Date(s):
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Location: Philadelphia, PA
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Certification Credits: 40 IACP
A New Approach to Marketing, Admission, and Fundraising. Unmatched Results.
Hundreds of schools have surpassed their enrollment management, development, and marketing goals after attending ISM’s Advancement Academy. With ISM, learn how you can lead with clarity and achieve extraordinary results.
Attending the Academy completely changed my career. I went from feeling skeptical and scared to being much more comfortable. When I implemented what I learned, nearly 1/3 of our donors gave more than in the previous year, and collectively gave more than $100,000 over our school's proposed asks. We attribute that to the personalized letter strategy and individualized asks we planned at the Academy.
Joan Siefkes Moore, Director of Advancement at Wichita Collegiate School, KS
2014, 2018 Advancement Academy Attendee
Read the full case study.
Hurry! Early Bird Discounts end 4/17/2020, and the 2019 Academy sold out by April!
Standard Pricing: $3,209 Gold Members // $3,776 General
$3,209.00
For Gold Members
$3,776.00 General Price
$3,104.00
For Gold Members
$3,566.00 General Price
$3,104.00 Second Person Pricing
Status: Confirmed
We hope you join us to gain the tools and strategies to achieve and surpass your enrollment management, development, and marketing goals.
Penny Abrahams, Advancement Academy Convener
Is Your School Capable of More?
Join us if you want to:
- Strengthen your enrollment levels by rethinking how you share your message in your community
- Exceed your fundraising goals and expand your pool of donors
- Develop your marketing strategies and keep pace with changing trends
- Create cohesion among departments and make sure everyone's hard work moves the needle
- Gain clarity on where to focus and take your strategy to the next level
How Will Advancement Academy Transform Your School?
Feel confident that your team will come together to create the right strategies for your school through an intense, hands-on experience, guided by expert practitioners.
Achieve an Unparalleled Focus Through Proprietary Assessments
Discover your school’s strengths and challenges so you know where to focus your efforts. You'll begin your week at the Academy by taking our advancement assessments backed by 45 years of ISM theory.
Rely on Your Mentor's Expert Advice and Insight
Your expert mentors are there to guide you every step of the way to maximize your time at the Academy. Your dedicated mentor will help you select sessions, work toward goals, and build your action plan.
Create a Clear, Unified Strategy Across Departments
Attend with your team—School Heads and leaders from Admission, Enrollment Management, Fundraising, and Marketing—to strategize for the year ahead and collaborate on a unified, aligned approach. You can also come alone to strengthen your school's efforts alongside your mentor and a network of fellow professionals.
Return Home With a Plan For Success
You’ll walk away with an action plan to achieve your goals—with the confidence to know you’ll make an impact when you return to campus.
See our recap from 2019!
Who Will Benefit From the Academy?
School leaders in admission, enrollment management, development, and marketing communications, as well as School Heads, will benefit from the Academy.
The Academy is a wonderful opportunity for teams to strategize for the year ahead. You’ll join different sessions to discover new approaches, and regroup with your colleagues to share what you’ve learned. Come together—with your mentor—to build a cohesive approach for the year ahead using everyone’s strengths.
The Academy also provides ample opportunities for administrators who come alone to learn and engage with their mentor and a network of fellow professionals, while developing a realistic action plan to implement at their schools.
Innovation is Key to a Winning Strategy
Whether or not you’ve attended the Academy in the past, now is the time to learn the latest methods to help you meet your goals. Each year’s curriculum offers new learning opportunities and is refined to deliver a uniquely individualized experience, allowing for maximum team collaboration and deep School Head engagement.
Stand Out and Mark Your Achievements
Administrators who complete the Academy will earn 40 credits toward their International Advancement Certification. ISM’s International Advancement Certification Program offers the industry’s only interdisciplinary set of credentials that recognizes learning across the areas of admission, enrollment management, development, and marketing communications in private-independent schools. Stand out and mark your achievements!
Advancement Academy Faculty
One of the things that makes the ISM Advancement Academy unique is your chance to work with a seasoned private-independent advancement professional every day. You and your mentor will select the track(s) and workshops you will attend throughout the Academy. Together, you will develop an action plan to take back and implement at your school.
The Distinguished Advancement Academy Faculty and Mentors
Greg Abel, IAP-L
Advancement Academy Leader | Director of Marketing and Communications, The Providence Country Day School
Greg provides expertise in the areas of school branding and storytelling to engage audiences and cause impact across communities. He has over 20 years of school experience and today helps leaders hone their marketing communications strategies.
Penny Abrahams, IAP-L
Advancement Academy Convener | ISM Consultant
Penny's areas of expertise include enrollment management and marketing plans, developing mission-based messaging, crafting digital marketing and social media strategies, establishing crisis communications plans, and advising on optimal staffing structures and functions.
Casey Bell, IAP-L
Advancement Academy Leader | Director of Enrollment Management, All Saints’ Episcopal School
Casey provides insight on building admission programs that attract and retain a diverse, multinational student population, directing annual fund and major gifts fundraising programs that support the school’s mission, and creating marketing and communications programs that align with mission and support admission and development efforts.
Harold Brown, IAP-L
Advancement Academy Leader | Director of Advancement, Cranbrook Schools
A strategic and focused leader, Harold enjoys assembling and leading high-performance development teams to meet their organizational goals. Harold’s expertise includes extensive knowledge of all aspects of fundraising, for principal as well as major and planned giving gifts from alumni, parents, and friends.
Michael Christopher, IAP-L
Advancement Academy Leader | ISM Consultant
Michael shares his expertise in building comprehensive development programs from the ground up. He believes a successful development program has solid operations, strong annual funds, proactive constituent cultivation, and robust communication and marketing programs.
Phil Higginson, IAP-L
Advancement Academy Leader | Associate Head of School for Philanthropy, Ravenscroft School
Phil consults in both the advancement and strategic planning areas. Phil has worked with schools to develop their strategic vision, establish financial priorities, and formulate campaigns to fund the identified strategic initiatives. His expertise includes extensive knowledge of endowment and planned giving as a way to increase donors’ capacity to give at leadership levels.
Clint Losch
Advancement Academy Leader | Director of Marketing Operations, ISM
Clint is a financial aid, tuition management, and marketing specialist at ISM. In his current role as Director of Marketing Operations, he ensures ISM’s messages are communicated effectively to its constituents. He has also helped over 1000 school leaders discover how to set mission-appropriate financial aid policies to sustain long-term viability in his previous position as Regional Business Development Manager.
Robert Marley
Advancement Academy Leader | Multimedia Specialist, ISM
Bob has over 17 years of experience in multimedia, including video production, print and online publications, webinar production, and workshop and conference presentations. Bob's responsibilities at ISM includen producing video content for ISM, designing and publishing ISM publications and webinars, and creating numerous tools for advisory services.
L.J. Mitchell, IAP-L
Advancement Academy Leader | Director of Development, The Calhoun School
L.J. provides expertise in development for private-independent schools, specifically building the annual fund and hosting special events fundraising. He has 15 years of fundraising experience with record-setting results in annual giving, campaigns (capital and endowment) and events.
Amy Riley, Ed.S., IAP-L
Advancement Academy Leader | Consultant, ISM
Amy Riley has been a member of the ISM team since 2011, when she joined the faculty of ISM’s Advancement Academy. In 2013, she joined ISM as a full-time Consultant. She serves as Academic Dean of ISM’s International Advancement Certification Program and holds Leader (IAP-L) level certification in the program.
Steve Salvo, IAP-L
Advancement Academy Leader | Assistant Head for Advancement & Enrollment, Trinity Episcopal School
Steve has vast management experience in independent school admission, development, marketing, and communications. His background is in business and education—after serving as a senior accountant at a worldwide public assurance firm, he has worked successfully as an elementary and middle school teacher, advisor, coach, dorm parent, and camp director.
Gregory Simon
Advancement Academy Leader | Director of Admissions, Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Gregory shares his experience in soliciting major gifts, managing constituent relationships, and planning and executing capital campaigns. He helps school leaders reimagine their annual giving programs with special emphasis on the donor experience, young alumni, and senior giving.
Herb Soles, IAP-L, CFRE
Advancement Academy Leader | Consultant, ISM
Herb provides consulting services in the areas of development and fundraising. His expertise includes extensive knowledge of major gifts programs, endowment, and planned giving as a way to increase donors’ capacity to give at leadership levels.
Gigi Tysinger, IAP-L
Advancement Academy Leader | Director of Advancement Services, Norfolk Academy
Gigi provides expertise in the areas of development policies, procedures, and data management. She coordinates and implements the data-driven processes that are essential elements of the school’s overall fundraising strategy, including gift accounting, gift reporting, research, prospect management, and donor stewardship.
Monday, July 27, 2020
| 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Registration and Refreshments |
| 1:00–1:45 p.m. | Welcome and Keynote |
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SESSIONS |
Schools today must align their enrollment management, development, and marketing communications strategies to effectively recruit and re-recruit families, support their communities, and serve their school’s mission. In order to do this, school leadership teams must be able to identify the traits of outstanding advancement professionals and high-performing teams. Join this session to learn what advancement professionals must possess to perform at a high level. Discover how you can identify these traits in new hires, as well as coach, mentor, and support those already at your school to help them unleash their full potential.
Objectives
If we just get families to campus, they will see how great it is here! We all hear it. We all believe it. But is it true?
From tours to shadow visits and coffees to school-day events, we work so hard to get new families on campus. Is your school getting the most out of those visits? How can you make sure the process is personal, convincing, and celebrates both your mission and Portrait of the Graduate? Learn how to thoughtfully design campus visits to maximize their impact for every student and their family. Objectives
Every school aims to fill its seats and build wait pools. But how can you get there if you don’t know where to begin? This session will introduce a simple method for using your admission funnel data to identify where your team should focus its efforts to boost enrollment. With your trouble spots identified, we will discuss customized strategies to address your challenges and ensure your prospective families get what they need during each step of the admission process.
Objectives
Retaining your current and loyal donors must become an essential part of a robust giving program. These loyal donors are the foundation of your growing annual giving program and provide the best opportunity for growth. This workshop explores the arena of retention strategy—the ability of the school to both develop and appreciate those who give persistently, whether in small or large sums. Come and understand why this is important for your development program and appreciate how to really steward this unheralded but essential group of people. This session is appropriate for experienced development professionals and School Heads.
Objectives
This session is a deep dive into the first three steps of the Donor Cycle, ISM’s strategic approach to moving the donor into a closer relationship to the school. Participants will apply the principles of the Cycle to real prospects in an interactive session where they will discover the potential capacity and inclination of their prospects; explore ways to create an engagement plan with these individuals; and evaluate their interests, values, and financial resources. Develop strategic approaches to persuade prospects to commit resources to your mission and programs.
Objectives
The way students and parents research schools has changed. Did you know that 70% of a family’s “buying” decision is made before the first interaction with someone at the school? Why? Because prospective families are using Google, social media, your website, Facebook communities, Niche.com, Yelp, etc. to learn everything about your school BEFORE inquiring. Therefore, it is now critical that schools create content that pre-engages a family to want to apply before they ever step foot on campus.
Review your own school’s digital materials during this session and leave with ideas that you can implement immediately to stand out in your market, improve website traffic, and boost inquiries. In addition, develop a long-term plan for a realistic, integrated approach to content-based inbound marketing. Objectives
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| 4:15–5:30 p.m. | Mentor Groups: Assessments and Reflection |
| 5:30–6:00 p.m. | Mentor Group Dinner—An opportunity for members of mentor groups to get to know each other, as well as an opportunity to meet people from around the globe |
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
| 7:30–8:30 a.m. | Breakfast |
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SESSIONS |
In today’s independent school market, the customer experience is everything; positive customer interactions must be an intentional part of your school's culture. A customer service culture that is embraced by all employees of the school begins by examining the experiences your families have today!
You will determine what good customer service looks like at your school and identify obstacles that make it hard to achieve. You will leave this workshop with concrete steps that you can implement at your own school to develop, sustain, and strengthen your school's customer service experience, resulting in better student retention and recruitment. Objectives
What type of leader do you want to be? What type of leader does your school need you to be? When do leaders manage, and managers lead?
Through hands-on exercises, case studies, and group discussions, you’ll explore leadership theories and best practices to help you navigate leadership opportunities for yourself, your team, and your school. Objectives
Note: This course is offered in two parts. To learn the entire framework, participants should attend both sessions. Every school aims to fill its seats and build wait pools. But how can you get there if you don’t know where to begin? This session will introduce a simple method for using your admission funnel data to identify where your team should focus its efforts to boost enrollment. With your trouble spots identified, we will discuss customized strategies to address your challenges and ensure your prospective families get what they need during each step of the admission process. Objectives
A “culture of philanthropy” has traditionally referred to the degree in which members of a school’s community give back to the school through financial support. Frequently we refer to that “culture” without really knowing how to define or evaluate it. This session will explore a wider definition of philanthropy and how to encourage one at your school. Attendees will use a developing set of metrics and objective tools to evaluate their school’s culture and interactively create a plan to improve and enhance their school’s unique philanthropic culture. This session is appropriate for experienced development professionals and School Heads.
Objectives
The relationship between your school and its alumni is lifelong. Alumni are impacted by school-wide communications and there are opportunities to engage them across every facet of your operations. Whether your school is a boarding school with a large and active alumni body or a small K–6 school, a robust alumni relations program can engage your school’s graduates at every phase of their lives.
Your program should be respectful, transparent, and grounded in supporting and fulfilling the mission of your school. This session will provide you with tools to identify and strengthen the lifelong relationships between your alumni and your school. Come and hear from two experienced alumni professionals, one from boarding schools and one from day schools, to gain perspective on some of the most successful practices for both. Objectives
[Marketing Communications]
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| 10:30–11:00 a.m. | Break |
| 11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | Mentor Groups |
| 12:15–1:30 p.m. | Lunch and Heads Luncheon |
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SESSIONS |
The foundational component of a strong advancement program is a Board that thinks and acts strategically. In fact, aside from hiring the School Head, strategic planning is the key component of the Board’s work. This workshop provides a roadmap for translating your school’s long-term aspirations into a practical strategic framework, using the foundation of the fifth iteration of ISM’s Stability Markers, the strategic plan, and the strategic financial plan. Leave with the tools to evaluate your current plan and begin to prepare your school for a robust and effective strategic planning process.
Objectives
Admission teams spend countless hours recruiting and enrolling new families. Then, once the contract is signed, those parents and students are often left to their own devices and the Development Office has to begin its own relationship.
In this session, we will explore ways the Admission Office can join forces with the Development Office to ensure a seamless and supportive transition. Learn how the most successful development and admission programs identify and involve parents—from the very beginning—to become future leaders in our schools. Objectives
Note: This course is offered in two parts. To learn the entire framework, participants should attend both sessions. Is soft or declining enrollment keeping you up at night? Not sure what’s causing it? ISM’s Enrollment Management framework brings into focus the factors most impacting your enrollment and hard income bottom line: the clarity (or not) of your primary marketplace stance; the quality of your school culture; and the way you take care of your primary constituents—students and their families. While Part I explored key factors that inform and differentiate your market position, the Part II workshop explores the other two primary spheres of influence in the framework: school culture and constituent relationships. Objectives
The old adage “time is money” provides the context for this workshop. Volunteer time in 2018 was worth $24.69 per hour, or more than $50K each year. Make no mistake—volunteers are valuable members of your school’s workforce.
Does your school reflect that value? Do you (and should you) differentiate between the way you engage your staff and your volunteers? How are volunteers integrated within your team? Do your volunteers understand the role of the development operation at your school? Would they describe their work as “vital” or “essential” to achieving your goals? Learn the answers to these questions and more, leaving with the tools to build and sustain a powerfully engaged volunteer corps of partners in your development operation. Objectives
Social media is the future of marketing and advertising as we know it—yet most school marketing departments are understaffed and don’t have the necessary budgets to implement an effective social strategy.
As a result, many schools are still engaged in “traditional” marketing channels, such as placing ads in magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, and Google. Maybe you also considered billboards, direct mail, and lawn signs. While these platforms still work, they are no longer as effective as they used to be (and they still cost a lot of money). In 2020, if you actually want to get the attention of mission-appropriate families in your market, refocusing the content you put out on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat (and whatever else has the market’s attention at the time) is a huge factor. In this session, we are going to give you a proven, implementable social media strategy that any school can master, even if you have a small team. Objectives
No budget? No problem! We will explore video techniques that EVERYONE can learn and apply right away. Learn how to use your smartphone during the workshop to capture video that’s engaging and high quality. With your new skills, you’ll be able to film testimonial interviews that can move the needle in your marketing efforts.
This hands-on workshop is ideal for beginners with no knowledge of video production. Discover how to tell your school story through video to drive interest, inquiries, and fundraising efforts. Objectives
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| 3:30–4:00 p.m. | Break |
| 4:00–5:15 p.m. | Mentor Groups |
| 5:15–6:15 p.m. | Networking Reception |
| Evening | Socializing; further individual/team thinking, reflection, networking |
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Friday, July 31, 2020
| 7:00 –8:00 a.m. | Breakfast (please note change in breakfast and session times) |
| 8:00–9:30 a.m. | Action Plan Presentation and Peer Review — Mentor Group Rooms |
| 9:30–9:45 a.m. | Break |
| 9:45–10:45 a.m. | Mentor Groups |
| 10:45–11:30 a.m. | Closing Session |
Academy Location
Hilton Penns Landing
201 South Columbus Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-521-6500
The Hilton Penns Landing on the Delaware River, adjacent to Independence Seaport Museum and summer activities alone the river. It is the walking distance to historic Old City Philadelphia.
A group hotel reservation rate of $229+tax is available until July 6, 2020. Subject to availability. Please wait until the workshop status is 'confirmed' before making your travel and hotel arrangements.
The Hilton Penns Landing is pet-friendly. Please contact the hotel for details.
Travel
Airline Information
Delta Air Lines is pleased to offer special discounts for Independent School Management. Please click here to book your flights.
You may also call the Delta Meeting Network® at 1.800.328.1111* Monday–Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. (CT) and refer to Meeting Event Code NMU5P.
Getting there from Philadelphia International Airport
DIRECTIONS: Take the Philadelphia ramp on the left to merge onto I-95 N. Take exit 20 for Columbus Blvd. Turn left onto S Columbus Blvd. Hotel will be on the right.
Distance from Hotel: 11.7 miles
Drive Time: 15 minutes
Frequently Asked Questions
What does my Academy registration fee include?
The Academy registration fee includes:
- Academy materials
- Breakfast (Tuesday through Friday)
- Lunch (Tuesday throughThursday)
- Dinner (Monday night)
- Refreshment breaks (Tuesday through Friday)
- Social hours (Tuesday and Thursday)
- Complimentary WI-FI access in the lodging room
Can your team accommodate my dietary needs?
Please let know in advance if you have any special dietary restrictions so that we can work with the executive chef to satisfy your needs.
Can I earn credit for ISM's International Advancement Certification Program by attending the Academy?
You will earn 40 credits towards your IACP certification.
What should I bring?
Attire
The dress code is business casual.
Additional items
- Laptop computer equipped for wireless for your learning sessions.
- Personal care items
- Rain gear and umbrella
- Recreational equipment
- Comfortable shoes or sneakers
- Cool and casual clothing
- Sweater or other warm clothing for sessions (air conditioning in the classrooms may be cool)
- Extra pens, pencils, paper, business cards
Can I bring my spouse/partner/family member?
Participants should recognize that the Academy requires full attention. Participants are expected to attend all keynotes, mentor groups, and workshops to receive IACP credit and certificates. However, the area has plenty of tourist attractions if a family member, spouse, or partner would like to explore the area. Only participants may attend ISM-sponsored meals.
When should I plan on going home?
The Academy will adjourn at 11:30 am on Friday, following the final celebration and certificate presentation. Note: Certificates only will be given to participants who attend all sessions including keynotes, mentor groups, and workshops.
Confirmation and Cancellation Policy
We will correspond with you through email as soon as your workshop is confirmed, no later than two weeks prior to its start date. Occasionally, we may be forced to cancel an unconfirmed, scheduled workshop due to insufficient registration. So we ask that you do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until you receive notice that your workshop is confirmed. (ISM will not be responsible for any change/cancellation charges assessed by your airline or travel agent.)
Tuition Payment and Cancellation Policy for In-Person, Group-based Programs
Tuition must be paid in full 10 business days prior to the start date of the in-person, group-based program. An attendee with a balance due on the start date will be denied entrance to the program until the balance is paid in full.
Cancellation requests must be made in writing by emailing workshops@isminc.com, faxing to 302-656-0647, or mailing to: Events Experience Manager, ISM, 1316 N. Union St., Wilmington, DE, 19806.
- Cancellations received more than 15 business days prior to the start date of the program will be fully refunded. Gold Dollars will also be fully refunded.
- There will be no refunds for cancellations made less than 15 business days before the start of the program.
- Non-payment of tuition or no-show to the event does not constitute a cancellation. Full tuition will be due and payable.
The Substitution Option and Wallet Option
Should an attendee need to cancel less than 15 days prior to the start date of the workshop, the school has two options to avoid penalty. Schools may also exercise these options at anytime for cancellations.
- The school may substitute another employee.
- The school may bank the funds for a future ISM registration. These funds must be applied to a professional development event within one year from the start date of the original workshop. After one year, the funds will be forfeited. To use banked funds, please call the Events Experience Manager at 302-656-4944 x152.
*We DO NOT accept enrollments from consultants.
West Side Montessori, OH
Be Inspired
I had takeaways from every session I was in. The presenters were amazing and so knowledgeable. I can't wait to apply the new tools and Information.
Helena Eddings, Admissions/Marketing Coordinator
Westmark School, CA
Attend With Your Team
"Our team of four (Head of School, Board Chair, Board Advancement Chair and Director of Advancement) all were able to glean and participate in meaningful sessions that we anticipate using over the next year."
Elizabeth Curtis, Director of Advancement
De Smet Jesuit High School, MO
Create Lasting Change
A rich volume of knowledge was shared and it will be helpful going forward. This was a great presentation and I had a wonderful dialogue with other school leaders.
William Rebholz, Vice President of Institutional Advancement
Upcoming Workshops and Events
1/27/2020 — 1/31/2020
2/1/2020 — 2/2/2020
Strategic Financial Planning: Skills and Implementation
Status: Confirmed • Location: Houston, TX
Register