Appendix C: Email and Text Outreach

Appendix C

Emails and Texts for Outreach to Youth

Date of Initial Approval: July 27, 2021

Date of Most Request Approval: March 2023

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Initial Outreach for Follow-up Surveys

Advance Letter/Email text

Dear [PARTICIPANT NAME]:

[About six months ago/Last year] you completed a survey as part of your participation in the Supporting Youth to be Successful in Life study, also known as SYSIL – thank you for your participation!

As you may remember, we told you we would be contacting you to complete additional surveys. It is now time to complete the [second/third/final] survey. As a thank you for completing the survey, you will receive a $[45/50/65] gift card.

To complete the survey online, please [click the user-specific link below/click the link below and enter your username and password].

Survey link: [User specific-URL/Survey link]

[Username: [USERNAME]]

[Password: [PASSWORD]]

You can also complete the survey at your convenience by calling us at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX. If we don’t hear from you in a few weeks, a member of the study team will reach out to you to complete the survey over the phone. If your phone number has changed since last year, please call us at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX to update your number.

The survey will take about 30 minutes to complete. It is similar to the [other/s] – it asks about you, your attitudes and outlook towards the future, experiences with the child welfare system, education and employment history and goals, involvement with the criminal/juvenile justice system, access to available system resources, connections with adults and peers, and parenting. The information you provide will be used to better understand the challenges youth with experience in foster care face as they transition to adulthood. The results of the study will be used to make improvements to programs designed to help other youth with similar experiences.

All information collected for the study will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. Your responses will be combined with those from other youth. Your name will not be attached to the answers you give, and no one outside the study team will see your answers. In the future, information from this study may be securely shared with qualified individuals to help learn more about the experiences of youth and young adults who have been in foster care. The information that is shared will only include a study ID number and not your name.

Participation in the study is voluntary. You can choose to stop participating at any time with no consequences, and you do not have to answer any survey questions you do not want to answer.

If you have any questions about the survey, please call Melissa Thomas, Mathematica’s Survey Director, toll-free, at 1-855-888-2092 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday-Friday.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

Melissa Thomas

Survey Director, SYSIL

Initial text outreach

Hi [FIRST NAME]! It’s time to complete the next SYSIL follow-up survey and get your $[45/50/65] gift card! Here’s the link to complete the survey: [customized link]

Follow-up Survey Reminders

Email

Subject Line: Don’t forget to complete the SYSIL follow-up survey!

Dear [PARTICIPANT NAME],

This is a reminder to complete the follow-up survey for the Supporting Youth to be Successful in Life study, also known as the SYSIL study.

This survey will take about 30 minutes to complete, and you will receive a $[45/50/65] gift card after completing the survey. To complete the survey online, please click on the link below.

Survey Link: SYSIL Follow-up Survey [customized link]

If you have any questions, please call us toll-free at 855-888-2092 or email us at SYSIL@mathematica-mpr.com. Time is running out to complete the survey, so we hope to hear from you soon!

Thank you for your help making this study a success.

Sincerely,

Melissa Thomas

Survey Director, SYSIL

Text Reminder

Hi [FIRST NAME]! Don’t forget to complete the SYSIL follow-up survey to get your $[45/50/65] gift card! Here’s the link: [customized link]

Contact Update Request – revised March 2023

Note: References to the $5 gift card will NOT be included in outreach to youth in the control group at 9 months, and references to the $10 gift card is only for control youth at the 21 month outreach.

Initial Email text

Dear [PARTICIPANT NAME]:

Thank you for your continued participation in the SYSIL study!

We are reaching out to ask you to please provide your updated contact information. We will be touching base with you periodically during the study to see how you are doing and ask for your latest contact information. The information you provide will be used to contact you about future SYSIL surveys that will help us understand your experiences and shape programs and improve services provided to youth like you. [As a thank you for completing the contact information update, you will receive a $5/$10 gift card.]

To complete the brief, 5-minute update online, please click the user-specific link below.

Survey link: [User specific-URL/Survey link]

Please note your contact information will not be shared with anyone outside of the study team. If you have any questions, please call us toll-free at 833-642-1667 or email us at SYSIL@mathematica-mpr.com.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

Melissa Thomas

Survey Director, SYSIL

Initial text outreach

Hi [FIRST NAME]! We’re reaching out from the SYSIL study and want to know how you are doing and the best way to reach you for the study. Please complete a short contact information update [and get a $5/$10 gift card]! Your information will not be shared with anyone outside the study team. Here’s the link to complete your update: [customized link]

Reminders

Email

Subject Line: Don’t forget to complete the SYSIL update [and get a $5/$10 card]!

Dear [PARTICIPANT NAME],

This is a reminder to complete the contact information update for the Supporting Youth to be Successful in Life study, also known as the SYSIL study.

This update will take about 5 minutes to complete, [and you will receive a $5/$10 gift card after completing it]. Your information will not be shared with anyone outside the study team. To complete the update online, please click on the link below.

Link: [customized link]

If you have any questions, please call us toll-free at 855-888-2092 or email us at SYSIL@mathematica-mpr.com. Time is running out to complete the update, so we hope to hear from you soon!

Thank you for your help making this study a success.

Sincerely,

Melissa Thomas

Survey Director, SYSIL

Text Reminder

Hi [FIRST NAME]! Don’t forget to complete the brief SYSIL contact information update [to get your $5/$10 gift card]! Your information will not be shared with anyone outside the study team. Here’s the link: [customized link]