Explore the latest insights on philanthropy to independent schools and what they predict for the next phase of advancement work for your institution.

Please join Chief Advancement Officer Tim Struthers as he shares the steps taken by the school over four decades that eventually resulted in a $100 million commitment to the school's endowment by alumnus Henry Kravis ’63 in the spring of 2024.

With the decision to brand and message The Exeter Fund, our team was able to lean into developing more creative and more intentional appeals. Learn what went into this yearlong process as we share the decisions that led to branding The Exeter Fund, the methods used, the strategic visual identity and messaging outcomes, and the innovative and impactful design samples that followed. Leave with ideas and inspiration for infusing intention into your school’s annual fund.

Learn how to implement best practices in front loading your annual fund to exceed revenue goals at the end of the fiscal year by using a multi-prong marketing campaign that integrates direct mail, printed materials and #GivingTuesday email communications. Learn how to select a committee of volunteers with a deep affinity toward your school who will be the leaders and stewards of the annual fund campaign by pooling their contributions together to create a matching gift challenge to increase your average annual fund gift amount and overall campaign goals. Marketing tools such a recruitment, branding, digital assets, communications platforms, solicitation and stewardship will all be covered.

Through embracing a culture of stewardship, Harvard-Westlake School (Los Angeles, CA) has raised some of the largest dollar totals among American day schools, including over $10M in Annual Giving and approaching completion of a nearly $300M capital project. But despite its unwavering commitment to expressing gratitude, the HW Advancement team has only recently developed more creative ways to convey donor impact. Head of Advancement Eli Goldsmith and Assistant Director of Stewardship Haley Hicks will discuss how Harvard-Westlake expresses it many forms stewardship--including innovative new donor impact communications and special projects--with the purpose of making sure supporters feel thanked, valued, and informed.

Learn about the partnership between the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging and the Office of Advancement at Tabor Academy as they aim to be more inclusive in their philanthropic and engagement efforts. Led by RoseMarie Wallace, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging and Stephen Ginter, Director of Advancement, two of the newest members of Tabor senior leadership team, hear the successes and lessons learned at Tabor (and at other schools with which they've worked) on the journey to being more inclusive.

CASE is excited to introduce our new Global Framework for Brand and Reputation Metrics in Education: the first-ever framework for performance measures and benchmarking in education marketing and communication. This has been a global collaboration by senior marcomm leaders led by CASE and addresses a critical need. The Framework encompasses three levels of measurement in six key categories of activity, including brand development, recruitment and retention, strategic communications, alumni engagement, philanthropy, and external engagement/public affairs. Each category addresses specific aspects of marketing and communication performance, providing institutions with examples of actionable metrics to guide their strategies. This session will invite your feedback on the new framework, encourage you to share measures you use that fit within the Framework, and preview next steps towards the goal of industry-wide collection and reporting on these measures.

Now more than ever, offering experiences that are mutually rewarding and fulfilling is critical to building the solid and meaningful relationships that keep our alumni engaged with our schools. Research tells us that young alumni are especially interested in networking opportunities, mentoring current students, and volunteering for their alma mater as ways to stay connected. But how do you offer these programs sustainably and meaningfully, especially if you have limited alumni office resources?

Head-Royce School in Oakland, CA, will share how their one-person alumni office built a comprehensive alumni-student engagement program - Adulting 101 - which provides alumni with the opportunity to engage with the school in a way where they feel truly valued and that also provides a unique-to-market value proposition for the school. They will share how Adulting 101 began almost a decade ago, leveraging existing resources and partnerships to create a program that benefits alumni, students, and faculty and provides a key differentiator for their school.

Doable and scalable for independent schools of any size, tap into and showcase the full potential of your alumni community and the power it has to enhance the educational experience for students while strengthening their connection to your school.

Discover how Episcopal cultivated a powerful alliance between our institution's advancement office and the Black Alumni Network. This session will explore strategic approaches to foster meaningful connections, enhance alumni engagement, and leverage the unique strengths of Black alumni for mutual growth and success. Attendees will gain insights into collaborative initiatives, effective communication strategies, and innovative programs that drive alumni satisfaction and institutional advancement. Join us to learn how to create a synergistic partnership that empowers Black alumni and propels your institution forward.

Imagine if your school not only didn't have a fundraising program, but had promised the community that it wouldn't. And now imagine that after a long history of operating without a fundraising program, the current board and new head of school realize the importance of bringing philanthropy to your school community. This is what head of school Cecee Penney faced as the new head of The Academy School. She reached out to Tesha at Joy-Raising and together along with their board and a few key community members, they got to work to create a philanthropy program that is true to the school's mission and character. Come here what they did and how their experience can be useful to you even if you have an established program. The opportunity of a clean slate perspective is powerful for our schools as we reflect on our consideration of why we raise money and deepen our engagement with our constituents.

During this session partipants will learn what prompted the shift, where they started and what they know now that they wish they knew before. Participants should come ready to learn, generate next steps for their program and connect with colleagues with similar aspirations.