These Behavioral Science Tips provide ideas to improve participation and engagement in the SNAP E&T program.

#1 PARTICIPANT ENGAGEMENT TIP: REVIEW THE COMMUNICATIONS YOU SEND FROM THE PARTICIPANT PERSPECTIVE 

It’s a good idea to periodically review the communications you send to E&T participants. To start, print the first letter a prospective SNAP E&T participant receives from your agency. Does the letter clearly and simply explain the next step the individual should or might take? Is it clear why, how, and when the individual could take an action, like enrolling in SNAP E&T? Is the font big enough? Is important information bolded or underlined? 

Now imagine that your prospective participant might be busy or tired, as all of us are sometimes. Would he or she be compelled to even open the envelope, let alone read the entire letter? Are you conveying the right tone? Is it clear what SNAP E&T could offer? 

Use this Effective Communications Checklist, created through decades of research, to communicate more effectively with current and potential SNAP E&T clients. Think beyond your written communications to oral ones – for example, telephone or in-person interactions. Create scripts to guide all staff to consistently use best practices. Score your communications across three essential categories: information, motivation, and action. 

#2 PARTICIPANT ENGAGEMENT TIP: GET DIRECT FEEDBACK FROM YOUR PARTICIPANTS 

You are an expert on your SNAP E&T program--but most of your participants are not! Things that seem easy and obvious to you and your staff are bewildering to those less familiar. This is especially important as processes have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are likely to change some more. So, talk to participants about what is and isn’t working for them. Have clients walk through the enrollment process and share what they found confusing or burdensome. Start with individuals who are participating in E&T services. Be sure to talk to individuals who may sound less interested. If possible, get in touch with those who started but then stopped participating or those who never participated. This latter group may be harder to contact, but they may provide some of the most valuable information. 

Caseworkers talk to participants every day, in person and/or by phone. They could use some of this time to learn about client experiences, which may spark new ideas and test assumptions. Ask questions such as, did we provide too much information about SNAP E&T or not enough information? Did the information help participants understand what SNAP E&T is and/or how they might benefit from participating? Effectively reaching participants becomes even more of a challenge if they cannot be reached in person. To get started, check out this article on Elevating the Voices of Program Participants, which outlines more on when and how you might apply this approach. 

#3 Participant Engagement Tip: Taking the Next Step

Throughout a person’s participation in SNAP E&T, there will be times when she or he engages with a staff person, then needs to take the next step. For instance, a person may need to provide a document or contact a service provider. Unfortunately, we often see participants drop off at those transition points. Here are some ideas, informed by behavioral science, for getting participants to the next step:

  • Give a “token”: A physical reminder of an obligation, like a simple token or a card for a wallet, may jog a person’s memory and remind them to take the next step. A token can also let the participant show others that they are making progress toward completing employment and training services.
  • Send a reminder: As the due date for the next step is approaching, a quick reminder by text, phone, or email can help a person stay on track. It is even better if the reminder is paired with a way to take the needed action. For instance, a clickable link to call a provider!
  • Automate it: Why have a next step if we could do it now? If the next step could be integrated with the point where you already have engagement, the person will not need to remember and will be less likely to drop off.