Independent schools are facing a new landscape punctuated by rapid changes in the demographic, economic, and social composition of their student and parent populations. New forms of competition have also emerged providing alternative options for high-quality education. The COVID-19 pandemic and many overlapping crises over the past few years have added an additional layer of complexity to the job, resulting in emotional and physical strain for some school leaders. What skills do independent schools leaders need to succeed in today’s environment? What does the leadership pipeline look like? This session will explore national trends in leadership, key needs of today’s heads, and strategies to support leaders.

Schools, by their nature, are cyclical. Seasons ebb and flow, and life begins again with each academic—and fiscal!—year. In Advancement circles, nowhere is this more apparent than in the Annual Fund, which, as its name suggests, happens year in and year out—for better and for worse, a tradition in its own right.

But how much of your Appeal remains unchanged year over year? How much time do you invest in campaign development with so much already on our Annual Giving plates?

The Appeal is one of the most easily-overlooked elements of an Annual Fund but arguably one of the most important… It not only sets the tone for the year but also—in its ideal form—efficiently and effectively conveys a unique case for giving that resonates with parents, alumni, faculty, and friends.

Kickstart your Annual Fund Appeal by exploring the basic principles of concept-development and copy-writing (don’t be boring!), considering organizational theory (what is mimetic isomorphism, and what does it have to do with me?), and reflecting on the unique value proposition and differentiating factors of your own institution (what sets us apart?) to build a fun (and functional!) Appeal that keeps your Annual Fund fresh and your community connected.

A strong relationship between school revenue leaders—directors of advancement, enrollment, and finance—is essential for a school’s financial health. Termed “The Golden Triangle,” these three offices need to have meaningful and long-term conversations to address challenges and align priorities while generating and sustaining the revenues that serve as the school’s primary engine of financial health. In this interactive panel, participants will discuss ways in which the philanthropy, finance, and enrollment teams can come together to generate deeper engagement and higher overall revenue. Taking an integrated and collaborative approach leads to better outcomes across the board for the school. Engage in conversation and take away specific examples of ways that your school can thrive with an expanded partnership. This panel will also include an “ask the experts” session during which you can workshop ideas you have for your school or ask for ideas about how to solve external affairs issues.

Does your school have a small advancement team or feel under-resourced? And still, you have competing priorities and expectations that leave you wondering how it will all get done. In this session you will learn the 5 Essential Questions to help frame your departmental goals and eliminate demands on your time and resources that do not forward the mission. Learn how to prioritize high-impact advancement actions without increasing your staff and budget, and how to say “No”. You will leave with actionable steps to implement the most effective strategies with a small team by removing roadblocks, prioritizing the work, and gaining the courage to do it differently.

Alumni engagement. These two words excite some and frustrate others in the ongoing quest to foster connections between alumni and their alma maters. Come to this session to hear from a diverse panel of Black alumni from across the decades about their interests and concerns and how their school experiences inform their interactions.

Opportunity abounds when there is transition in the corner office at independent school. The chance to bid farewell to an outgoing head of school is an opportunity for engaging current and past VIPs, for a community to celebrate the accomplishments of an era, and - via fundraising - for the creation of a lasting legacy to someone who has carried the organization forward. Along a parallel track, the announcement and arrival of a new head is a chance to nurture key donor relationships, to piggyback special events and fundraising appeals on the excitement that corresponds with new leadership and, if needed, to reset the orientation between a head of school and its development program.Of course none of these opportunities happen without thorough planning and coordination between development leadership, the incoming and outgoing heads of school, the Board, and the administration.

Join us to look at high-level insights from the new advancement data collection in DASL for FY 2022 as part of the CASE-NAIS data partnership. This session will highlight how CASE Insights data, standards, and research can help independent schools and advancement professionals make data-informed decisions and achieve their goals. We will review changes made in data collection, share lessons learned, and discuss what you can do now to be prepared for next year. While an in-depth analysis of philanthropic data will be available during the spring of 2023, we will bring you the hot-off-the-presses look at initial findings for independent school fundraising.

The talent game has changed. Pre-COVID, the answers to our challenges were difficult, but for the most part tangible. Today demand and supply of talent remains a challenge, but there are more caveats—diversity in an arena where we have little, culture when we work in different places, remote leadership when you have never done so before, all the while facing escalating fundraising deliverables. Come learn how the best of the past can help us create new solutions for our new reality.