by Barbara Barron | Posted September 23rd, 2026 | Subscribe to this newsletter

Like most of you, I have worked in several advancement offices. In my odd case, all as the leader.

I had an unusual entrance into the school development world while serving as a trustee and as a current parent. The opportunity arose, and I had an inkling that I’d like it and could be good at it. Others believed that for me, too. So, I was fortunate to get the chance to try. I’m grateful every day for that opportunity and look back with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

More than 25 years later (gulp!) as an advancement consultant, I am frequently asked what creates a great office environment. Too often I see ones that are not. In fact, a big chunk of my business is conducting advancement appraisals, prompted when a Head of School, or key Board members, sense something is off but aren’t certain what.

Spoiler: it’s the people. The right people in the right seats. That’s where my discovery leads. I’ve seen terrific offices and those nearly on life support.  

There’s an old adage that a fish rots from the head down. Gross image, for sure. But it’s also true. When the leader isn’t cultivating and protecting a healthy, growth-minded environment, it’s toast. Same effect when you have negative people on the team who undermine others and kill the joy in the atmosphere. Both are lethal. And both are your job to handle.

But what about when it all works? What are some of the characteristics of good offices? What makes an advancement office a great place to work. And how can you create that?

Let’s take a look:

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What makes a good advancement office?

First, it is a shared purpose.

In independent schools, those in the advancement office must like kids and care about education. That’s Job #1.

Job #2 is its twin: a shared belief in the school, its mission, and its programs and people. So we could say that a great advancement office is defined as having a mission-driven purpose. Everyone is pulling in the same direction even when working on different projects.

Evidence? Do you all attend school meetings, even if not required?

Do you occasionally show up at games and performances?

Visit the art show?

These are features of a “bought-in crew.”

Next is about culture. The office is a welcoming place characterized by trust, the assumption of goodwill, and a healthy sense of humor. This is weird work sometimes. You must be able to find the funny. Collaboration is the mode, with people willing, even eager, to help one another. All hands-on deck, when needed.

Then there is the quality of relationships. Each individual feels valued and supported as themselves. They are known and accepted by the other members of the team, for sure, and especially by the leader. There is real interest and genuine concern. This can only exist when the leader invests the time for everyone to get to know each other.

It’s also how the leader conducts regular check-ins and team meetings, clearly sets goals and commits to regular evaluations, supports the occasional struggle and setback, and is always looking for opportunities to help others build skills and expand capacity. A great leader wants better things for you and can see beyond where you currently are to what could be.

The tension here – every leader knows – is that this investment of time means not always getting to the long to-do list of your own during an average workday. But paradoxically, the more you invest in others, the more independently they thrive, the more they contribute, and the more successful your program. So, there’s that.

A few more?

• Prioritizing work-life balance (or at least the effort to find it)
  
• Regular opportunities for professional growth — including sharing best practices with others in the larger school advancement community
  
• Open, honest communication between teammates and with the leader
  
• Sharing what’s happening outside the office and above one’s pay grade
  
• And this gem: having input and influence, however minor. This is often much more highly ranked by folks than salaries and titles. Don’t we all want to know where we’re going?
  
• And finally, is my leader praising my effort and accomplishment to the Head and the Board? Do I have a champion? It’s stunning how far a little recognition goes. Assuming it’s real and specific. “She’s great” is hardly as meaningful as “She’s successfully secured two new leadership gifts this week!”

And beyond how “nice” it is to have this kind of environment in which to do what is, let’s face it, some hard work for relatively low pay, remember the high cost of turnover. I’ve experienced the pain of it and have written about it as a consultant here:

https://www.barbarabarron.com/what-is-the-real-cost-of-turnover-in-our-schools-development-office

Creating and protecting a good advancement office also means keeping good people longer and building stronger relationships with colleagues and donors that raises more money. A nice win-win.

Thank you for everything you’re doing.

Barbara Barron
barbara@barbarabarron.com

BARBARA BARRON is one of the most respected and highly sought-after independent advancement professionals in the country, having worked with dozens of schools in every corner of the United States.

She has raised over $20 million for schools where she served as the Director of Development. Barbara is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and presenter who currently advises dozens of schools in various capacities. She is considered a thought leader in the world of advancement, with her writing widely shared by professionals in development offices worldwide.

More Advancement Articles

• 
  How Can We Make the Advancement Office a Great Place to Work?September 20, 2026
• 
  How Can You Partner With Your Admissions Office Without Stepping on Toes?September 5, 2026
• 
  How Can We Increase Our Giving Levels?August 25, 2026
• 
  How the 2026 Mid-Term Elections May Impact Our Fundraising & What We Can Do About It June 7, 2026
• 
  Success Story #4May 26, 2026
• 
  What Can We Do About Our Changing Parent Donors?May 11, 2026

The post How Can We Make the Advancement Office a Great Place to Work? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted September 9th, 2026 | Subscribe to this newsletter

For so long, we lived with our development and admissions departments operating in silos.

They grew out of caution. This one the possible perceived conflict that might arise if the admission and development offices were too cozy.

What admission decisions might development unduly influence?

What awkward conversations might occur if the admission office mentioned giving in any way?

Certainly, we all know of those tricky moments. Some schools deal with them almost daily. Applying parents coming to the school for an interview with a check in their pocket. Or the hint dropped about how “generous” they are elsewhere and will be once their precious child is admitted. Good admission pros know how to handle those moments — but even if they do, no one likes them.

So, what evolved were these silos. Admission in its world, striving to meet crushing expectations and hit stellar yield numbers. Development in its, flying blind about the new families enrolling until far too late in the process to do their best work. And never -or rarely – did the two mix.

Today, I’ve seen (and argued for) more collaboration and transparency. I see it happening, albeit slowly. The addition of the communication office helps. In fact, I’ve written about the ways those three offices can work better together. That’s here.

But this article is about how we in development/advancement can partner with admissions, without stepping on toes.

So let’s get into that:

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Partnering with grace

1. Like most everything, I advise to invest in the relationship first. It was early days at my new gig in San Francisco when I met with the long-standing admission director. I said something that made her eyes light up: that I only wanted to be helpful. So simple. And yet, it set a tone that served our evolving, and ultimately trusting and successful partnership well. I spent many of our standing, weekly meetings listening to her talk about her history at the school, learning about the political landscape among peer schools, and coming to understand the challenges she and the school faced in a highly competitive market.
   
   
2. With that foundation beneath us, I was able to ask for more information about incoming families, a bit sooner. Not the first year. But it happened. We began to meet in the spring rather than the late summer to review the list of new folks. She knew what kinds of wealth indicators to look for but she hadn’t made a habit of recording it. But as she began to share that information with us earlier, we were able to do our research and then set up much earlier meetings with promising prospects to ask for their support.  
   
   
3. Once I left that job to start my consulting business, I took that good experience, as well as the unsatisfying ones I’d had elsewhere, to my clients. I clearly remember the first client who took me up on my recommendation to collaborate with admission to create a “Guide for Giving & Getting Involved”. That was six years ago. Recently, I was delighted to see a slew of schools sharing their versions of that tool. Not taking credit for it! Just love when a good idea has legs and gets shared between schools.
   
   
4. Helping admission officers talk about philanthropy and what new families can expect is a solid gift you can give your admission partner because that’s not generally where their experience lies. And remember, they’ve been warned against getting near that subject for the reasons I mentioned above. Finding shared language about the ways families can expect to be invited to join, participate, and give is only right and proper. And respectful. Why would we NOT let families know what’s coming?
   
   
5. Finally, and back to relationships, I advise making it a priority to find ways to support the admission office in their work. That might be attending open houses to welcome and register families. Or maybe help create valuable and fun new parent events. We in development tend to know how to host. Use your skills to gloss up those events and at the same time, get a chance to meet new people early on, without any agenda. Seeing your friendly face early in their experience will serve those parents and you as well when the time comes to reach out to talk about the school’s giving program.

It must be said that the other key ingredient in this recipe for success is your Head of School. Hopefully, they understand the value of a good partnership and will support the time and resources needed to create and sustain it. If there is resistance, share this article. Maybe use my expression of wishing to “be helpful.” And be patient. Some silos are harder to dismantle than others.

Thank you for everything you’re doing!

Barbara Barron
barbara@barbarabarron.com

BARBARA BARRON is one of the most respected and highly sought-after independent advancement professionals in the country, having worked with dozens of schools in every corner of the United States.

She has raised over $20 million for schools where she served as the Director of Development. Barbara is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and presenter who currently advises dozens of schools in various capacities. She is considered a thought leader in the world of advancement, with her writing widely shared by professionals in development offices worldwide.

More Advancement Articles

• 
  How Can We Make the Advancement Office a Great Place to Work?September 20, 2026
• 
  How Can You Partner With Your Admissions Office Without Stepping on Toes?September 5, 2026
• 
  How Can We Increase Our Giving Levels?August 25, 2026
• 
  How the 2026 Mid-Term Elections May Impact Our Fundraising & What We Can Do About It June 7, 2026
• 
  Success Story #4May 26, 2026
• 
  What Can We Do About Our Changing Parent Donors?May 11, 2026

The post How Can You Partner With Your Admissions Office Without Stepping on Toes? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted August 26th, 2026 | Subscribe to this newsletter

“How can we increase our giving levels?”

Almost annually, I see this question floating around development professionals’ circles and conversations. It’s a good one. When I served as Director at different schools, we debated this.

I’ve also written on ways I helped a school take on this task using a very thoughtful and mission-focused approach. Beautiful work!

Beyond what we call our giving levels – which in general doesn’t matter because the labels rarely mean anything – we need to be transparent when it is time to raise ask amounts. If your school hasn’t looked at this in a few years, it’s time.

And it can’t be just an arbitrary increase, simply because yours have been flat for some time.

You need to show your work and explain the rationale.

Let’s go!

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Steps to take

1. Crunch the data. We are living in an inflationary time. The impact all gifts and most especially “leadership” gifts make has been reduced. A gift of $5,000 today has less impact on your program than it did 3 years ago. For instance, if a $10,000 gift offset 50% of a typical financial aid grant in 2021 but now only offsets 30%, you and your supporters ought to know that.
   
2. Prepare the facts. Check in with the business office to learn how different budget lines have shifted. Look at the areas donors are typically most eager to support: financial aid, faculty professional development, tech, athletics, the arts. If costs have risen, gifts intended to support those programs and people should also.
   
3. Pair facts with stories. Once you know the delta, look for stories that demonstrate impact. Return to those areas of highest donor interest. Talk to a faculty member who recently had a great PD experience. Profile a few students enrolled because of your generous tuition assistance program. Highlight a success story from the volleyball or soccer team or the spring musical that shows how robust philanthropic support made those programs thrive.
   
4. NO gap talk! You’ll notice I have not suggested you share any gaps but instead focus on ways giving at all levels at your school make an impact, enhance what you do, help you meet the promise of your mission. Talk about how giving helps advance the school. That’s why we call it an advancement program.
   
5. First talk with your supporters. Start with your top donors (and the Board) to share your findings. Do it one on one. Explain how the impact they want to make is still possible. They may not all decide to level up. But many will.
   
6. Then tell the story broadly. Explain your rationale behind the project as you reveal your new levels with the community. Highlight examples of families who chose to meet the moment and increase their gift in response. No names needed. Just impact and the power of social proof.

The very act of doing this analysis and sharing it is a smart act of stewardship. We want our supporters to know and feel the impact of their support. The research is clear that doing so overwhelmingly results in repeated and increased giving. Plus, we owe it to them to report on impact BEFORE we ask for another gift. Here’s your opportunity.

Good luck! And as always, thank you for everything you’re doing.

Barbara Barron
barbara@barbarabarron.com

BARBARA BARRON is one of the most respected and highly sought-after independent advancement professionals in the country, having worked with dozens of schools in every corner of the United States.

She has raised over $20 million for schools where she served as the Director of Development. Barbara is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and presenter who currently advises dozens of schools in various capacities. She is considered a thought leader in the world of advancement, with her writing widely shared by professionals in development offices worldwide.

More Advancement Articles

• 
  How Can We Make the Advancement Office a Great Place to Work?September 20, 2026
• 
  How Can You Partner With Your Admissions Office Without Stepping on Toes?September 5, 2026
• 
  How Can We Increase Our Giving Levels?August 25, 2026
• 
  How the 2026 Mid-Term Elections May Impact Our Fundraising & What We Can Do About It June 7, 2026
• 
  Success Story #4May 26, 2026
• 
  What Can We Do About Our Changing Parent Donors?May 11, 2026

The post How Can We Increase Our Giving Levels? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted June 10th, 2026 | Subscribe to this newsletter

If you live in a state with hotly contested primaries, you already see the level of marketing of candidates that’s going on.

I’m writing today from Austin where its fierce and has been for months. Even if you are not, the midterm election impacts all of us as the balance of power in the House and Senate will be determined.

So I was curious to participate in a webinar from the good people at FreeWill about how the upcoming election may impact fundraising. They work with all kinds of nonprofits, so their advice is always slightly less relevant to our small world of independent schools. We’re blessed, really. Our donors are, for the most part, our current parents who are engaged daily. Not that they, too, can’t get distracted – who isn’t?! – but they are far less likely to ghost us or tune out. (Again, for the most part.)

One of the interesting and counter-intuitive takeaways I got came from a rather esoteric article by Stephanie Karol with the Department of the Treasury in the “Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.”

OK, before your head hits your desk, I’ll quicky summarize the highlights:

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Takeaways from the article

We tend to think that additional political spending with take the place of charitable spending. I mean, just watch local TV or look at the text on your phone, and you’d think so, too.

But what she found is that the opposite is true. And that’s our good news. The only real reason that political spending crowds out charitable spending is that charities decrease their spending in anticipation of the election. Self-inflicted!

So, takeaway #1 is stay the course.  Spend your budget wisely.

Also interesting is that, in general, people who are interested in the election tend to be more engaged in…everything! Normal daily distraction aside, they won’t necessarily be less engaged with the school. Don’t assume they aren’t reading and paying attention because that may cause you to pull back on vital messaging about the importance of supporting your school’s mission, people, and programs.

Steady on. If anything, ramp up the good stewardship.

Another important reminder is about one of my favorite giving methods topics: DAFs. Donations to DAFs are way, way up. There is now close to $400 billion sitting in those accounts.  And grants from DAFs cannot go to campaigns or candidates. They are required to go to charities. So that money is there and available if you are ready to talk about the value of this giving method (to the donor) and are set up to accept them efficiently and effortlessly (for the donor). If you aren’t yet, this summer is the perfect time to get that sorted.

Same is true for other non-cash gifts like appreciated securities and gifts from IRAs. They can’t be given to political campaigns — so get your messaging ready to suggest those types of gifts this fall. We know that non-cash gifts tend to be bigger than cash gifts, which are on the decline anyway.

So what do I think needs to be reconsidered?

Timing and tone

Too many schools wait until October to launch their annual fund campaigns. Regular readers know I think that’s too late and I believe so regardless of the election cycle. Never do we feel as positive and hopeful about the new school year as we do in September. We ought to leverage that and not wait until things are inevitably going to go sideways. A poor test grade, a fall out with a best friend, an athletic disappointment. It’s coming and that’s normal. Get ahead of it.

Political messaging in the 4 weeks leading up to November 3^rd is going to be bananas. Why risk your messaging getting lost amid the chaos? Make the most of the return to normalcy and a smooth start of the year by launching your campaign in September. West coast and southern schools, you can hit it early September. East coast schools often start later — so plan accordingly — but do not wait until October. Use the summer to rework the calendar and get your communication set.

Most especially, avoid the 2 weeks leading up to election day and the 48 hours immediately following. Whatever the outcome, some people will be sad, mad, scared, freaked out. Just hold off.

Finally, let’s talk tone.

A calm & confident tone

If your cortisol levels are anything like mine, they are high. Anxiety is running wild. There are some very real reasons for that but also some crazy spinning going on. Regardless, let’s ensure that our messaging about our schools and the important role they play in the lives of the students, faculty, and families we serve remain positive, steady, and affirming.

Your work is to find inside yourself a sense of calm confidence. If you can bring that to your interactions with colleagues and donors, it will feel so welcome. It will also help you remain focused on the beautiful work you are doing.

As always, and maybe especially now, thank you for everything you’re doing!

Barbara Barron
barbara@barbarabarron.com

BARBARA BARRON is one of the most respected and highly sought-after independent advancement professionals in the country, having worked with dozens of schools in every corner of the United States.

She has raised over $20 million for schools where she served as the Director of Development. Barbara is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and presenter who currently advises dozens of schools in various capacities. She is considered a thought leader in the world of advancement, with her writing widely shared by professionals in development offices worldwide.

More Advancement Articles

• 
  How Can We Make the Advancement Office a Great Place to Work?September 20, 2026
• 
  How Can You Partner With Your Admissions Office Without Stepping on Toes?September 5, 2026
• 
  How Can We Increase Our Giving Levels?August 25, 2026
• 
  How the 2026 Mid-Term Elections May Impact Our Fundraising & What We Can Do About It June 7, 2026
• 
  Success Story #4May 26, 2026
• 
  What Can We Do About Our Changing Parent Donors?May 11, 2026

The post How the 2026 Mid-Term Elections May Impact Our Fundraising & What We Can Do About It  appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted May 26th, 2026 | Subscribe to this newsletter

Here’s the challenge: Do We Have the Right Leader?

Since I began my consulting practice in 2017, I have been asked by a Head of School to evaluate (I say appraise) the advancement program of a school more than a dozen times.

In most cases, those Heads were new to the school and, in four cases, the Heads were in their very first headship. Such a smart choice when you think about it. Who wouldn’t benefit from getting an early, objective, and experienced set of eyes on things at the start of a big job?

How good it is to understand deeply where the opportunities lie and, vitally, where the weaknesses are hiding in plain sight? And those weaknesses are often, sadly, the people in the department.

To say that I don’t relish discovering people in the wrong seats or not well suited to their positions is an understatement. I am, in my heart, a development person. I know the role and its many pressures and tensions. I haven’t always been a stellar leader but, over time, I learned how to spot and promote talent, support bold actions that yield results rather than sticking with the way we’ve always done it, and to give honest, constructive feedback.

Ultimately, I report to the Head regardless of the consulting gig’s purpose. I need to be their trusted advisor. Still. It’s brutal to need to tell a Head that their director (or others on the team) either need to be redeployed or released to industry.

Ouch! 

So how to do it, then?

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Tell the truth

Tell the truth. Make a change.

In several instances, the director was not the right person for the job, at that time. Everyone liked them! But that quality – being liked – while essential in our work, is not enough.

Sometimes, the Board has no confidence in the director (a death knell), or other members of the team felt rudderless and unsure about what was the strategy. It can also show up in the Head just not feeling 100% about the advice or strategy the advancement director is advocating. They find themselves asking: Is that the best we’ve got?

As anguishing as that realization can be, what I’ve come to know with a certainty is what’s right for the school is (ultimately) right for the individual, even if it doesn’t feel like that in the moment.  

In one case, the director moved into a different and more satisfying position at the school. In another, the director gave up responsibility for marketing and refocused solely on development. That particular change had the nice result of allowing a member of the marketing team ready to lead to flourish.

Of course, in other cases, it meant the director left the school. Painful, yes. But it is essential that the Head fully understand and trust what’s going on in that vital office and that the Board has full confidence.

Here’s their Success:

Happily, after the disruption, in every one of these cases the school is on better footing. Some have had successful capital campaigns, or have seen strong growth in annual giving, or dug deep to start or renew major gifts and planned giving programs. In this work, it’s all about the people. Helping schools find, retain, and mentor great development pros is a joyful part of my work.

Have a challenge? Give me a call! And as always, thanks for all you’re doing.

Barbara Barron
barbara@barbarabarron.com

BARBARA BARRON is one of the most respected and highly sought-after independent advancement professionals in the country, having worked with dozens of schools in every corner of the United States.

She has raised over $20 million for schools where she served as the Director of Development. Barbara is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and presenter who currently advises dozens of schools in various capacities. She is considered a thought leader in the world of advancement, with her writing widely shared by professionals in development offices worldwide.

More Advancement Articles

• 
  How Can We Make the Advancement Office a Great Place to Work?September 20, 2026
• 
  How Can You Partner With Your Admissions Office Without Stepping on Toes?September 5, 2026
• 
  How Can We Increase Our Giving Levels?August 25, 2026
• 
  How the 2026 Mid-Term Elections May Impact Our Fundraising & What We Can Do About It June 7, 2026
• 
  Success Story #4May 26, 2026
• 
  What Can We Do About Our Changing Parent Donors?May 11, 2026

The post Success Story #4 appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted March 13th, 2026 | Subscribe to this newsletter

All of us working in school advancement have noticed, to our dismay at times, that our donors (read: parents, since that’s who 90% of our supporters in independent schools are), have changed.

We talk about how difficult it is to get them to respond to our communication.

We see falling or non-existent (ouch!) RSVPs to events.

The old guideline of expecting about 50% of those invited to attend an event is shrinking. And then there are the giving percentages: everyone reports dollars are up, but participation rates are down. 

What’s going on? And what does it portend? 

Those of us who’ve been at this work for a while see it. The generation we began our careers working with is no longer the reigning one.  Increasingly, it’s (some) Gen X – but mostly now Millennials with whom who we now work. They are our colleagues and our current parents. And let’s be clear: current parents are and will remain our primary source of charitable support.

We may dream of alumni coming to save the day, but they are not and will not. 

It’s parents, friends, who are the priority.

And they are of a different generational cohort. Their values, behaviors, and priorities are different from the generations before them. Therefore, our behaviors need to change, too. 

The Boomers of my early days in advancement are moving on, in all ways. Some still serve on our Boards but they are even being replaced by pragmatic, younger cohort members: Gen X. And while Gen X is a small cohort, they are looking for high degrees of engagement and tend to prioritize local causes and charities. They typically ask more questions and want data-driven strategies. They are currently the parents of our students in middle and high school. But again, small cohort. Just as you get familiar with them, they’ll be gone.

So I urge us to turn our attention, and quickly, to the next cohorts arriving. Why? So we can make smarter plans to bring them in. Those of you readers in schools with younger students–preschool through sixth grade–these are your current parent donors: Millennials, with Gen Z on their heels. 

Quick reminder: Millennials (born between 1981 & 1996) are currently aged 30-45 and make up over half of all adults in America (73 M). Gen Z (born between 1997 & 2012) are aged 14-29. Now, clearly many Gen Z are still in your schools as students. But since their eldest sisters are 29, you’ll soon be seeing them as new parents. Plus, you are already working with them in your alumni community or in your youngest faculty. So, all info is helpful to us here as we consider how to adjust our philanthropic efforts and messages to be more effective.

Here’s some of what we know already:

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What We Know Already

• These two cohorts are the most racially and ethnically diverse generations in US history.
  
• Both cohorts are becoming wealthy fast. Faster than any generation before them. Millennials and older Gen Zs more than quadrupled their wealth between 2019 and 2024.
  
• The top 10% of Millennials have accumulated on average 20% more wealth than the top 10% of Boomers did at age 35, so Millennials alone now hold over $15 trillion in total wealth, up from $3.93 trillion just five years earlier. Wow. 

So, we have a group of newly wealthy people who already view themselves as philanthropists. (75% of Millennials and 33% of Gen Z vs. 35% of Boomers say so). And they are acting on it: Millennial giving increased by 22% in 2024 (Giving USA’s 2025 Annual report on Philanthropy).

• 80% of Gen Z say they aspire to be givers, and 63% want to be known as advocates for their causes. Great!

 What else?

• Both say that earning their trust prior to asking them to make a gift is a prerequisite. The other way around was the common orientation for Boomers.
  
• They believe in investing. A MotleyFool study showed that 57% of stock investors are in these cohorts. And they are investing at younger ages: 54% of Gen Z owned stock by the time they were 21!
  
• The internet is their primary source for financial information.
  
• They own crypto: 1 in 3 crypto owners is between 30 & 44 with Gen Z investors more than 4x as likely to own it over a retirement account.
  
• Forget about checks. Only 8% of Millennials prefer to pay by check, and only ONE quarter of Gen Z have EVER WRITTEN ONE  — EVEN ONCE! This is in part because they know that checks are a frequently targeted payment method for fraud, and they’re not having it.

So, what can we take from all this to help us shift our approaches to meet these good people where they are as they become parents at our schools? It starts with seeing our roles differently.

What We Can Do Differently

We need to welcome parents into philanthropy at our schools.

Since they already see themselves as philanthropists, let’s show them how they can have an impact on our schools along with the other charities they support. We need to start early with transparent education about how the financial side of the school operates.  Share big picture budgets, what are our (limited) sources of revenue, what are the broad categories of how we spend tuition and non-tuition dollars to deliver on our missions. Don’t assume they know our schools even are nonprofits.

Offer objective, sound information about the role and impact giving has at our schools from which they can make their charitable decisions. Provide good financial references. Be sure any annual report you publish is easy to read and clear. No jargon.

Make online giving easy. Our giving pages and all giving communication needs to be simple and straightforward. How many clicks does it take on your site to make a gift? When it’s tiresome or tricky, they’ll go elsewhere. 

Do you accept Venmo? Are you set up to receive gifts of crypto, stock, and grants from DAFs easily and seamlessly? When folks make gifts from DAFs, they often increase their overall giving since the hardest part of this transaction (when they created their fund and transferred money into it) is behind them. 

Use social media to share stories of other donors like them who give this way. Social proof really matters to this cohort. Regular readers know that I urge you to collect and publish testimonials from supporters (their peers) that share the reasons why they give. Let’s add on. Ask those giving you a testimonial to also say how they give (not how much). Use video. Homemade and real. Social media is where they (still) are. Skip email and forget about voice mail.

Not long ago, I coached a preschool with a capital campaign. Their parents are in the group we’re discussing. And for most of them, their campaign gift was the first and largest of their lives. While that was impressive and so moving, I know it won’t be their last.

We may bemoan that today’s parents are increasingly demanding and unresponsive. They are also setting up to be wealthy and potentially hugely supportive donors. But they are not going to adjust to us. We need to get out of the comfort of our familiar lanes and meet them where they are.

We have a beautiful opportunity to help them establish good philanthropic habits and to experience the joy of investing in our fine schools. Let’s do it.

Sources: Source: Fidelity Charitable, Giving USA, Qgiv, Give.org, Foundation Source, The MotleyFool, Arta Finance

As always, I am grateful for all you’re doing. 

Barbara Barron
barbara@barbarabarron.com

BARBARA BARRON is one of the most respected and highly sought-after independent advancement professionals in the country, having worked with dozens of schools in every corner of the United States.

She has raised over $20 million for schools where she served as the Director of Development. Barbara is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and presenter who currently advises dozens of schools in various capacities. She is considered a thought leader in the world of advancement, with her writing widely shared by professionals in development offices worldwide.

More Advancement Articles

• 
  How Can We Make the Advancement Office a Great Place to Work?September 20, 2026
• 
  How Can You Partner With Your Admissions Office Without Stepping on Toes?September 5, 2026
• 
  How Can We Increase Our Giving Levels?August 25, 2026
• 
  How the 2026 Mid-Term Elections May Impact Our Fundraising & What We Can Do About It June 7, 2026
• 
  Success Story #4May 26, 2026
• 
  What Can We Do About Our Changing Parent Donors?May 11, 2026

The post What Can We Do About Our Changing Parent Donors? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted April 29th, 2026 | Subscribe to this newsletter

I call this challenge: How to Strengthen Giving to the Annual Fund.

A small progressive school contacted me to help them build their nascent development program. Their annual fund was meager, and after a few years, they finally had a part-time development pro on staff. The Board had recently committed to getting involved in advancement, but they weren’t sure what to do or how to go about doing it.

The result of the appraisal of their advancement program I conducted was clear: they needed to be far more personalized and direct in their appeals to families. This meant they needed to stop relying solely on a generic written appeal and follow-up email messages. Their task was to identify the families they believed they could get in-person meetings with during the fall and ask for meaningful (read: leadership level) gifts. 

But how to have those conversations? How to ask? They didn’t know. And honestly, how could they know? They’d never done it.

So what would you advise in this situation?

Once you’ve thought about it, let’s compare notes:

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Time for training

The Board chair, two trustees, and the Head committed to learning the asking skills and practicing them. It was a vulnerable moment. At first, it was awkward and embarrassing.

We’re all going to stumble, talk too much, get lost, maybe even forget to ask for the gift.

That’s why we practice – so we know where we are and can remain clear about our purpose. 

This group did that, but what I really respected about them was they were willing to trust me and follow my advice: do it the way I modeled until they were so comfortable and confident that they could start to modify my approach to make it their own. After all, these are conversations, not scripts.

They also invited me to debrief with them part way through their campaign and took course-correcting advice. Varsity level! 

In just a couple of weeks, they met with ten families, asked for and received gifts 5 and 10 times larger than last year (because they asked for an amount), and are now reporting that their annual fund is up by 15%. Reminder: that was only with 10 families. And there were several additional steps to the process that I am leaving our here. But they were excited about this solid start and are committed to do it again, earlier, and with more families next year. They told me they felt guided and supported (and pressed, too) to fulfill their commitment to this fine school.

Bravo! 

Barbara Barron
barbara@barbarabarron.com

BARBARA BARRON is one of the most respected and highly sought-after independent advancement professionals in the country, having worked with dozens of schools in every corner of the United States.

She has raised over $20 million for schools where she served as the Director of Development. Barbara is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and presenter who currently advises dozens of schools in various capacities. She is considered a thought leader in the world of advancement, with her writing widely shared by professionals in development offices worldwide.

More Advancement Articles

• 
  How Can We Make the Advancement Office a Great Place to Work?September 20, 2026
• 
  How Can You Partner With Your Admissions Office Without Stepping on Toes?September 5, 2026
• 
  How Can We Increase Our Giving Levels?August 25, 2026
• 
  How the 2026 Mid-Term Elections May Impact Our Fundraising & What We Can Do About It June 7, 2026
• 
  Success Story #4May 26, 2026
• 
  What Can We Do About Our Changing Parent Donors?May 11, 2026

The post Success Story #3 appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted April 15th, 2026 | Subscribe to this newsletter

As we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel this spring – and assuming that light is not an oncoming train! – it’s understandable that we might need to take a break.

This work is intense. The pressure are endless. And in this uncertain, even confusing, and sometimes downright scary world, it can occasionally feel a bit pointless to do too much long-range planning.

Maybe that’s wise. Too often we see five-year plans sit forgotten on a shelf because things changed so quickly that even six months in, they were obsolete.

But even with all that, if you could do something this week that would improve, even guarantee that next fall’s fundraising goes well, would you do it?

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The first step

I would. And that’s what I recently coached a client school to do.

The school is well-resourced, highly regarded, and fully enrolled with waiting lists. But my advice applies equally to schools without all that going for them. If your school has donors who love your program and believe in your mission, this is for you.

We know from the brilliant mind and work of Penelope Burke (Cygnus Research) that when donors are asked what might inspire them to give again and maybe give more, they report three things:

1. Thank them right away
2. Thank them accurately and even personally (goodness!)
3. Tell them what you did with their gift before you ask them again

We’re going to assume here that you’ve got numbers 1 and 2 nailed. (If not, run, don’t walk to fix that problem and your process).

It’s number 3 where the juice lives. 

The project I’m suggesting here is to engage in a full-on stewardship “campaign”. What do I mean? I mean creating and sending personal thank you messages to your donors, reporting on the good their gift brought to your school and its program. Might be a handwritten note. Or an email or text, depending upon the recipient’s preference.

Daunting? Not if you’ve taken the time to get to know these good people and what they care about at your school.

When you do, you can easily find evidence of how their gift (regardless of size) made a difference. Look for stories of impact, movement towards set goals, examples of your mission in action. Share those in personal notes or emails or conversations.

It needn’t be complex and should not be too heavily produced. Authentic short-form (homemade!) videos are an effective way to do this. Record a simple message of gratitude and tell a brief story. Or ask a teacher to talk for a minute about a great professional development experience they had. Find a coach or advisor to explain how their program was enhanced by extra resources or opportunities like a class trip or special guest. Take that and wrap your intro and outro around it.

That’s it. But don’t add “hope we can count on you again next year” or anything similar. That turns it into an ask. This is not an ask.

Take it to the next level

Varsity level approach? Make it a team effort.

Whether your team is an office of five or it’s you and two volunteers, it’s still a worthwhile project. You will need to decide if you do this for just your top 20 donors or your top 100 donors.

Some messages may be about the way their volunteerism saved the day. Or how their generous hosting of an event was a leap forward for your program. For others, it will be about the impact of their financial generosity. It’s supposed to be highly personalized, so you’ll need to decide.

However you define it, set aside the time. Keep copies of what you send to store in their donor record. But do it! I can assure you it will be a joyful exercise. Let that and your genuine appreciation shine through.

Your future self will thank you

Need more incentive? Imagine how you’ll feel next fall.

It’ll be time to reach out to Mary or Pat or Jessie. Rather than having a moment of hesitation or hearing a whisper in your head that the only time you contact them is to ask for a gift, you’ll know you’re good!  Your future self will know that you closed this year’s loop with a big bow of gratitude. You’ll feel on firmer, more confident ground to ask again. And maybe (yes!) ask for more.

And once you’re finished, share the experience with one another. How did it feel? Maybe this becomes part of your spring process going forward. More stewardship is routinely what I hear schools lamenting they need and want to do more of but find it always on the back burner. No more!

So what you do you think? Can you take the first step today? First thing tomorrow?

As always, grateful for all you’re doing. 

Barbara Barron
barbara@barbarabarron.com

BARBARA BARRON is one of the most respected and highly sought-after independent advancement professionals in the country, having worked with dozens of schools in every corner of the United States.

She has raised over $20 million for schools where she served as the Director of Development. Barbara is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and presenter who currently advises dozens of schools in various capacities. She is considered a thought leader in the world of advancement, with her writing widely shared by professionals in development offices worldwide.

More Advancement Articles

• 
  How Can We Make the Advancement Office a Great Place to Work?September 20, 2026
• 
  How Can You Partner With Your Admissions Office Without Stepping on Toes?September 5, 2026
• 
  How Can We Increase Our Giving Levels?August 25, 2026
• 
  How the 2026 Mid-Term Elections May Impact Our Fundraising & What We Can Do About It June 7, 2026
• 
  Success Story #4May 26, 2026
• 
  What Can We Do About Our Changing Parent Donors?May 11, 2026

The post How Can You Set Yourself Up So That Next Fall is a Huge Success? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted March 18th, 2026 | Subscribe to this newsletter

As I wrote earlier, I was a presenter at two conferences this winter: Southern Independent Schools Association or SAIS (https://sais.org) in Chattanooga and for the second year, The Small School Leaders Conference, hosted by the great people at Easy School Marketing (https://www.easyschoolmarketing.com).

That second one was remote. It featured a panel of Heads and another of advancement pros (friends and colleagues!) and a packed line up of offerings from marketing to enrollment management, development to governance issues. I encourage you to check them out and plan to attend next February. (https://www.easyschoolmarketing.com/conference).

My session was about readiness for a capital campaign. This is a much sought-after topic, and I’ve been honored to present my experience at several conferences. Here’s a popular article on the subject (https://www.barbarabarron.com/how-can-you-know-if-your-school-is-prepared-for-a-capital-campaign).

One of the readiness factors is indeed about metrics. What are we measuring and is that information leading you to have confidence that your school is prepared to launch a campaign? Is your annual giving growing, flat, or decreasing? Do you know? Do you know why?

Have you subscribed to this newsletter yet? It only takes a minute.

Getting Started

One of the back-of-the-envelope calculations that generally bears out in real life is taking your total annual giving raised and multiplying it by 5 times and 10 times. That is often the range that a school might consider for a campaign working goal. It’s also a helpful starting place when thinking about an ask amount or a range for a prospective donor.

But that’s just a start. The project itself is vital. Does it have the potential to bring a transformative impact to your school and its people and programs?

What about leadership? Is your Board prepared to do this important work? Do they have the training they’ll need to be successful and confident? Is your Head prepared to dedicate 40% of their time during periods of the campaign? Do you have the staff power for this? Do you have donors in your community who are engaged, connected, and have the financial means to be leaders?

Lots to consider. Often a good first step is to get an objective assessment (or as I call it, an appraisal) of the advancement program so you know the areas that are strong and can be amplified and the areas that are a bit wobbly or outdated. I can help you there.

So that’s a bit about my session. The session I wish to highlight here was from Jill Goodman (https://www.jillgoodmanconsulting.com). She spoke about metrics that are helpful vs. those that aren’t but keep hanging around. Chief among them is participation in the annual fund. I’ve been chirping about this for years and so wasn’t surprised to hear at both conferences how unhelpful a focus on this metric is. But it can be hard to get trustees and others to stop obsessing over it.

The truth is that the days of 100% participation from parents (or any other constituency except Board members) are over. Everyone I talk to and hear from reports the same thing: percentages are down and dollars are up. 80/20 is now 90/10 or even 95/5. That may be scary but it’s happening. It’s true for campaigns as well. A colleague reported that they have raised $9.5 M towards a $11M goal with just 73 gifts. Do the math.

So, what should we be tracking instead? Like Jill, I encourage my client schools to focus on new leadership gifts. New donors stepping in right away to those top giving levels. Also, those families increasing their gifts into those top levels. Are you asking them to do that? What is their motivation?

Also worth evaluating are your events. We know that events have the lowest ROI of all fundraising activities (personal solicitations in capital campaigns have the highest). Are you digging in to understand what you’re spending in dollars AND staff time to net what you do at your spring event? What about other events? You may find that what really moves the needle are small, inexpensive gatherings. If you don’t do the evaluation, you can’t know.

Finally, but primarily, what about stewardship? Do you have a sense of how many touches you are giving donors each year? Do you have a good system to track it? Not just the big splashy moments but the small and meaningful times we surprise and delight our supporters by showing them how their generosity is making a difference, having an impact. We may bemoan the slip in participation but one upside is it is getting ever clearer who we need to be spending time with.

What we focus on persists and increases. Gratitude is the center of the work. I’m here to help you refocus on what matters.

As always, I am grateful for all you’re doing. 

Barbara Barron
barbara@barbarabarron.com

BARBARA BARRON is one of the most respected and highly sought-after independent advancement professionals in the country, having worked with dozens of schools in every corner of the United States.

She has raised over $20 million for schools where she served as the Director of Development. Barbara is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and presenter who currently advises dozens of schools in various capacities. She is considered a thought leader in the world of advancement, with her writing widely shared by professionals in development offices worldwide.

More Advancement Articles

• 
  How Can We Make the Advancement Office a Great Place to Work?September 20, 2026
• 
  How Can You Partner With Your Admissions Office Without Stepping on Toes?September 5, 2026
• 
  How Can We Increase Our Giving Levels?August 25, 2026
• 
  How the 2026 Mid-Term Elections May Impact Our Fundraising & What We Can Do About It June 7, 2026
• 
  Success Story #4May 26, 2026
• 
  What Can We Do About Our Changing Parent Donors?May 11, 2026

The post Metrics That Matter vs. Metrics That Don’t appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted March 4th, 2026 | Subscribe to this newsletter

We’re coming off of conference season!

Did you participate, attend, or present at one or more?

I had the honor of being part of two conferences this year: The Small Schools Leaders Conference and the Southern Association of Independent Schools (first) Brand Conference in Chattanooga.

Whenever I return from a conference, I’m eager to share some of my takeaways. I’m always pumped to try something new. Also, I want to remember what I learned, and put some of these innovative ideas into practice.

In Chattanooga – at SAIS – I spoke about how we can help our schools build a true culture of philanthropy. I’ve written previously about that topic here: “How Do We Create a Culture of Philanthropy at Our Schools?”

Since that conference was all about branding, I made the point that a school’s philanthropic culture is part of its brand. And every school has a culture of philanthropy. You may not like what it is or how it feels. But it’s there.

What do I mean? Well, let’s start with:

• “Is it ok to talk about money at your school?
  
• Is development work done in what I call “the light of day,” so it is not perceived as shameful or mysterious?
  
• Is innovation part of your charge or are you stuck doing it like “we’ve always done it”?
  
• How would a parent or alum or Board member or teacher describe your school’s philanthropic culture? I suggest you ask a dozen people. Take what you hear and then begin to evolve towards a culture that is alive, open, and joyful. 

As I pointed out in my Tips & Take Aways, this is challenging work. Changing culture always is. To help, here is some advice to get you started, and to help you keep going:

Have you subscribed to this newsletter yet? It only takes a minute.

Some bits of advice:

1. Find a believer – even just one—to begin the work. Ideally, this is your Head. But maybe it’s a Board member who can help deliver the message to the rest of the Board.
   
   
2. Partner with someone. Maybe its a colleague at another school who is trying to do the same thing at their school. Or an outside consultant who can be your thought partner.
   
   
3. Begin to tell heartwarming stories about the good things that philanthropy brings to your school. Listen at school meeting. Visit a classroom. Watch a play rehearsal or a basketball practice. It’s all there.
   
   
4. Ask donors of all stripes to give you testimonials about why they support the school. The gift amount isn’t relevant. It’s the feeling of giving and supporting programs and people they love that does.
   
   
5. Stop focusing so much on the metrics that don’t matter and address those that do (more on this in Part 2). But chief among these is keeping your eye on new, increased, and renewed gifts, not participation.
   
   
6. Center joy. In your appeals, your thank you notes, your emails, your reports to the development committee, your standing meeting with your Head.

This last one gets me to the other “ah-ha” from the SAIS conference. I had it when I was in a session on “creating better development board reports”, offered by Mattingly Messina of Throughline (https://www.findthroughline.com/#hero) and Kaitlin Windel of APTe (https://www.apte.com/).

They too connected the dots between their topic and the brand theme. They talked about ensuring that the Board is focused on the right metrics and trends. They said that the metrics that help us measure how accurately we can project outcomes are central to the job of the advancement professional. When we bring that kind of clear data and smart analysis, we teach trustees what to look for and then how to ask smarter questions.

That, dear professional, is part of your brand!

This smart session showed great examples of far better dashboards we can use to give trustees the information they need to make the decisions that fall to them. (I encourage you to reach out to learn more.)

Next time, some good learning from the Small School Leaders Conference hosted by the very good people at  Easy School Marketing (https://www.easyschoolmarketing.com). 

What useful tips or takeaways did you gain from a conference this season? I’d love to hear.

 As always, thank you for everything you’re doing.

Barbara Barron
barbara@barbarabarron.com

BARBARA BARRON is one of the most respected and highly sought-after independent advancement professionals in the country, having worked with dozens of schools in every corner of the United States.

She has raised over $20 million for schools where she served as the Director of Development. Barbara is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and presenter who currently advises dozens of schools in various capacities. She is considered a thought leader in the world of advancement, with her writing widely shared by professionals in development offices worldwide.

More Advancement Articles

• 
  How Can We Make the Advancement Office a Great Place to Work?September 20, 2026
• 
  How Can You Partner With Your Admissions Office Without Stepping on Toes?September 5, 2026
• 
  How Can We Increase Our Giving Levels?August 25, 2026
• 
  How the 2026 Mid-Term Elections May Impact Our Fundraising & What We Can Do About It June 7, 2026
• 
  Success Story #4May 26, 2026
• 
  What Can We Do About Our Changing Parent Donors?May 11, 2026

The post What is Your Brand? appeared first on Barbara Barron.