Learning Objectives:   

• Discuss and explore best practices in independent school advancement  
• Identify strategies to grow and support your school’s advancement program 
• Describe the role advancement plays on an independent school campus 
• Identify and analyze data to achieve philanthropic and engagement goals 
• Define the major giving and relationship building process, including making asks 
• Demonstrate the role campaigns, planned gifts, and annual fund play in the life of the school 
• Illustrate the relationship to the Head, Board, and other key administrators 
• Enhance your network to build stronger professional relationships 

 
Who Should Attend:  

• Professionals new to independent school philanthropy, engagement, communications, or advancement services  
• Professionals with prior advancement background and those entirely new to the profession are welcome and will be assigned to cohorts based on experience  
• Those new to school advancement, including new Heads of School or new Directors

Program and Dates:

This program is a hybrid offering from October-March, with some content online and some in-person. This is an intentional choice to ensure consistent mentoring and content delivery throughout a professional's first or second year in their new position.

All online meetings are held at 1 PM EST/10 AM PST.

Wednesday, October 26: Kickoff  – Online, 90 Minutes

• Introductions to faculty and incoming class 
• Introduction to Your School Research
• Independent School Primer and Trends
  
  Ann Snyder, Senior Director of Communities Engagement, CASE
  
  Independent Schools are a unique and operate differently than our higher education or public school counterparts. This session will provide a foundation for how independent schools operate, look at how advancement serves a specific role to various school types and sizes, and will examine the typical independent school business model and its drivers. Participants will walk away with a deeper sense of how schools work and the interplay of key offices within the school. Additionally, this session will examine trends within the independent school industry and the various forces affecting independent schools. The session will address the following core competencies:
  • Financial and Business Acumen
  • Relationship Building
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Constituent and Alumni Relations
  • Integrity and Professionalism
    
     

Wednesday, December 7 – Online, 90 Minutes

• Building a Culture of Philanthropy
  
  Shara Freeman Hoefel, Assistant Head of School for External Relations, Francis Parker School
  
  Panel with CASE SAI Faculty
  
  What is a culture of philanthropy, and why does it matter? Everyone in the organization — the head of school, board of trustees, faculty and staff, parents, alumni, and grandparents — plays a crucial role in building a philanthropic community. Philanthropy is egalitarian; everyone can give. Advancement professionals have the opportunity to make this possible and to ensure that every donor feels proud of their investment in your school. In this session, we unpack ways to empower, encourage, and support a culture of philanthropy in which time, treasure, and talent are celebrated and expected. The session will address the following core competencies:
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Relationship Building
  • Integrity and Professionalism
  • Global and Cultural Competence

Wednesday, January 18 – Online, 90 Minutes

• Cohort and Mentoring #1
• Unpacking Your School Research

Friday January 27-Sunday January 29 – IN PERSON INTENSIVE

Sessions Include: 

• Getting Started – What You Need to Know
  
  Shara Freeman Hoefel, Assistant Head of School for External Relations, Francis Parker School Jim Bob Womack, Assistant Head of School for Advancement, Saint Mary’s Hall
  
  Starting your Independent School Advancement Journey? We’ve got you covered. We will share the top 10+ ways to be awesome in advancement. Through stories and digestible lessons, you'll walk away with action steps and information that you'll be able to use the minute you get back to your desk!
• Annual Giving Fundamentals
  
  Amy Smucker, Assistant Head of School for External Affairs, Berwick Academy
  
  What is Annual Giving? Annual giving fuels the mission and vision of your school and is at the center of every strong advancement program. Annual gifts provide critical resources for the school and serve as the gateway to philanthropic engagement. After this introductory session you will have a solid understanding of the role that the annual fund plays with your constituents and how it supports the school’s budget. Discuss annual fund terminology, learn how to create solicitation calendars and set annual goals, explore methods of solicitation, giving, and executing giving days. This session will assist you in making your annual fund an engaging and fun part of your advancement program.
• Alumni Program Fundamentals
  
  Jim Bob Womack, Assistant Head of School for Advancement, Saint Mary’s Hall
  
  What is the purpose of your alumni relations program, and how can you strategically inform and engage alumni? Learn how to create a program that builds loyalty, identifies new volunteers, and influences your school’s enrollment and philanthropic goals. Discuss how to develop engagement strategies that cover the alumni life cycle (i.e., events, networking, mentoring, reunions, and class giving) and share ways to measure success with alumni metrics.
• Advanced Annual Giving
  
  Shara Freeman Hoefel, Assistant Head of School for External Relations, Francis Parker School
  
  How do you design a successful annual giving campaign? Annual giving is more than asking for giving participation and bridging the gap between tuition and the student experience—it is about building a pipeline of loyal donors who will answer the call during a campaign and transformative giving effort. Learn how to design, implement, and steward a successful annual giving campaign, including ways for launching or advancing giving days (i.e., Giving Tuesday), accurately segment constituents to ensure concise reporting, build realistic gift pyramids, effectively manage volunteers’ time and talent, and properly recognize every gift to your school.
• Major Gifts Fundamentals
  
  Mark Aimone, Director for Advancement, Wilbraham & Monson Academy
  
  What exactly is a major gift? The answer can be different at every institution, and there is both an art and science to the work. Learn how to define it at your school as we review the basics of a successful major gift program. How do you manage a portfolio? How do major gifts impact the annual fund? What are the different types of giving and ways to best meet the donor’s interests and the school’s priorities? This session offers all the basics you need to be ready to “hit the road!”
• All About Campaigns
  
  David Smith, Director of Advancement, Saint Ann’s School
  
  Independent school campaigns are complex, intense and demanding. Learn how to assess the readiness of your team, leadership, and community in preparation for a large capital or endowment campaign. Once a campaign is underway, what does it take to hit the goal? Explore the essential elements of a successful campaign, including the case for support, volunteer leadership, and prospect management. 
• Reunion Programs and Alumni Giving
  
  Jim Bob Womack, Assistant Head of School for Advancement, Saint Mary’s Hall
  
  Does your reunion program strengthen your alumni association and grow your annual giving program? “Doing” reunions the right way can yield high alumni giving participation and be the backbone of a successful and thriving alumni giving program – and understanding your culture is essential to planning and executing successful reunion programs. The reunion program allows your school to engage alumni in new ways, bring them back to campus (or together virtually), challenge them to dream big, and opens doors for leadership gifts. Learn more about programming that builds a strong sense of identity among your alumni classes and grows your annual giving.
• Advanced Major Gifts
  
  Mark Aimone, Director of Advancement, Wilbraham and Monson Academy A successful major gifts program brings individual donors closer to the mission and the work of your school. Explore the process of building a major gifts program and examine the specific work of identifying and cultivating prospective donors, conducting solicitation meetings, and closing and stewarding major gifts.
• Building Your Narrative
  
  Christina Maher Holt, Assistant Head of Advancement, Episcopal High School
  
  What is a school’s narrative, and why does it matter in the world of advancement? Do you know your school’s mission statement? Its values? Its history? Its strategic plan? How can clear, consistent, and powerful messaging lead to increased engagement and success in fundraising? Explore the multitude of ways your school’s story is told, and learn how you can more effectively bring your mission and values to life in your advancement work. Bring your story to life, whether to strengthen the annual fund, build the endowment, or shape a campaign.
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in Advancement
  
  David Smith, Director of Advancement, Saint Ann’s School
  
  Why does DEIB matter in independent school advancement? This session will explore how to build greater cultural competency into fundraising, alumni relations, communications and special events. How do you create a more inclusive advancement program and a special events  calendar that encourages belonging and community building
• Journey to Making the Ask
  
  Amy Smucker, Assistant Head of School for External Affairs, Berwick Academy
  
  Jim Bob Womack, Assistant Head of School for Advancement, Saint Mary’s Hall
  
  Are you nervous about asking for money? Do you need a new volunteer? Making the ask is the easy part. Getting to that point takes hard work, preparation, research, relationship building, and diligent planning. Review everything – from getting the appointment, to meeting preparation, to sitting down with the community member. Discuss tactics that make the job easier for fundraisers and volunteer managers, and clarify how the entire office can make this process more effective. Learn from faculty members and bring your own experiences to share with others
  
   
• Featured Cohort and Mentoring Topics: 

  • January 27, 2023 - Cohort Session #2 – In-Person: Lead from Where You Sit

  • January 28, 2023 - Cohort Session #3 – In-Person: Personal Case Studies (examining your role and institution)

  • January 29, 2023 – Cohort Session #4 – In-Person: Planning your Next Steps (for CASE-NAIS and Second Semester)

Sunday January 29-Tuesday January 31 – IN PERSON CASE-NAIS CONFERENCE 

• The cost of the program includes attendance at CASE-NAIS, the global flagship conference for independent school advancement professionals; this is designed intentionally to help newcomers get the most out of their CASE-NAIS experience and to build on content from both online and in-person sessions
• SAI faculty will help each attendee curate their CASE-NAIS schedule and make specific recommendations about sessions and in-person meetings

Wednesday, March 1 – Online, 90 Minutes

• Cohort check in 
• Mentoring 
• How to Finish the Year Strong
• Program Concludes