--- title: The One Reason, for Now, to Use Texting in a Fatherhood Program description: Learn how the use of texting can enhance your fatherhood program with content reinforcement, better retention, and providing ongoing support. image: https://www.fatherhood.org/hubfs/Images/Blog/NFI_Blog_texting-in-fatherhood-programs.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/the-one-reason-to-use-texting-in-a-fatherhood-program#main) - [![NFI mark](https://www.fatherhood.org/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI%20mark.svg)FATHERHOOD.ORG](https://www.fatherhood.org/) - [STORE.FATHERHOOD.ORG](https://store.fatherhood.org/) [![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=149&height=82&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=119&height=65&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=119&height=66&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=89&height=49&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ](https://www.fatherhood.org) - [How To Build Strong Families](https://www.fatherhood.org/build-strong-families) - [Why Father Inclusion Matters](https://www.fatherhood.org/why-father-inclusion-matters) - Show submenu for Get Involved Get Involved - [Fatherhood Programs](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/programs-and-resources) - [Train Your Staff](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/staff-training) - [State, County, and City Agency Services](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/collaborative-services) Open main navigation Close main navigation - Show submenu for Get Informed Get Informed - [How To Build Strong Families](https://www.fatherhood.org/build-strong-families) - [Why Father Inclusion Matters](https://www.fatherhood.org/why-father-inclusion-matters) - [Father Stats & Infographics](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-absence-statistic) - Show submenu for Get Involved Get Involved - [Fatherhood Programs](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/programs-and-resources) - [Train Your Staff](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/staff-training) - [State, County, and City Agency Services](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/collaborative-services) - Show submenu for Get Started Get Started - [Find Your Stage of Father Inclusion](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-inclusion) - [How Father Friendly Is Your Organization?](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-friendly) - [Get In Touch](https://www.fatherhood.org/get-started) [Store](https://store.fatherhood.org/?hsLang=en) [Get In Touch](https://www.fatherhood.org/get-started) [Store](https://store.fatherhood.org/?hsLang=en) Show submenu for Get Started Get Started - [Fatherhood Data & Statistics](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-absence-statistic) - [How Father Friendly is Your Organization?](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-friendly) - [Other Free Resources](https://www.fatherhood.org/nfi-free-resources) - [Talk With us to Get Started](https://www.fatherhood.org/get-started) National Fatherhood Initiative Blog / [Latest Articles](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood) [General Fatherhood Program Resources](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/topic/general-fatherhood-program-resources) # The One Reason, for Now, to Use Texting in a Fatherhood Program 2 min read ![Christopher A. Brown](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/chris_circle_icon.png?width=100&height=100&name=chris_circle_icon.png) [** Christopher A. Brown ** ](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/author/christopher-a-brown) Chris serves as the President of National Fatherhood Initiative® (NFI), where he is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of NFI's strategic plan and business model, as well as its operations and fundraising efforts. ![NFI_Blog_texting-in-fatherhood-programs](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/Blog/NFI_Blog_texting-in-fatherhood-programs.jpg?width=453&name=NFI_Blog_texting-in-fatherhood-programs.jpg) Customer service. As the use of mobile phones has spread throughout societies all over the world, interventions that seek to change people’s lives for the better have experimented with ways to integrate texting to reach more people and deliver messages integral to those interventions. This recent development includes attempts by responsible fatherhood interventions to integrate texting. **Uses of Texting** [National Fatherhood Initiative®](https://www.fatherhood.org/) (NFI) has followed the use of texting in responsible fatherhood interventions to determine how users of its programs, such as [24/7 Dad®](https://store.fatherhood.org/24-7-dad-programs/), can use texting to enhance their effectiveness. This use has focused on three primary objectives. - Reinforce content taught in programs that serve dads. - Increase retention of dads in programs. - Provide ongoing support to dads so that they feel a stronger connection to the organization, program, and staff. Until recently, NFI has only been able to gather examples of how fatherhood practitioners—including those who use our programs—have used texting for these and other objectives. Unfortunately, these examples have not included research on the effectiveness of texting. **Research on Texting** Recently, however, research on the use of texting in responsible fatherhood interventions has started to emerge. Most notable are four projects funded by the [Fatherhood Research and Practice Network](https://www.frpn.org/) (FRPN), an effort of the federal government to build the evidence base for responsible fatherhood interventions and the capacity of organizations to evaluate their efforts to serve dads. These four projects are among the first in the nation to evaluate the use of texting in responsible fatherhood interventions. FRPN showcased the results of one of these evaluations, which included dads who participated in 24/7 Dad®, during a webinar in October 2016. FRPN showcased the other three evaluations during a webinar in June 2019. One of those evaluations was of an intervention implemented in an organization that uses 24/7 Dad®. (Click [here](https://www.frpn.org/asset/frpn-webinar-using-cellphone-technology-in-fatherhood-programs-and-research) to watch the 2016 webinar and download the slide deck. Click [here](https://www.frpn.org/asset/frpn-webinar-testing-the-use-cellphones-and-online-resources-engage-fathers-and-improve) to watch the 2019 webinar and to download the slide deck.) All four of the interventions used texting to increase engagement through delivery of program content. One of the interventions also sought to use texting to increase program retention. **These evaluations did not find support for the use of texting to increase engagement or retention.** **They did find, however, that texting can be an effective tool for customer service. **Dads appreciated receiving texts because they saw them as supportive of their role as a dad and kept them connected to the program and staff. **That’s customer service.** **Applying Texting ** Should you use texting for anything other than customer service? Yes. Because the research on the applications of texting in responsible fatherhood interventions is in its infancy, it’s possible that the use of texting can be improved so that it can, for example, increase engagement through the delivery of program content and increase retention. Moreover, the outcome of improved customer service in all four interventions evaluated resulted from attempts to deliver content and increase retention. **So, at the very least, use texting to create an even stronger environment of support for dads’ role in their families and connection of dads to your organization, father-serving effort, and staff.** **Do you use texting in your fatherhood program or other father-serving effort? If so, what are your objectives for the use of texting?** [![he Benefits of Fatherhood Programs in Community-Based Organizations](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/135704/bbfbc796-8f3f-495b-a089-976b4f177f1f.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/135704/bbfbc796-8f3f-495b-a089-976b4f177f1f) Date Published: 11/05/2019 Last Updated: 06/24/2024 ## Learn How to Build a Fatherhood Program That Works Download this free guide for a proven 7-step roadmap—from making the case and securing funding for your program, to launching and measuring real results! [Get The Guide Now!](https://www.fatherhood.org/starting-a-fatherhood-program) ![7-steps-starting-a-fatherhood_program](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/7-steps-starting-a-fatherhood_program.png?width=700&height=700&name=7-steps-starting-a-fatherhood_program.png) [ Previous ](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/i-now-know-that-i-am-important) [ Next ](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/free-ebook-the-secret-formula-to-mobilize-your-community-around-fatherhood) ## Related Articles ### [Limited Blog Series: Supporting My Co-Parent Image created with GPT Image 2. Quick Confidence Builds are brief activities that practitioners can use when working with dads in face-to-face or virtual group-based or one-on-one ... Read More](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/supporting-my-co-parent) ### [Five Leadership Practices That Build Father-Inclusive Organizations Image created with GPT Image 2. 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