Successful home visiting programs rely on a network of referral partners to recruit new families to program services. MIECHV funding, which expanded the number of families many home visiting programs serve, provided an opportunity for many service providers to reach out to additional referral partners and test new recruitment strategies. Participation in MIHOPE and MIHOPE-Strong Start also encourages program operators to be innovative in their recruiting practices.

In working with study sites, the MIHOPE team has observed a variety of recruitment strategies designed to increase the overall number of referrals to their program. Innovative recruitment strategies that have emerged from across the MIHOPE study sites include:

• Refer a friend. Some home visiting programs give a bonus or gift cards to clients who refer friends who enroll in the home visiting program.
   
• Meet face-to-face with referral partners regularly. To develop and manage relationships with referral partners, some home visiting programs plan regular visits to their referral sources. In some communities, the entire team, including home visitors, participate in these outreach visits.  Involving the home visitors in outreach allows the community to meet those staff who would be working closely with the families they refer. 
   

• Recognize the work of referral partners. Home visiting programs report a variety of innovative strategies to keep referral partners engaged, such as giving them feedback and publicly acknowledging successful referral partners in community publications. Some home visiting programs give gift baskets, chocolates, or other tokens of appreciation to their referral partners as a way of recognizing the work they do to support home visiting.
   

These strategies, although not tested as part of the evaluation, suggest ways in which home visiting programs can enhance their recruiting and outreach efforts.