Real School Marketing Stories: When the CFO Asks, “So… What Does Marketing Do?

There’s a moment most school marketers know well.

You’re in a budget meeting. Admissions can point to enrolled students. Development can point to dollars raised. Then the conversation turns to marketing and someone asks, politely but plainly: “So… what exactly do you do, and how do we know it’s working?”

This is where marketing often gets stuck, not because the work lacks value, but because the value isn’t always packaged in the kind of neat scoreboard leaders are used to.

Laurie remembers a CFO who said something rare and incredibly helpful on day one: “I have no idea what you do, so I’m going to need you to guide me along the way. I want to help you, but I need information.” That honesty was a gift. It turned the relationship into a partnership instead of a tug-of-war.

A few years later, that partnership got tested.

Laurie’s team did video production and design work. They were stuck on PCs. The IT director did not want to make a change, and in one meeting, Laurie felt completely dismissed.  After a few moments of private frustration, Laurie regrouped, went back to the CFO, and made the case like a marketer and like a business partner: productivity, software needs, team capacity, and what the school would lose without the right tools. The CFO understood because Laurie translated the request into outcomes. “I get it,” she said.

Aubrey has seen the same dynamic play out in a different way. During the height of COVID, marketing wasn’t a “department.” It was the communications nerve center of the school. Late-night rewrites. Constant updates. Messaging that shifted hour by hour.

And it was eye-opening for a business manager who finally saw the scope in real time. That visibility built trust. In Aubrey’s case, it even led to recognition for the work because leadership could see the impact, not just the output.

Most of us would rather not rely on a crisis to prove marketing’s value. So how do you justify the marketing budget in “normal” times?

Start by educating year-round.
Don’t assume your Head, CFO, or board understands school marketing. Bring them in. Explain the “why” behind what you’re doing, how it supports enrollment and retention, and what it protects when communication needs spike.

Pair stories with data.
Boards love numbers, and you should bring them. But numbers land better when they’re attached to something human: a family comment, a trend you’re seeing, a campaign that changed inquiry quality. Data builds credibility. Stories build belief.

Claim a seat at the table.
Marketing touches everything: admissions events, fundraising campaigns, parent experience, how the Head communicates, and countless other initiatives. If marketing is only brought in after decisions are made, the school loses time and momentum. Weekly leadership meetings (or even consistent standing touchpoints) change budget conversations because marketing can connect the dots across departments.

Get honest about what belongs in “marketing.”
Just because marketing executes something doesn’t mean marketing should pay for it. Some expenses are admissions marketing. Some are advancement marketing. Some are truly brand/communications infrastructure. When you name shared ownership clearly, you stop treating marketing as the catch-all line item.

At the end of the day, this isn’t just a budget conversation. It’s a clarity conversation.

When leadership understands what marketing does, how it supports every revenue line, and what it makes possible when the school needs to move fast, you stop defending the budget and start leading the strategy.

This blog is part of our series, The Next Era of School Marketing: candid thoughts from veteran school marketers Aubrey Bursch and Laurie Ehrlich.

Connect with Laurie Ehrlich, Co-Founder + Marketing Strategist, Thrive Hive.

Connect with Aubrey Bursch, Founder & CEO of Easy School Marketing