Appendix 1 - TANF CaseStudies_Program Recruitment Emails

MATHEMATICA

Appendix 1: program recruitment emails

Email 1: Request from Mathematica/MEF to participate in site visit

Dear [NAME],

My name is [NAME] and I’m contacting you about an important study for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that will showcase promising and innovative employment programs serving low-income individuals. Through the project, we will develop case studies of up to 12 such programs from across the country. The study, which is called State Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Case Studies, is sponsored by HHS’ Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE). It is being conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and its partner, MEF Associates.

I’m reaching out because we would like to include your [PROGRAM NAME] in this project and would like to visit your organization to learn more about your program. As part of our study, we would conduct a 2 to 3 day site visit to your program in the [TIMELINE]. During the visit, members of our research team will conduct interviews and guided case reviews with program staff, observe relevant program activities, and interview two program participants. We will use the information collected during the site visit to produce a detailed description of your program. I’ve attached a project description that describes the study in greater detail if you would like more information.

If possible, we would like to talk with you to discuss the project and the site visit in more detail. During this time, we can also answer any questions you have about the study, identify potential respondents, and discuss the logistics of our visit. Following the phone call, we will provide a sample agenda for our visit and coordinate to determine dates that work best for our visit.

Your participation in this study is very important and will allow us to include it in a strong set of innovative and promising programs serving low-income individuals. Please reply to this email with a few dates and times over the next couple of weeks that work best for you for a 30-minute call to discuss this opportunity. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at [EMAIL] or [PHONE] or Girley Wright, the OPRE project officer, at [EMAIL] or [PHONE]. We look forward to hearing from you and learning more about your program!

Sincerely,

[Name]

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The referenced collection of information is voluntary. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for the described collection is 0970-0XXXX and it expires XX/XX/XXXX.

Email 2: Request from Mathematica/MEF to participate in phone call

Dear [NAME],

My name is [NAME] and I’m contacting you about an important study for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that will showcase promising and innovative employment programs serving low-income individuals. The study is sponsored by HHS’ Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE). It is being conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and its partner, MEF Associates.

I’m reaching out because we would like to include your [PROGRAM NAME] in this project and would like to speak with someone from your organization to learn more about your program. During this call, our team will interview you or someone else from your team about different aspects of your program. We will use the information collected during this 60-minute interview to produce a brief summary of your program.

Your participation in this study is very important and will allow us to include it in a strong set of innovative and promising programs serving low-income individuals. Please reply to this email with a few dates and times over the next couple of weeks that work best for you for a 60-minute phone interview. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at [EMAIL] or [PHONE] or Kimberly Clum, the OPRE project officer, at [EMAIL] or [PHONE]. We look forward to hearing from you and learning more about your program!

Sincerely,

[SIGNATURE]

[NAME]

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The referenced collection of information is voluntary. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for the described collection is xxxx-xxxx and it expires XX/XX/XXXX.

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