Three (Possibly Profitable) Points to Ponder

Advancement // December 11, 2009

For many nonprofits (including private-independent schools), the current economic circumstances are particularly hard-hitting—restricted resources may mean that you are less able to help as many people as you would like. To combat this, some nonprofit organizations are experimenting with different ways to reach potential donors and strengthen their bonds with current ones. Here are some tactics you may want to consider.

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Your Annual Report—Print or Online … or Both?

Advancement // December 11, 2009

Your annual report may be one of the most expensive pieces your office produces. With money tight and budgets frozen—or slashed—schools are going online with their reports. You can invest in the message and the design, while reducing or eliminating the high cost of printing and postage. Here are some things to think about before taking the leap that can help control costs in the transition.

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Three Ways to Maximize Your Personal Connections to Boost Your Annual Fund

Advancement // December 11, 2009

The Annual Fund. Yes, everyone expects your school to have an annual fund-raising campaign. But are your parents, alumni, and faculty emotionally invested in it? A robust annual fund is critical to all of your fund-raising efforts. It is the first place where your prospects/donors will invest their dollars into your school. Here are several steps you can take to strengthen the emotional ties. After all, educating and making connections with your school and its mission are what cultivating supporters is all about.

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The Problem: Missing Alumni. The Solution: Log on to Facebook!

Advancement // December 11, 2009

Looking for long-gone alumni? Thanks to the Internet, it is getting a little easier to find them. Schools are starting to use social networking sites such as Facebook to their advantage. Facebook was launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg as a social network for his fellow Harvard students. In only two weeks, half of the student body had signed up. Other schools in the Boston area demanded the service and within four months, Facebook added 30 more college networks. Now, anyone over age 13 can join, and there more than 100 million users.

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Has 'General Education' Gone the Way of the Dinosaur?

Academic Leadership // December 11, 2009

There's a new free, online "college guidance" tool for students and parents. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is appalled at the state of higher education, finding that many major colleges and universities no longer require classes in what it has identified as seven key subjects: composition, literature, foreign language, history, economics, mathematics, and science. This lack of "general education" will have a significant impact on the country's ability to innovate and compete in the global marketplace, the nonprofit organization says.

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The Development Committee Calendar

Advancement // December 11, 2009

Planning is key in the world of development. To help you best track the Development Committee's calendar through the end of the school year and summer, we've listed major points you should be sure to tend to as the year progresses, starting with the month of February.

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You Want Me to Ask for Money???

Advancement // December 11, 2009

People are often reluctant to assume new and unfamiliar tasks, and the resistance often increases when fund raising is involved. Preconceptions about fund raising can thwart your efforts to recruit volunteers. Before you approach them, consider these six common "roadblocks" and the accompanying strategies that are designed to overcome volunteers' reluctance, build confidence and enthusiasm, and encourage them to take on the role of "crusader" for the best possible education for your school's students.

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Social Networking Sites Bringing in Few Donations

Advancement // December 11, 2009

Nonprofit groups—private-independent schools included—have established their presence on social networking sites to reach out to supporters, but few have attracted more than a few thousand supporters to their networks or been able to raise a large amount of money via the sites, according to a survey of 980 nonprofit officials about their organizations' use of online social networking sites.

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Are Your Board Members Stepping Up to the Plate?

Advancement // December 11, 2009

Walter A. Haas, Jr., former Chairman and President of Levi Strauss & Company, summed it up best when talking about Board members for nonprofit institutions. "Every board member should give. It's just like being on the board of a corporation, you should own a few shares of stock."* One of the key jobs of your Board of Trustees is to financially support your fund-raising campaigns. In many instances, the Board accounts for 30% of the total amount raised. After all, Trustees are shaping the future of your school. But do they know that they are expected to give … and ask other people to give?

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Before You Post That Video on Your Web Site …

Advancement // December 11, 2009

Your school's tenth graders do exceptionally well on a video production project. You decide that one of the videos would be perfect on your Web site to capture the essence of student culture at the school. All the footage is original, but the student downloaded the background music from iTunes. Heck, its only a student video. Where's the issue?

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