September, October and November are full of milestones and watershed moments.<\/p>\n
These three months are some of the busiest months in working with schools and educators.\u00a0 Personally, quite a few people I know have birthdays in September, and many share the same birthday as I have.\u00a0 It’s hard to believe that our first granddaughter turned 6 yesterday, and we will always, as Earth, Wind and Fire says in song, “Remember the 21st night of September!”<\/p>\n
October is my wife’s and my wedding anniversary, as well as our son’s birthday month.<\/p>\n
Perhaps there’s so much happening because these are the months of Autumn – the season of change.\u00a0 November is the time where the transformation of Summer to Autumn seems to be complete, just waiting for Winter to kick in.<\/p>\n
Fifteen years ago, in November of 2010, my wife and I marked the end of our eighth season of marching band competitions as band parents.\u00a0 Our youngest was a high school senior that year, and the four years of watching, cheering for and supporting our son followed by four years of doing the same for our daughter came to an end.\u00a0 It’s hard to believe that just five short years later, that same daughter graduated from college, five years after graduating college had landed a full-time job, a car and a mortgage on a house, and this November, she and her husband will celebrate their third wedding anniversary!<\/p>\n
Looking back a little further, nineteen Novembers ago, that same band parents organization I mentioned was on the verge of bankruptcy, with about $10,000 of cash in the bank – not enough to sustain cash flow through the rest of the school year.\u00a0 That was the time I suggested we implement an advancement strategy, rather than continuing to rely on fundraiser after fundraiser after fundraiser.<\/p>\n
Step one was a new Web site – since we had to begin to spread the word about the band and its achievements, as well as promote its performances and competitions.\u00a0 The cost?\u00a0 $40 for a template, $40 for an editing program, $10 for a Web site address\/URL, and $10 a month for Web space.\u00a0 We had to get it going, and had to get it going fast.\u00a0 The biggest obstacles?\u00a0 1) Some folks thought $210 was a lot to spend on a Web site and 2) Some folks didn’t like the design.<\/p>\n
It took two months to get things moving.<\/p>\n
Eventually, the site became the repository for all information about the band, development was in full swing, assets were managed wisely, current students encouraged those in middle school to join the band in high school, and the experience was so overwhelmingly powerful almost all band members chose to continue the experience throughout their four years of high school.<\/p>\n
Where was that bank balance?\u00a0 Depending on the month, it was between $80,000 to $100,000.\u00a0 Proof that advancement works!<\/p>\n
Fast forward five years from that point.\u00a0 With a new board in place who wanted to go back to the way things were, advancement was no longer practiced, and the group has reverted to holding fundraiser after fundraiser after fundraiser.\u00a0 The bank balance no longer flirts with six figures.<\/p>\n
Proof that success is really all about leadership, and that results in organizational dynamics are truly seen over the long-term.<\/p>\n
Twenty-one Novembers ago, I started writing weekly marketing tips to schools I was working with.\u00a0 It’s ironic, too.\u00a0 In the above paragraphs, I believe you would agree that jumping from $10,000 in the bank to between eight to ten times that amount in less than four years is pretty remarkable.\u00a0 Yet, a “Marketing Tip of the Week” (the precursors to Marketing Matters TM<\/sup>) from twenty years ago included a link to an article from FAST COMPANY Magazine written in 2005 that spoke of the need to prepare our children for the workplace that they’ll be entering, and not for the workplace that we’ve historically prepared them for.\u00a0 If you’d like to read it, here’s the link: https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/53229\/preparing-kids-future-economy<\/a><\/p>\n What’s the irony? It’s over 2 decades later, and we’re still talking<\/em><\/strong> about preparing students for the workplace they’ll be entering!\u00a0 Consider that article was written in 2005 – which was before the days of the iPhone and the iPad, mobile-first responsive design and, of course, the new reality brought about through AI.\u00a0 We still speak of AYP – Adequate Yearly Progress – but note that progress is linear, based on the results of the past, and does not emphasize the systems thinking necessary for significant transformative achievement.<\/p>\n Five years ago, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the use of technology in the school that was spoken of in 2003 is finally<\/em><\/strong> came to the forefront – to the cries of parents everywhere who wanted the “traditional classroom experience” for their kids!!<\/p>\n So, when you hear that it will be difficult to keep your school on a firm financial foundation in difficult economic times, and more attention is paid to curriculum, grading and classroom cooperation than is paid to the five elements which create Advancement, you can take comfort in the fact that persistent efforts on your part can begin to pay off in less time than it will take to restructure the school’s curriculum so that today’s students will be able to compete and achieve in tomorrow’s global market place.<\/p>\n That’s something that should make us uncomfortable.<\/p>\n Here’s something else to make us uncomfortable (and the reason for this article’s title): Public school districts have realized that they are non-profit organizations and are hard at work creating educational endowment funds, beginning alumni organizations, hiring marketing and development directors, and seeking outside sources for funds rather than relying on tax bases. Increasing the cost of property taxes that fund local school systems is a topic that always is under fire.\u00a0 If public school districts aren’t doing it yet, they’re going to move in that direction.\u00a0 Some Catholic, Christian and other faith-based schools are raising concerns about those Development actions and activities as well.<\/p>\n However, you must remember that Development is confrontational.\u00a0 Successful Development efforts are predicated on the strength of the engagement of individuals with the organization.<\/p>\n The message is this: If you’re still stuck in “fundraising mode,” it’s now more important than ever to at least start to develop and implement Development strategies to support your school.\u00a0 If what was stated in the previous paragraph makes you uncomfortable, that’s a good thing – because there is no impetus for change unless you’re forced out of your comfort zone, and become uncomfortable.<\/p>\n And if you’re not uncomfortable after what we experienced during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and now multiple wars among multiple countries and divisive political rhetoric and actions, and we’re still “hoping” for a return to “normal,” it’s good to remember that hope, while it’s a good thing, is not a strategy.<\/p>\n Hope is indeed one of the three things that last.\u00a0 But the other two MUST accompany it – faith, and love.\u00a0 All together, all the time.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2010-2025 (Original Publication Date: 20050919)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" September, October and November are full of milestones and watershed moments. 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