Your private-independent school receives funds not only through predictable hard income from tuition, but also through unpredictable funnels, such as your school’s development efforts and various philanthropic events. When ISM talks about a school’s “advancement plan,” then, we’re really talking about all of these financial efforts combined, not just admissions or development alone. One person—or even a whole department!—can’t accomplish everything, which is why your school’s Advancement Team is so important.
But who’s on this team, and how does each member contribute to the overall effort?
Development Director
When someone thinks about his or her school’s advancement plan, the Development Director is one of the first people who pops to mind. For donations to the annual fund, endowment, and other fundraising initiatives, the Development Director is certainly a fundamental implementer of the advancement plan.
Admission Officer
The Admission Director (or other admission representative) is often the primary school administrator who reaches out to the local community. He/She introduces prospective families to your school’s mission and culture. At the same time, the Admission Office collects information about said families for use by other school administrators—though, of course, taking every precaution to maintain legal confidentiality!
By “driving the bus” on school composition through admission decisions, the Admission Director is an integral part of the Advancement Team.
Marketing/Communication Director
Whoever directs your school’s “formal” marketing efforts—including event coordination, social media maintenance, and traditional advertising through print and digital media—should have a permanent seat on your school’s Advancement Team. Marketing efforts should be clear and coordinated across divisions and offices, creating a core message that can be tailored for your school’s various audiences (prospective and current families, students, alumni, donors, etc.).
The only way this type of coordination can occur is if the person in charge of your marketing knows what’s going on in all offices and where everyone would like to go. (Group editorial calendars keeping track of all campaigns and events would be a good addition, too.) Furthermore, by putting your Marketing/Communication Director on the Advancement Team, innovative ways to spread the word about new initiatives or campaigns can be created and implemented with input from all parties, not just a select few.
School Head
As the “de facto” leader of advancement at your school, the School Head is a primary piece of the advancement puzzle.
As the chief representative-leader of your school to the general public, your School Head should be aware of advancement initiatives and understand how his/her support is integral to those initiatives’ success. Also, as the person in direct, regular contact with the Board of Trustees, the School Head helps the Advancement Team keep its plans mission-based and grounded in the school’s long-term strategic plans.
Important Allies
Who else helps your school’s Advancement Team? Division Heads and Department Chairs, for a start. Because they interact with your constituency more directly and more frequently within school walls, these team members may be your best “advancement ambassadors” with current families and can alert you to changing trends others may not spot.
Business Managers, too, can offer great resources for the Advancement Team. Their intimate knowledge of the school’s budget and expenditures can inform goal setting for the team’s various efforts, as well as keep your more idealistic members grounded into real-world realities.
The Whole Team
Recognizing each individual “player's” contribution to the overall advancement plan is important. At the same time, all members of your Advancement Team must know who does what, where, when, and why—and how it can impact an individual’s work. Only in working together can the Advancement Team enact a brilliant, progressive, and effective school-wide advancement policy.
Thrust your Advancement Team into the fire and forge them into an unstoppable force to be reckoned with at summer’s Advancement Academy. Held in sunny San Diego, the Advancement Academy provides time with expert mentors to help your team develop custom plans for implementation this fall, as well as courses to further refine individual members’ skill and expertise.
Additional ISM resources:
ISM Monthly Update for Development Directors Vol. 9 No. 6 Fund Raising. Development. Advancement. What Does it All Mean?
ISM Monthly Update for Development Directors Vol. 10 No. 10 It’s Summer … What Should the Development Committee Be Doing?
ISM Monthly Update for Admission Officers Vol. 12 No. 6 Admission and Development Go Hand in Hand
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 30 No. 16 The Comprehensive Advancement Model
I&P Vol. 37 No. 6 21st Century Schools: The ISM Advancement Model
I&P Vol. 34 No. 2 The Shared Roles of Your School’s Advancement Offices
I&P Vol. 35 No. 10 Integrating Faculty Into the Advancement Process
