Advancement

ISM defines “advancement” as "the strategic process by which schools advance mission-appropriate constituent relations through the integration of the school’s admission, marketing and communications, and development programs.”

See below for examples of sessions our Consultants have presented on related to this topic.

Penny Abrahams, IAP-L
Executive Director of Advisory Services and Senior Consultant

The Strategic Partnership: How Finance and Advancement Allow for Vision Fulfillment
Alignment between your finance and advancement team is essential to fulfilling your school’s vision. Join Phil Higginson and Penny Abrahams for a three-hour session that will provide attendees with a 30,000-foot overview of strategic planning. During the session, attendees will break into groups and work together to develop strategic plan financial solutions.

Michael Christopher, IAP-L
ISM Consultant

Fraught or Fruitful: The Complex Relationship Between Business and Development
Boards, School Heads, CFOs, and Development officers all want the same thing: to create long-term financial sustainability for their schools. Despite this common goal, Business and Development offices often work at cross purposes, which results in missed opportunities and problematic staff relationships. This interactive session will explore the benefits of Business and Development working together with the Board and School Head to maximize soft income success for your school.

Phil Higginson, IAP-L
ISM Consultant

The Connection Between Your School’s Strategic Plan and Philanthropy
Does this sound familiar? Your school’s board has just approved an exciting – yet ambitious – strategic plan. Yet, the operating budget is insufficient to pay for all the desired programs, facilities, and initiatives. How, then, to turn these dreams into reality? The answer lies with philanthropy. This interactive session will explore how to translate your strategic plan into fundraising priorities. We will discuss how to identify the right type of fundraising effort for each element of your plan and how to develop a philanthropic menu of items to share with prospective donors. You’ll gain an understanding of the link between strategic plans, master plans, and endowment master plans. In addition, you’ll have the chance to immediately put what you learn to work as you engage in a strategic conversation with a colleague.

Art of the Ask: Secure Your Future
In this session, Phil will discuss how the first four steps of ISM’s Donor Cycle (identification, engagement, evaluation, and solicitation) provide a strategic approach to building a closer relationship between a donor and your school. Participants will examine the process by which development professionals begin the discovery and identification of potential donors, enhance relationships with donors, qualify their interests, values, and financial resources, and align their leadership donors with their strategic priorities.

Herb Soles, IAP-L, CFRE
ISM Consultant

Do You Really Need a Feasibility Study for a Capital Campaign?
Many capital campaigns struggle because of poor planning in the early stages. Often, leaders create campaign strategies based on intuition and assumption without using verified data. A well-executed feasibility study can provide the factual foundation for moving forward with confidence. In this presentation, you will learn how a feasibility study will ensure campaign success, understand the methodology of a well-executed feasibility study, and examine the pitfalls and successes of a recently conducted study.