Schools Conference, 15-16 May 2022
As of 8 March 2023. This schedule is subject to change.
The Schools Conference is dedicated to advancement professionals from K-12 schools. Learn from fellow peers and speakers in the region and beyond through various sessions covering four main tracks: Alumni and Community Engagement, Fundraising, Leadership and Marketing and Communications. Get inspired at the plenaries and exchange best practices at roundtable discussions.
Important Note: The Schools Conference will run concurrently with Road Map to Advancement, Leadership Forum and Deep Dive into Advancement Services on 16 May 2023.
Monday, 15 May - Grand Hyatt Melbourne
|
Time |
Programme |
|
7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
CASE Registration and Hospitality Desk |
|
8:00 a.m. |
Registrations Mayfair 1 Ballroom Foyer, Level 8 |
|
9:00 a.m. |
Welcome to Country and Opening Plenary |
| 10:30 a.m. |
Coffee and Conversation Mayfair 2 Foyer, Level 8 |
|
11:00 a.m. |
Concurrent Sessions 1
Alumni & Community Engagement Track Connecting Alumni - Connecting Our Community The start of a pandemic might not be the ideal time to launch an alumni network for a private K-12 international school in China. But within three short years, Beijing City International School has developed a thriving global network of alumni who actively engage with one another, and have enriched the life and reputation of the school. Learn how one novice alumni relations officer with a small budget adopted innovative and agile strategies, overcame strict COVID-19 lockdowns, to build an alumni network that connects and strengthens the community. The speakers will share creative strategies that have proven to be effective and invite you to share strategies that work for your school. Experience Level: Level 1 – Early Career, Level 2 – Emerging Early Career, Level 3 – Practicing/maturing Mid-Career Speakers: Phil Clark, Director of Communications, Beijing City International School and Gaia Zhao, Alumni Relations Officer, Beijing City International School
Fundraising Track Engage Your Community with Pioneering Philanthropy Projects Find out how one international school transformed their community engagement through philanthropy projects honouring their host country culture. A surprise gift of 204 Vietnamese cultural and historic artefacts from 13 of the country’s 54 ethnic groups to the United Nations International School of Hanoi launched an award-winning project which resulted in a first-of-its-kind on-campus museum—the Cultural Collection, which provides a rich learning resource to explore the Vietnamese heritage. Inspired by its success, the school developed a UNIS Botanical Garden of indigenous plants, partnering with a national institute and supported through community philanthropy. These projects, together with the school's curriculum, provide a wonderful community outreach resource for local schools including professional development. Experience Level: Level 3 - Practicing/Maturing Mid-Career Speakers: Ha Dinh, Philanthropy Manager, United Nations International School of Hanoi Emma Silva, Director Advancement, United Nations International School of Hanoi
Marketing and Communications Track Noisy Neighbours According to an ISC Research report, there are over 9,605 English-medium international schools globally, and the number is forecasted to exceed 16,000 by 2028. With this exponential growth taking place in the Asia-Pacific region, how are you going to stand out? Experience Level: Level 2 - Emerging Early Career Speakers: Nishel Turpin, Director of Marketing and Communications, United Nations International School of Hanoi
Leadership & Other Foundations: To Have or Not to Have, That is the Question
Many independent Schools and educational institutions have long established foundations that offer both advantages and obstacles with regards to governance and facilitating philanthropic support. While foundations add a layer of complexity to day-to-day operations, do the advantages of working through/with a foundation structure outweigh the downsides, or do they pose greater challenges than necessary? Join a lively debate to hear differing perspectives on whether to have, or not to have, is the answer. Experience Level: Level 6 - Leadership/Transforming Seasoned Professional Speaker: Tim Shearer, Director of Advancement, Scotch College |
|
12:10 p.m. |
Concurrent Sessions 2
Alumni & Community Engagement Track Engaging Young Alumni: From Ambivalence to Ambassadors Learn how to bridge the gap between Year 12 and beyond so that young alumni feel supported, confident and work-ready as they transition. Create a young alumni pipeline into your reunion and careers programme that lasts a lifetime and encourages them to give back. Facilitate career and mentoring opportunities for young alumni so they can expand their networks, connect with older alumni, and build a sense of community and pride. Experience Level: Level 3 - Practicing/Maturing Mid-Career Speakers: Linda Sprott, Executive Director, Caulfield Grammarians' Association - Caulfield Grammar School and Rachel L. Muir, Associate Director, Marketing & Events, Caulfield Grammarians' Association - Caulfield Grammar School
Fundraising Track Igniting New Parent Engagement and Participation: SAS Red Out Working as an integrated advancement team, Singapore American School has revolutionised their approach to new parent orientation, boosting engagement, and hitting record participation among new parents in the process. Experience Level: Level 3 - Practicing/Maturing Mid-Career Speakers: Sarizan Ahmad, Annual Giving Manager, Singapore American School Mariana Alvarado, Assistant Manager of Development, Singapore American School Julia Harrison, Associate Director of Parent Engagement, Singapore American School
Marketing and Communications Track Countdown to Giving Are your alumni inspired to give to you? Do they understand why you ask them to? Create a marketing and communication plan to educate and inspire alumni to participate in giving campaigns. Build excitement and anticipation as you educate them on the joy of philanthropy. The speakers will also share on their case study of ‘four-week countdown to giving’ at the Chinese International School's first ever Alumni Annual Appeal. Experience Level: Level 2 - Emerging Early Career Speakers: Fiorella Fong, Director of Alumni Relations, The Chinese International School Hok Yin You, Alumni Relations Officer, The Chinese International School |
|
1:10 p.m. |
Lunch Mayfair 2 Foyer, Level 8 |
|
2:00 p.m. |
Concurrent Sessions 3
Alumni & Community Engagement Track Engaging International Alumni and Building a Culture of Philanthropy Building your connection with international alumni can be exceptionally helpful in meeting campaign goals, building donor pipeline, and increasing annual donor numbers. It is important that we recognise that we live in a global society with fewer barriers between different cultures and countries, even if the different taxation rules make this a headache. While all this sounds good on paper, the reality of making this happen has several steps. How do we engage with our alumni internationally with rising costs of travel? How do we make an ask when philanthropy has a different meaning to different cultures? Adam Ruble has had success with this while working in Australia and in the U.S. and he hopes that you will join him to discuss these programmes and the key steps to success. Adam’s goal is to help you get the conversation started at your organisation with a few easy-to-implement takeaways. Experience Level: Level 3 - Practicing/Maturing Mid-Career Topics: Alumni & Community Engagement Track Speakers: Adam Ruble, Director of Regional Advancement, Knox College
Fundraising Track "The Hidden Army"—Leveraging Your Secret Weapon! How can you run an annual fund, hold a gala, organise an international fair, and more—all with a small team of fundraisers who are expected to make manna rain from heaven? Discover your secret weapon and how to manage a large team of volunteers, keeping them engaged and coming back for more! Learn about specific strategies and proven ideas which will enable you to quickly and effectively set up and train your own army! Experience Level: Level 3 - Practicing/Maturing Mid-Career Speakers: Jane F. Narich, Executive Director of Advancement, The Chinese International School
Marketing and Communications Track Building Marcoms into the Advancement Strategy Speaker: Maggie Chan-Lee, Director of Admissions and Advancement, Christian Alliance International School |
| 3:00 p.m. |
Coffee and Conversation Mayfair 2 Foyer, Level 8 |
|
3:30 p.m. |
Concurrent Sessions 4
Alumni & Community Engagement Track Honouring traditions & creating your own Traditions play a vital role on how students, alumni and the wider community form a connection with their school. Hear from practitioners from a variety of school backgrounds as they share the components that make a tradition, how to establish traditions (or sunset traditions) and workshop their own ideas with peers. This session is an opportunity to speak about the history and success of some key traditions, share any roadblocks you have encountered when trying to sunset traditions that didn’t fit with your strategic plan, and finally to showcase any innovative traditions you have since established. Speakers: Erina Hitchings, Alumni & Community Manager, St Joseph’s Nudgee College Brisbane, Julia McKenna, Director of Development & Community, St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School
Fundraising Track Dream Big—Strategies to Help Small Advancement Offices Deliver Impact Building a successful, sustainable, and enduring advancement programme in a short window of time requires you to dream big, cultivate a network of trusted advisors, and embrace discomfort. Join John Groom as he shares the behind-the-scenes of an aspirational capital campaign, and how small advancement offices can punch above their weight. This session will highlight how to leverage technology to be data driven and results focused; explore the value of 24-hour Giving Days and Giving Circles and discuss how to establish a culture of giving from the ground up. Experience Level: Level 3 - Practicing/Maturing Mid-Career Speakers: John Groom, Director of Advancement & Alumni Engagement, The Hutchins School
Marketing and Communications Track Crisis Communications Do you sometimes feel like putting out fires at your institution feels like blowing out magic relighting candles? Hear from our panel of communication experts share their experiences and top tips.
Leadership & Other Building Philanthropic Cultures at Independent and International Schools Cultures of philanthropy are always difficult to build, but international and independent schools have their own unique needs. This session will provide you with the tools to measure what a culture of philanthropy looks like, share proven engagement tools at both independent and international schools, and recommend ways to set expectations around how long it takes to change culture. Unique challenges such as staff turnover, the role of annual giving, and the value of having participation goals, will be addressed. There will also be a specific focus on 'insider giving': how to engage your leadership and governance structures in institutional fundraising. This session will also discuss short case studies from several independent Australian and Southeast Asian schools.. Experience Level: Level 3 - Practicing/Maturing Mid-Career Speakers: Abhra Bhattacharjee, Development Director and Head of Foundation, The Tanglin Trust |
| 5:15 p.m. |
School Tour and Networking Event at Scotch College CASE will provide transportation from Grand Hyatt Melbourne to Scotch College and back |
| 7:15 p.m. | End of Day |
Tuesday, 16 May - Grand Hyatt Melbourne
|
Time |
Programme |
|
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
CASE Registration and Hospitality Desk |
|
7:45 a.m. |
Roundtable |
|
9:00 a.m. |
Concurrent Sessions 5
Alumni & Community Engagement Track Pleasure and Pain of Engagement A discussion on the current challenges to avoiding a rote, paint-by numbers approach to alumni & community engagement, and why this is a common pain point for practitioners. Also hear from those that have leveraged engagement to contribute to the overall success of an advancement programme.
Fundraising Track The School of Mine Philanthropic Campaign - St Aloysius' College Milsons Point Speakers: Dan Martin, Director of Foundation, St Aloysius' College, Mark Tannock, Principal, St Aloysius' College
Marketing and Communications Track The Digital Age of Marcoms: AI and ChatGTP Hear from those at the cutting edge of technology talk about the pros and cons of artificial intelligence and what we can do to keep up. Speaker: Travis Smith, Principal Software Engineer, Microsoft |
| 10:00 a.m. | Coffee and Conversations Mayfair 2 Foyer, Level 8 |
|
10:30 a.m. |
Concurrent Sessions 6
Advancement Services Track Tips for creating an effective and structured mentoring program, that will attract, engage, and add value to your alumni community Speakers: Antonia Swindells, Alumnae Relations Manager, Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Kirsty Hooper, Head of Alumni and Community Relations, Melbourne Grammar School
Fundraising Track Fundraising for Educational Opportunities for First Nations Peoples
For the past 20 years the Scotch College, Melbourne ensures all Scotch boys have the opportunity to experience and understand Australia's Indigenous culture, as part of a contemporary Australian education. Find out how why it's important to build collaborative relationships with First Nations Peoples, understand the ingredients required to deliver an Indigenous Scholarship Program to support the education of First nations Peoples and understand the fundraising strategy required to deliver the program. Speaker: Tim Shearer, Director of Advancement, Scotch College
Marketing and Communications Track A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words In this session you will find out how you can increase your engagement exponentially and transfer knowledge using video. Speaker: Kintell |
|
11:40 a.m. |
Closing Plenary Mayfair 2, Level 8 |
| 12:40 p.m. |
Lunch Mayfair 2 Foyer, Level 8 |
| 1:30 p.m. | School Conference Conclude |