Millions of Americans are at risk of losing access to life-sustaining programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and other social services—not because they’re no longer eligible, but because recent policy shifts and administrative cuts are pushing people off the rolls when they fail to reauthorize or stay engaged. The challenge isn’t just enrollment—it’s retention. What if the same tools that have fueled decades of success in fundraising—personalized messaging, lifecycle engagement, and data-driven follow-up—could be used to keep families connected to the support they still desperately need?
This session explores how direct response marketing principles—segmentation, conversion optimization, lifecycle engagement, and ROI measurement—can be repurposed to close the gap between eligibility and enrollment. Drawing on over a decade of experience from AARP Foundation and See the Stars, we’ll share real-world examples showing how data-driven campaigns, audience modeling, and cross-channel engagement can dramatically increase enrollment, reenrollment, and retention.
Participants will also discover how the next generation of AI tools is reshaping outreach and navigation. From multilingual chatbots and predictive analytics to “agentic” systems that proactively guide users through enrollment, we’ll show how artificial intelligence can augment (not replace) the human relationships that make programs successful. The result: more equitable, efficient, and compassionate service delivery.
Attendees will leave with a new perspective on their craft—seeing how the same methods that move donors to give can move people to act in their own best interest. They’ll gain practical frameworks for designing and measuring benefits campaigns with direct response precision and learn how to express the full lifetime value of benefits access to funders and partners.
If your organization provides, funds, or advocates for social services, this session will expand your understanding of what’s possible. The next frontier of direct response isn’t just about raising money—it’s about raising people up.
Learning Objectives:
Learn to design cross-channel follow up that engages and reminds beneficiaries across the lifecycle and beyond immediate, acute needs.
Understand how new AI tools like multi-lingual chatbots and predictive analytics can augment responses to eligible beneficiaries and prevent benefits churn.
Develop and track metrics and benefits ROI that showcases and places a real dollar amount on the lifecycle impact of services for low-income families.
