Retaining families is “enrollment critical.” It’s never too early to start re-recruiting your new parents and students with a transition to your school community that is positive and mission-centered. As families juggle the demands of daily life, school leaders must be increasingly creative and thoughtful in providing new families with the information and connections necessary to establish a strong, productive partnership with the school based on shared values.

Running a small development office in a private-independent school comes with unique challenges and opportunities. With limited staff and resources, advancement professionals must be strategic, efficient, and mission-driven to maximize fundraising success.

This webinar will explore key strategies for prioritizing tasks, leveraging volunteers, engaging donors, and building a sustainable fundraising program — while wearing multiple hats. You’ll gain practical insights to help you streamline operations and increase impact.

Private-independent schools thrive when marketing communications, enrollment management, and development operate as a cohesive advancement team rather than as isolated departments. Yet, too often, these functions work in silos, leading to missed opportunities for engagement and growth.

Your surveys are complete, and the data is ready to review — where do you start? The volume of information can feel overwhelming, and data misinterpreted or misused can be more detrimental than no data at all. Missteps can lead to divisiveness among faculty, misguided decision-making, and even public relations challenges with legal ramifications.

Surveys are more than just forms — conducting them over time allows you to spot trends, understand what your school is doing well, and uncover areas where there’s room to grow. When you work with a third party specializing in independent schools like ISM, you get expert-designed, research-backed questions, guaranteed anonymity for participants, and results your community can trust.

Private-independent schools thrive when their communities understand that voluntary support is essential to advancing their student-centered mission. But even with a well-managed development operation, schools may struggle to meet fundraising goals due to underlying cultural factors that shape philanthropic capacity but remain undefined.

School marketers are increasingly overwhelmed by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). Many aren’t sure how to leverage its potential, misapplying the technology or worrying about losing the personal touch in their messaging. Concerns about AI’s practicality, ethics, and effectiveness often lead to hesitation, creating missed marketing opportunities.