Keep Calm and Carry On!
Agenda

May 9, 2019 | Canterbury School

8:15am         Continental Breakfast 

8:45am         Registration and Affinity Groups

9:30am         Welcome and Gathering Activity

9:45am         Keynote: Staying Calm in the Face of Chaos | Kivi Leroux Miller: author, blogger, and CEO/founder of Non-Profit Marketing Guide
Advancement work is always a bit chaotic by nature. But that doesn't mean it can't also be well-planned, strategic, and effective. During this presentation, Kivi Leroux Miller, author of CALM not BUSY: Managing Your Nonprofit's Communications for Great Results, will discuss how to take a CALM approach to your communications -- to be more Collaborative, Agile, Logical and Methodical. By focusing on the communications processes and culture at your school, you'll get better work done more quickly with more meaningful results.  

11:00am       Break

11:15am       Breakout Session I | Select One:

Choosing the Right Social Platforms and Strategies for Your School | Kivi Leroux Miller, Non-Profit Marketing Guide
If you simultaneously feel like social media is extremely important to your communications plan but also the biggest waste of your time, you aren't alone. Social media is important, but it's also a dangerous black hole that can eat all of your time if you are not clear about its purpose. During this session, we'll talk about how to make the right decisions for your school about which social media platforms you use and how you use them. 

Navigating Current Legal Issues in Admissions | Lisa Gordon Stella, Stella Law
This session will cover recent trends in the application of federal law to independent schools. Topics will include the Americans with Disabilities Act, Federal anti-discrimination laws, diversity/inclusion, and record keeping/confidentiality. Audience participation and questions are strongly encouraged.

Alumni Giving: Expanding our Lens | Phil Higginson, Ravenscroft
Parents of alumni are key to both development and admission work. Join this session for a lively dialogue about ways to engage both alumni and their families and consider instituting Loyalty Societies at your school.

From Boomers to Millennials: Marketing and Fundraising for Today's Parents | Penny Rogers, ISM
As private-independent school marketing professionals welcome the first waves of millennial parents into their multigenerational target audience, they find themselves in a marketing quandary. How do they continue to connect to the last waves of baby boomers while meeting the marketing and communications needs of the newest generation of private-independent school parents? Understand what motivates the enrollment and philanthropic decisions of baby boomers, Generation X, and millennials. Learn how to segment your approach to boost your appeal to all three generations of parents by creating a multi-layered marketing strategy.

Listening and Communicating Purposefully | Scott Rempe, Excalibur Direct Marketing
Have you ever heard someone say that they were a good listener and thought, “No you’re not!” Like many skills, you have to be intentional to be a good listener.

What do great listeners do that others don’t? How can you convey to someone that they have been heard…and more importantly, understood? How does your body language communicate or impact your ability to listen? What should you observe when you are the listener? Are you O.K. with a “pause” during a conversation, or does that feel uncomfortable to you? This interactive session will focus on providing you with the tools to improve your overall communication skills both internally and externally.       

Beyond Wine and Gossip: Parent Volunteerism as a Key to Advancement and Retention | Jill Goodman, Jill Goodman Consulting
Engaged and active parent volunteers benefit every aspect of an independent school. They provide leadership, organization, and man/woman power for fundraising events, enrollment ambassador programs, and community building initiatives. Volunteers tend to make monetary donations to the school at a higher rate than their less engaged counterparts and are less likely to consider attrition when minor difficulties arise. So, why do faculty and administration (and some parents) cringe when the topic of the Parents Association comes up? In this workshop we will identify the disconnect between what motivates parents and what motivates the school staff in regard to parent involvement. We will explore the myths and realities of recruiting, managing, and stewarding effective parent volunteers and the staff members who rely on them. Through hands-on activities and sharing, participants will learn how to evaluate each program that involves parent volunteers for mission and brand alignment. Schools can conquer the divide through key tenets of respect driven management.

12:15pm         Lunch

1:00pm    Cohort Group Sessions

Marketing/PR
More Than Just a Makeover: Building a Brand that Drives Enrollment | Lizzie Lithgow, Underscore Branding and Ashleigh O’Rourke, Walsingham Academy
The brand of an independent school is more than a logo and a tagline. It is the public-facing expression of its mission, its values and its character. Perceptions about a school will be made early, based on the depth, quality and sincerity of a school's brand, and prospective families will factor this expression into their decision-making. This session will explore approaching a school's rebranding efforts with an eye towards driving enrollment, with a look at the creation of The Walsingham Way.

Admissions
Drive Word-of-Mouth Marketing with an Exceptional Parent Ambassador Program
 | Penny Rogers, ISM
Most of your new families probably find your school through word-of-mouth referrals. Happy parents and students share their experiences, bringing more mission-appropriate families into your office. So are you taking full advantage of word-of-mouth marketing by formalizing your Parent Ambassador program?

Whether you’re a single-administrator shop or an experienced professional with a large staff, you can’t afford to miss out on this powerful marketing strategy that connects your school’s mission directly to student and parent testimony. Explore new ideas for launching a Parent Ambassador program, or bolstering your existing program to give it even greater reach. Discover how developing and strengthening a well-trained volunteer network extends your influence into many neighborhoods, resulting in valuable referrals and inquiries.

Development
The Why and How of Leadership Giving: Why it is Important and How to Get it Done!  | Brook Wingate, Center for Creative Leadership
We all want strong leadership giving campaigns, but how do you get started? If you already have some elements in place, how do you keep excitement going and recruit more leaders? And how do volunteers and parents fit in? Come learn best practices and brainstorm with colleagues to create a campaign that is effective and fun!

2:15pm         Break

2:30pm         Breakout Session II | Select One

Full Enrollment Starts Within: Keep the Families You Have | Penny Rogers, ISM
If your school’s enrollment is stagnant or declining, you may find yourself dumping all of your resources into advertising, external marketing, and recruiting new students to boost your numbers. And while bringing in new students is important to healthy enrollment, the best place to start is at home.

This session will examine the importance of re-recruitment and word-of-mouth marketing and will focus on developing a collaborative Enrollment Management Team that works to build both. This session will also include strategies and tactics that are proven to increase your retention rates, no matter the size or structure of your school.

Navigating Current Legal Issues in Admissions | Lisa Gordon Stella, Stella Law
This session will cover recent trends in the application of federal law to independent schools. Topics will include the Americans with Disabilities Act, Federal anti-discrimination laws, diversity/inclusion, and record keeping/confidentiality. Audience participation and questions are strongly encouraged. 

Listening and Communicating Purposefully |  Scott Rempe, Excalibur Direct Marketing
Have you ever heard someone say that they were a good listener and thought, “No you’re not!” Like many skills, you have to be intentional to be a good listener. What do great listeners do that others don’t? How can you convey to someone that they have been heard…and more importantly, understood? How does your body language communicate or impact your ability to listen? What should you observe when you are the listener? Are you O.K. with a “pause” during a conversation, or does that feel uncomfortable to you? This interactive session will focus on providing you with the tools to improve your overall communication skills both internally and externally.       

Alumni Engagement 101 | Jill Goodman, Jill Goodman Consulting
At many independent schools the alumni represent the lion’s share of philanthropic giving to both the annual fund and special campaigns. For schools without a formal alumni program or hiring their first dedicated alumni engagement director, knowing where to start can be a daunting proposition. With the collected wisdom of 10 schools located across the country and in the UK, participants will learn where to focus their energy and the most important elements of creating an alumni program that will engage and resonate with their school’s alumni. The session will explore proven methods to connect with alumni that graduated in 8th grade and those that graduated in 12th, and expectations that alumni have for their alma mater.

Storytelling for Impact: Reinvigorate Your Annual Campaign through Stories | Brook Wingate, The Center for Creative Leadership
Stories can capture hearts and drive donations. How do you craft the story of your work? What are the critical elements of a good story? Learn how to use storytelling to show impact and have the opportunity to work on your own story.

3:30pm         Adjourn

Click HERE for a printable agenda

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