You have an opportunity to create a culture where people would be clamoring to serve on this Board. In this aspirational but possible, improved version of the school, trustees who were fortunate enough to be selected would serve with passion, generosity, and tirelessness. These trustees would tell anyone and everyone who asked that serving on this school’s board was the hardest and most rewarding work they’d ever done.
How We Can Get Rid of That Terrible Thank You Letter
Recently, I completed an advancement appraisal for a great little school. They are doing most things really well. And it shows – school spirit is high, they have terrific parent engagement, everyone gives, and their fundraising numbers are up. They’re in a good place. Still, I believe the Head was wise to request that I take a closer look…
The Two Things You Must Do Before Summer Vacation
In the coming days or weeks of this fiscal year, there’s so much more to do. But regardless of how busy you are, I hope you will remember the two most important things you really must do.
Welcome to the Nirvana School
Nirvana is my own personal imaginary independent school. At Nirvana, the advancement program thinks as a team. They do what it takes to support one another and create a high standard and strong work ethic.
The Best Question You Can Ever Ask a Donor
A question that puts the power in the hands of your donors. A question that could change the dynamic of your program forever.
The Power of the Feasibility Study
Feasibility studies, if you haven’t experienced one, are designed to help the organization’s decision-makers better understand the strengths, weaknesses, and viability of their project. It is a test of the project’s appeal and whether it’s a good gamble to mount a campaign to fund it.
How Can We Help Boards Overcome Campaign Jitters?
It’s really understandable that non-profit Boards – in particular those at independent schools – may be downright scared of entering into a capital campaign. It’s a pretty high-stakes game, one that gets increasingly public as it rolls out. Any cracks in the system are going to be exposed. Staff issues, poor record keeping, fiefdoms between departments, competing priorities. All will …
What is the Real Cost of Turnover in Our School’s Development Office?
by Barbara Barron | Posted February 16th, 2022 | Subscribe to this newsletter Ever find yourself hearing three or four interconnected thoughts in the same few minutes? Or days? For me, that’s when I know something is afoot. It signals that I need to slow down, think deeply, and then write about that confluence. Here it is. Thing one is …
What Have We Learned During Covid That’s Worth Keeping?
February 2nd, 2022 by Barbara Barron It’s February 2022. A new year. But if you’re feeling like me, it feels more like the same old, same old. A client moved their Board retreat at which I offered training to remote. We were ALL looking forward to being in the trustee’s living room for that experience. Their county went back to …
Major Gifting with Elizabeth Carter
December 1st, 2021 by Barbara Barron Barbara here. A smidge of context for this unconventional “interview style” article. Elizabeth Carter is a former colleague of mine from our time together at a school several years ago. She currently works as a major gift officer at a hospital in the Northeast. We’ve stayed in touch and she recently let me know …