presented, sharing different perspectives, experiences, and advice on the power of family engagement in student success. There was a lot to take in, but we did our best to pull together five key takeaways that highlight the challenges, trends, and wins shared.
Takeaway #1: Parents want more communication
70% of families want to hear from their students’ institutions weekly or more. Ensuring families are informed on campus resources and their students' progress helps them be better advisors to their student … and reduces phone calls to your office.
Families of first-year students in particular are eager for information to support their students' transition. Edwidge Turenne, Associate Director of New Student Transitions and Family Engagement, and Maura Flaschner, Executive Director of Admissions at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), know that “parents are the ones actually taking action,” which is why they shared during their session that they tend to communicate with parents in addition to students about 90% of the time.
FAU’s Family Engagement office leverages its portal with virtual "Parliament Café" info sessions and the monthly "Know-It-Owl" newsletter, highlighting important services and opportunities on campus while building meaningful connections. First-year families at FAU receive an average of 24 emails annually, with a 70% open rate and a 7.6% click rate.
The Duquesne University team’s successful parent communication strategy includes daily posts and bi-weekly newsletters to keep families updated, plus targeted messages when specific action is needed. Jennifer Smith, Assistant Director of Parent Relations, shared that since implementing CampusESP they have “significantly enhanced engagement and satisfaction among students and their families with engagement on [their] portal increasing between 100% and 2000%.”
Takeaway #2: Orientation as a recruitment tool
Collaboration between admissions and orientation teams is more crucial than ever, especially with FAFSA disruptions extending the enrollment season. As families start having conversations about costs, the importance of orientation becomes even more pronounced. It presents a prime opportunity to capture student and family interest, solidify their commitment, and empower their success.
Providing personalized content through the platform is a powerful way for schools to effectively build trust and relationships during this critical time. A prime example is the Orientation Hub at Temple University, which serves as the main resource for families. Through the Hub, they reached over 7,200 families last summer with an impressive average open rate of 73%. The numbers speak for themselves, as Deanne DeCrescenzo, Associate Dean of Students and Brandy Jericho-Beach, Parent and Families Coordinator, shared they’re “able to meet way more families in the virtual space compared to in person.” This not only strengthens engagement but also enhances the overall value and impact of the orientation experience, setting the stage for long-term success.
Ryan Jensen, Director of Enrollment Marketing, and Sierra Law, Assistant Director Student Orientation and Transition Services at Utah State University, send recurring announcements to new families to encourage families to join their portal and sign-up for text messages to ensure parents are set up for success along with their students. By designing their content as a mix of fun updates and important logistical information and deadlines, they welcome families in an engaging way while supporting a smooth student transition … and reducing summer melt.
When families are informed and students are impacted positively during orientation, they are more likely to show up in the Fall!
Takeaway #3: Family Weekend is a lot to manage
Coordinating major events like Family Weekend can be overwhelming, requiring extensive cross-departmental collaboration.
Event Management is embedded within the CampusESP platform, allowing schools to schedule and publicize virtual and on-campus events with a few clicks and seamlessly follow up with registrants.
Before using CampusESP, the University of Houston’s revenue from Family Weekend was under $60K. With CampusESP, they sold over 1,300 tickets, generating $86,450 in revenue. Jerrell Sherman, Associate Dean of Students spoke to how UH used the Announcements feature for regular updates and reminders and created specific groups for tailored communication. An event page provided important details, activities, and incentives, while personalized invitations and reminders boosted engagement and ensured maximum participation.
Schools using CampusESP see an average 4x increase in registrations. With our soon-to-come Event Check-In feature schools will be able to further streamline the process, making on-site registration and attendee tracking that much easier..
Takeaway #4: Parent Giving is a no-brainer
Getting parents involved in philanthropy can be a rewarding journey for an institution's growth. Parents want to be involved, and by tapping into their eagerness, schools can find which families can become some of their biggest supporters.
Parent Promoter Score™ identifies parents with the highest engagement and affinity. Paired with capacity data, CampusESP for Parent Giving segments the parents most likely to make a gift. From there schools can send out targeted messaging to gauge interest, often leading to an average 60% open rates on solicitations and a 3x increase in parent donors.
“We want to normalize giving and philanthropy,” said Amy Swank, Senior Director of Parent/Family Engagement & Philanthropy at the University of Oregon. “Families want to be involved. If giving is their propensity we want to have a lot of opportunities for them to engage with us.”
Ducks Give, their annual day of giving, found great success in leveraging the PPS score. In just 2 hours they were able to obtain an additional 60 gifts by focusing on which parents were most likely to give.
Developing a more personalized outreach can increase the likelihood of donations while fostering a culture of giving. “The team at CampusESP helped us shift our strategy on the same day, and it made all the difference in the world.”
Takeaway #5: Customer Success and Account Management are your support team
If there is one thing highlighted at the Summit, it’s the fact that working in higher education to support student success is no easy task. We are honored to support you, and here to help take some of that weight off.
Our team acts as an extension of your team.
Our Customer Success team is dedicated to ensuring that each school also maximizes the benefits of CampusESP. The CampusESP Learning Series offers webinars and guides to help you make the most of using our platform year-round.
From one-to-one support to a goldmine of self-service resources, we're here to help you hit your goals and meet your families where they are.
The right support can make all the difference in student success.
So, what’s next?
The 2024 CampusESP Summit was a whirlwind of insights, laughter, and lightbulb moments, all backing up one undeniable truth: family engagement is the secret sauce in higher education.
From jazzing up communication to supercharging orientation and boosting parent giving, we’re proud to be a part of helping you make it happen.
But hey, don't just take our word for it — come see for yourself! Save the date to join us for our next CampusESP Summit: May 21, 2025.
