Scripting the Flip

Join Caroline A. Wanga, Chief Executive Officer of ESSENCE and Chief Growth Officer for ESSENCE Ventures as she leads participants on Scripting the Flip, an approach to identifying how to make impact. It is intended to unveil what sits within the realm of personal influence by empowering individuals to create a moment of change, agnostic of whether there is a movement of change on the things that matter to them.

Advancing education to transform lives and society requires bold and collaborative leadership in our schools and communities. Yet, we often don’t learn and practice the leadership competencies necessary for us to be successful in our advancement work. This hands-on session will facilitate leadership development based on best practice research on adult learning, individual experience with professional challenges, and leadership principles that are known to transcend specific contexts and circumstances. After engaging in a series of learning activities with colleagues from other schools, participants will walk away with new strategies that enable them to successfully lead with agility, nuance, and confidence. This session is open to all participants and is specially designed for those in leadership positions.

The co-founders of the Black Advancement Networking Group (BANG), a New York-based organization dedicated to supporting and uplifting Black professionals in advancement roles in independent schools return this year with a session on how advancement and communications professionals can effectively address substantial and sustained objections to equity work at independent schools throughout the country.

In the wake of the Black@ movement, independent schools publicized their DEIB initiatives and the ways in which they addressed systemic racism within their curricula. This was met with pushback in the national press, led to the creation of organizations specifically designed to combat this work, and has placed boards, administrators and teachers on the hot seat. Come to this session to learn what to say -- and what not to say -- when you're challenged with such common objections as “all of this race talk has gone too far” or “this is teaching children what to think and not how to think.” Understand how to approach these conversations with empathy and active listening - and how to challenge incorrect statements without leaving your conversational partner angry or on the defensive.

Join us to review the updated Schools' Pulse Survey on Annual Giving in FY21, as well as other surveys from the past year. Explore with independent schools leaders what the data mean for us right now and what they may – or may not – tell us for the future. As an update to our Spring 2021 content, we will take a critical look at what’s happening around the country in annual giving and parent and alumni participation. We will also look at both anecdotal and statistical trends that will likely impact advancement work in the next 12-18 months.