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See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.
What Defines a Major Gift?
Advancement // December 3, 2015
We’re approaching the peak of holiday season, which often means a flood of last-minute donations as donors scramble to make their tax-deductible gifts before the new year. The season of giving thanks for friends and family often extends to generous donations, but not all increased generosity counts as a “major gift.” As you establish your protocols for the coming deluge of donations, we have some guidelines for you to consider when defining what a major gift means to your school.
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Ask ISM's Risk Manager
Business and Operations // November 25, 2015
Q: We’re in the middle of updating our school’s risk plans. While we’ve polished most of it, our teams are struggling somewhat with lockdown procedures. Does ISM have any lockdown guidelines we can consider as we continue revising?
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Attracting and Retaining Millennials: Rethinking Your School Values
Business and Operations // November 25, 2015
Attracting the brightest faculty and staff has been a conversation point with schools for as long as school doors have been open. Your families want the best for their children—you want the best for your students. However, including, “Now hiring the best and brightest” in your job descriptions simply isn’t enough.
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My Dog Ate My Creative Sick Day Excuse
Business and Operations // November 25, 2015
It’s the holiday season. Although schools have liberal holiday vacation time, it's also a time of year where stress, overwhelming to-do lists, and an avalanche of other reasons trigger employees’ cashing in some of their sick time. Surveys show that December is the most popular month for calling out of work. While nine in ten employees say they have never faked being sick during the holidays, there’s still that one in ten employees who will cash in some unused time to catch up with the bustle of the season and their own mental health.
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Caring for Your School’s Volunteers
Advancement // November 24, 2015
Volunteers are vital to your school, but especially to the Development Office. These people represent those who believe so much in your school’s mission and what it’s accomplishing in your community that they’ll freely offer their time, talents, and dedication to further your school’s goals. While you need volunteers to help your school function, your volunteers also need certain things from you to ensure their success and to keep them coming back to help in the future.
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The Three Questions That Lead to Meaningful Donor Stories
Advancement // November 24, 2015
Storytelling lies at the heart of every successful annual fund or capital campaign. Everyone wants to hear how the school changed the lives of its students and their families, coupled with an inspirational call-to-action to help the school continue to bring its mission to more people. Getting those stories, though, can sometimes feel like panning for gold—Lots of work for a single nugget you can use—but it doesn’t have to be that way. This month, we’ve got three questions to ask your school’s key stakeholders to find those shining stories.
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Pick-Up Lane Gossip: The Private School’s Water Cooler
School Heads // November 23, 2015
Any place that parents gather is a place where gossip and information spreads like wildfire—like your school’s parking lot during drop-off and pick-up periods. While waiting for their children, parents like to talk about what’s going on in their lives, which often includes their perspectives on school life. Such conversations should be expected, monitored, and maintained as a microcosm of your school’s broader marketing effort. As School Head, you’re in a unique position to discover which way the wind blows early—and to communicate in ways to change the direction of the conversation.
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Three Monthly Head Talk Meeting Mishaps
School Heads // November 23, 2015
Last month, we talked about the benefits of having monthly “Head talks,” during which you’d make yourself available to chat with parents and families in an informal setting. We still believe they’re a great tool for building rapport with families and community stakeholders. There are, however, some problems that may arise in such a program, should you not take care.
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What Happens If You’re Hit by a Bus?
Business and Operations // November 20, 2015
Unexpected events come, well, unexpectedly. Caring for family members, healing from extended illness (or bus mauling), property destruction from fires, floods, and the apocalypse—life often forces professionals to take unexpected leaves of absence for numerous reasons. While you can’t know when you might have to step away from your office for a while, it’s a good idea to have what we’ll call a hit-by-a-bus plan ready for someone to take over your tasks while you’re gone.
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Ask ISM's Health Care Reform Specialist
Business and Operations // November 20, 2015
Q: I have heard that they are changing the overtime rules, and I'm getting worried. Will these changes greatly increase our budget?
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