Do Incentives Really Help in Recruiting Dads into Fatherhood Programs?

Absolutely!

But as this recent report on using incentives in fatherhood programming states, you must be careful in using them.

“Incentive-based strategies can significantly enhance participation in fatherhood programs, particularly when they are tailored to meet the specific needs of the program’s target population… Incentive-based strategies must be carefully designed to combine immediate rewards with strategies that balance the use of incentives with efforts to foster intrinsic motivation and personal autonomy. It is counterproductive if participants are engaging in programming for the sake of receiving an incentive. Programs should also ensure incentives are distributed equitably.”

Financial and non-financial are the two types of incentives. The former range from direct payments to attend program sessions to items that meet dads’ and their families’ basic needs to forgiveness of child support arrearages when dads complete a program. The latter range from providing childcare at the location where sessions are held to training on job-readiness to gaining more access and visitation with children. (The report contains a list for each type of incentive.)

Studies have shown incentives increase enrollment and attendance. The report summarizes this research:

“Financial incentives have been shown to be effective for initial recruitment and engagement, although their impact on continuing participation diminishes once they end. In contrast, non-financial incentives help sustain long-term participation and commitment.”

In other words, using them isn’t an “either-or” but a “both-and” proposition. They complement each other.

The reason incentives work is they can eliminate or reduce barriers to program participation. Transportation vouchers, for example, can encourage a dad without a car or ride to enroll and attend regularly. Offering sessions in the evening or on weekends can help a working dad do the same.

The report contains much more on using incentives, including:

• Impact on program outcomes. (Spoiler alert! One of the two types of incentives might negatively affect outcomes.)
• Challenges and considerations.
• Ethical guidelines, principles, and considerations.
• Case studies.
• A list of the research and articles on incentives used in compiling the report.

If you’re new to serving fathers, take this article to heart. That’s because organizations serving dads consistently mention recruitment and retention as pain points (challenges). In a November 2024 National Fatherhood Initiative® (NFI) survey of more than 160 organizations with a fatherhood program or service, 56 percent of respondents selected recruitment and 45 percent selected retention as one of their top three pain points. (Be on the lookout for an email from me in the coming weeks with the other top pain point and results of this fascinating survey!)

Whether you’re new to serving fathers or a seasoned fatherhood practitioner, NFI can provide the guidance and training you need to recruit and retain dads successfully. Our online, on-demand Recruitment and Retention Certificate™ will help you learn how to create an effective recruitment and retention plan and improve it over time. Our extensive archive of blog articles includes case studies and tips on how to overcome these pain points.

What are your top pain points in serving dads? NFI offers the training your organization needs to build staff’s capacity to serve dads successfully.

Have you found some recruitment and retention tactics work well for your fatherhood program or service? If so, have you doubled-down on them?