Someone once told me, \u201cBe careful what you wish for; you may get it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some schools throughout the nation are realizing this when it comes to state-funded voucher programs.<\/p>\n
While initially celebrated as a victory for parental choice in education, and a help to faith-based and private schools in carrying out their mission of service to those who may be unable to afford tuition, some of these schools have realized that the voucher doesn’t cover all of the per-student tuition, let alone the cost of education.<\/p>\n
Because the school has decided to accept vouchers, it may now be scrambling to try to determine how to make up for the loss of revenue per student, causing even more of a financial hardship than they experienced prior to vouchers.<\/p>\n
This is not to say that all change creates negative situations \u2013 but all change is difficult, simply because it\u2019s different from what we’ve become accustomed to.<\/p>\n
If we want to change our diet, the foods we eat may not be the most pleasing.<\/p>\n
If we want to begin an exercise routine, we\u2019ll feel aches and pains after our first workouts.<\/p>\n
If the phrase, \u201cNo pain, no gain,\u201d applies to exercise, diet, and other practices associated with our health, then why should we expect finances, enrollment, development or marketing to be different?<\/p>\n
Parents know and impart to children the benefits of accomplishments that are associated with discipline, practice, and sacrifice involved with change.\u00a0 The same is true for development efforts.<\/p>\n
In last month\u2019s article, I pointed out how CHANGE can represent 6 of the aspects of development, with Communication, Happenings, and Appeals making up the first three.\u00a0 Here are the remainder:<\/p>\n
N is for Networking.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to involve others inside and outside the organization with the expertise that the organization requires. While communication simply spreads the word about the achievements and accomplishments of the organization, networking personally reaches out to others, starting with the people who are closest to us. \u00a0It\u2019s not only \u201cWho do you know\u201d sessions that are typical with sales lead groups, it\u2019s \u201cWho do you know who can help us achieve the objectives set forth in our plans so that we can attain our goals?”<\/p>\n
Networking could require a phone call, \u00a0a home visit, or meeting with a business owner at their place of business, and may mean that a key member of your school’s administration – you – may (gasp) not<\/em> be present at the school for a period of time! \u00a0Our kids network too, evidenced by students encouraging their friends to be involved in activities, connected on social media, or, even remain in the school because of the relationships they’ve established and cultivated.<\/p>\n G is for Gifts and Grants.<\/p>\n From a small donation from a school alumnus to a major gift from a corporation, we must always offer \u201cThanks\u201d for the gifts given to us. It is incumbent upon us to share evidence that gifts are making a difference in the lives of our students, too!<\/p>\n Grants are major projects, crafted and detailed so a corporation or foundation can provide substantial funding of a pre-determined project, initiative or innovation. If a grant is awarded, not only thanks and evidence is necessary, but periodic status updates must be reported back to the awarding entity to ensure compliance with the stipulations of the award.<\/p>\n Usually, if the project can’t be completed due to lack of additional funding, time constraints, declining enrollment or a change in administration, the awarding entity may request that their contribution be returned, even though it helped to fund the initial work…which could lead to a nice hole on your school’s balance sheet, so be sure you’re set to see the project through to completion if you’ve been awarded a grant.<\/p>\n E is for Energize and Educate.<\/p>\n As the late Stephen Covey called it in “The 7 Habits of Highly-Effective People,” it’s \u201cSharpening the Saw.\u201d<\/p>\n If a person doing development work does not continually energize and educate themselves, they will burn out, and fast!<\/p>\n If members of the organization are not energized and educated about development, it will take a back seat to other activities of the organization.<\/p>\n If development is put on the back burner after it’s begun, there is a good chance that change which has been initiated will not continue, and fundraising suggestions will once again choke any progress made in building a Development mindset.<\/p>\n And Going back to the way something was done before is regression \u2013 not advancement.<\/p>\n Just as Development is constantly changing, I’ve now adopted a 9 letter acronym to describe the functions a Development Director must be aware of.\u00a0 If we add three more elements to the mix, namely, Associations, List Management and Rest, CHANGE becomes ARCHANGEL.<\/p>\n CHANGE is still intact in the middle of the word, but “A” for Appeals is in the direct center of the work, meaning the Annual Appeal is at the heart of any development work.<\/p>\n “A” for Associations is first, because, more often than not, the Advancement or Development Director may be the lone wolf (or cheerleader, depending upon your perspective), and needs to associate with people who provide collegiality along the journey.<\/p>\n Then comes “R” for Rest.\u00a0 If you’re an Advancement or Development Director and you don’t do that, you’ll quickly discover how fast burnout can happen, especially if you don’t have assistants to provide assistance.<\/p>\n L is for List Management.\u00a0 It’s how you organize your prospective donors, as well as your current donors, including LYBNTs and SYBNTs, so that you can tailor your communications to the appropriate group.\u00a0 I once received a letter from a high school requesting a contribution for their annual appeal, and the letter’s salutation read, “Dear (Name of School removed to not embarrass the school) Alumni:”\u00a0 and was signed by the school’s “Executive Director of Development.”\u00a0 The only problem was that I’m not a graduate of the school.\u00a0 Grammatically, Alumni is plural, so even though the envelope was addressed to me, the personalization did not extend to the appeal letter itself.\u00a0 Can you guess where the letter went?<\/p>\n