Hi friends!

Today I'm sharing some admissions & retention strategies to keep families at your school! These came from our most recent Small School Leaders meetup, where we heard some inspiring tips that you can use at your school. 

1. Shift the mindset. This means showcasing from the beginning the student enters your school that this is a long-term investment rather than year to year. This can be done by highlighting the graduation year, i.e. "Welcome to the Class of...

Hey there, 

Today, I have some great retention tips for you to start on NOW and into the summer. By implementing these now, you will set your school up for success in the fall. This is especially important for all of the new families who haven't yet seen what a "normal" school year looks like at your school. 

So, the most important tip is to start the onboarding process for new families, and even a re-entry process for returning families. This means communicating regularly,...

Hey there, 

Today I'm joined by two of my favorite small school leaders, Kira Dickson & Christine Hickey from St.Martin's-in-the-Field Episcopal School. Kira is the Director of Admissions & Athletics and Christine is the Director of Development & Marketing. 

They were kind enough to share their process in putting on some amazing virtual events at their school, as well as their strategies and insights moving forward into the 2021-22 school year. 

While we're...

Today I'm thrilled to be joined by Joe Monzo, founder of Monzo Media Productions. As a product of independent schools himself, Joe is passionate about working with independent schools and showcasing schools' stories through video. 

Joe answers all your video-related questions, including how to leverage video to attract & retain families, what goes into creating compelling content, and his insights into the future of video in schools, post-COVID. 

You can connect with...

Hey there! 

Today I'm thrilled to be joined by Jamie Giblett of Digistorm, a software company that specializes in the K-12 education industry, to chat about current trends in technology and how school apps & platforms can build stronger school communities.

As we transition out the pandemic, many schools are in a hybrid remote/in-person state finding the most effective ways to keep their communities engaged.

How do we build even stronger communities during this...

Hey there,

As you prepare for the new school year, I'm going to challenge you to take a look at every single item on your marketing, admissions, and development calendars and ask yourself:

Are we seeing a return on investment? 

This means not just calculating the hard numbers, but also considering the amount of staff time, stress, and effort for one event or initiative. What's the main goal? Are your parents attending this event? Can this event stay...

Hey there, 

I know I've been talking a lot about systematizing and workflow lately. That's because I can't stress enough how crucial they are to the acceleration of your schools' teams! 

Today I want to address an issue I'm seeing in independent schools, large or small, that frequently gets overlooked. Here are some questions to consider: 

Do you or members of your team wear many hats?
Do your schools' teams have the systems in place for a smooth transition, should someone...

Hello today! 

Are your marketing, development, and admissions teams working together? Or, do they look a little more like three siloed teams?

Collectively, these are your advancement teams, as they are absolutely vital to moving your school forward. 

Why collaboration, and why now? 

Now, more than ever, the future of your school depends on strategically using your resources by taking a collaborative, streamlined approach to your advancement teams. 

Do you frequently...

Hey there, 

Today we're diving into 8 of my favorite apps & tech tools! I recommend trying these out, as a lot of them can be really helpful for your school, your team, and your productivity. 

Here they are, in no particular order:

Voxer — This app is what you get when you cross a walkie-talkie with texting. I use this all the time with my team and mastermind groups for sending back and forth voice messages. It's perfect for when what you have to say is too long for an...

Hey there!

I'm so excited to be joined today by Tara Claeys of Design TLC to talk about WordPress for building your school's website. 

Tara specializes in building WordPress sites for small and medium-sized schools, and she's also my co-host of the Mindful School Marketing Podcast  coming April 2021! 

So, what is WordPress, and why should you use it for your school's website? 

WordPress is one of the most popular free and open-source content management systems.

It...