The missing piece in your enrollment funnel: Parent contact data
Every admissions team wants more inquiries to turn into applicants and more applicants to turn into deposits. But there’s one group shaping those decisions long before a student ever hits “submit”: their parents.
Parents aren’t just influencers anymore. They’re co-navigators. And they expect to be part of the process. 72% want colleges to communicate at least weekly.
The challenge? Most campuses don’t collect parent contact information until the application or even post-admit stage, missing the opportunity to guide and support the people who most influence enrollment.
The good news: capturing parent contact information earlier isn’t complicated. And when you do, the impact is real — students with a parent using CampusESP have application rates 51% higher and yield rates 7% higher than average.
Below are 8 proven ways to collect parent contact information earlier and turn early inclusion into enrollment impact.
1. Ensure every form has a clear call to action for parent information
Families are already interacting with your RFIs, visit forms, event pages, and web content. Adding a simple, intentional prompt — “Are you a parent? Sign up for updates.” — can drive immediate increases in parent opt-ins.
2. Activate the student to provide parent contact information
Trigger an automated email as soon as a new student record appears in your CRM, prompting them to add parent information or forward a signup link to their family.
A small incentive can dramatically boost response rates. Think early orientation access, scholarship updates, or a giveaway drawing. If retail brands can offer 20% off for an email address, campuses can offer value too.
3. Buy parent information to make your name buys go further
You’re already investing in student search names. Make those dollars work harder by also purchasing parent contact data from consumer data/append providers.
This allows you to activate both decision-makers with your outreach, especially critical since 30–40% of families can’t find the important admissions information they need, from career outcomes to aid calculations.
4. Train frontline staff to always collect parent information.
Every campus touchpoint — tours, calls, emails, events — is an opportunity to log parent contact details.
A consistent script and easy capture form make parent data collection as routine as gathering student info at a college fair. And with parent involvement increasingly essential (especially for first-gen and lower-income families, who face the largest information gaps), this practice directly supports access and equity.
5. Create parent-specific programming that naturally drives opt-ins
Families want to feel included and they want clarity:
Offering webinars, panels, and Q&As targeted to parents, especially on financial aid, safety, academics, and transitions, gives families a reason to opt in and stay engaged.
6. Partner with high schools and community-based organizations (CBOs)
High school counselors and CBO advisors are often the closest point of contact for families, especially in first-gen, rural, or underserved communities.
Provide them with parent QR codes, flyers, or opt-in links they can share directly with families. This expands your reach, supports community partners, and builds a deeper, more diverse parent pipeline.
7. Use paid digital advertising targeted directly to parents
Household, demographic, and geo-targeted digital ads help you reach families in key markets with messages that speak directly to them. Geofencing high schools or college fairs can capture parent interest in real time.
Pair these ads with a simple “Sign up for parent updates” landing page, and you’ll convert passive interest into real contacts.
8. Activate alumni and current parent networks
Parents trust other parents. Your alumni families and current families already advocate within their communities — turn that goodwill into a formal referral pipeline.
A simple parent referral form can convert that peer advice into new inquiries that arrive warm and ready to engage.
Early parent engagement isn’t extra — it’s essential to your enrollment strategy
Collecting parent names early in the admissions funnel isn’t additional work. It is the work that fuels your enrollment success.
Families want to help. They just need to be included early enough to make a difference.
By building parent data collection into every touchpoint, from forms to follow-ups to events to advertising, you’re not just expanding your CRM. You’re building a stronger, more predictable enrollment pipeline powered by families who are ready to support your institution.