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 …
Ending Our Engagement
November 16th, 2021 by Barbara Barron As I progress as an advancement consultant, I am becoming more familiar with engagements that end. Or need to. Most are because the project for which I’ve been retained has happily and successfully concluded. The goals were met and the organization is better for the work. The school has expanded its capacity to do …
The Final Three Things All Great Schools Do In Advancement
October 20th, 2021 by Barbara Barron Before you read any further, I recommend you first take a look at the two articles that preceded this piece: “The Four Things All Great Schools Do in Advancement” and “Three More Things All Great Schools Do in Advancement.” All three of these articles have come out of my experience and first-hand witness over …
Three More Things All Great Schools Do In Advancement
October 6th, 2021 by Barbara Barron Based on the popularity of my previous article, “The Four Things All Great Schools Do in Advancement“, and the wonderful suggestions that came to me via e-mail and Twitter, I decided to revisit the topic with three more observations. Like before, these are all things that I have witnessed firsthand in my twenty-plus years …
The Four Things All Great Schools Do In Advancement
September 8th, 2021 by Barbara Barron In my years as an advancement consultant, I’ve noticed there are some commonalities amongst the schools that are doing advancement really, really well. Here are a few. How does your school stack up? 1. The faculty – yes the faculty – have a clear understanding of the important roles they play in advancing the …
Moving Beyond Conflict Between the Development & Business Offices
August 11th, 2021 by Barbara Barron Conflict between development and business offices doesn’t have to be a thing, but my experience in this profession has shown me that it often is. Many school’s business and development offices live in an awkward space between conflict and cooperation. Sometimes the relationship is chilly but workable, other times unproductive, even adversarial. From the …
Open for Business on Both Coasts
June 30th, 2021 by Barbara Barron Quick life update. A few months ago, my beloved and I purchased a second home in Northwest Connecticut. We did this to create a “home base” much closer to our five grandchildren. (And their parents, of course!) The house is a rambling old thing but we’re having fun getting it set up. We love …
How Can We Fit In at Our School?
May 26th, 2021 by Barbara Barron and Kelly Tieger We talk a lot about “fitting in” at schools, don’t we? Our admission teams are charged with identifying and enrolling students – and families – who we believe will be a “right fit”, or a “good fit”. This is, of course, crucial, because selecting students and families who seek the program …
How to Make Yourself Invaluable to a New Head of School
Revised May 8th 2024 | Originally posted May 19th ’21 by Barbara Barron It’s the season! “Turn over time.” From Heads of School to teachers and administrative positions, it’s the time of year when we see the postings, the openings, the announcements. People come; people go. It’s a moment in the year that can be as exciting as it is …