When planned and executed wisely, fundraising events are part of a cohesive portfolio intended to advance the mission and vision of the school. Here are three different types of events to consider:

Topics: Fundraising, Events

The Downside of Social Media? Speed and Permanence.

That's one of the lessons learned from the situation with an experienced school leader in Florida: Girl Costs Father $80,000.

Social media is a tool that can be a valuable part of your communication strategy, but only when used within a strategic pattern that seeks to build trust. In this situation, it was used in a vengeful manner that broke a commitment to confidentiality.

Because of this violation of the agreement and the inappropriate use of social media, the former head of a school in Florida, will not receive an $80,000 discrimination settlement that he was awarded. After his contract wasn’t renewed in 2011 he filed an age discrimination complaint. The school agreed to back pay and the large settlement.

Unfortunately for this gentleman, he chose to tell his daughter about the details of the agreement in direct violation of the non-disclosure clause that was included. His daughter then vented on Facebook about her dad’s perceived victory over the school. After a few rounds of appeals, it was decided that the administrator's actions should result in the school not paying him the settlement funds.

Speed and Permanence

Information is shared so quickly these days. Sometimes it's not "information" at all but rather just opinion or personal experience. The problem is once that "send" button is clicked, retraction is impossible. There's no rewind button in life nor on social media. Which means the wise school leader has safeguards built in to the process of posting messages so that anger or just plain foolishness doesn't distract from the school's momentum and mission.

Disrupted Lives

Hopefully the school board involved also learned how to improve its communication and relationship with the chief administrator. This entire situation could have been avoided had they been more professional and respectful in their decisions regarding the employment contract of their leader. Now the pain of this family has disrupted the school and the lives of many people, damaging the hopes and dreams of all. Hopefully they will exercise the power of grace and forgiveness to restore valuable friendships.

Topics: Communication, Social Media

 

Topics: Fundraising

Spanking is legal for school leaders in Kansas, and in most other states. Is spanking in schools a viable discipline option today?

A Kansas state representative wants to give this discipline option more impact (Spanking Bill in Kansas Sparks Controversy). A bill has been introduced that would give school leaders greater authority to spank, "by allowing teachers and caregivers to spank children up to 10 times, possibly causing redness and bruising."

Topics: Administration, Current Events

Can your donors reliably expect the mission and purpose to which they give today to be the same into the future?

Shared vision is the central point of effective fundraising and development. But what assurances does a donor have that the promises you're making today will be honored by the school's leadership long after you both are no longer involved and even no longer on this earth? This is especially important for major donors who are opting for naming opportunities for a campus, building, area, etc. Can you guarantee consistency of the mission 100 years from now?

Topics: Fundraising, Board Culture

Your donors will get tired if...

...the only time they hear from you is whenyou’re asking for money.

They need to know you’re genuinely interested in them. You’re engaging in conversation and cultivating mindshare.

Topics: Fundraising, Board Culture

How much does Donor Fatigue impact your school? Does this diagnosis have credibility or is this a symptom of a deeper issue?

What you place at the center of your relationship with donors is a big part of the answer. When you put yourself or money at the center, you position yourself as either a beggar or an egotist who is focused primarily on how donations benefit you. With Shared Vision at the core of your relationship with donors, however, you have the opportunity to build a consultative role that demonstrates mutual respect and collaborative success. They will see you an asset and expert who can help them accomplish their dreams and goals.

Topics: Fundraising, School Growth, Board Culture

"Our industry does not respect tradition — it only respects innovation."

- Satya Nadella, New CEO of Microsoft

In his first day as the new CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella provided 3 valuable lessons regarding leadership. His two predecessors were founder and billionaire Bill Gates followed by billionaire Steve Ballmer (the 30th employee of the company), so he obviously has some big shoes to fill. His start was a bit rocky, but we're pulling for him to learn quickly and achieve great success.

Topics: School Design, School Culture, School Growth, Current Events, Leadership, Faculty

Sometimes the biggest threat to your leadership and career is you.

• If you lose your love for your personal mission--which hopefully aligns extremely well with your school's mission--your productivity will decline, impacting the entire community.
• If you fail to adapt to new opportunities for growth because of tradition or fear, you will yield leadership to your competitors.

Topics: Administration, School Culture, Engagement, Personal Reinvention, Leadership

In response to a question about what he thinks has contributed most to Facebook's success, billionaire Mark Zuckerberg said, "When I look back over the last 10 years, one of the questions that I ask myself is, why were we the ones to help do this? And I think a lot of what it comes down to is, we just cared more." (Today Show)

Topics: Administration, School Design, School Culture, Current Events, Faculty