Endowing Excellence Through Family Philanthropy

While a school’s primary funding sources are typically tuition revenue and annual giving, endowment income is more important than ever for delivering and enhancing a school’s mission. However, raising money for endowment can be difficult, especially when there are competing philanthropic demands.

In this webinar, Phil Higginson will discuss how establishing a family endowment program will allow your school to grow the endowment and create permanent relationships with your most important constituents.

Resist the Temptation to Put Money Before Mission

ISM has long insisted schools must be clear about their primary marketplace stance (price, product, process). We also have recommended schools develop supporting Purpose and Outcome Statements that align with their market position and articulate their mission, values, student outcomes, and faculty characteristics. However, successful and sustainable schoo

Harness the Power of Parent Volunteers to Enhance Your Development Efforts

Parents are central to daily life in schools—from spreading positive word-of-mouth in your community, to donating to the Annual Fund, to volunteering throughout your campus. You rely on parents to lift up your school in many ways. It’s essential, therefore that when you create development parent programs, you also establish a culture of support and partnership in service of your school’s mission.

The Major Gift Toolbox: Donor Personas, the Donor Cycle, and the Giving Pyramid

To consistently build a productive major gift program, you, as Development Director, must learn to manage relationships with a broad spectrum of individuals who have varying attachments to your school. Development teams in private-independent schools are generally too small to have one or more individuals who are solely dedicated to identifying and creating engagement, solicitation, and stewardship plans for your major prospects. Consequently, it is important to use a set of tools that makes your work more manageable and:

Using Analytics to Boost Your Spring Annual Giving Plan

Maximize your effort this spring to achieve your 2022–23 goals and position your 2023–24 campaign for success!

Too often development teams focus on participation, using the same techniques they used in the fall to meet their spring fundraising goals—casting a big net and hoping to see results. But using analytics to determine your target demographic can help you meet your goals more effectively.

ChatGPT: The Game-Changing Technology for Private School Marketers

You’ve probably heard of the revolutionary new AI language model, ChatGPT. And now you’re wondering:

  • Do I really need to learn how to use it?
  • Is this just a fad?
  • How can this new system actually help with our school’s marketing?
  • Aren’t the outputs too basic and generic?

As a fellow marketer who has spent over 200 hours studying ChatGPT and implementing it in my own marketing efforts, I can confidently tell you it is a game-changer!

The problem is, many people don't know how to use it to its full potential.

Create a Stewardship Plan to Thank, Honor, and Retain Your Donors

As Development Director, you know that, when a donor gives a gift to your school, they are not merely conducting a monetary transaction. Through their contributions, they express their personal values and aspirations for the school and support each child who chooses it.
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