FTGL_WHITE

North Dakota's ROI

Investing in Talent Attraction with RoleCall

The North Dakota Department of Commerce and its marketing agency partnered with RoleCall to revamp their Find the Good Life (FTGL) campaign, creating a central hub for attracting new residents. Beyond digital tools, RoleCall has worked with the ND team since 2022 to build a statewide ecosystem of economic developers, community leaders, employers, and champions, essential for successful talent attraction.

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Candidates captured eager to move, representing 50 states and 10 countries.

TRM Results

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Candidates hired, moved and converted to new residents in North Dakota, plus their families.

Candidate Marketplace Results

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Leads connected to Community Champions across all eight economic development regions.

WayFinders Results

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Million in economic impact from new residents moving to North Dakota.

Overall Strategy Results

Case Study Featuring North Dakota

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Background & Challenges

Starting and growing a talent pipeline to fill open jobs.

The Find the Good Life campaign began in 2013 as a partnership between the North Dakota Economic Development Foundation and businesses to market the state through videos, a website and advertising at job fairs. 

In mid-2022, the Find the Good Life program relaunched with state funding in efforts to address the state’s workforce shortage.

North Dakota Department of Commerce partnered with RoleCall to address the state’s workforce needs by assisting in making North Dakota a national leader in talent attraction innovation and action. 

FTGL Goals

Fill open jobs and grow ND's economy and communities by welcoming new residents from out of state.

  • Attract new residents to the state of North Dakota targeted by key industry, lifestyle indicators, and/or previous experience with the state.
  • Build a trackable, interactive talent pipeline for the state.
  • Activate current residents and community leaders as ambassadors and connectors.

The purpose of FTGL is to improve awareness and showcase the best of life in North Dakota with the ultimate goal of motivating jobseekers and families to discover their journey to the state.  

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TRM

Talent Relationship Management (TRM) System

Capturing leads, hiring candidates and converting to movers.

After a statewide tour together to understand ND's true differentiators first-hand, RoleCall worked to build FTGL's infrastructure for Talent Attraction efforts, and at it's core, the TRM was created.

The RoleCall TRM created forms that positioned strategic questions relevant to candidates, employers, and the ND Team. Every data point was carefully thought out. To ensure a good user experience, campaigns were built around the lead's information so the team automates distributing resources important to the lead. This also created strategies to nurture candidates further down the funnel, and provide qualified leads to employer's looking for new talent.

Beyond the digital tactics, RoleCall team worked to implement the CTA placements, content and custom backend solutions. Key metrics were also identified and monitored to evaluate performance, obtain goals, and celebrate wins.

Candidate Marketplace Portal for Employers

Connecting qualified candidates with employers.

As the RoleCall TRM began capturing leads, FTGL's next goal was to get those qualified candidates accessible to local employers. ND worked with RoleCall to develop their own custom portal for employers. 

At the heart of ND's New Candidate Marketplace would feature FTGL's Talent Roster pipeline in a user-friendly searchable format. As RoleCall strategized on anticipating employer needs, other portions of the portal were built out including an Employer Resource Toolkit that centralized assets designed to advance connections and communications.

ND has an approval process where local employers can request secured logins to control accessibility of candidate information. Employers are able to view the most recent candidate's profiles that include their job information and resumes. 

Candidate Marketplace creates a single access point for employers to view the Talent Roster and all related tools, saving time and effort for both the FTGL team and local employers.

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“The Candidate Marketplace empowers employers to directly tap into this rich talent pool,” Janna Pastir, Commerce Workforce Deputy Director. “This innovative platform provides employers with another valuable touchpoint to connect with passive leads who may not have actively sought out job opportunities in North Dakota."

WayFinders

Community Champions for New Residents

Welcoming new residents with the help of community advocates as resources.

FTGL wanted more than simply supplying jobs. They worked with RoleCall to develop their own WayFinders onboarding program, known as "Community Champions," to facilitate meaningful connections between locals and new residents.

Candidates who request a match, are connected with a community champion. RoleCall and FTGL trained Community Champions on offering guidance, responding to inquiries, and providing a firsthand perspective on living and working in North Dakota. Their local knowledge - from amenities and community engagement to outdoor activities- helps newcomers feel welcomed in advance of their arrival building a true sense of community.

"We’re encouraged by the local buy-in for this initiative as community-led efforts that are strategically designed to complement what we’re doing at the state level will be mutually beneficial as we evolve Find the Good Life in the future." - Katie Ralston Howe, Deputy Commissioner & Director of the Workforce Division at ND Department of Commerce

Strategy & Expertise

Creating campaigns capturing more opportunities.

From social media campaigns to employer engagement initiatives, community presentations, and hosted events, RoleCall has partnered with North Dakota’s FTGL team to develop tailored strategies that consistently deliver strong results. RoleCall also shares best practices and highlights potential pitfalls, helping the team achieve meaningful outcomes more efficiently.

 

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"The Fly-In event was an unforgettable experience that gave me a true feel for Grand Forks and life in North Dakota." - New ND Resident from FTGL

"10,000 additional individuals are employed in North Dakota since the program launched ... [We] believe based on the tremendous marketing metrics and the number of people that have seen our spots it’s making an impact.” - FTGL Boomerang Holiday Campaign

Growing Success in Talent Attraction

Tracking efforts, growing pipeline, filling open jobs, and welcoming new residents.

Based on success of Find the Good Life initiative, Governor Burgum asked for additional $34M in workforce development budget to expand talent attraction programs and directly fund the Department of Commerce’s work.
Keli Rosselli-Sullivan ND Minot Chamber of Commerce EDC

“Find the Good Life is more than just a relocation program. It’s a game-changer for both individuals and communities. By connecting newcomers with the right opportunities and local support, it helps employers fill critical positions while strengthening the communities they join." 

- Keli Rosselli-Sullivan
Workforce Development/Military Liaison,
Minot Chamber of Commerce EDC

FTGL News Headlines

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Campaign reignited to attract workers to state

Find the Good Life started as a marketing campaign. The state connected with RoleCall to develop tracking and create a team of community champions across the state who serve as resources for inquiring job seekers.

Minot News
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Find the Good Life making difference in ND

Seventy-seven individuals moved to 17 North Dakota with a $3.85 million economic impact, plus any impact from accompanying family through Find the Good Life, according to the Department of Commerce.

Valley City news
nd champions article

Communities rely on local champions to attract workers

A relaunched effort to attract workers and families to settle in North Dakota aims to rely on local “community champions” to act as connectors between newcomers and local employment.

ND News

Enhance Your Talent Attraction Success

Explore other case studies featuring RoleCall clients and the success they are enjoying!
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Consulting

 

“The Talent Attraction Strategy provided by RoleCall has been an invaluable resource for our community." - Huntsville, AL

Strategic Planning Success
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Candidate Marketplace

"This portal is a great resource to help employers find talent for hard to fill open job positions." - Carlsbad, CA

Employer Engagement Success
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WayFinders


“What has been most successful for us so far is having a group of passionate, informed locals on standby ready to help with regional-wide efforts to help talent choose Cleveland." - Cleveland, OH

Onboarding Success