by Barbara Barron | Posted August 19th, 2020

A client asked me that question the other day. And it’s a good one. It’s a question that is far more complex and potentially far-reaching than it might appear at first glance.

The question is actually this: How do we thank the people who help steer our organizations? Who give so generously of their time, talent, and treasure? (And yes, it’s all three, my friends. Never let your trustee prospects think otherwise.)  How, especially now, do we acknowledge their work as the decisions they help our Heads make for our schools weigh so heavily. And have a potentially huge impact?

How can we surprise and delight them (as I advocate in other articles) when they are often in on the planning and execution of our best stewardship plans?

I bet you have your own answers to those questions already bubbling up in that brilliant mind of yours. I’ll offer my take here.

First, to the extent you can, keep some of your cool ideas for stewardship under wraps. Try not to “spill your candy on the lobby floor” so you can let your trustees experience your acts of stewardship for themselves. But if you can’t do that, try using your best ideas first on these good people. Send the adorable photo or that powerful report on the impact of their giving to them early in the cycle. Then when you roll it out with others, you can report on your progress and your trustees will know exactly what you’re talking about. They will have felt all the feels! 

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After all, shouldn’t we always try to bring our best selves, our best work, to those who make the biggest difference in our work and to our schools? 

But beyond that, what are some other ways we can demonstrate our gratitude to our volunteer leaders?  Remember, the very best way to say thank you is to be immediate and specific. Being late always feels disingenuous. Being vague never feels good. 

And it needn’t take you a ton of time.

I have found that one of the best ways is through a short, heartfelt, and (again) specific messages. Email if that’s best. A handwritten note is also nice.  I offer you some examples: 

Hi Dave,

Thanks so much for that helpful comment at the committee meeting yesterday. Your voice helped redirect the conversation back to the strategy.  I think that moved us ahead in our thinking. I’m grateful.

Hi Allison,

I so appreciated the way you followed up immediately with the Jones family. When I spoke with Mrs. Jones this morning, she commented on what a lovely surprise it was to hear from you. Letting me know you’d made contact was super helpful so I was better prepared. I’m so fortunate to have your partnership in this work. 

Hi Sondra,  

It meant so much to me to be able to run that strategy by you before the Board meeting. Thanks for making the extra time when I know how busy you are. I totally felt you had my back.

Hi Will,

Wow! I was really touched by your comment about the improvements you’ve seen in our program this year. I believe your endorsement will motivate others to participate more like you have, which will help move us closer to our goals. Thanks so much. 

I can’t imagine a volunteer receiving a message like any of these and not feeling deeply appreciated, really seen, truly recognized. Can you?

And besides it being the right thing to do, like most right things, there are other lovely benefits of trying this approach. What these messages underscore are the very actions and attitudes we want and need in our volunteers. It’s the stuff that actually helps us do our jobs better.  We are teaching our trustees how best to work with us.

We are teaching them the importance of:

• Making time before a meeting to get aligned
• Acting on an assignment right away
• Following up promptly
• Reporting back to us so we can keep better notes
• Supporting us publicly
• Being prepared
• Showing up and speaking up in support of the strategy
• Partnering with us

Most volunteers want to be helpful but aren’t always sure how to be. Many of your trustees may be serving in this role for the first time. So it’s a major leg up for them when we can coach them in ways of serving most productively.

Another less public – but very powerful – benefit of this partnership is that we, as the advancement professionals, may feel more satisfied in our work. When that happens, we work better, harder, and smarter. And we tend to stay at our organization a bit longer. The turnover rate in our profession is dishearteningly high. And expensive in many ways. Think about it. When we leave, we take all that institutional and donor knowledge with us. Even if you leave an excellent exit document for your successor, there will be things lost. Donors may feel sad when you leave. It may shake their confidence. And it can take months or even years to build trust and faith in the new person. The inefficiencies posed by a new person in the office are significant. It takes time and money to get even the smartest and most experienced pros up to speed. 

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Of course, our organizations, our Heads, and our Boards would do well to keep us and keep us satisfied. (Are you hearing this, Heads and Board members?!) But because we’re all grownups here, we may need to take the initiative and care for some of our needs. We may need to be our own champions.  

In the end, the better the relationships you have with key volunteers, the smoother things will go all around. This important work will increase your own productivity and your ability to meet those sky-high goals. It will increase the retention of your best volunteers. This is for everyone’s sanity! It’s one of those super-rare win-win-wins.

How did your answers to the question compare with mine? I bet you’ve got some winning ways of your own for thanking your trustees! Please share. We all benefit from learning from one another.

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.

The post How Do We Thank Trustees? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted on February 12th, 2020

Are there downsides to having a donor (or two or three) who effectively secures our entire Annual Fund campaign each year? Or who provides most of our capital campaign (or major gifts program) giving? 

Does posing this question make me sound insane? I mean, why would we not want to have the extraordinary generosity of a family (or a few families) who save our bacon? Who make our schools’ dreams come true? Who are effectively our organizations’ best friends and saviors? 

For some of my readers, you’d welcome such a philanthropic investor in your fledging school or your stagnating giving program. I’ve been there. We’ve faced the very real question: who are we going to turn to to kick start this great idea? Or who can be an anchor that gives the rest of the Board or community the confidence to participate with their own stretch gifts? When we do have that person or family, our campaigns (annual or otherwise) are injected with some kind of secret sauce that enlivens our work as advancement professionals, brings relief to our Heads, CFOs and finance committees, and stacks up the odds of reaching – or (breathe! )– exceeding our goals. 

All true. But what I’ve also seen happen is that these lucky organizations risk becoming just a little lazy. We start taking their support a bit for granted. Like a reliable family member, we may begin to view this donor as a done deal. Someone we don’t need to work so hard for anymore. After all, they have told us we can count on that. But, like with our partners or parents or best friends, the relationships we enjoy with these philanthropic angels deserve nothing less than our very best work.

Because things can change. They always do. In a school, that angel may be a current parent. Someone who soon will become an alumni parent, slipping further away from the heartbeat that is the daily life of their child in our classrooms. Or maybe your angel donor is an alumna. Better for longevity, yes. But, as time goes on, she will have other and perhaps more compelling opportunities to make a difference in her world. After all, as I often remind my clients, generous people tend to be generous to several places. If we are doing our best work, we will remain the top one, two, or three priority for our angel. But we can’t count on it indefinitely. Stuff happens.

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During the uncertainty of the financial meltdown in 2008 and 2009, I heard from several lead donors that they needed to spread around their charitable resources to the many people recently out of work and struggling. Or following the devastation of a hurricane or wildfire, we may find our schools competing with far more urgent, and therefore, compelling needs in our communities. Like I said: nothing is certain. 

But even without a disaster, we need to be careful. I am reminded of a school where the top donor (and Board chair, bless him) served for close to twenty years in that role. Today, most of our bylaws would prevent that. But I can assure you the school benefited enormously from that unconventional arrangement. This good man and his very good wife transformed that school through their service and their philanthropy. When he finally stepped down, the dearth of leaders in waiting was appalling — but maybe not surprising. I mean, honestly, who could have possibly imagined filling his shoes? And the new chair was, well, lacking in all ways. It took time for them to “grow” their next good leader.

Another school I know has enjoyed the extraordinary generosity of a Board member. This person and her partner gave significantly to the capital campaign and they annually gave gifts five times larger than the next Board members and more than ten times greater than the average enrolled family. While that level of generosity is thrilling and so beautiful, it poses a risk. How will the school compensate for that support if (or when!) it goes away? What happens when the family eventually moves on philanthropically after her children graduate?  

So, yes, there are some dangers we face when blessed by an angel.  How to mitigate them? How to ensure, as best as we ever can, that we remain a top priority for these extraordinary people for as long as we can?  

The answer is simple, but not easy. For regular readers of my blog, you likely know what’s coming: Stewardship.  

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For our angels, as well as those angels in waiting, it is the regular, thoughtful, genuine expressions of gratitude and demonstrations of the impact of their giving that help us keep them close. Yes, we can ask them to serve on our Board (and ought to), get their advice (for sure), and invite them to every event, concert, or game (yea, ok). But let’s be clear: they likely have plenty of friends, other commitments, and endless cool things to attend. What we and we alone can do is provide them with the heartfelt proof of the ways their gifts are making a real difference to the people and programs they care about. Simple. But not easy. 

And there’s one more act of ultimate stewardship we can provide for these angels: we can show them, through our intentional and highly professional advancement program, that we are in fact identifying and cultivating their replacements. Gasp! Really!? Yep. If you don’t believe me, ask them.

Ask them what they would love to see, above all else. I betcha a nickel they’ll say they want to see us grow more leaders. Leaders want to lead. And without those coming up behind them, who are they leading? You can be confident that your angel sometimes worries in the privacy of her heart about what will happen to our fine schools when she is no longer able or, frankly, interested in continuing in her current role. 

Let’s get ahead of that. Let’s build an intentional pipeline of donors who could, if treated right, step into that top spot. Let’s build our budgets, office procedures, and calendars to keep cultivation and stewardship a priority. And let’s be sure to report to our angel what we are doing, every day, each year, to grow the pool of people who may, in time, join her. Or, someday, take her place. That is a true and lasting gift. Maybe the only one she really wants.

If you would benefit from some help creating an intentional cultivation and stewardship program, give me a call. As always, my door is open. We can do this, together.

barbara@barbarabarron.com

860-604-9081

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

I’ve been working in the field of Independent School Advancement for 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 Presidio Knolls School, San Diego French-American School, Julia Morgan School for Girls 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 better, together.

The post What Are the Dangers of Having an Angel Donor? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted September 6th, 2019

Imagine what goes on in the mind of a donor when he decides to make a big gift to your school…

Something got him amped up – maybe attending an event or reading about a recent accomplishment. Sometimes we know the moment that ignited this generous impulse because we ourselves created it. (Go us!) But many times, maddeningly, we don’t. Regardless, it’s a blessing, right?

So, he’s feeling the love and excitement about your school and its mission. He grabs his checkbook and – whappow! – sends off a nice gift. And this time? More than he usually gives. Like, twice as much!

He’s feeling good. He’s feeling like he did the right thing. And then…

Days go by. Three. Four. A week.

His feelings cool. He wonders if perhaps he ought to check to make sure you even received his gift. Checks his account online. Yep, the check was cashed. Huh.

No one calls. No one even shoots out a quick “Got it – thanks!” email.

His concern downshifts into disappointment. Maybe he feels a little bit irked.

Two weeks go by. Then, a response! A gift acknowledgment letter arrives in the mail. Hmm. Has all the telltale signs of a template. It’s… fine. It’s accurate, thank the goddess. But his emotional temperature is tepid at best. And in a few hours, it’s stone cold.

A sad story, isn’t it? And one that happens every day, to some donor, somewhere. But I don’t tell you this story to guilt you, dear reader, but to ask: how likely is it that this donor will renew this big contribution the next time you ask him for a gift?  Not.

Oh dear. Perhaps we should think of how to fix this…

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A radical approach would be to pick up the phone and, gulp, apologize. Admit you just saw how slow and inadequate your response was and promise to do better. And then, do better!

But for our purposes today,  let’s look at how we could have handled this situation differently. Let’s work to prevent this permanent stain on our relationship from ever happening.

Okay, back to the start.

Our donor, feeling good, writes our school a sizable check…

Two days later, you open the mail, see this significant increase, and immediately pick up the phone. Right? You don’t make an elaborate plan. You don’t “calendar this for next week.” You simply let the genuine emotion of the moment guide you. You do it even if it makes you a few minutes late for your next meeting. Priorities.

He answers! He’s surprised to hear from you so soon. Sounds kinda impressed, knowing how busy you are…

You tell him how much his support means and share a quick story of what happened at assembly that morning. He thanks you profusely for calling! He tells you he appreciates everything you’re doing for the school. It sounds like he might even be a little choked up…

(You sure are!)

The feelings that prompted his gift are affirmed. I’d hazard to say they’re amplified! Sure, he still gets his receipt a few days later. But instead of that cold and generic letter, it’s accompanied by a handwritten note from your Head of School. Or the Board Chair. Or both!

He’s still riding on the wave from your call. In fact, he told three friends and his daughter about it.

Now let me ask you the same question from before: how likely is it that this donor will renew this big contribution the next time you ask him for a gift? 

Exactly. 

There are “thank you’s” that are us merely going through the motions, and there are genuine and powerful expressions of our gratitude. Sometimes the distinction between them is simply a few extra minutes, and the intention to make a difference.

To press the point even further, I quote the late great Maya Angelou:

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Look, I get it.

As Advancement Professionals, there are dozens of tasks clamoring for our attention every minute of every day. Schools are hoppin’ places. That’s why we love them! But we can’t let the speed of things distract us from what’s important.

We are never too busy for the grateful phone call.

I’m going to say that again, in bold, so it registers:

You may be busy, but you are never too busy to make that call.

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Because that call was not only the right thing to do, it was also the most strategic thing to do. You increased that donor’s loyalty and potentially ensured an even larger gift later. It all adds up.

But I don’t want to end it there. Why? Because I don’t write this blog to only push a model of maximizing gifts, no matter what. That’s not me!

If you’re anything like me, you live to be part of that transformative moment when someone chooses to be generous.

But we may also share a weakness–it’s that we don’t tend to share these wonderful moments with the people who absolutely need to hear it the most: the Head of School and the Board Development Committee.

Why? Well, it feels like maybe we’re bragging…

It’s not! When we make a genuine connection with a donor – we better tell the people we’re held accountable to. We’re all trying to foster a culture of gratitude at our schools, and doing that means starting with ourselves, right?

After all — if you won’t tell them, who will?

Heck, after you tell them about the great work you’re doing, share it with me! We all could benefit from hearing a bit more good these days, right?

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 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 better, together.

The post What Should We Do When We Make a Donor Angry? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted April 10th, 2019

I’m a big believer in training. And practice.

I’ve written before about the importance of practicing how to ask for support. How we need to strike the right balance between being sharp and focused in our approach, but also relaxed and confident. And how that balance is best achieved by doing it, a lot.

For those of us with dozens or hundreds of asks under our belts, this is obvious. We have the experience. Experience, it turns out, leads to chops.

But what about our volunteers? They come to us with a deep love of the school and a generous intention to help us raise money. That’s beautiful! But typically, they come from other professional arenas. And therefore are rarely practiced in the art of soliciting for charitable gifts.

After all – asking for money is its own special little niche. And it generally terrifies even the boldest volunteers.

So how can we help them help us? How can we give them enough information and practice so they are at the very least, capable of this important and high stakes task?

And at best, are skillful, successful, and maybe – just maybe – might even enjoy doing it?

Here are some tips from the field:

Tip #1 – Educate, educate, educate.

About the project. About our case for support. About the possible obstacles we may face. But above all, about the massive benefits of the project. What does this project mean to the school? How will it enhance the program? How will it solve something? Or make delivering on the mission more attainable?

I’m not talking about the “features”: 15,000 square feet, 4 classrooms, blah, blah, blah. Fluency on those things is a requirement but most people need no training to get those committed to memory. What I’m saying is educate your volunteers on the impact of your project. Give them the vernacular so they can prosthelytize candidly. And not just to potential donors, but any John or Jane on the street.

And, no – it’s not enough to give them a print-out or an email. Really educating a volunteer means doing a bit of roleplay. You’ll both feel silly for fifteen minutes. But isn’t the project worth it?

#2 Give them skin in the game.

I’m not generally a sports analogy kind of person, and this one is especially masculine, but there is something palpable about this image.

Here’s what I mean. Our devoted, trained volunteers need to make their own commitment first — before they ask anyone else. And they need to take this a step further — they need to make their commitment a “stretch gift.”

Why? Because the very act of saying “I’m in” in such a big way suddenly makes th project personal. The volunteer is now invested.  And since they’ve stretched in making a commitment that is significant, meaningful – maybe even sacrificial – they can stand in a place of pure integrity when they say to a peer: “Join me. My family is making this a top priority and I’m asking you to do so, too.”

You’ll be amazed at how quickly this changes the way your volunteers engage with potential donors. It’s truly night and day.

#3 Write a script and take them through it.

Like I said above, it isn’t enough to send along an e-mail with these pointers, or simply forward this article. (As thankful as I’d be.)

In order to really prepare your volunteers, you have to practice with a script.

You will get all kinds of resistance to this. People will balk. They won’t be able to find the time! They’ll want to rush through it! It is on you, my friend, to push past their excuses, sit them down, and work on your message.

The act of rehearsing is uncomfortable – particularly for adults. And yet, that discomfort is where the power lies. It’s somewhere in the fumbling and stumbling that we learn. And keep getting better.

Here’s a way to lessen the blow. Set the example by role-playing with the Head of School or another practiced person first and let the volunteers watch. It’s important that afterward you don’t back down. You must make them do it themselves. They are only scared of looking foolish. But a tiny bit of ego-death is a small price to pay for your project truly soaring.

Acknowledge the awkwardness. The self-conscientious-ness. The weirdness of it all. But for goodness sake, keep going. The more they practice, the better you’ll all get. And the greater confidence they will develop.

Tip #4 – Require pre-game and post-game debrief sessions.

Okay, wow — not sure what’s happening to me with these sports metaphors, so I’m just going to breeze past them for now.

Just like the training sessions with the script, our wonderful volunteers will resist this idea, too. They’ll say it’s unnecessary. Or, again, be “too busy.” Just as a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, so, too, can a shallow depth of experience. This is crucial. Get them to agree to speak to you before and after each solicitation meeting. This way you can refresh the script, hand over key information about the prospect, and confirm who is playing which role in the conversation so that nobody steps on anyone’s toes. We’re going for coordinated, professional effort here.

The post-game debrief is also essential, and twice as likely to be blown off. But here’s why you should insist. This meeting may be the only time that you, as the Advancement Professional trying to coordinate this circus, can get the details on a pledge or payment plan or the needed follow up. The absolutely crucial “Action Plan.”

In my experience, rarely does a volunteer-led solicitation result in a firm pledge and clear plan forward. There are invariably loose ends and undocumented minutiae. So, since you’ll be handling those important pieces anyway, why not create – and insist upon – a system of “downloading the meeting” so that your helpful volunteer gets that info to you straight away.

Tip #5 – Steward everyone.

Last but not least, emphasize with your (now) highly-trained volunteer-solicitors the importance of steady, practiced, and extremely personalized stewardship. We simply cannot thank a potential donor enough, even if they don’t ultimately end up giving. Or giving as much as we hoped.

Make it easy for them. Hand over a stack of stamped note cards and ask your volunteers to write a “highly personalized” thank you note immediately after the solicitation. That very day, please. Be sure to let those volunteers know when the pledge they helped secure is finalized or paid so they can thank the donor again.

This is on you. Report progress. Give them credit. Thank them repeatedly. Never forget that your volunteers are also your donors. Stay positive and cheerful and patient, even when they are late or unresponsive. They will annoy and frustrate you. (This is unavoidable.) Never let them see those feelings. If you need to vent, e-mail me.

And there we have it. Five starter items to work with when training your volunteers. Is that everything you can do? Of course not. But it’s a start.

In the end, you might be able to raise all the money you need by yourself. Amazing. Or maybe you can do it with your professional team — headed by your Head of School. Also amazing.

But I will argue that there is a power in mobilizing volunteers. A benefit that feeds directly into a strong Culture of Philanthropy – which is something we should all be aiming towards.

So I do recommend it, if you are able to put in the time to do it right.

Take the time. Get the commitment for support from your Head of School. Sometimes it makes sense to bring in an outside consultant like myself to deliver some of this new information and conduct the initial training because we can say things you may not be at liberty to say. And, as an added perk, it frees you up to focus on your relationship with the volunteers as you steer the ship towards a successful conclusion of the project.

Then – let’s not forget – celebrate with them. Enjoy the moment. Everyone will be looking to you to set the tone. Do it.

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 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 San Diego French American School, Presidio Knolls, Woodside Priory, Sage Ridge and others. (Maybe we’ve met!)

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a struggling school start to thrive. I believe 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 Can We Train Volunteers To Be Superstars For Our Campaigns? 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 September 12th, 2018

Let me start this by asking you a question: how many big asks have you made today?

“Well, Barbara, I asked my favorite barista Chloe for a little less foam on my latte, and then I asked Jason to re-send that e-mail he sent yesterday because it didn’t show up…”

I’m being silly here. Clearly, I mean big, as in, important asks. How many times today have you picked up the phone and asked a parent to give?

I imagine that most of us would answer with a big fat goose egg. Which is okay, honestly. There are likely a dozen reasons why. I’m not here to judge. Really. Rather, I’d like to pose a question to you:

Why, even though it’s our job to raise money for our schools, do we spend much of our time not actually asking for donations?

The answer?

Because asking is hard.

That’s right. Asking is hard. It’s tough to put yourself out there. I love it, personally, but that doesn’t mean I think it’s easy.

Here’s the thing: we naturally avoid hard things in our day-to-day. It’s very easy to stack our agendas with everything but asking.

But asking is what we should be doing. You and I both know that.

So how do we make what is always going to be hard to do, a little less painful?

I believe the solution is always in approaching it with confidence.

“Okay, Barbara. I’ll agree that confidence would help, but I can’t just magically become more confident…”

Sure you can! And there’s only one way to do it.

Do it regularly.

The reason we feel unsure is that we are out of practice.

So start by resolving to make a call with an ask every morning.

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First thing you do after you’ve had your coffee and have your wits about you. Can’t be an email. Has to be a call.

Can you agree to that? Write it down on a post it. Slap it on the monitor.

One ask every morning

I’m going to double down here: Make the most important call first. Just do it. I bet you’ll ride the wave of energy from that for hours!

See, it’s not just the best part of the job, it’s the most effective part – even if you aren’t feeling it. In every profession, whether you’re a cop or an attorney or a dentist or an airline pilot – there are parts of the job that are routine and easy, and aspects of them that no layperson can really do. That’s what makes them professions. Right? Right.

So, for us development professionals, the hardest part of the job is the ask. The fear of rejection exists in all of us – even those who don’t outwardly show it.

But it’s also the job.

Sometimes it takes extraordinary circumstances to see where you really thrive. Several years ago I worked at a school and for about six months solid, we worked to complete a major capital campaign. During that period, I routinely had as many as three big asks a day. My Head of School felt like he was about to collapse, but I was buzzing – even during my off hours.

I discovered that that was my happy place. Which means that my sad place is a week with no solicitations scheduled. When I see the calendar with open terrain, my energy sinks.

The ask is the most honest and real moment we have in this work. It’s the moment we get to (hopefully) look into the eyes of people who already care about our school and connect.

Connect, not sell. We’re not salespeople. We don’t have to sell our schools and their programs to these fine folks. We meet with people who are already believers. The hard work of touching their hearts has already been done. By our teachers. Coaches. Advisors.

Our job, in advancement, is to translate the feelings our supporters have into action. We give believers the opportunity to express their support in the form of a money gift.

We don’t create the feelings. We simply help others put them into fruitful action.

Yum.

“Hmm. That’s beautiful, Barbara. But that doesn’t make the morning ask any easier…”

Sure it does!

Because in those breathless moments before your donor arrives, or as the phone rings, you can tell yourself: “I’m about to have a conversation with someone who believes in my school as much as I do.”

That’s all you’re doing: having a conversation with an intent to collaborate.

That sounds like a fun bit of ego-less problem-solving! A way to connect with someone right after breakfast!

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I’ve written previously about how some of the lessons they teach in improv comedy are helpful for our profession. And you’ve no doubt read (or heard of) Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success and heard of the 10,000-hour rule. What’s the overlap, here?

You have to do the hard thing a lot to become a master at it, to harness your fear of it and turn it into power.

Think Stephen Curry shooting 3 pointers until his arms feel like lead.

Or Yoyo Ma, going over the same arpeggios for hours every day.

If you’re feeling really out of practice, which can happen after a day or two of not making any big asks, practice with your team. They might find the request strange – but they shouldn’t. Practice in a no-fail environment first, then take your act on the road.

Take 15 minutes at a Development Committee meeting or (even better) Trustee meeting and lead a practice session for them. Have them ask the person next to them for $5,000 for the Annual Fund.

Need a script or some talking points? Here you go:

1. Tell the person next to you about the specific program/initiative at your school that excites you most.

2. Explain why. (This should be easy.)

3. Follow up with: “So many people feel like you do about [that program/initiative.] Would you consider joining us with a gift of $5,000 to support its successful launch?”

4. Now, wait. In silence.

From that point on, instinct will take over.

Do that a couple of times. Do it in pairs. Then switch partners.

Heck, I’ll do you one better. If you, your Head, or one of your trustees, is feeling less than confident, maybe even a bit intimidated to ask for a gift for your school, I volunteer to practice with you over the phone.

I write this because I love my professional community, and I’m always happy to talk to a member of it. Even a total stranger!

Here’s how it’ll work: you have my e-mail and phone number and Twitter handle. Reach out via whichever method you like, and we’ll set up a 15-minute call in the next few days. (Obviously not if it’s a major holiday, yada yada, etc.)

We’ll shoot the stuff for a few minutes, then roleplay your big ask a few times.

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? I can’t wait.

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. I’m sure 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 Can We Get Better at Asking Parents for Gifts? appeared first on Barbara Barron.

by Barbara Barron | Posted April 11th, 2018

Got a little war story for you.

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 year and a generous six-figure gift early in our capital campaign. They hosted a wonderful cultivation event for us, and Alison was clearly interested in a volunteer leadership opportunity.

In other words, the boxes were ticked with this couple.

We invited them to meet to thank them for their generosity but also to discuss their ongoing support for the school. So, no surprises, no hidden agendas. (Hate those. Don’t do those.)

Oatmeal and coffee on the table, my Head of School began with the important thank you for their previous and ongoing support. As we’d agreed ahead of time, he handed off to me to ask them to consider a second gift to the campaign.

“We’re hoping you can consider a gift in the $500,000 range,” I said.

Picture this: Greg is sitting next to Alison. The Head of School and I are sitting across the table. As soon as I said that gift amount, Greg nods, then reaches over and zips his wife’s Prada purse closed.

All the air left my Head of School’s body. I literally felt him slump in his chair next to me.

The meaning of that gesture was not lost on any of us. Even if it was a joke, the message it sent wasn’t. Felt like we’d asked enough, but the donor was closed for business.

(And, of course, it was lost on absolutely no one that it was a $20,000 purse he had ceremoniously zipped shut, thank you very much.)

I felt such terrible feeling in my gut. As an advancement pro, I’m used to being rejected in every way imaginable. That’s the job. But there’s something about being rejected with the Head of School present that feels entirely different than a “no thanks” or a “not now”.

With the Head of School there, the stakes feel so, so, so much higher.

Betcha you have some wars stories, too.

When everything is pulled off perfectly, and you and your Head of School step into those special moments feeling prepared and calm as cucumbers — when you walk away with more than you were hoping for, you’ve never felt closer. Your bond has been forged in the heat of the moment!

And conversely, when you march your Head of School into an unmitigated disaster that is a waste of your Head’s precious time, there’s really no worse feeling in the world. Not only do you feel like you’ve left your Head of School down, you feel like you’ve let your school down. Maybe you feel like this isn’t the right job for you, after all. Like anyone could do this job better… Spiral!

Occasionally, there’s little we can do as advancement pros to change the underlying dynamics of this work. There’s a roller coaster of success and failure is built into the profession, and the sooner we acknowledge that reality, the better off we are.

That said, we CAN practice stewardship with our Head of School, very much in the same way that we practice stewardship with our donors, our faculty, and our staff. In other words, we can manage up.

I’ve put together a few tips that I believe will help foster that feeling of mutual trust and admiration between you and your Head of School.

Seven Ways to Foster an Amazing Professional Partnership with Your Head of School

1. Make your Head of School look good.
Always. Be prepared. Do your homework and make sure your Head has all the available info prior to any ask. If the propsects say no, at least it won’t be because you botched the prep.

2. No surprises!
I learned this from my first Head of School. If you get wind of something, make sure they hear about it from you.

3. Good news first; bad news immediately.
This may be a corollary to #2. When you get a nice donation or a sweet note from a donor, share it first with your Head. It might be just the thing they need to rebound from a challenging meeting.  Share the good. But even more importantly, give them bad news right away. Don’t sit on it, hoping it’ll fade. Get out of your chair and go knock on the door. Best is face to face.

4. Develop an early warning system.
Make sure you know who is coming to the event. Give your Head a cheat sheet. But then stick close by. Remember the scene in “The Devil Wears Prada” (ha! another Prada reference!) when Miranda Priestly blanks on the name of a VIP and Andy (her beleaguered 2^nd assistant) pulls it out in the nick of time? Be Andy.

5. Do the heavy lifting.
Maybe it’s drafting a first pass at an important thank you letter when your Head is especially pressed for time. Or apologizing early for a mistake made in your department so it never escalates. Or redirecting an ask that’s going off the rails. (Once my Head got so caught up thanking the donors that he said (and I kid you not), “You’ve been so great — I couldn’t possibly ask for more.” To which, I quipped, “Well, he can’t but I will!”. Big laugh. And a second gift. Save.

6. Be the cheerleader
Especially in the 4^th quarter. For many of us, that means the spring. When everyone is tired, your Head may be feeling discouraged, and you’ve already asked nearly everyone you have. Stay positive. Stay at it. I’ve had some fantastic success in May and June. How about you?

7. Take care of yourself.
Dip into the pools of support you have among your team, your colleagues, your friends, and families. Have a laugh. Or take a walk. Replenish your own source, however you do that.

Want to print those out? I’ve got you covered. You can download it here.

Remember: in the end, this is the long game. Overused but true: its a marathon, not a sprint.

Our Heads may not acknowledge this as often as they should (hear that, dear Heads reading this?) but our professional partnership with them is actually essential to their success. Without us working with them, it’s much harder to keep a school advancing its mission. We don’t just keep the laser focused, we also provide a good share of the resources to keep it powered on.

So I’m sure you’re wondering at this point…

“Barbara, what happened with the zipped Prada purse? The story didn’t just end with him zipping it up, did it?”

It didn’t.

Here’s what happened. After Greg made his move, my Head of School and I each took a deep breath. I asked again.

Why? Because they hadn’t said no. I explained where we were in the campaign. We talked about ways they could leverage their gift to motivate other families who saw them as leaders. They could help us finish strong. We explored a role Alison could play in our upcoming gala. We found a way forward.

And, in the end, their gift was the centerpiece of our record-breaking event. Alison went on to serve on the Board for years to come.

It easily could have gone another way, friends. But it didn’t because, in part, I had practiced the daily ritual of stewardship with my Head of School, and when the moment came to be tested, we had the trust in one other to persevere.

It’s beautiful work that we do, friends. Thank you for what you’re doing every day.

And just because it’s fun to occasionally take a break, blow off steam, and swap crazy stories, I invite you to do so here. Yours may be just the thing someone else needs to hear today.

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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