by Barbara Barron | Posted September 6th, 2023 | Subscribe to this newsletter Years ago, my team and I set out to put the then-popular 80/20 rule into practice. I posed this challenge: since 80% of our support comes from 20% of our donors, should we not deploy 80% of our time, resources, energy, and love on that loyal, generous …
How Can We Set Priorities that Serve Us and Our Programs?
by Barbara Barron | Posted August 16th, 2023 | Subscribe to this newsletter A new school year. A new chance to get off on the right foot. If you’re like me, after a needed refresh over the summer, you’re ready to take it on again — but maybe with some new thinking. A new set of practices to keep us …
The Four Summer Projects That Are Worth Your Time
Why not make this a fruitful summer? Why not take on some projects that will help you start the new school year with energy, focus, and some new ideas?
How Can You Make Sure Your School is Ready for the New Millennial Super Donor?
This is a huge cohort of philanthropic-minded people who are already generous and engaged, many are already very wealthy, and most are about to become very, very wealthy.
How to Create a “Guide to Giving and Getting Involved” for New Parents
How can we begin what might be a 10+ year relationship with a new family that sets the right tone and creates a lunching pad for great things down the road?
Should We Plan for Our Own Succession?
If the research is to be believed, and close to half of our leaders are going to leave their jobs in the near term, and virtually no organization has a succession plan for their top leaders, never mind our positions, we clearly have a ticking time bomb here.
How to Build a Great Advancement Committee
Here are some tasks you can set before this group, starting in August when you first convene. These are actions that actually help. They build connections with families. They extend the cultivation and stewardship work your team is doing.
11 Ways to Make Sure Your School’s Newest Trustee is Prepared for the Job
One of the most effective things we can do is create an excellent orientation process. I’ve done this at multiple schools, and it pays off handsomely in the near and long term. If your school doesn’t do this or doesn’t do this well (with your involvement), run – don’t walk – to advise that they start.
Selecting Good Trustees: 6 Ways to Make Sure the Newest Addition is a Good One
To get additional advice and perspectives beyond my own, I asked three seasoned and outstanding professionals I knew in our group to participate in the facilitated conversation about ways to bring intelligence and experience to these vital volunteer leader selections. All have served their current school for a decade or more. All hold that seat and understand the value in it.
Sacrificing Sacred Cows: Some Reflections on CASE-NAIS ’23
My overarching “ah-ha” was that the sometimes tough-to-make tactical goals of increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at our schools were made real in several sessions — with actual, honest-to-God solutions that we could take home and implement.