Case Study
Utah Education Fits All (UEFA) Utah Fits All Scholarship Implementation
On January 28, 2023, the Utah Fits All (UFA) Scholarship Program was signed into law, creating ten thousand $8,000 customizable scholarships for students in grades K-12. This universal ESA program covers tuition, therapies, tutoring, textbooks and curriculum, extracurriculars, education fees, public school courses, and other qualified expenses.
The organization now known as Utah Education Fits All (UEFA), a nonprofit parent and service provider advocacy organization, had three primary objectives: rally Utahns to support, pass, and expand the scholarship; empower families and providers to understand, adopt, and utilize the program; market the program to Utah families; and protect the public perception of the UFA scholarship.
Before 2023, Utah rejected a comparable ESA policy—“The Hope Scholarship” (HB331). Advocates noted that the brand struggled to connect with families. Prior to the UFA Scholarship’s introduction, First Day used family and advocate feedback, public and private survey research, and experience from the implementation process in Arizona and other ESA programs to develop branding, messaging, strategic vision, and full-service launch marketing for the organization.
The brand “Utah Fits All” was immediately embraced by Utahns. The bill took First Day’s branding for the organization to use for the scholarship program’s name. First Day adapted and rebranded the organization to UEFA before redesigning and developing UEFA’s website, CRM, and GTM advertising campaign to match the new brand.
Approach
Branding Utah Fits All
Through public survey research, interviews, lessons-learned from previous brand, and personal experience First Day inferred that the Hope Scholarship failed to connect with Utah families because they did not connect with the core emotion the brand was trying to communicate—that the scholarship program was the light in an otherwise bleak education environment. Utahns do not believe this at all. Utahns have a generally positive view of their K-12 education options. First Day posited that the next cannot lean on a sense of urgency nor the premise that Utah education had to be saved.
First Day’s brand strategy called for a different hook that Utahns with which Utah families could resonate—opportunity and equality. When First Day unveiled Utah Fits All and Utah Education Fits All to Utah families, the messaging asked for Utahns to consider whether it was in Utah’s best interest that only some students had access to a customized education while others did not.
Enter the Utah Fits All Scholarship. It’s for every child, in every zip code, from every financial background, and every learning style. Because when you’re educating a child, one size doesn’t fit all.
Following the messaging’s idealism and an Americana aesthetic beloved in the state, First Day created brand experience that captured the positivity and equality that was uniquely Utah. From the color palette to iconography and graphic elements, First Day kept Utah families in mind. Each choice during branding helped families identify that the brand was education-focused, lively, and idealistic.
UEFA’s brand was a tremendous asset in marketing and community building. The application of the brand was natural and the information and emotion it aimed to convey accomplished the heavy lifting in various applications.
“Following the messaging’s idealism and an Americana aesthetic beloved in the state, First Day created brand experience that captured the positivity and equality that was uniquely Utah.”
Application
To maintain momentum post-bill passage and build a community of engaged parents, UEFA launched a pre-apply marketing campaign where the UEFA brand played a pivotal role. After testing various messages and landing pages, First Day identified that the core message resonating with Utah parents was the scholarship amount and its flexible use, both strongly associated with the UEFA brand. Parents were called to pre-apply at utaheducationfitsall.org to stay informed, participate, and receive reminders and assistance when applications opened. This strategy introduced pre-applicants to UEFA’s primary communication platform and integrated them into UEFA’s CRM system, HubSpot.
This seven-month campaign, centered around the UEFA brand, was designed to build trust and a sense of community, resulting in a database of over 20,000 families from nearly every zip code in Utah, demonstrating strong demand for the program to legislators. To maintain engagement, First Day deployed a multi-pronged communication strategy, with the UEFA brand at its core, involving webinars, social media, text, and email marketing. The email journey for parents and providers laid the foundation for UEFA’s ongoing relationship, introducing important timeline details, calls-to-action, UEFA’s role, and opportunities for further engagement. Events were held to build a sense of community, connect families with
“After testing various messages and landing pages, First Day identified that the core message resonating with Utah parents was the scholarship amount and its flexible use, both strongly associated with the UEFA brand.”
Results
First Day’s strategic approach in managing UEFA’s brand, messaging, pre-apply campaign, legislative advocacy, and application process achieved significant results:
Increased Funding
Doubled scholarship funding from $40 million to $80 million, allowing for 10,000 scholarships for the 2024- 25 academic year.
High Engagement
Built a database of over 30,000 engaged families, demonstrating strong demand and community support.
Effective Communication
Maintained high engagement through digital communication strategies, with significant social media reach and email open rates.
Broad Reach
Successfully reached at-risk communities through targeted events and partnerships, ensuring diverse representation in the program.
UEFA’s comprehensive and innovative approach set a strong foundation for the ongoing expansion and success of the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program, exceeding initial objectives and setting a precedent for future educational policy initiatives.
These results highlight UEFA’s success in not only implementing but also expanding the UFA Scholarship Program, demonstrating a model for effective educational advocacy and community engagement.
