by Barbara Barron | Posted June 13th, 2018 Quick note from Barbara: So excited to share this work, which is a collection of advice from many trusted friends and collaborators. For those of you who came here by word of mouth, the fastest way to get the “Culture of Philanthropy” PDFs are by signing up for my mailing list. By …
How Can We Make Sure Our School’s Annual Report Isn’t a Scam?
by Barbara Barron | Posted May 9th, 2018 As you can probably tell by the title, I’ve got a tiny issue with the way we do annual reports. In fact, I have several, but they all come back to a central question, which is this: Is our school’s annual report actually achieving the thing that it is intended to achieve? …
How Can We Cultivate a Strong Relationship With Our Head of School?
by Barbara Barron | Posted April 11th, 2018 Got a little war story for you. A few years ago, my Head of School and I were at a solicitation breakfast with a very involved couple from our school. We’ll call them Alison and Greg. The couple’s two children attended our school. This prominent family made leadership Annual Fund gifts each …
How Do We Prepare for the Biggest Ask of Our Career?
It amazes me how many times we crash and burn as solicitors, yet continue to just… wing it. Surely there’s a way to prepare? Of course there is. I can break it down into five easy pointers for you, in fact…
How Can We Know When We’re Done?
by Barbara Barron | Posted February 7th, 2018 This may come as a bit of a shock, but I’m not looking to be your school’s fundraising consultant forever. Obviously if you and I were to start work on a long-term project, like a feasibility study for an upcoming capital campaign, or creating of major gifts program from the ground up — …
How Can We Create a Strategic Fundraising Plan That Actually Works?
by Barbara Barron | Posted January 10th, 2018 How many times has this happened to you? It’s the beginning of the new year. Everyone is fired up and feeling ambitious. Things that didn’t feel possible before are within arms reach. You and your team get together for a series of meetings to look forward. You spend hours talking about your strategic …
How Can We Show Our Team That We Appreciate Them Every Day?
by Barbara Barron | Posted December 13th, 2017 Anyone who has ever held a management position knows how hard it is to keep people happy, productive, and engaged. It’s a tall order. We need to be inspiring leaders. We need to be clear and decisive managers. We also need to ensure our people are striving to reach their absolute best …
What Are Some Low-Cost High-Impact Gifts We Can Give Our Donors?
by Barbara Barron | Posted on November 8th, 2017 | Revised on October 9th, 2024 This is a version of the original articles I posted on this site. I am quietly celebrating the start of my eighth year in this work of providing advancement consulting to independent schools. Feels like returning to the basics makes sense. Let’s talk about healthy relationships. What are some …
How Do We Write a Really Good Annual Fund Letter?
by Barbara Barron | Posted September 27th, 2017 | Revised September 25th, 2024 This is a version of the very first article I ever published on this site. I am quietly celebrating the start of my eighth year in this work of providing advancement consulting to independent schools. Feels like returning to the basics makes sense. Before I do, a …