Creating and sustaining a culture of philanthropy within independent schools is essential for financial stability and fostering a strong sense of community and shared purpose. This session aims to explore strategies, best practices, and real-world examples of how independent schools can use AI to cultivate a culture of philanthropy that engages all stakeholders and contributes to the school's long-term success.

Launching a successful campaign demands precise strategic reporting and an evolving prospect pipeline. This session will focus on crafting actionable reporting frameworks and continuously refining and developing the prospect pipeline. Co-presented by the Director of Advancement Services and Operations and the Director of Prospect Research and Management at The Lawrenceville School—a school that recently celebrated a remarkably successful $475MM campaign—attendees will receive a firsthand account of how to optimize the synergy between reporting and pipeline development. Dive in to gain actionable strategies for impactful campaign management.

As it turns out, relationship building is strategic! Ted Lasso is the ultimate relationship builder. He genuinely cares about the people around him and puts in the effort to understand and connect with them and doesn't just use people to get what he wants. Through valuing the person in front of him and their unique background and perspectives, he looks for the best in people, even when they make mistakes or disagree with him. He approaches every relationship with empathy and an open mind. In our teams and schools, when we focus on building strong relationships, support systems, and structures that enable clear, honest and kind communication- we will surpass our engagement and fundraising goals EVERY TIME. Join us to learn how two neighboring schools in Hawai’i are collaborating on strategic team-building to ensure broad community engagement and significantly increased philanthropic capacity.

Strategic design applies some traditional design principles to "big picture" systemic challenges; it redefines how problems are approached, identifies opportunities for action, and helps deliver more complete and resilient solutions. With a transdisciplinary cross-departmental approach, Marin Academy deconstructed and redesigned the onboarding experience to create highly engaged brand evangelists who are eager to give back to the school.

In this interactive session, we will cover strategic design principles and share exercises designed to inspire and gather buy-in from other school administrators. This session will also cover ways to gather data and feedback to inform strategy and assess results. Join us as we explore how strategic onboarding infused with value-proposition can transform parent-school relationships.

It has been said that the strategic planning and implementation of enrolling and retaining a student and family must never intersect or overlap with the strategic goals, objectives, and implementation of a school's philanthropic endeavors. Perhaps this is, in fact, a missed moment for more tremendous success. Join AISAP Executive Director Janice Crampton, Scott Bohan, Chief Advancement Officer - St. Paul's School, NH, and Matt Proto, Vice President and Chief Institutional Advancement Officer at Colby College Waterville, Maine, for a facilitated discussion with ideas, notions, and takeaways that will demonstrate best practice and next practice strategies that will assist you, your offices and in the end your school to be intentional in achieving your overall institutional goals and all the while seek greater alignment and messaging not only in process but in understanding the larger goals that need to be achieved by your school.

Philanthropy can play a crucial role in advancing a school’s ambition. However, in a small shop, we face challenges of limited bandwidth in both human and financial resources. In this session, we will examine tactics to convince your faculty to become advancement advocates and lead to a cultural change to become a truly philanthropic institution. We will discuss key issues we all face and hear examples of leadership and faculty that have played a key role in securing major gifts, including our CFO who has become integral to the major gift fundraising programme.
In this session, we will examine strategies and tactics to clarify a compelling narrative, develop the audience, empower leadership, and establish the internal infrastructure necessary for success.

The Head of School and Director of Advancement's relationship requires a unified front that addresses areas far beyond fundraising alone. Join The Altamont School's Head of School Cecil Stodghill and Director of Advancement Stephanie Brooks, CFRE, as they share key data, hints, anecdotes, and strategic steps to enhance your school's advancement efforts. From board relations to capital campaign strategizing, these presenters will offer tried and true practices that have created success for both of them over the years.

Women make up 80% of the teacher workforce, but are not represented proportionally at the highest levels of school leadership. Why the discrepancy? As school leaders retire or leave their positions at record rates, having an equitable leadership pipeline is more important than ever. In this session, learn research-based supports that benefit emerging female leaders, and connect with female leaders at all stages in their careers. If you're a leader, mentor, or recruiter, learn how to maximize your effectiveness. If you're an emerging female leader, learn about the supports that will help your career trajectory.

This session is designed for new and aspiring Heads of School and veteran Heads planning their first campaign. You’re faced with seemingly impossible tasks: balancing the pressures and demands of running a school, creating and communicating a long-term vision, and responding to the board’s request for a campaign. How to do it all? Topics to be covered include: • The day-to-day pressures/time demands of leading a school while framing the school’s longer-term vision and tying it to major funding opportunities • Building and preparing a campaign-ready board • How to strengthen philanthropy and mount a campaign to fulfill the school’s future aspirations • How much time to spend on fundraising, and what to do during that time • Building the advancement team and culture of philanthropy • Communicating the “why” of the school • Knowing when you are ready for a campaign, and defining your role in it

Welcoming a new Head of School can be an exciting opportunity for any community! Nicole Girvan and Heather Pool will give you behind-the-scenes tips and share their map to help you leverage the leadership change to re-engage with donors. The search process and onboarding season felt treacherous and scary, especially for a “small shop” like The Logan School for Creative Learning, but once they knew where they were heading, the journey was positive and productive. As they built trust, there was room to create places for belonging for those who hadn’t been engaged or seen.
Nicole Girvan will share her experience building trust, leading with vulnerability, and setting the stage for success. As a transracially adopted woman of color in a predominantly white community---Nicole found ways to initiate spaces for others to feel a sense of belonging instead of waiting for the "welcome wagon.” Nicole and Heather opened the doors for others to share vulnerability and cultivate relationships. Heather Pool will share a scaffold and ideal timeline for connecting and reconnecting with your school’s donors. They found ways, with limited resources, to provide opportunities for authentic connection and help the community grow through transition.