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learn$ave Project: Final ReportThe recruitment conducted by local delivery agencieswas through a variety of means but initially relied heavilyon referrals from other agencies, brochures, postersand local government employment service offices. Afterseveral months into the recruitment period, the marketingapproaches were expanded, with HRSDC’s agreement,to emphasize print and electronic mass media, publicposters and advertising on public transit. A more detaileddiscussion of the recruitment experience in learn$aveis available as part of the implementation discussion inChapter 4.The initial marketing messages directed interestedpeople to call the local project office. During an initialtelephone conversation (or more rarely an in-personinquiry), local project staff members provided additionalbasic information about learn$ave and generally reviewedeligibility criteria as a preliminary screening assessment.If the person appeared likely to be eligible and was stillinterested, she or he was invited to an application session,held in different locations throughout the community. Inthe smaller sites, this process was often compressed andparticipants may have applied to the project individuallyrather than waiting for a group application session.In the experimental sites, application sessions includeda standard slide presentation with information about thelearn$ave project — including the IDA program parametersand the random assignment process. 9 Following theinformation presentation, interested persons were givenan application package, including an informed consentform. The application form requested information to establisheligibility on each of the program criteria outlinedearlier in this chapter. Most information was self-reportedalthough applicants were required to provide proof ofpersonal and spousal income for the current and previousyear and project staff had discretion to request additionalinformation or clarification as needed.Once the application form was complete and allsupporting documents were supplied, the site officeconducted a final eligibility check. If the participant wasdeemed eligible for learn$ave in an experimental site, thecompleted application form was forwarded to POLLARA(the firm conducting the baseline and follow-up surveys),which entered the information contained on the form intoa database and contacted the applicant for the baselinesurvey interview. No baseline surveys were conductedwith participants outside of the experimental groups.9 An example of the kind of information shared with prospective applicants can be found in theelectronic version of an information package developed by SEDI and available on-line at theorganization’s website (www.sedi.org ).Figure 2.1 Overview of Program IntakeInformation for interested personsPersons likely to be eligible invitedto apply individually or in group sessionsOrientation for newlearn$ave-plus andnon-experimentalparticipantsAccess to account,matching credits,financialmanagementtraining, enhancedcase managementOutreachNew participants randomly assignedby SRDC (experimental sites only)learn$ave-plus grouplearn$ave-only groupOrientation for newlearn$ave-onlyparticipantsAccess to accountand matchingcreditsControlgroupOnce the enrolee completed the baseline interview, theparticipant’s record was forwarded to SRDC for randomassignment. If the enrolee was assigned to one of the twoprogram groups, the project office contacted the personfor an orientation session. This session gave the participantfurther details about the savings rules and opening alearn$ave account.While recruitment was slow in most sites, the finalproject sample size was reached. The final sample ofparticipants were, across the entire project, nearly5,000 low-income, working-age adults with few liquidor housing assets who were not currently full-timestudents but who were willing to save to invest in theirown further learning. A fuller description of participantcharacteristics is presented in Chapter 4.16 | Chapter 2 Social Research and Demonstration Corporation