Foster Care Recruitment Campaign

Faced with the urgent need for foster families, Adriel Foster Care Agency joined forces with TigersEye Creative to create the #BeTheOne campaign. This heartfelt effort was all about reaching out to families, sharing real stories, and showing just how profoundly fostering can transform lives—both for the children and the families who welcome them.

By sharing honest, relatable experiences and engaging with the community, the campaign sparked hope and inspired action. In just a few months, Adriel witnessed an incredible response, with more families stepping up to make a difference. This isn’t just a success story—it’s a powerful reminder of what compassion and connection can achieve.

State of Foster Care in Ohio

Ohio’s foster care system is facing a crisis that affects thousands of children who need a safe and loving home. Each of these children has their own story—stories of resilience, hope, and the need for a family that can support them through life’s challenges. Yet, the system struggles with a shortage of foster families, making it harder to provide the care these children deserve.

The ongoing opioid crisis has left many families broken, and older kids, siblings, and children with disabilities often wait the longest for placements. These are not just statistics—they are real kids longing for stability, love, and a place to belong. The shortage of foster parents only widens the gap, leaving many children in group homes or far from their communities.

But there’s hope. Campaigns like Adriel Foster Care’s #BeTheOne show that with the right strategies and a compassionate approach, more people can be inspired to step forward and make a difference. You can take similar steps to recruit foster parents who are ready to open their hearts and homes, ensuring every child has a chance to thrive.

These children aren’t just part of a system—they are our neighbors, our future, and they deserve a chance at a brighter tomorrow.

The Challenge

Adriel, a foster care agency in Ohio, had a big problem: more kids needed foster homes, and Adriel wanted to attract more foster care families. To fix this, Adriel teamed up with our company, TigersEye Creative, to create a campaign that would grab people’s attention and encourage them to become foster parents.

Campaign Overview

The campaign, called #BeTheOne, was designed to connect with a wide variety of potential foster parents. The campaign targeted people who would be ideal candidates for foster care, in the communities that Adriel serves. We have the expertise to target your specific foster parent audience.

Implemented Strategies

Here’s what TigersEye Creative did to make Adriel’s foster care initiative a success:

• Campaign: We created a campaign with a compelling messaging strategy and framework, for consistency in all communications. We wanted to show how important it is to have more foster families and why Adriel is the best choice for helping these kids.
• Website Redesign: We updated Adriel’s website with powerful images and videos to connect emotionally with visitors and show the rewards of being a foster parent.
• Organic & Paid Social Media: We used paid and free social media posts to drive awareness & engage prospective families. This included targeted ads on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, to attract diverse groups.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Paid Search: We made sure Adriel’s website was easy to find on search engines such as Google by using SEO best practices and paid search ads. We continue monthly implementation of SEO strategies, to ensure ongoing success.
• Community Engagement Tools: We also used newsletters, yard signs, a campaign toolkit, and fun branded items like t-shirts and bookmarks to get people talking and thinking about foster care.

Lessons Learned

The #BeTheOne campaign taught us some important lessons about recruiting foster families:

1. Engage Across Multiple Channels: People connect in different ways, so using various platforms like social media, websites, and community tools helps get the message to as many people as possible.
2. Share Real, Relatable Stories: When we share the genuine stories of children and families, it creates an emotional bond that motivates people to act. Real stories inspire real change.
3. Get the Community Involved: Simple things like newsletters, yard signs, and branded t-shirts can make a big difference. They get people talking and thinking about foster care in their own communities.
4. Make Your Website Work for You: A welcoming, easy-to-navigate website with powerful stories and good SEO makes it easier for people to find you and understand the impact of fostering.
5. Keep the Message Consistent: Consistency in your messaging builds trust and makes it clear why foster care is so important. It helps people feel confident in their decision to get involved.
6. Target the Right People: Reaching out to people who are already in a position to foster is much more effective than trying to reach everyone. Focusing on the right audience helps get the right families involved.
7. Commit for the Long Haul: A successful campaign doesn’t stop after the first wave. Keeping up with SEO and community engagement ensures that the momentum keeps going and families continue to step forward.

Campaign Results

The #BeTheOne campaign was a huge success and exceeded all expectations. In the first quarter of implementation alone, we:

• Increased Awareness: In just the first three months, the campaign achieved more than 3.8 million impressions.
• High Engagement: More than 9,870 people clicked on the ads in the first quarter, showing strong interest and validating the compelling nature of the content.
• More Leads: There was a 144% increase in inquiry form submissions, which was much higher than their goal of 110%. Now, Adriel receives on average 35+ applications/inquiries for prospective foster parents per month. Beyond the increase in inquiries, the campaign attracted more qualified leads, to support Adriel’s mission to meet the growing demand for committed foster families.

Adriel’s #BeTheOne campaign shows how a great marketing strategy can help find more foster parents. By working with TigersEye Creative, Adriel was able to share their mission, connect with more people, and grow the number of foster families in their network. This success story is a great example for other foster care agencies like yours, that are looking to boost their recruitment efforts.