A question that puts the power in the hands of your donors. A question that could change the dynamic of your program forever.
The Power of the Feasibility Study
Feasibility studies, if you haven’t experienced one, are designed to help the organization’s decision-makers better understand the strengths, weaknesses, and viability of their project. It is a test of the project’s appeal and whether it’s a good gamble to mount a campaign to fund it.
How Can We Help Boards Overcome Campaign Jitters?
It’s really understandable that non-profit Boards – in particular those at independent schools – may be downright scared of entering into a capital campaign. It’s a pretty high-stakes game, one that gets increasingly public as it rolls out. Any cracks in the system are going to be exposed. Staff issues, poor record keeping, fiefdoms between departments, competing priorities. All will …
What is the Real Cost of Turnover in Our School’s Development Office?
by Barbara Barron | Posted February 16th, 2022 | Subscribe to this newsletter Ever find yourself hearing three or four interconnected thoughts in the same few minutes? Or days? For me, that’s when I know something is afoot. It signals that I need to slow down, think deeply, and then write about that confluence. Here it is. Thing one is …
What Have We Learned During Covid That’s Worth Keeping?
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 …