How a board member's idea turned into a hallmark (and manageable!) summer internship program run by alumni for our students. This will be a discussion on the opportunities and challenges of starting an internship program and what the path looked like for The Kinkaid School.

Delve into the vital role of immersive storytelling, long-term vision, emotional buy-in, and innovative marketing driven by vision-based strategies. Discover the captivating magic that arises when these elements converge, creating powerful brand experiences that leave an indelible mark on how people view your school. Understand the significance of defining your school's brand in the Independent Schools Market, recognizing its role in driving success, differentiation, and long-term sustainability.

Great video does not have to come with a hefty price tag or an experienced on-staff producer. There are many things that anyone with a smartphone and a few low-cost tools can accomplish to build your message and form a meaningful connection with your audience. In this fun and informative session, you will learn a variety of no-cost to low-cost tips that can improve the quality of your in-house video productions, as well as some general tips that can also get more bang for the buck when working with pros.

For the past two-plus years at Brooklyn Friends School, "Arti-Facts"—a short story about an aspect of our school's history—has anchored our digital, weekly newsletter. Each week "Arti-Facts" looks back at a moment in time from BFS' history and is written in a very light-hearted, but informational way. This has caught on very well with our entire community. The main goal is to be able to share key moments in our school's history—which dates back to 1867—and put a spin on the story that applies, and relates, to today's families. These subject of these stories range from former students, colleagues, moments in time, the buildings our school occupies, etc. It is a great way to share history of the school with our current families and alums in a very approachable way. This session will demonstrate how pieces of your school's history are still relevant today and how the past often ties together with the present. How you can define their school's current mission, using past events and moments, without that event or moment defining who the school is. In other words, the event, person, or moment is critical to the story being told, but not necessarily to the outcome and the end result of the message you are trying to get across. This session is intended to be interactive—to help all school's tell their great stories—past and present.

In the realm of philanthropy and fundraising, the concept of annual giving often brings to mind individual contributions. However, the success of an annual giving program is increasingly reliant on the collaborative efforts of various stakeholders. This session explores the idea of annual giving as a team sport, where the synergy between donors, volunteers, staff, and the broader community drives a shared mission forward and makes game-winning shots. By examining Westminster’s annual fund program and strategies, this session will shed light on the importance of fostering a collective mindset engaging all participants in the journey of philanthropy, and share tactics for how to develop an integrated fundraising and marketing strategy to increase donor acquisition and meet campaign goals.

We face a lot of challenges as we compete for the attention of our constituents. How is it possible to cut through the noise to not only capture constituents’ attention, but engage them in a way that causes them to take action? This session will explore how easy it can be to elevate your school’s engagement with a few simple steps to amplify your message. We'll share how our team uses personal outreach, events, print materials, digital communication, and social media to create epic experiences.

Creating a motivated and excited community of donors doesn’t have to be difficult.

Though your constituents contain a wide group of ages, genders, ethnicities, and relationships to your institution, not every initiative needs to appeal to them all. That’s why you need a set of strategies as diverse as your base. Join us and learn how Proctor Academy built their calendar of events and initiatives to appeal to specific donor-groups. With four major events and appeals, both in-person and online, from an Annual Golf Tournament to their 1848 Giving Challenge, Proctor was able to meet and exceed their participation and annual fund goals and you can too.

With a new outlook on fundraising and engagement your school is a mindset shift away from replicating the success seen by Proctor Academy.

In today's digitally driven world, effective school marketing has transcended traditional methods and embraced the power of online platforms. "From Hashtags to High Enrollments: Digital-First School Marketing" is a dynamic session designed to equip educators, administrators, and communications professionals with the strategies and tools needed to harness the potential of digital marketing for boosting enrollment, enhancing brand presence, and meeting advancement goals. This interactive workshop will delve into the intricacies of crafting compelling content, leveraging social media, and optimizing digital channels to drive engagement, increase enrollment, and strengthen community connections. Join us to unlock the potential of digital-first marketing and discover how to transform digital strategies into measurable action items that can boost enrollment and fundraising, elevating your school's visibility and reputation in the digital realm.

Quality communications work resonates with a broad swath of constituents and brings everyone into the conversation - it makes everyone feel included. How often, though, have you crafted a social media campaign, a print magazine, an admission or marketing piece, a video, only to hear from your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging team that you shouldn't use it? Or even worse, you didn't ask them for feedback and ended up hearing from a segment of your community that you missed the mark and possibly alienated a group of families or alumni? When the DEI and Communications offices hold up mirrors to each other's programs, it supports a culture of belonging. In this session, we will discuss not only the importance of fully integrating a DEI lens into your communications work, but best practices for creating a culture that allows both programs to thrive.