It seems that with mandates, constantly evolving policies, and looming deadlines, health care nowadays is anything but a light topic of conversation. A much larger portion of your responsibilities involves keeping atop the reform and how adjustments to legislation will impact your school. Changes to your job duties may have caused you to catch yourself shaking your head, wondering why it is again we’re going down this rocky path to launch the Affordable Care Act. It’s certainly a topic that our field advisers face on a daily basis. Politics aside, here are some health care statistics from the past few years that might help shed light on that question. If nothing else, they’ll give you an idea (or a few other ideas) of the critical state our health care system is in.

Recently, Christopher Davenport of Movie Mondays for Fundraising Professionals asked three donors what was the number one factor that motivates them to give. The answers should not surprise you.

Whether your school is religious or secular, you can find yourself in court facing discrimination charges if you fire a faculty or staff member because she is pregnant—even if you have clear policies in your employee handbook addressing your school’s mission and expected behaviors. There have been several recent cases to make headlines, which have brought new attention to this matter. Yes, even in today’s world of heightened workplace sensitivity, discrimination cases continue to make headlines.

If you listen to public radio or watch public television, you’ve heard their appeals to be a sustaining donor. That is, you have the option of contributing X number of dollars a month, usually via a credit card or debit card. This can be quite appealing to an individual who can’t quite see themselves writing a $720 check, for example, but who says “Yes, I can do that” to a monthly $60 deduction to support the station, program, or cause. It’s all the same amount in the end; it's all about the delivery method.

Q: Are there ways to reduce the chance of an "Employment Practice" claim?

The ACT annual report is out. The Condition of College and Career Readiness 2013, shows only 26% of ACT-tested students met the standards for English, reading, mathematics, and science. ACT also reports a U.S. trend of unprepared ACT-tested students enrolling in four-year and two-year colleges. As you know, your school’s goal is to develop students into your Portrait of the Graduate. Then, your portrait-driven curriculum can ideally prepare students for college. As Division Head, you must recognize program weaknesses to then alter curriculum and meet student expectations.

“There is no system in the world or any school in the country that is better than its teachers. Teachers are the lifeblood of the success of schools.” -Sir Ken Robinson

After the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy last year (and because of other horrific events of school violence in recent years), many schools are concerned about heightened school security and risk management today.

When you update your Board profile, consdier the benefits of bringing representatives from the nonprofit world on your Board. The benefits will usually outweigh the risks by a wide margin. (In next month's e-letter, we'll discuss the risks and strategies for reducing them.)

Chances are, at least one student in your school has a food allergy. Cases of foodallergic children have been rising since medical researchers first started following patient reports several decades ago. A recent study reported 5.9 million U.S. kids suffer from life-threatening food allergies. The good news is, food allergies (most common are nuts, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, and dairy) are manageable if proper policies and protocols are in place.