A Difficult Decision
For Katie Condon, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Affairs, leading enrollment at the University of West Florida (UWF) has always been about one thing: helping more students succeed while keeping the human connection at the heart of their work.
For years, they relied on Mainstay’s proactive engagement tools to scale their outreach, streamline student communication, and free up valuable staff time. It wasn’t about automation—it was about creating more time for meaningful human interactions.
But in 2020, UWF had to make a difficult budget decision.
Leadership needed to explore cost-saving options, and Mainstay was one of the platforms on the table. After evaluating alternatives, the university made the decision to move forward with another provider.
It wasn’t a choice Katie would have made, but she understood the reasoning. Budgets matter. She and the team were willing to try something new and make it work.
But what they discovered along the way changed everything.
Katie’s early reflection on the transition: “We knew Mainstay was working, but we didn’t realize just how much until it was gone.”
What They Learned
The alternative platform had a different approach to engagement—one that didn’t fully align with UWF’s needs.
For UWF Enrollment Affairs, the key challenges became clear:
- Managing engagement became harder, not easier.
Their team had to spend more time overseeing the system than interacting with students. - Tracking outreach was difficult.
They couldn’t easily see which students received which messages, making it challenging to measure impact. - Maintaining the system required significant effort.
What had once been seamless now required constant manual updates.
As Katie put it, “We needed a tool that empowered us, not one that added more work.”
That’s when she realized: this wasn’t just about cost—it was about value.
The Return:
Investing in What Works
After a year, it became clear that Mainstay wasn’t just a technology solution—it was an investment that paid for itself.
So Katie picked up the phone and called Kirk Daulerio, one of the co-founders at Mainstay.
“I called him on his personal phone. I said, ‘Can we please come back?’”
And just like that, UWF returned—not because the alternative had “failed,” but because they had gained clarity on what they needed to be successful.
How UWF Achieved a 26% Increase in Freshman Enrollment
One of the biggest wins since returning to Mainstay? A 26% increase in freshman enrollment in just one year (2022-2023).
But it wasn’t just about buying more leads.
🔹 More Leads, More Capacity
UWF purchased more prospect names, but without increasing staff, they needed a way to actually work those leads.
🔹 AI-Driven Student Guidance
Using AI and research-backed messaging, they proactively guided students through the process, answering common questions before they became barriers.
🔹 Identifying Who Needed Help Most
Instead of treating every student the same, Mainstay helped them pinpoint students who needed direct intervention—so their team could step in when it mattered most.
🔹 Human Connection at Scale:
The result? More completed applications, more enrollments, and more staff time freed up for the students who truly needed one-on-one support.
When asked about their approach, Katie reflected: “Our goal wasn’t just to get more leads. It was to actually convert them. We didn’t need more people—we needed the right strategy to scale our team’s impact.”
Why Mainstay Was Different
Through their experiences, Katie and the team realized that Mainstay’s value wasn’t just in its software—it was in the expertise, strategy, and guidance that came with it.
- The ROI Was Clear
“We saw that Mainstay actually delivers a 10x ROI,” Katie explained. “The cost was more than justified by the results.” - Expertise Matters:
Mainstay’s team wasn’t just selling a chatbot—they understood enrollment strategy, behavioral science, and what actually moves students to action. - Seamless Slate Integration:
Before, tracking engagement was a challenge. Now, they could see everything in one place—who received a message, who engaged, and what drove conversions. - Guidance & Research-Backed Messaging:
They weren’t starting from scratch. Mainstay provided best practices, pre-built campaigns, and a wealth of research to ensure outreach was effective.
What UWF Has Achieved Since Returning
Since coming back to Mainstay, the University has:
✅ Increased freshman enrollment 26% (2022-2023)
✅ Boosted retention by 6%
✅ Increased graduation rates by 7%
✅ Maintained the same staff size while handling more students than ever
What’s Next: Expanding Their Impact
Now, the team is thinking even bigger, partnering with key retention stakeholders to execute re-engagement strategies.
This year, they’re launching a stop-out reengagement campaign, reaching out to students who left UWF before completing their degree (similar to what their peers at Hillsborough Community College achieved)
By 2026, they’ll expand even further, reconnecting with students who are no longer enrolled—giving them a real chance to return and complete their education.
And by partnering with Mainstay, they have the capacity to do it.
Katie’s Message to Institutions Thinking About Returning
If there’s one thing Katie wants others to know, it’s this:
“Mainstay welcomed us back with open arms. We took the time to explore our options and learned what worked best for us. Now that we know, we’re never looking back.”
Your institution doesn’t have to start from scratch either.
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