As we head into spring, this is a great time to plan for next year. Let’s chat about a frequent challenge area for schools — calendars!

Today’s parents are busy, busy, busy. They’ve got work, sometimes multiple school schedules, social obligations, and a gazillion...

The external community needs to get to know your school, teachers, staff, and campus sometimes years before they make a decision. If the only opportunities to engage with your school are admissions events, you’ll need to rethink your strategy. Some families don’t know they’re...

I recently gave a presentation to the Seattle Archdiocese for Catholic Schools about surveys. Surveys are a great way to collect valuable information about your school community. It gives parents a way to help us help them. If you haven't been using surveys, or if you haven't been mindful about...

We're going to talk about the one email that you need to send every month to your community. And when I'm talking community, I'm talking about your admissions list, your summer camp list, your parents, your grandparents, and your donors. Everyone, okay.

And the goal of this one email is to...

I'm going to talk to you today about a really cool concept called Surprise & Delight. You might already be doing this and not even know it's a thing, but I'm going to tell you about it. 

Surprise & Delight is where you do something unexpected for someone, and it's usually somewhat...

Today I'm going to talk with you about relationship building.  

Now, relationship building is key to so many efforts.

Development

Marketing

  Retention.

It is so important. 

And there are many ways that you can relationship build.

You can have conversations.

You can attend...

Hi there!

Today I'll be sharing with you 6 Reasons why families leave schools. This knowledge is critical because you want to retain the families that you have, the families that you love, because it saves you time, money, energy, everything  - and creates a community that is really...

Hi there! 

Are you working on new family retention right now? Today I have a few tips that I urge you to implement now if you aren't already. 

1. Do a new parent survey. This gives parents an outlet to express their feedback, especially if it's anonymous. 

2. Parent/teacher...

Hi friends! 

Today we have a much-needed topic for you: fundraising.

I've been talking A LOT about this recently, not only because it's the start of annual giving, but because the way you approach your asks year-round will truly affect your parents' perception of your school,...

Hey there,

At independent schools, and small independent schools especially, it can be a challenge to keep up enrollment in middle school and high school.

If you currently have families in those prior levels who are approaching middle or high school (or whatever your next level is), how many of...

Hey there, 

Fundraising season is quickly approaching! How are your preparations going? 

Let's make sure you're ready for the season by discussing the one thing that can make or break participation in your annual giving: 

Relationship-building! Yes, I talk about this...

Hi friends, 

As Annual Giving season is right around the corner, today I'm here to tell you one of the major fundraising mistakes that I see in small and independent schools. 

In addition, making this key mistake can also negatively impact your retention efforts. So, let's dive in!

I'll...