Agenda
8:30 am Registration | Continental Breakfast
9:00 am Welcome and Opening Thoughts | NCAIS
Keynote: Tailwinds and Headwinds: Expansion Needs While Facing a Recessive Economy| John Sullivan & Jeff Hensley, Total Advancement Solutions by Generis
Independent schools are in an unanticipated liminal place right now; they are navigating enrollment tailwinds that are leading directly into development and advancement headwinds. During the recent pandemic, significant numbers of pK-12 students (1.2M–2M according to research) left public education and enrolled in private schools in light of their response to the pandemic. As expected, the increased enrollment has strained the facilities of independent schools in many ways. In light of these expansion needs, school leaders have contemplated building projects, master site plans, and capital campaigns to solve the challenge of capacity (or near capacity) enrollment. Many of these plans for expansion are already underway.
Yet, there is a sobering headwind that leaders see as a real and critical threat to expansion needs. While school officials review waitlists and architectural blueprints, the country is facing economic uncertainty and a recessive economy. Navigating the place between the enrollment tailwinds and the financial headwinds demands answering large questions about your school’s present situation and desired future. In this presentation, Generis Strategists John Sullivan and Jeff Hensley will address the tailwinds-leading-into-headwinds challenge and provide solutions that will create the optimal path into your school's future.
10:00 am Break
10:10 am Breakout Session I | Select 1 | 60 minutes
The Connection Between Your School’s Strategic Plan and Philanthropy | Phil Higginson, Associate Head of School for Philanthropy, Ravenscroft, and Michael Christopher, ISM Consultant
Does this sound familiar? Your school’s Board has just approved an exciting yet ambitious strategic plan. Yet, the operating budget is insufficient to pay for all the desired programs, facilities, and initiatives. How, then, to turn these dreams into reality? The answer lies with philanthropy.
This interactive session will explore how to translate your strategic plan into fundraising priorities. We will discuss how to identify the right type of fundraising effort for each element of your plan and how to develop a philanthropic menu of items to share with prospective donors. You’ll gain an understanding of the link between strategic plans, master plans, and endowment master plans. In addition, you’ll have the chance to immediately put what you learn to work as you engage in a strategic conversation with a colleague.
Content is (Still) King! | Lorrie Jackson, Finalsite
Are you not seeing the engagement that you hope for on your website? The answer may be in your content! Content strategy is just as important as web design — and together, they create a powerhouse engagement tool for schools. In this session, you'll hear case studies from independent schools and you'll learn how your school's overall strategic plan from your leadership team can and should influence the content on your website and its layout/organization.
Communicating with Purpose to Prospective Families | Ayesha Flaherty
The Admission Office is often the first point of contact for a prospective family. Your interactions can directly influence whether a family decides to pursue admission. At each step in the process, families are seeking certain information, so each communication needs to fulfill a specific purpose. In this session, you will learn strategies for drafting timely and impactful communications throughout enrollment, from initial inquiries to final acceptance decisions.
11:15 pm Breakout Session II | Select 1 | 60 minutes
Maximizing Donor Engagement through Unique and Impactful Touchpoints | Andy Clifton & Aaron Craven
Join Andy Clifton, Director of Philanthropy at FCDS, and Aaron Craven, Associate Director of Philanthropy at FCDS, as they engage in a collaborative conversation about maximizing donor engagement through unique and impactful touchpoints. This session will bring advancement professionals from across the NCAIS community to share and learn about best practices for creating meaningful donor relationships.
Attendees will have the opportunity to share their most successful and innovative donor touchpoints and hear from the Forsyth Country Day School team about their 12-month donor touchpoint calendar. This calendar is a roadmap for creating personalized and meaningful connections with donors throughout the year.
During the session, Andy and Aaron will also share their insights on balancing the art and science of donor engagement and provide practical tips on making the most of each touchpoint. They will also discuss the role technology and data can play in maximizing the impact of donor touchpoints.
Whether you're a seasoned development professional or just starting out, this session is a must-attend for anyone looking to create more meaningful and impactful donor relationships. Get ready to share your best practices and be inspired by the successes of your peers!
Are You Playing Chess or Checkers? | Drew Cocco
The practice of independent school enrollment management is so dynamic, it can sometimes feel like you're playing checkers but every morning you wake up and the board has changed. What if instead of checkers, you started playing chess? Implementing a Net Tuition Revenue Strategy can empower enrollment professionals to leverage greater data insights to both forecast and respond to the realities of an enrollment landscape that is constantly in flux.
Want More Inquiries? Here’s The Blueprint For Using Inbound Marketing At Your School | Brendan Schnieder
You have a great school, but you need more students. You've tried everything to get more people to inquire, but you're not getting the desired results. In this presentation, Brendan will explain how to use inbound marketing to get the results you want while offering a path to get started using inbound marketing at your school.
12:15 pm Lunch & Speaker, Penny Abrahams, ISM Senior Consultant
A Culture of More: How Parent Expectations and a Changing Landscape Impact Enrollment and Retention
The expectations of private-independent school parents are higher than ever. Coupled with more competition for students, uncertain economic conditions, and rising tuition costs—school leaders have much to overcome to attract and retain students.
Explore why parents choose private schools and what that means for how you must communicate, involve, and build trust with your families. Leave this session with ideas on how to manage the expectations of parents, how to navigate interactions with difficult parents, and how to prevent them from ever becoming unhappy in the first place.
1:15 pm WHY Do You Do What You Do? | H. Watson Jordan II, EdD
We all have a WHY, but many of us don’t know what it is. Together in our WHY Discovery workshop we will identify your WHY and explore ways to leverage the WHY framework for yourself, your team, and the multiple constituencies the business office serves. You will generate momentum to stand out for the gifts you have, vitalize your relationships, and maximize your impact. It is a fast, insightful, and fun experience with actionable results.
2:25 pm Break
2:30 pm Breakout Session III | Select 1 | 60 Minutes
Harnessing Social Media for Alumni Relations Success | Tom Howell
Director of Alumni Engagement at Forsyth Country Day School, Tom Howell will share how he leverages social media to strengthen the connection between the school and its alumni. Attendees will learn about Tom's different social media strategies to engage with alumni, create a sense of community, and drive alumni participation in events and fundraising campaigns.
During the session, Tom will provide examples of how he uses platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram to reach a broad audience of alumni and keep them informed about the latest news and events from FCDS. He will also discuss the importance of creating compelling content that resonates with alumni and drives engagement. Attendees will walk away with practical tips and insights on how to use social media to build a strong alumni community, including:
- Best practices for creating and sharing content on social media
- Techniques for fostering engagement and interaction among alumni
- Strategies for leveraging social media data to better understand and target alumni
- This session is ideal for advancement professionals, alumni relations managers, and anyone looking to use social media to build a stronger alumni community.
Don't miss this opportunity to learn from one of the best and get inspired to take your alumni engagement to the next level!
Growing Expectations for Communicators | Ayesha Flaherty
Forward-thinking heads of schools and boards of trustees are recognizing the strategic role that communications can play in achieving school goals. With these elevated expectations, communication professionals must determine how to make this strategic shift with an already full and demanding workload. In this session, we will define "functional" and "strategic" communications and discuss how schools effectively transition from one to the other. We will also engage in an exercise to help you prioritize the activities with the greatest strategic impact.
Experiential Fundraising in Major Gifts | Chris Winter
Looking at development through the lens of experiential opportunities with donors, this session will focus on the importance and value of connecting donors to the mission “in the field.” Chris Winter, CEO of Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina, will share his lessons learned and biggest success stories over his career in fundraising.
3:30 pm Adjourn
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