by Barbara Barron | Posted October 19th, 2022 | Subscribe to this newsletter

About 18 months ago, I published an article about how and why to start a major gifts program.

The reasons for doing so, as I stated there, are many: including capitalizing on the opportunity to seek significant support from families with means who may not be enrolled in your school the next time a large-scale fundraising moment, like a capital campaign, occurs. The logic here is that most schools mount capital campaigns once every 5-10 years, for dozens of good reasons.

But a well-thought-out major gift program can run concurrent to your other fundraising. Just like your Annual Fund and any special events where you seek gifts. It does not have to cannibalize them.

As I wrote, a good major gift program is well designed. It has a short list of needed projects that, generally, have the winning appeal of being tangible, immediate, and high impact. This is the magical trifecta in fundraising!

It is also highly selective. It is not participation-based. It is tailored to the handful of families who have the capacity to give significantly beyond annual giving. I wrote in my previous article about the importance of setting the bar high for this. Higher than you initially think is feasible.

But as I coached a client recently, you can always dial it back — but it is exceedingly difficult to raise the entry-level gift once you go live. So, take a deep breath, and go high!

In addition to those essentials, I have recently been recommending that we do a few more things to ensure the program is well-designed and well-run.

A Well-Documented Vision

First, is to create a vision for it. Make it a written document that the Board can digest and adopt. This helps keep it top of mind and prevents it from getting watered down.

Here’s a simple example:

Established Roles

Next, get clear about roles.

What are the responsibilities of the professionals? The Director and Head of School? What are the responsibilities of the volunteers – meaning the trustees?

A good model is to form an ad hoc committee of the Development or Advancement Committee to work on this. This small group can help shape the vision statement and set policies like acceptable giving levels and pledge payment periods. They can oversee the selection of projects generated by staff. They will be the advocates for it at the Board level. And, critically important, they will personally support it. That way, they can serve in the helpful role of solicitor (or minimally, cultivator) along with the Head and Director.

See what I did there? If they build it and support it, they can help ask others to join them.

The Director of Advancement is always going to be tasked with identifying prospective donors for the program, given their access to giving records, prospect research, and knowledge of the relationships. In many cases, they will also serve as air traffic control regarding the setting up of cultivation meetings to share the projects available for support and to learn what the families are most interested in. But for best results, the members of the Major Gift committee are ready to take those meetings with the Head or Director. And they are on call to participate in the solicitation meetings that follow.

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Great Marketing Materials

Finally, the marketing materials you develop for this project are very important.

My successful experience with this work involves creating highly customized proposals, be they printed brochures or a beautiful slide deck. You are not mass producing these. If you’re blessed to have fifteen or so opportunities in a year to present your program, good on ya!

But for most schools, the number is small. Take the time and spend the dollars to design and produce individualized appeals. The ROI is excellent here.

Get focused. Stay intentional. Be bold. The potential results of a good program are huge and far-reaching. And the experience and chops you will gain from building and running a major gift program are significant for your school and your career.

I’d love to help you put your program together. Regardless, I wish you good luck. You’re going to do great!

Stay well.

Barbara Barron

barbara@barbarabarron.com // @BBAdvancement

About the Author

My name is Barbara Barron, and I’m writing this blog to share advice on a profession that I adore.

I’ve been working in the field of Independent School Advancement for over 20 years. In that time, I’ve had the pleasure of creating and implementing successful fundraising plans and programs for so many incredible schools. I’ve had the privilege of seeing real growth at The Carey School, Marin Primary & Middle School, Woodside Priory, Crystal Springs, Presidio Knolls, Sage Ridge, and San Diego French American, and others. (Maybe we’ve met!)

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a struggling school start to thrive. My hope is that you’re here to make a positive change as well. I hope my advice can be a part of that change.

Shoot me an e-mail if you want to swap tips, or share your voice here.

Let’s do this, together.

More Advancement Articles

• 
  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
• 
  Success Story #3April 24, 2026
• 
  How Can You Set Yourself Up So That Next Fall is a Huge Success?April 14, 2026
• 
  Metrics That Matter vs. Metrics That Don’tMarch 16, 2026

The post How to Design a Major Gifts Program That Works appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted March 13th, 2019

With huge gratitude to the brilliant mind of Gordon MacKenzie and re-reading his astonishingly smart and creative book “Orbiting the Giant Hairball”, I’ve been moved to write about our typical organizational charts and how we might think about them in a very different, and perhaps better, way.

Most schools operate within a pyramid structure to depict their orgs. Something like this, with the power, authority, and direction flowing downwards from the top:

The body tasked with setting the vision for the school into the next several generations of students is the Board of Trustees. They are also responsible for the essential work of supporting, supervising, occasionally selecting – or rarely, dismissing – the Head of School.

The Head of School oversees and manages everyone who works at the school, from the administrative team to the faculty. There are layers in here (division heads, deans, program directors, etc.) but it’s the classroom teachers that are near the bottom of this  “classic” chart.

Let’s stop and reflect on that for a moment.

On any given day, at any given school, nothing gets done without the teachers. The teachers not only make learning possible, but they also make it come alive.  They have the power and influence to spark or snuff out imagination and confidence. They oftentimes spend more time with their students than the students’ parents do. Their classrooms or labs or studios are where the magic happens.

Truly, no other group of staff at our school has more impact on whether our school delivers on its mission or doesn’t.

And it’s not just the school that is dependent on the teaching staff. Our job as Advancement Professionals is intrinsically linked to their performance.

When both teaching and learning are going well, and parents are delighted and, hopefully, grateful — that’s when we can step in and do the most important part of our jobs. It’s when only then that we have the honor, the privilege, to have conversations with parents about their philanthropy.

We’ve all had that experience where a donor family is unhappy. Their daughter was placed in a math class they didn’t think was the right fit. Their son has had a struggle with the science teacher. As a result, their gift goes away or is significantly reduced.

Now, we might argue that withholding their support is hardly helping us alleviate the problem. Rarely does less support make it easier to improve the math program! But since gifts remain voluntary and donors often use their money to make statements, that’s our life. We deal with it.

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My point is: it’s only when things are going well in the classroom that things are possible for us in advancement.

And yet, the teachers are at the bottom of the standard “org chart.” In Gordon’s illustration, which I’ve included here, he speaks for those at the bottom thusly: “Let us out from under this crushing mountain!”

I couldn’t agree more.

So what if we flipped the script? Or in this case, created a totally different image? Let’s substitute the pyramid with a Plum Tree.

Much nicer, isn’t it?

Here we have the Board of Trustees as the roots. They are ultimately responsible for the stability of the organization by tending to its fiscal health.

Next is the Head of School as the trunk. The Head of School is the enduring, central support. He or she must be strong, steady, and – most importantly – upright.

Up and out from the Head of School is our administrative leadership team. They are the branches that support the “product producers”. In a strong Plum Tree ecosystem, the branches are both intertwined and interdependent.

And now we find the teachers. They are the leaves and the stems that nurture the flowering crop. They are in closest proximity to and are therefore directly responsible for, the plums. And, as if it isn’t painfully obvious by now, the students are, of course, the plums.

Gordon goes on to offer voices from the different parts of the tree to bring it to life:

The roots (the board) asks: “What resources do you need to produce the best crop?”

The trunk (the Head) asks: “What do you need to motivate you?”

The branches (division heads) say: “We’ve got what you need – air and sunshine!”

The leaves and stems (teachers) say: “On a clear day, we can see forever!”

A tree, Gordon asserts, is a living organism. A pyramid is a tomb. Ouch.

Altogether, an impossibly lovely image. But what might this re-envisioning mean practically for our schools, and for us in advancement?

It means that our boards would remain squarely focused on growth, the securing of resources, and creating stability from which the tree can grow and thrive. Instead of seeing themselves as the “bosses”, they adopt a service-oriented mindset. They, like the rest of us, seek to serve the needs of those above them.

It means that our Heads provide that enduring support, and seek only to remain steady – lest the branches above begin to shake. They handle the administrative logistics. They mentor faculty. All their resources are pushed up to meet the programmatic needs of the school. With the help of the board’s resources, they provide our teachers, our product producers, the nourishment they need to do their best work.

It means our teachers, who are the source of our success stories, would be less stressed, more independent, feel more respected, and — this is key for us — be far more likely to stay where they are. That’s crucial, my friends. Because without leaves on our tree, we’re living in a permanent winter.

So what might this actually look like?

Let’s use this as an example: the opening week teacher meetings.

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This week is designed using the more conventional model – the one we’re trying to replace. This is management from the top-down. From the general to the specific. The many serve the needs of the few. We typically start these meetings on Monday with one big meeting. All the adults in the school come in for a group session. Perhaps there’s a keynote speaker, a presentation or an exercise. And – because bonding is important to us – we add a happy hour or similar at the end of the day.

What are our teachers, especially the newer ones, thinking? “Could I please just get some time in my classroom?!”

The next day (or days) we break into smaller groups, either by grade or division. Better. But most teachers are still anxious about everything they need to do to be ready for the first day of class. It isn’t until Thursday or even Friday that our teachers are free to spend a chunk of time in their classrooms, getting them and their own hearts and minds prepared to start the year.

Now, what if we flipped it? Just like we did our org chart?

Let’s make Monday a classroom prep day. All day. On Tuesday or Wednesday, we start to meet in larger groups, by grade, division, or by discipline. We end the week with the big group session, the speaker, the exercise. And the happy hour.

Our teachers might be far happier, don’tcha think!?

At the end of the day, the choice is yours: our school can be a tomb, or it can be a tree. And what do you lose in the process of turning things upside down? Nothing. At most, you’ll have only a moment of momentary confusion. And then you’ll start to see the benefits, almost immediately.

Teachers will thank you for providing a way for their “bosses” to see their value. And frankly, I’d love to tell that story to our supporters.

After all, who in good conscience could argue with an organizational chart that prioritizes teachers and students at the top?

I’d like to see them try.

My name is Barbara Barron, and I’m writing this blog to share advice on a profession that I adore.

I’ve been working in the field of Independent School Advancement for over 20 years. In that time, I’ve had the pleasure of creating and implementing successful Strategic Fundraising Plans for so many incredible schools. I’ve had the privilege of seeing real growth at The Carey School, Marin Primary & Middle School, Woodside Priory, Crystal Springs, Sage Ridge and others. (Maybe we’ve met!)

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a struggling school start to thrive. My hope is that you’re here to make a positive change as well. I hope my advice can be a part of that change.

Shoot me an e-mail if you want to swap tips, or share your voice here.

Let’s do this, together.

The post How Do We Become Schools That Truly Value Teachers? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted November 7th, 2018

I’m not sure what’s in the water, but twice in the past month, I’ve found myself in conversations with clients about a fundraising practice I thought had ended decades ago: phonathons.

Phonathons? Really?!

For those who missed this classic 1980’s practice, a phonathon is a fundraising event in which a handful of volunteers gather in a central location to call donors and prospective donors to ask for their pledge to the Annual Fund. They usually start a few hours after school has ended, during the magic time of day when parents are most inconvenienced. And they are rarely worth the effort you have to invest to pull them off.

So, if the title of this article wasn’t a big enough hint, I can sum up my feelings on phonathons in three little words: Don’t. Do. Them.

Why? Because we’ve evolved past them! We now have plenty of more engaging and effective ways of raising money for our Annual Funds.

Unfortunately, some folks are still stuck in that trap, thinking they must do them to attain “parent participation” (which should never your first goal anyway, dear reader). If your school is wedded to this thinking, let me help you by busting a few myths about this dinosaur of a practice.

But first, let’s examine how, exactly, these things end up failing us. I’ve built my case around three simple points.

Evidence #1 – Phonathons are Intrusive

At a typical phonathon, the volunteers (who are often arm-twisted or otherwise guilted into doing this “good thing for the school”) are provided these vital assets before they get started dialing for dollars:

1. some piping hot Folgers coffee
2. a selection of gnarly-looking store-bought sandwiches
3. a desk with a phone on it
4. a packet full of vital data about the people they are supposed to call

Now, I’m going to bypass the coffee and the sandwiches and focus on the fourth point: the packet. Most of what’s inside this packet is vital data, and isn’t problematic, really. Except most volunteers don’t really want to know the details of their peers’ giving history. Kinda skeeves them. And it really brings into question how much confidentiality is truly valued in our advancement programs, now doesn’t it?

Anyway, they get the info. The names and grades of the children attending the school, their parents’ names, perhaps a bit of their giving history (ick), and…

…the home phone number.

Yes, still.

Or perhaps in your case, you provide parents’ cells. Great. Better, but still.

“What the heck is wrong with that, Barbara? We’ve got to get ahold of them somehow!”

Yes, of course, but think about what you’re doing. Phonathon volunteers are instructed to try to make contact with someone, between the hours of 6 and 8pm: inarguably the least convenient and most disruptive hours of the day.

For anyone who has small children, you know what 6 to 8pm is all about. It’s “bath and bedtime.” It’s “pulling my hair out there’s so much going on” time.

For those with teenagers, it’s that insane period when we’re trying to wrangle dinner onto a table that’s covered in homework. Perhaps you’re even struggling to help with your child’s homework, despite being a college-educated adult.

And this, all after a long day of work for everyone.

Ring ring. Ring ring.

“Hi there. I’d love to talk to you about contributing to our school’s annual fund!”

Suffice it to say, terrible timing, right? How does a school not understand the importance of this time of day for its families? It might be excusable if it were a personal call, a genuine attempt to have a meaningful conversation about that family and its experience with the school, or the school’s bright shiny mission and programs.

But it’s not. It’s a call asking for money. At dinner. Ick.

Evidence #2 – Phonathons are Expensive

“Expensive? Nice try, Barbara! I have a small army of volunteers!”

I’m sure you do. Because a phonathon requires volunteers, doesn’t it? A lot of them. But let’s put that to the side for a moment and just look at the numbers here.

In my experience, many people make “unspecified” pledges in that moment: “Yea, sure. We’ll participate but I can’t say exactly how much right now. Just put us down as a yes.” Or the parent who hurriedly agrees to give “the same as last year”. Wow. Huge win there.

I’ve found that most of those kinds of pledges, the ones made to, frankly, just get off the call, go unfulfilled. Sorry, but true. Now it’s on you to do the follow up to convert those into real gifts.

If you tally up the woman-hours it takes to collect the pledges on the back end, you’ll likely find that this fundraising tactic is operating with a very slim profit margin.

Where, dear reader, is the sense in that?

Evidence #3 – Phonathons are Taxing

There’s a prevailing belief that in order to have a successful Annual Fund campaign, things have to be really hard.

Do you think that? Because I don’t.

It’s a lot of work, sure. But it doesn’t have to be hard. It doesn’t have to be draining. In fact, it should be the opposite.

But that’s not how a phonathon works. A phonathon is a boiler room. A high-stress situation that we create for ourselves. And even worse, a high-stress, low impact situation we toss our beloved volunteers into.

Think about the people you use to fill the seats necessary to run a phonathon. I can assure you that the majority of these gentle souls, even as they love our schools, do not want to know what their peers are giving to the Annual Fund.

And now, keeping those same lovely people in mind, ask yourself this: “Don’t you think that most would rather walk on hot coals than ask someone else for money?”

I bet the answer is yes. Forget the fact that we’re taking them away from their own families and dinners for the evening. We’re inviting them to an opportunity to help the school, yes. But we’re also inviting them to a night of being repeatedly dismissed by their peers.

Candidly, no one, not even yours truly, a wonky advancement consultant who loves asking for gifts, wants to do this chore. Yet, we ask our most loyal volunteers to.

Why?

Because, just like so many things that we do, we don’t have a good alternative. Or, perhaps, we do, but we worry that making changes, even smart ones, may offend those who have come to expect certain events.

Honestly, I think what people don’t want to risk giving up are the things they think are helping. Consider running and then sharing the real numbers – the true ROI on this little extravaganza – and I predict minds will be blown.

And then… minds will be changed.

And more good news here is this: I’m not asking you to abandon the idea entirely. I’m only suggesting you change it to something better.

If you must give volunteers calls to make, how about a Thankathon?

So how is a Thankathon different from a phonathon, exactly? Such a good question. I made this little primer, which you can download as a PDF, if you like.

The Thankathon | An Alternative to Your School’s Phonathon

A Thankathon differs from a phonathon in several key ways:

A Thankathon can last longer than a night, and probably should.

Volunteers are instructed to use whatever method of communication feels most appropriate. This could be a phone call, a text, an e-mail, or a tweet.

No giving amounts are shared with volunteers so the thank you is a clean and simple thank you for supporting the school.

Volunteers are instructed to thank only. No side door second asks permitted. Our noble goal is to spread goodwill. To demonstrate genuine appreciation. Stewardship. That’s what builds real community.

Leaving a message is encouraged. Because we are simply thanking, it’s fine to leave a warm and appreciative message. If volunteers wish to leave their own contact details for further conversation, cool. Not required.

And that’s it.

All the while, you as the advancement professional are doing the administrative work of keeping these volunteers engaged and on track. Your job, always, is to receive, process, and respond to every gift with prompt and personal notes of thanks. (PS. I have an article here about what level of “personal” is expected of you.)

So this all leaves one big question on the table. One that I can’t answer, really. Because the answer lies in your hands.

If you make this change, are you leaving money on the table?

I say no. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have proposed it. I have nearly twenty years of experience with this stuff, and can pretty much guarantee that if you eliminate the phonathon – no one is going to actually miss it. Not if you replace it with something better.

And certainly not if you replace a phonathon with an idea that is more respectful of your donors and their confidentiality.

In the end, you might raise more money – nice! – or, a lateral move, the same amount. But what really matters here? I believe what matters is that you’ve improved the culture of giving at your school immeasurably. Your Head, CFO, and Board will all be pleased with you. And your donors, all of them, will thank you.

And when you take a look at next year’s calendar and see the phonathon blissfully absent, I promise you that you’ll be quietly thanking yourself for making the change.

barbara@barbarabarron.com

860-604-9081

My name is Barbara Barron, and I’m writing this blog to share advice on a profession that I adore.

I’ve been working in the field of Independent School Advancement for nearly 20 years. In that time, I’ve had the pleasure of creating and implementing successful Strategic Fundraising Plans for so many incredible schools. I’ve had the privilege of seeing real growth at The Carey School, Marin Primary & Middle School, Woodside Priory, Crystal Springs, Sage Ridge and others. (Maybe we’ve met!)

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a struggling school start to thrive. My hope is that you’re here to make a positive change as well. I hope my advice can be a part of that change.

Shoot me an e-mail if you want to swap tips, or share your voice here.

Let’s do this, together.

The post How Do I Get Rid of My School’s Phonathon and Raise More Money? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted August 8th, 2018 | Subscribe to this newsletter

True story: someone dear to me recently enrolled her child in a beautiful, well-respected private school.

She’s no slouch. She researched her options carefully. She visited the campus several times. She put her family through a rigorous admission process. And when it became time for her to finally drop him off for his first day, she was never more certain this was the right place for her child. He seemed so happy there. That was all that mattered.

One week into his enrollment, my friend received an e-mail from the school:

“Dear Parents,

I am writing to thank you for two things.

First, for the privilege you have given us to share in the education of your children with you, our parents, as their primary educators.

Second, thank you for your financial support of the mission of ABC School with your gift to our annual fund, The Fund for ABC School.

I ask that you please take a moment this weekend to make your gift to this important effort. Every gift of every amount is valued and appreciated.

To make your gift, click here.

With gratitude,
So-and-So, Head of School, etc.”

When my friend finished reading this painfully worded little missive, she actually found herself relieved that this important-looking email was just a generic form letter, and not that something had gone awry with admissions, or – worse – that her child was in already in some kind of trouble.

So she sent it along to me – because she was understandably confused.

What’s wrong with this letter?

After reading it, I admit that I was disappointed. But then I took a couple deep breaths and said, “You know what, Barbara? This is nothing but a learning experience. These people don’t want to be doing things so very, very wrong. They just need a helping hand.”

Because we could all use a helping hand, couldn’t we? The process of onboarding new parents is so regularly mucked up, it’s actually a major issue for many schools.

Next month, I’ll post an article about how to get over ourselves, push through the hesitation, and get busy asking new parents for their support. Today, I want to use this very bad, but typical welcome letter as our jumping off point to help us do a much better job with new parents.

So let’s get into it. Let’s talk about five things your Welcome Letter should do.

Your Welcome Letter should actually be from the person doing the welcoming.

In the example above, the e-mail was sent from an address that was not that of the Head of School. In fact, it wasn’t even the name of someone who worked for the school.

This may seem like a small thing – but it’s not. What we’re talking about here are first impressions, and giving new parents at your school a foundation of trust.

Today, receiving an e-mail from a strange e-mail address, supposedly from the school your child attends – that’s not just confusing, it’s alarming.  So we shoot ourselves in the foot by ignoring this seemingly innocuous detail.

If your Head did not, in fact, write the Welcome Letter, why pretend s/he did? Even if you do decide that you must use a generic template (ok, but why?!), that’s no excuse. Newsletter programs have evolved enough that you can deliver mail that looks like it came from a trusted source. Use them.

And if you need help, simply ask.

Your Welcome Letter should be personally addressed.

This is table stakes at this point.

There’s simply no excuse for addressing your new parents as “New Parents”. They have names, and those names should be programmed into your system so that you can address them directly. If you don’t have the know-how to do this, or to implement this, find someone who does and ask them to help.

This should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway…

You are not doing your job if you are not treating your parents, your donors, as individuals.

There are hundreds of ways to do that, and this, dear reader, is the least time intensive of them all.

So write it down: I am never going to send a mass e-mailer that doesn’t address the most important people I know by their actual names, ever again.

Your Welcome Letter should be as specific as possible

If you re-read the letter from the opening of this article, you might notice some language that creates a bit of a logical conundrum. I’ll single it out, here:

…thank you for your financial support of the mission of ABC School with your gift to our annual fund, The Fund for ABC School.

I ask that you please take a moment this weekend to make your gift to this important effort.

Wow! Is your brain doing a cartwheel to make sense of it? You’re not alone. My friend had the same experience reading it.

We all know what the letter is trying to say: thank you in advance for your financial gift. But what it actually reads instead is “Thank you for your gift” and then, immediately after, “Will you make a gift?”

This is just one example of how tip-toeing around our actual asks, and being afraid of our own philanthropic efforts, we do a great disservice to our new parents. These people deserve clarity, and by ignoring the simple act of proofreading and making sure our wording is logical and concise, we’re only serving up an unhealthy heap of confusion!

Say it with me.

“I will be clear. I will be direct. I will tell the new parents exactly what we want them to know. I will tell them exactly what we’re asking for.”

Feels better already, right? Give yourself permission to do your job.

Your Welcome Letter should be the continuation of a conversation.

…and what is that conversation about? The culture of giving at your school.

This is not a taboo thing to discuss! It’s not a “poorly kept secret!” It’s not some confusing read-between-the-lines operation that new parents need to navigate!

No, no, no. It’s a fact.

Parents at your school give. Full stop. End of sentence. It’s because of this culture of generosity that your school is able to offer the facilities and wonderful teachers and programs that it does.

All that is available to our teachers, staff, and students is made possible because of the culture of giving.

It’s time for us to make a commitment: we’re going to explain to parents at the front end of the process that they will be asked to participate in the fundraising activities of the school. I understand that this can be tricky if you have a siloed structure and the admission folks feel like that’s not their realm…

Well? Open the realm. Bring down the silos. Carefully, respectfully, sure. But the sooner you start that process, the better off your school will be. Yes, it may ruffle some feathers, but your mission is noble, and this may help make the difference between your school soaring or sinking. Which do you choose?

Your Welcome Letter should give new parents some helpful guideposts.

Even if you’ve made philanthropy a natural part of the conversation, odds are pretty good that your new parents are uncertain of what you expect or hope of them. So, help them by clearly setting the terms of your agreement. Say, “We’re proud of the fact that 100% of our parents (if that’s true) make a gift to our Annual Fund each year. We hope you will join them and give what is meaningful to your family.”

Better yet, tell them, by name, who from the advancement office will be following up to answer any questions and seek their support. Personalize.

It shows new parents that acts of philanthropy will be recognized and appreciated. 

Help your newest members of the community understand that the school is grateful for every charitable dollar that comes in, and is unafraid to shout its gratitude from the rooftops.

At the end of the day, the welcome letter to new parents is simply one part of transitioning new parents into our communities, isn’t it?

What I want to leave you with is a sense that it is imperative that we handle this transition delicately and with intent. That intent should be clear: we need their support, but we need their partnership even more. This relationship is a two-way street, and if we start off on the wrong foot, the much harder work of rebuilding trust will fall on us entirely. Can any of us afford that?

I’m curious if any of you out there have discovered some good tips for welcome letters, or any kind of systematic changes to your organization that has made new parents feel not only welcome but an integral part of the community they just joined. What’s working?

Thank you for all that you’re doing.

Barbara Barron

barbara@barbarabarron.com

About the Author:

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 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
• 
  Success Story #3April 24, 2026
• 
  How Can You Set Yourself Up So That Next Fall is a Huge Success?April 14, 2026
• 
  Metrics That Matter vs. Metrics That Don’tMarch 16, 2026

The post How Do We Write a Welcome Letter to the New Parents at Our School? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

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 doing so, you will automatically be sent to the download links, which you can use and share widely. Thank you!

The “culture of philanthropy” question is a very common one to be asked when a school is undergoing the process of accreditation or re-accreditation. But it’s a valuable subject to engage with regardless of where a school is in its accreditation cycle. It effectively boils down to three questions:

1. Does your school have a culture of philanthropy?
2. How does your school measure philanthropic success?
3. How does your school adjust your philanthropic strategy?

So let’s take these one at a time.

Does your school have a culture of philanthropy?

Well, yes. Of course we do!

Seeing as how you can’t just answer in the affirmative – shucks! – perhaps this question is better phrased as, “How do you define your school’s culture of philanthropy?”

Ah, yes. That makes more sense. What we are trying to understand is: what about our definition of philanthropy overlaps with a generally accepted concept of philanthropy. After all, no two schools are the same, and therefore no two advancement programs are identical.

But surely we can agree on what a culture of philanthropy means, right?

Of course, we can. And here’s a fantastic answer to that question, boiled down:

‘Yes. At our school, we believe a “culture of philanthropy” is a “culture of giving.” Which is why, at our school, the work done to raise money to support our mission is done in the light of day.’

Simple, but that’s basically the first box that needs to be checked. If you take anything from that answer, let it be the last five words: “done in the light of day.”

Why is this important? It’s an assurance. And it firmly establishes advancement in its proper, central role in the business of our schools and the advancing of our missions.

For a school with a healthy culture of philanthropy, fundraising is not a dirty word. The development office is not hidden away in the bowels of the school. And philanthropy is everyone’s work, not just the work of a few.

It’s visible. It’s professional. It’s even, dare I suggest, joyful.

What does that really look like at your school? It’s vital that you are able to articulate your own true answer. But now that you know the question that is living behind the question and can craft your response accordingly.

Let’s move on to the second question.

How does your school measure philanthropic success?

Another question with a question beneath it.

Would we, as a school, consider ourselves philanthropically successful if we simply met our financial goals 100% of the time?

Well, no. See, that’s only part of the answer.

What this question is trying to trick you into thinking is that philanthropy is about a monetary end goal. When, in fact, you will never “have enough money” to cover everything your school needs. You will never reach the fabled land of solubility. And anyone who has been in the game long enough knows that that’s not what it’s about.

So what is it about, then?

It’s about your methodology.

Because you can absolutely have a school out there that meets its goals 100% of the time but crushes the souls of every person who comes into contact with it. In fact, you might have worked for one of them.

But that’s not what we want, is it? We want to create – say it with me, now – a “culture of philanthropy.” So this question now becomes:

How does your school responsibly raise money?

Ah, there it is. It comes down to, “How do you do it?!”

Methodology.

We want to understand what we truly consider a philanthropic win and the actions you take every day to work towards them. Specifically? How does your school make everyone (faculty, parents, administration, and most especially trustees) aware of all the small ways they can be part of creating a culture where support is valued.

How does your school educate its community about the roles they can play to build an atmosphere where the cultivation of support is possible? Likely. Inevitable!

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So let’s look at a possible template for your response. Something to work from.

At our school, we consider “philanthropic success” to be the checking off of four boxes:

1. A meaningful relationship with a donor that is mutually beneficial and rewarding, and begins the moment the donor first steps foot on campus.

2. A transparent and open-hearted conversation with a donor that continues throughout their child’s tenure at our school, and beyond, resulting in many gifts to our school, all joyfully made, regardless of size.

3. An educated donor base that, if asked, could name the specific ways in which their collective giving has transformed our school and set us up for future philanthropic success.

4. An administrative team and trustee base that, if asked, could also name the specific ways in which donors have collectively provided resources for our school and set us up for those future philanthropic triumphs.

…at which point you should be able to articulate the specific strategies that your school utilizes that meet all four of these objectives.

Here’s something interesting: did you notice how all four of these “boxes” are about a methodology of cultivating relationships that guarantees responsible stewardship?

That’s important.

Because if your answer to this question is all nuts and bolts, without guiding principles, then you do run the risk of seeming like you’re not working from a responsible ethos.

And, on the other side, if you answer all from ethos, then you run the risk of seeming like you have no actual best practices.

Tricky, tricky — isn’t it?

Let’s take a look at the last question.How does your school adjust your philanthropic strategy?

Or, in other words, “Who at your school calls the shots? And how do those decisions get made?”

This is a big one. Because the culture at a school is ultimately dictated by the power structure that exists within it.

In other words, if you work at a school with a diminished or relegated advancement program, odds are pretty good that your “culture of philanthropy” is almost purely aspirational, right?

Right.

Instead, and this is a pretty seismic shift: You need to be an institution where the perspective of the advancement program is sought and considered before any major decisions are made.

These decisions include, but are not limited to:

• programmatic changes
• capital campaigns
• the succession planning and transition of top leaders.

Why? Because the advancement program is hard-wired into the community in a way that no other aspect of a school is.

And – this is going to blow your mind, but… here goes…

Culture is the same thing as community.

That’s right. The development office staff often has intel about our families that no one else has. The development office staff, when well-positioned, can help communicate and persuade in a way that no one else can. The development office staff close an essential feedback loop between the school and community that it serves.

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Without the advancement team weighing on all major decisions and being notified of the small ones, our schools are working without all the information and – most important – potentially without the support of our constituencies.

In other words, without our advancement team seated at the table with the Head of School and its volunteer leaders, we can not say we have a “culture of philanthropy.”

We simply can’t.

So, how does this look on our primer? Well, it probably starts like this:

“At our school, philanthropic goals are set by the Board; philanthropic strategy is developed and implemented by the Head of School and the advancement program. We meet regularly to discuss and respond to issues related to our community. We work collaboratively to meet goals we made, together…”

From there, you’re talking about specific instances in which you, the advancement professionals, collaborated with the powers-that-be to make well-informed, thoughtful decisions that took into account the four necessary qualifiers for “philanthropic success.”

See how it all comes together to create the fabled culture of philanthropy?

So maybe at this point you have more questions than answers. That’s okay. Maybe you’re realizing that the culture of philanthropy that you need to be able to define for your self-study process  — or simply because you understand you need it  — doesn’t exist quite yet at your school.

That’s okay.

You may be earlier in the process than you thought. There’s nothing wrong with that. Let me be here to help you out.

I’ve created three handy downloadable primers that you can print out and bring to your next meeting. You can get them by subscribing to my newsletter.

These “primers”, like this article, are meant to be conversation starters. They should serve as a valuable jumping off spot, from which you and your team can develop a comprehensive list that truly reflects the uniqueness of your school.

All I ask is that whatever amazing ideas you come up with, share them with me!

barbara@barbarabarron.com

860-604-9081

My name is Barbara Barron, and I’m writing this blog to share advice on a profession that I adore.

I’ve been working in the field of Independent School Advancement for nearly 20 years. In that time, I’ve had the pleasure of creating and implementing successful Strategic Fundraising Plans for so many incredible schools. I’ve had the privilege of seeing real growth at The Carey School, Marin Primary & Middle School, Woodside Priory, Crystal Springs, Presidio Knolls and others. (Maybe we’ve met!)

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a struggling school start to thrive. My hope is that you’re here to make a positive change as well. I hope my advice can be a part of that change.

Shoot me an e-mail if you want to swap tips, or share your voice here.

Let’s do this, together.

The post How Do We Create a “Culture of Philanthropy” At Our Schools? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

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 of the qualities of a really healthy relationship? Think about the ones who enjoy with great friends, family members (well, some family members!), and maybe your colleagues or neighbors. What distinguishes them? It’s likely they feel safe and mutual. There is a commonality, respect, and fun. Probably loyalty, support, and, for some, love. Doesn’t happen overnight, generally. Instead, it takes time and commitment, right?

But when it does, it’s the best, am I right?

How about your donors? There are some in our professional who fall into the trap of thinking that our donors are really our friends. Now, in selected cases, that is true. But in the main, it’s really not. And believing that can cause us to lose sight of what connects us : the mission of our schools or organizations. So, since they aren’t our “friends”, do the same rules of engagement apply?

I’d say yes. Fostering any healthy relationship requires work and persistence. But with them, the central animating energy needs to be on the impact of their support towards advancing our mission. Making sure they get plenty of evidence of that is our job.

The two types of gestures

We do that, primarily, using two types of gestures:

• Irregular, small gestures
• The Grand Gesture

Irregular, small gestures are the constant tending to the garden. The e-mail. The picture. The phone call. The tiny gift.

The Grand Gesture is what we do when we want to make a big wave. The “donor recognition event” is a good example. Or when we all gather around to reveal the name of a new building, often with a name that a donor has chosen to honor their family.

But it’s my personal belief that we tend to lean on Grand Gestures too much.

We all know why. We spend the year not tending the garden. It happens. Something else more urgent is always calling for our attention. But what if we decided to think ahead on this? If I know it’s my duty to tend to all these gardens – in fact, it’s a pleasure – then I should prepare myself for the fine art of coming up with true acts of stewardship for my donors.

That’s why I created this list. I based in our three criteria that, if followed, will never lead me astray.

Criteria #1: The gift should be personal

This is far easier if your donor has a child currently enrolled at your school. But read on.

One time, I emailed a donor a photo on a random Wednesday morning. The photo was taken in her daughter’s classroom and captured her child looking utterly engaged. What was really special about that photo was that it was taken during math, a subject the girl used to claim to hate.

I was fortunate to capture that moment, but it happened because we made the time to visit the classroom and snap some candid shots. I knew there was a chance I would capture something of use – proof of a child feeling alive and confident.

These are the moments that donors live for, and we should consider it our jobs to capture them. As is so often the case in our profession, the right thing to do is also the savviest. This donor is assured that her support is affecting life at our school in a positive way – and you better believe she’s making the connection that more children’s lives can be similarly changed with her continued assistance.

Criteria #2: The gift should be inexpensive

There’s something that happens in a donor’s head when they’re gifted something that feels expensive. And it’s not good.

Consider the logic for a moment: perhaps the donor is making a stretch gift to our school and is under the safe assumption that the money is going to fill a need, to “the right place.” The donor puts a great deal of faith in us, right?

What does it look like when that money comes back to them in the form of a gift?

Exactly. It looks like money being wasted. Or at least, misdirected.

But just because it’s inexpensive doesn’t mean that it has to seem cheap. I’ll give you a good example of this:

One time my team and I went searching the student archives and came upon an interesting letter, written by the deceased father of our Board Chair. We spent no more than $50 to matt and frame it and then presented it to the Board Chair at his 50th reunion. The contents of the letter? His dad imploring the then-Headmaster to admit his rascally boy.

Smash success! Priceless moment. It was both personal, and inexpensive. And, it also met our third and last criteria…

Criteria #3: The gift should be a surprise

And now we’ve come full circle!

This is by far the most important criteria of the three, and the one I want you to walk away with. Surprise your donors. Surprise them constantly.

These surprises can be so small that they might even seem irrelevant, like:

An email to the supporter of a scholarship student, from that student, sharing news of their team’s recent success on the soccer field and inviting her to attend the upcoming championship game.

This isn’t irrelevant. This is a gift! An opportunity that wasn’t there before. It took fourteen minutes.

Here’s another:

A short video capturing a fun experiment in chemistry class sent to the family whose gift to the last capital campaign supported the new lab’s construction.

…which took maybe an hour all-in to arrange, shoot, and upload. But notice the teacher was “on the team” to allow this visit to the class. (Note to self…)

And another, just to drive it home:

A message left on the voice mail of a longtime supporter on the anniversary of his father’s passing. Just to say, “we’re thinking of you on this tough day, remembering your dad with great affection and appreciation.”

Finally, how about this:

A message (choose the medium your donor likes best) saying: “Hi _______, we noticed that you made your first gift to our school 10 years ago today! Thank you your loyalty. It means so much to us!”

Fast, free, unexpected – meaningful.

In Closing…

You can think of many more. Remember:

• They shouldn’t take a lot of time or money.
• They do need to be personal.
• They do require that we arrange our days and weeks to find those moments and make them happen. Make it a priority.

Re-read that last one, because it’s really important.

If we aren’t scheduling the time to do this, we’re only shooting ourselves in the foot. We should be thinking about this stuff daily.

Radical thought: what if we built our development budgets, our office structure, and our goals around one central premise?

“Stewardship is the only thing.“

WHOO-WEE! I can hear it now! “Barbara, this is obviously how we want it to be, but how are we supposed to add this on to our already overflowing plates?!”

We aren’t.

It comes down to priorities. What are we going to stop doing so we have the time and creative space to do this?  Hmm?

It’s a big question. And one worth thinking carefully about. If you can’t do everything you need to do, every day, then it’s time to challenge some assumptions. 

I look forward to continuing this conversion, Let’s me hear some of your amazing gifts!

Thanks 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.

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The post What Are Some Low-Cost High-Impact Gifts We Can Give Our Donors? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

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 reminder that – last time, in case you were slammed with opening meetings or perhaps, blissfully, still in the final days of vacation (you lucky northeast schools!) – I commented on the many questions and concerns I am hearing regarding how/when/if we can launch our Annual Funds during the overheated presidential election.

We can. Go back and have a look.

Choices, choices, choices

Whether you are going to launch soon, like this month, or a bit later, everyone in advancement is about to draft that important appeal letter.

Lots of choices to make: what format will we use? Are you going with a printed letter or an electronic one? Anyone using AI? Text? Who signs them?

And because we’re confronted with so many choices, we can get easily mired in the details. We can lose sight of what we’re really trying to do.

And what are we trying to do? It’s simple. We’re trying to:

• grab the readers’ attention
• touch their hearts
• inspire them to give to support our mission

Feel like a tall order? I get that. Pressure is on. Time is short. For some of us, the choice is to default to a crummy template and try to obscure the fact that it’s a template by inserting a slew of “personalized” details!

Look, if there’s one thing I know about an Annual Fund Letter, it’s that if you set out to write a template, it reads like a template. We’re fooling no one. Especially not the sophisticated donor.

So how do we avoid doing that?

Here are a few tips I’ve found helpful to stay focused on what’s important when writing that first draft:

Tip #1: Write to one particular VIP

Start by conjuring up one special person. Why? Because a letter written to everyone is written to… no one. So we hone in. We stop thinking of our donors as a group, a “them” and begin a conversation with an individual. We invite one person to be a part of what makes our mission so relevant and imperative. One person.

Choose a loyal and dedicated donor to visualize as you write. Go ahead! Look at a photo if it helps. Write to them. Let this prime your creative pump. And since you are going to create that specific donor’s letter anyway, so why not let it get you started?

Here’s the general movement of it:

• Speak right to her.
• Tell her how much her support has mattered and still matters.
• Share a story about a student or a teacher who embodies the school’s mission in action.
• Give her an example of the impact of her gift.

Don’t make it perfect. Just get a reasonable first draft on paper. You can polish later.

Now write to another top donor. Stay with your heroes. As you go, you’ll sharpen your language and start to write your best work. You may also experience an infusion of some much-needed verve to your mood because you’ll be focused on wonderfully generous people, remembering perhaps why you do this work. Your tone will be authentic and grateful, and your appeal far more compelling.

Once you have a handful of VIP letters done, use them as the recipe to create appeals for the rest of our community. Work your way out from the heartbeat center of leadership donors and encourage others to join! You can retell the stories you chose with authority and pride.

Eventually, you will have to work by constituencies — but never forget that each and every donor is an individual. So let’s stop thinking of them as the dreaded “them”, okay?

Tip #2: Less is Definitely More

Quality over quantity. Seriously.

Who reads a two-page, 11-point letter that is so burdened by facts and figures that all the joy and energy are squelched? Instead of long, boring Annual Fund Letters that include too much of the wrong detail, you want to create a clean suite of appeals that actually appeal to the hearts and minds of your supporters.

Again, it’s all about stories. Specific ones! One student or one faculty member thriving in our schools because of the support from our community has more impact than the laundry list of “stuff we’ve done.”

Sure, you can rave about the dozens of athletic teams and clubs and courses you offer. But the truth is, that’s the content we as readers skim over. Tell one story and you keep your reader’s attention. And if you keep their attention, you stand a better chance of your appeal being, well… appealing.

While we’re on the subject of effective writing: are you already thinking of your thank you letters and receipts? Studies routinely show that donors don’t feel thanked (much less appreciated) for their gifts because we aren’t truly, properly thanking them. So we want to do that. A tiny handwritten note scribbled on the bottom of a long, cold, official thank you/receipt not only feels like an afterthought but also a clear signal to your donor that what she’s holding is a form letter.

Clang!  Thank you letters are a chance to offer real stewardship. The kind that keeps stakeholders supporting our schools. Never forget that.

And also never forget what you absolutely can not leave out.

•  A real ask.
• A specific amount.

Your reader needs to know what you’re asking for.

And make it a bold ask. After all, isn’t your school worth it? Think of that one student or teacher whose story you’ve just told. If you feel nervous, it may help to remember: your donor is a grown up and philanthropy is, in the end, voluntary. They will ultimately choose the gift amount.

And I say that’s great! Our job is to invite them to the table. Invite them into an opportunity. A chance at being the lifeblood of a school.

Time and again, the more I ask donors to increase their gifts, the more they do. Not every donor. And not always as much as I request. But much of the time, most of them do. Try it.

Tip #3: Ink It!

Sign the letters. I mean physically sign them. Do not use an electronic signature. (Re-read above about how a template fools no one. Same goes for an electronic signature.)  Don’t think you have the time? Reframe!

• Get a fresh cup of your hot beverage of choice
• Sit in a spot with decent lighting
• Pop on an upbeat Pandora station, and get crackin’!

You are sending love letters to the people who make what happens in the classroom and athletic field and the stage and science lab possible. Each letter you sign is an invitation to someone to do something good. Noble even. Feel it with each stroke of your pen.

Tip #4: Get a Fresh Set of Eyes

Share your best work with someone you trust who is more objective than you, the author. If you can, invest in an advancement consultant. Bring in a professional to work on this with you. (Obviously, I’m partial to this idea, as an advancement consultant myself…)

There is nothing that can replace an outside eye. Feedback from another person is the only true way to know what’s working and what isn’t.

And that’s it! Hopefully, at this point you’ve already started writing. (Did the playlist help? I hope so.)

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 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
• 
  Success Story #3April 24, 2026
• 
  How Can You Set Yourself Up So That Next Fall is a Huge Success?April 14, 2026
• 
  Metrics That Matter vs. Metrics That Don’tMarch 16, 2026

The post How Do We Write a Really Good Annual Fund Letter? appeared first on Barbara Barron.