The Blog
Whether you're just starting or scaling, the trends, tips, and to-dos to improve your parent engagement strategy.
Featured
How 6 institutions boosted Fall 2024 yield with CampusESP
We analyzed data from 6 institutions using CampusESP and 127,987 prospective parents. See how families increase likelihood to apply, enroll, and more.
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June 2025 CampusESP Feature Launch
From event management volume pricing, to Slate Suitcase integration capabilities to Admissions Dashboard improvements, check out the latest and greatest from CampusESP!
Peak season playbook: Proven strategies to onboard first-year families
The summer before college is filled with questions for both students and their parents. That’s why the transition to college isn’t just about preparing students; it’s about equipping families with the information and support they need to guide them through it.
The power of personalization in recruitment and enrollment
Personalization can feel like an impossible task. You’re juggling shrinking teams, packed calendars, and a mile-long to-do list — do you really have time to tailor every message?
4 top takeaways from the 2025 CampusESP Summit
Last month, we welcomed hundreds of higher ed professionals to the 2025 CampusESP Summit. From campus collaborations to hyper-personalization with AI, these four takeaways show how institutions are turning ideas into action.
Big Impact with Limited Bandwidth: How the University of Montana scaled family engagement with CampusESP
A small team doesn’t mean small impact. See how UM built a robust, personalized family engagement strategy for 11,000+ families using student workers, campus partnerships, and CampusESP’s AI features and content automation tools.
Boost enrollment by personalizing your institutional voice to families
University of Mary Washington and Holy Family University share how they’re using CampusESP to turn authentic communication into a competitive advantage by engaging families early, building confidence throughout the funnel, and highlighting what makes their institutions special.
What we heard from 32,423 college parents
This year, over 32,000 families from 81 colleges told us exactly what they need to stay informed, connected, and confident about their student’s college experience. Spoiler: it’s not more Facebook Groups.
What families really expect from two-year colleges
Two-year colleges are opening doors for students across the country — but what do families actually expect when helping their students choose and succeed at these institutions?
How 3 institutions turned parent engagement into a powerful fundraising pipeline
See how Miami University (Ohio) achieved a 34% boost in parent donors, The University of Tulsa collected over $55,000 in Parent and Family Leadership Council dues in the first year, and Flagler College grew their parent giving program, with parents now accounting for 1 in 5 of all donors
How St. Charles Community College embraced family engagement to boost enrollment results
When St. Charles Community College realized families were missing key info, they turned to CampusESP. The result? A 63% enrollment boost and stronger family connections — with just one hour a week of staff time. See how they made it happen through smarter, earlier engagement.
Introducing the Slate "Suitcase" Integration: A faster, smarter way to integrate CampusESP with Slate
Learn how the new Slate Suitcase for CampusESP makes it easier than ever to connect families with key updates — and bring their engagement data back into your funnel. Faster setup, smarter modeling, and more nudges to help families help students enroll.
5 family engagement strategies that drive enrollment success
When it comes to turning "maybe" into "yes" in the enrollment process, engaging families is more important than ever. But how can already-saturated teams, facing growing enrollment concerns, focus on the right outreach that will drive the action needed?
AI strategies for family engagement: save time and scale impact
Let’s face it — AI is everywhere. You’ve probably heard “AI is here to stay” more times than you can count (maybe even in your sleep). But here’s the thing: when it comes to family engagement in higher ed, AI is a game-changer.
Your ultimate guide to managing Family Weekend
Planning Family Weekend? We know it’s not all smiles and selfies—behind the scenes, it’s a full-blown production! From getting the word out to managing check-ins and everything in between, pulling off a smooth Family Weekend takes serious hustle. Check out how CampusESP makes it easier to plan, promote, and actually enjoy one of your campus’s biggest events.
CampusESP and Slate: Better together at Gettysburg College
As "power users" in both CampusESP and Slate, Gettysburg College is one of our strongest integration partners. With their innovative student checklist for parents keeping them ahead on financial aid submissions, we're excited to celebrate Gettysburg as our quarterly ESP MVP!
CampusESP welcomes its 500th customer: University of Nevada-Las Vegas
We're thrilled to have hit a significant milestone — our 500th customer! Welcome to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas! With a small team but big goals around strategic communication and increased retention, UNLV turned to CampusESP for help. Hear about their plan to grow and improve their family engagement!
Summer Toolkit: Your guide to decreasing student melt
One of the best ways to ensure your newly deposited incoming class makes it to their first class? Keep in touch with their families this summer. Our guide takes you step by step through when, why, and how.
3 steps to engage parents this yield season
You’re actively working on yielding students, but are you also working on yield their parents? Engaging parents now can help you recruit the entire family and grow your incoming class. Get 3 approaches you can still try to hit your goals.
How 10 universities increased retention with CampusESP
CampusESP’s annual exploratory study looks at the connection between family engagement and student retention. Our 2025 study looks at 11,442 first-time, first-year students that enrolled at ten universities in the Fall of 2023 and returned for the Fall 2024 term.
Top Trends in Family Engagement for 2025
Each year we look across all the data to elevate the 5 trends in family engagement that you need to know to hone your strategy and hit your goals. Based on insights from more than 420 institutions and 15 million families, get the top takeaways to connect with families now.