COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Community Engagement Best Practice:
Outbound Phone Banking

Effective communication is key to meaningful community engagement. While there are many ways to connect—including mail, e-mail, social media, apps, and robocalls—having meaningful two-way conversations can be challenging. This is especially true for community members who may face barriers to accessing these platforms and need a more personal approach to be reached effectively.

TECH CHECK PILOT STUDY

PURPOSE: Assessing home technology needs of Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) students during remote learning

BACKGROUND

In 2020, OUSD launched a district-wide digital tech assessment for all households. In response to a lower-than-expected completion rate, OUSD piloted a phone bank during the 21-22 school year to contact households in the highest need schools that had not completed an assessment.

IMPACT

Partnership Building: In order to build capacity, OUSD partnered with #OaklandUndivided to oversee the phone bank.

Trusted Messenger: Phone bankers were identified as an extension of OUSD, which created a sense of trust with families.

Culturally Responsive Hiring Practices: Employing local, bilingual staff removed language barriers, built trust, and ensured meaningful engagement with diverse families.

Flexibility and Personalized Proactive Outreach: Phone bankers were encouraged to adapt scripts, given a flexible work schedule, and empowered to provide tailored support based on each family’s needs.

BEYOND A PILOT: PHONE BANKING LESSONS LEARNED

Due to the success of this phone banking approach, OUSD decided to expand its implementation to include additional uses—bringing resources directly to families and supporting families with processes—resulting in the following impact:*

Outreach Impact

*These results encompass additional outreach uses between 2021-2024.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

  • Two-way communication builds trust: Households engage more when they can call/text back with questions, helping to establish trust and providing an opportunity for households to seek additional resources.

  • Combining calling and texting ensures a broader reach and increases engagement. Calls build trust and texts allow for quick reminders and important key details (such as addresses).

  • Calls that offer direct support or resources get the best engagement: Households are more responsive when calls are about something that directly benefits them.

  • Consistent outreach fosters relationships: Phone bankers built rapport by contacting the same household for multiple needs.

BEST PRACTICES

Data-driven targeted outreach is key:
You do not need to call every household –> Look at your data to determine which households are not engaging with your traditional communication channels and target those.

Ensure phone bankers reflect the community you’re serving: Households are more willing to engage when they find similarities with the person on the other side of the line.

TARGETED OUTREACH

Through strategic partnerships, the right staff, and a targeted outreach approach, phone banking can be one of the most invaluable tools to foster connections and drive meaningful engagement with members in your community who might face barriers to accessing information.

CONCLUSION