School Endowments are established to ensure a perpetual source of support to serve this mission. Its funds provide access to an exceptional education for resolute students from all social and economic backgrounds, attract world-class educators and scholars, and support the development of leading-edge educational opportunities. As a reliable pool of funds, the endowment enables independent schools to meet budgetary obligations when other sources of revenue fluctuate.

Gifts to the endowment are particularly vital to every independent school. When donors give to the endowment, they create an enduring legacy—because endowed gifts exist in perpetuity. When the gift is invested, the principal value is never touched, and an established percentage of the income is distributed annually for use by the school. Over time, each gift grows in value, providing increasing resources in future years. The sustained benefit of a gift to the endowment far exceeds its original value. The long-term impact of support is immeasurable.

In this presentation the presenter will explore with participants how to define endowment, drafting a sound investment policy, traditional vs progressive endowment investing strategies. A discussion of spending policy, to understand how a school may stabilize annual spending levels as well as achieve intergenerational neutrality by preserving the real value of the endowment portfolio over time. To achieve these two objectives, it is critical that spending policy addresses a long-term targeted spending rate combined with a smoothing rule to adjusts spending gradually when there are changes in the endowment market value. Transparency of investment policy is critical for today’s donors

Finally, the presenter will discuss with participants a comprehensive look at stewarding endowment donors from working with the business office and communicating to donors both the qualitative and quantitative elements of a donor’s endowment. Additionally, you will gain an understanding marketing strategies to engage donors, development strong gift acceptance polices and discussing different endowment vehicles such as endowed funds vs academic chairs and the pitfalls with different fund vehicles and initiating gift levels to establish an endowed fund.

Managing people is hard work! WIth the busy hustle and bustle of our workdays, we often get bogged down in people management or worse, we ignore it all together focusing only on the fundraising goals in front of us. Join this presentation to learn more about what it takes to build a high functioning Advancement Team of all sizes. The presenter will not pretend to know everything but rather share some tactics, stories, highs (and lows), and encourage group participation. This will be a safe space to grow, learn, and share together how to be more impactful managers and how to become even better leaders.

Ursuline Academy's Alumnae Association dates back to 1899; their Alumnae Office to 1982. Longevity does not necessarily equate success though. Under the leadership of Claire Webb for the past decade, Ursuline's intentional and strategic approach to alumnae engagement has seen great success in increasing Engagement Metrics to more than half of their 10,000 living graduates. Learn about the strategy behind their shift in communications, programs, and events and take away concrete examples you can tailor for your own institution.

Too often, the fundraisers and team members with the best track records are promoted into management without training and support. We will discuss successful team management: how to build great teams; manage high and low performers; have a flexible/hybrid office, and create an individualized coaching approach that maximizes each team member's highest and best use. Managers need to adjust their approach to meet the changing expectations and behaviors of employees rather than expecting employees to change. Team members are also welcome to join to learn what to expect from management.

Launching a successful campaign requires more than just a compelling cause—it demands a coordinated effort across your entire institution to build and sustain momentum. This session explores how to unite your entire school—from board members and administrators to faculty and staff—in cultivation, a critical strategy to lay the groundwork for success. Participants will gain practical insights on how to orchestrate multiple touch points effectively, enhance relationship-building efforts, and navigate the complex, often years-long process of securing transformational gifts.

Could this be what your Head of School is thinking when tasked to take on a campaign? Heads are expected to be motivational leaders, innovative thinkers, investors in the school’s mission and culture…and they are often charged with also leading a campaign early in their tenure.

The magnitude and pace of philanthropic giving are amplified when the school’s top leader becomes its top philanthropy champion. But what does that look like? How does a head of school leverage their academic expertise to lead a major fundraising initiative?

In this session, Karen and Emilie will discuss the foundational elements of campaigns, explain why the head of school has a critical role in each, and outline how you can support their success in this role. They will explore:

• Planning and executing a campaign
• Developing a compelling case for support
• Building an engaged board
• Working with donors

Throughout the presentation, they will share information learned from their collective work with more than 50 schools and from information shared directly from heads who are new to this work. Karen has counseled schools across the country on campaigns ranging from $30 million to $250 million and worked with many heads who were preparing for their first campaign. Throughout Emilie’s career, she has worked with heads of schools to create a deep appreciation for philanthropy within the leadership team and across the school community. Their insights and real-world examples will provide actionable strategies for elevating the head’s role in the school’s philanthropic endeavors.

Learn how a largely new advancement team takes a disciplined and collaborative approach to securing principal gifts. This will be a case study highlighting how one school secures 7 and 8 figure gift commitments. Get an inside look at how we leverage our colleagues in advancement services, major gifts, the head of school, and board chair to engage an individual donor at the highest level.

Annual Fund success comes in many shapes and forms but we all face the same challenges of getting full parent participation. In this session you will learn from the Chinese American International School, based in San Francisco, how they achieve 96-98% participation year over year. Tangible action steps will be shared on how your school can achieve full school participation in your annual fund along with a plan to increase new parent giving and leadership giving.

When your Legacy or Planned Gift Program Team is small (or just you!), you need a clear plan and realistic strategies to be successful. In this session, participants will be guided through an effective, affordable, and easy-to-implement 12-month plan that identifies goals, objectives, and collaborative action steps that lead to new and well-stewarded legacy or blended-gift donors for their school. Content examples will focus on alumni engagement and how partnering with your alumni relations colleagues is the key to reaching (and surpassing!) your fundraising goals.

Dive into the dynamic world of data-driven storytelling with Katy Steventon, Director of Marketing and Engagement at Rugby School.

This engaging session is tailored specifically to those looking to level up their digital storytelling and engagement strategies at their schools, and will showcase:

How to leverage tracking software;
Using Google Analytics to learn and understand your audience;
The importance of split testing your content and comms;
How to optimize social media posts and other digital content.

The session will also include information on what key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics are most important to track when implementing these strategies. Katy will use real-world examples throughout the session from her time spent working in the education sector and beyond.

Don’t miss the chance to discover practical techniques to refine your storytelling approach and boost engagement in your school community!