Want to learn how to turn around a tumultuous school year and triumph? This session will take a look at how Charles Wright Academy leveraged a year of three leadership changes to not only exceed its fundraising and auction goals by 20%, but to also roll out a whole new alumni engagement program.
As we review the challenges and successes of Charles Wright Academy’s FY25, attendees will learn how to navigate unexpected changes, pivot fundraising plans, find opportunities in difficult moments, and lean into community support. This session is great for any advancement professionals experiencing a leadership change, those who are building a new program, or anyone who wants to be inspired by an innovative development roadmap.

Small team? No problem! In this session, you'll learn how to make the most of your resources to create engaging content that showcases your school's identity and story. Learn how to capture key moments and events, turning them into dynamic digital media content that engages current families and attracts prospective ones. Open the doors to your school’s daily life, enhance retention, attract new inquiries, and strengthen your digital presence!

In the world of independent schools, elusive, high-potential donors—or "Snuffleupaguses"—often hold the key to transformative philanthropy. This engaging session will equip participants with innovative strategies to identify, connect, and cultivate relationships with these hard-to-reach prospects, strengthening their institutions' fundraising efforts.

The rapid pace of technological advancement and evolving workforce dynamics are reshaping how we live, learn, and lead. Are hiring practices keeping up?

In this forward-looking session, we’ll challenge conventional hiring norms and explore what it means to recruit not just for today’s needs but for the future our institutions must prepare for.

Following a World Economic Forum report that 40% of employees’ current skill sets will shift or become obsolete within five years, leaders have an opportunity to approach talent acquisition as a strategic tool for proactively moving their missions forward rather than simply maintaining the status quo.

Through the exploratory exchange of ideas and perspectives, the panelists will share their thoughts on widening the talent lens, identifying potential in nontraditional candidates, and designing recruitment strategies that align with mission, adaptability, and long-term vision.

This session will inspire school leaders to see hiring as one of the most powerful tools they have to shape their institutions’ future readiness—starting now.

When schools blur the line between cultural celebration and cultural appropriation, they risk more than discomfort — they risk trust, community cohesion, and donor confidence. Session Description: How can schools honor and authentically integrate cultural traditions without crossing the line into appropriation? This engaging session explores that question through the lens of a Mandarin immersion school’s real-world experiences. Led by Tesha McCord Poe, Founder & CEO of Joy-Raising, Mikhal Bouganim, Director of Advancement at Presidio Knolls School and Kawai Lai, Principal with Kawai Lai Consulting , the session will unpack the complexities of celebrating culture in school programming, advancement events, and community engagement. Drawing on case studies, practical strategies, and lessons learned, they will guide participants in identifying what true cultural appreciation looks like — and how it strengthens both community trust and philanthropic support. Participants will leave with concrete tools for:Assessing existing school traditions through an equity and inclusion lens Partnering authentically with cultural stakeholders Creating celebrations that are educational, respectful, and inspiring Communicating the “why” to donors, parents, and the wider school community

In 2024, The Bishop Strachan School (BSS) received an historic gift of $6.1 million – the largest public gift to date at an all-girls’ school in Canada – from Canadian philanthropist Stu Lang to establish The Lang Scholar program after years of donor engagement and relationship-building. To honour this incredible gift, the BSS Advancement team organized a multi-faceted celebration that combined purpose-driven stewardship, creative communications, and thoughtful event planning. This initiative amplified both the important role of philanthropy on school life while meaningfully engaging the entire school community. In this session we will discuss how we harness major gifts and philanthropy to both steward donors and build community connection while celebrating and demonstrating the impact of giving to the school.

How do you plan—and inspire confidence in—the largest fundraising campaign in your institution’s history? For Breck School, the answer went far beyond a traditional feasibility study.

Founded in 1886, Breck has called its current Golden Valley, Minn., campus home since 1981. For decades, improvements were made in small increments. But the acquisition of adjacent land, aging infrastructure, outdated athletic facilities, and subpar learning spaces created an urgent need for a bold, campus-wide transformation.

Rather than leaping straight from “need” to “campaign” and highly aware of the fact that “hope is not a strategy,” Breck embarked on an unprecedented planning journey—combining a traditional feasibility study with strategic planning, campus master planning, architectural design, and financial modeling. This all-in approach brought together a unique coalition: the head of school, key administrators, campaign consultants, architects, engineers, and a task force of dedicated trustees who met regularly for over a year.

The result? A phased vision and campaign plan that would preserve everything unique to Breck while unlocking the School's full potential. This collaborative process didn’t just produce blueprints—it sparked inspiration. The thorough, integrated planning gave stakeholders the confidence to dream big, ultimately motivating one of Breck’s most prominent families to consider the largest philanthropic gift in the School's history.

Despite a decade of predictions to the contrary, print didn’t die. It gasped and dwindled as short-form video saturated media everywhere. But post-pandemic, print has experienced an undeniable resurgence — and well crafted magazines have become cool again. Many independent schools never stopped publishing their biannual magazines, but they did cut length, resources, and budget. Now, as print is increasingly associated with discernment, substance, and style, it benefits independent schools to show families their “slow journalism” and design mindset. We can learn from Microsoft Signal and Costco Connection, NEA Today (with the seventh largest circulation in the USA) and The Atlantic, Delayed Gratification and Lost, that a thoughtfully curated print magazine can hold a digitally fatigued, multigenerational market a little spellbound. When everything seems ephemeral and piecemeal, marketing differentiators that help enrollment and advancement must be tangible and beautiful.

What does a thriving culture of philanthropy look and feel like? How can you assess your school’s giving culture and pinpoint what needs to change? Drawing on 45 years of combined experience in diverse independent schools, we’ll share practical, proven tips you can put to work immediately. In this interactive session, a Chief Advancement Officer and Head of School will demonstrate what genuine partnership looks like when building institutional culture change. You'll learn how to move your school from "we have a development office" to "advancement is everyone's work." Expect honest conversation about what's worked, what hasn't, and the messy reality of culture change—including the uncomfortable moments that come with shifting how an entire institution thinks about philanthropy. Bring your questions about engaging your own leadership. We'll tackle them together.

Big Idea: Every dollar unspent is a donor trust issue—and a missed opportunity for impact.

Billions of restricted and endowed dollars sit untouched in nonprofit coffers. Meanwhile, donors are told their generosity is making a difference—when in truth, their dollars are idle. In this powerful panel discussion, Donor Relations Group Founder & Principal Lynne Wester is joined by Ninette Enrique, Chief Advancement Officer at The Hotchkiss School and longtime DRG client, for a bold and practical conversation about how The Hotchkiss School addressed this issue head-on. Together, they’ll reveal the tough questions they asked, the systems they challenged, and the lessons they learned along the way.