Blog
Beyond Fundraising: Why Philanthropy is the Key to Catholic School Sustainability
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
Money does not make a school great, but you can't have a great school without money. The answer is not fundraising. It's philanthropy. And a willingness to fund it.
Time is a Thief: Why We Need Focus on Funding and Students in Catholic School Advancement
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
Why do schools not get busy and get at the stuff that really, truly matters?
Stewardship of Catholic Advancement Projects
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
There is a fine line between providing prospects an opportunity to knead the dough…and simply turning over the whole baking project to them
The Power of Movements in Catholic Fundraising
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
People today are responding to these kinds of asks that are bigger, bolder, and beyond our corner of the world.
How to Organize an Effective Advancement Committee
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
Getting everyone pulling in the same direction makes for an effective committee. It's just that we don't always do a good job establishing that direction from the get-go.
The Readiness is all: Preparing for Tough Questions from Major Gift Prospects
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
Over the past few days, I have met with three separate major gift prospects for three different schools, asking each about their interest in providing major gift support. Each person offered enthusiastic support for the school…but also shared a number of serious and complex questions.
Advancing Your Mission in Serious Headwinds
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
Parents and alums want to become a part of a school that shares their values. They want to enroll their children at these kinds of school. They want to invest in these schools. So how do we, as school leaders, do the right things to build and strengthen these partnerships?
Successful Advancement is a Profession, Not a Hobby
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
Allowing volunteer non-professionals to direct strategies and tactics is a pathway to failure, especially in 2023
Rethinking School Advancement Office Culture
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
This is a time of great transition in every professional field. Schools don't do well with change, as most of us know. But it's here.
When Your School's Fundraising Events Overshadow the Annual Fund
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
If you have a school that relies heavily on a variety of annual fundraising activities that generate support, well, these will have a dampening impact on your annual fund results.
Balance, Prioritization and Perspective in Advancement
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
Not everything we do in our work in advancement is equally important. Candidly, there is a lot we do that, well, we should just forget about. Some of those activities cause max stress and steal max time, with little to no revenue return or true advancement result.
Summer Time Reality Check
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
In Catholic school advancement, as in life, there is a big difference between what we need and what we actually can accomplish. How come so many schools don't realize this when setting advancement goals?
Rethinking the Activity-Oriented Fundraiser in Catholic School Development
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
Raffles, pizza sales, car washes, walkathons, chicken dinners, game nights - the time is now to rethink some (or all) of these activity-oriented fundraisers.
How to Involve New Catholic School Parents in Your Mission and Fundraising Goals
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
One thing every family has in common: they are all crunched for time. So what does an effective parent relations program look like in 2022?
When it comes to Catholic School Capital Campaigns, There Are No Shortcuts
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
Too many of us in the advancement business look for short cuts. Where can we skip steps? Isn't this "good enough"? How can we keep this easy and simple? How many times, really, do we have to call to request a personal appointment with that prospect? Can't we just send an email and head home?
4 Things to do Now to Have a Strong 2nd Half of the Fundraising Year
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
It applies to many things in life, of course – an athletic event, an academic endeavor, even eating a meal: finish strong!
Here's to Our Brave School Leaders
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
The good leaders have done an amazing job of keeping it all together during this daunting time. For all of the weirdness and difficulty, this is a moment of strategic opportunity for Catholic schools.
Catholic Schools and Planned Giving Part Two: Wills Societies and Other Fundamentals
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
There are myriad planned giving vehicles a donor may opt to use, and the sheer complexity and variety often intimidates schools from tackling planned giving in ways that make sense.
Five Fundamental (But Understandable!) Mistakes We Make in Advancement
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
We are all guilty of mistakes, of course. But the kind of mistakes I want to address here are intentional and fundamental, not accidental or clumsy. Sometimes we forget what our offices are supposed to be all about, and then we get sucked up into other things that steal us away from advancing our schools’ missions.
Leadership in Catholic High Schools During a Campaign
by Bryan Fairholm, Consultant at Advancement Partners
Having a vision for your school’s future is paramount to executing a successful major gift campaign. As a school leader (President and/or Principal), the vision has to start with you.
Capital Campaigns Should Be A Top Priority!
by Donald Fairholm, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
The result of a successful campaign, in addition to making your school even more competitive and attractive to prospective students and families, is that everyone will be talking about YOUR school! And there is nothing more powerful and hypnotic than success, investment, and growth.
Catholic School Planned Giving Basics: Part One
by Terry Fairholm, President at Advancement Partners
This is the first in a brief series of planned giving blogs we will do. Stay tuned for the next posts when we will outline the action steps to take, the frequency and formats of communication, planned giving during a capital campaign, how to include planned giving in your development plan, and planned giving case studies.
25 Years Later: A List of Things We Have Learned
by Terry Fairholm, President at Advancement Partners
This month, our company, Advancement Partners, celebrates its 25th year in business. Normally, we aren’t prone to looking back, but today, we'll mix a little looking back into looking forward. Here's a list of what we've seen and how we might apply what we’ve learned to our next 25 years.
Attention School Leaders: There's No Such Thing as, "Saving your Way to Greatness"
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
It's common to hear people say, "You have to spend money to make money." While that may be so...almost nobody in Catholic schools ever does it.
Things (In and Out of Advancement) I Hope Stick After COVID-19
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
Like everyone else, I'm in a hurry to get us all vaccinated and get things back closer to "normal." But I can’t help thinking about some of the things we have seen during this tough time that, frankly, I hope stick around.
Looking to the Future of Catholic School Enrollment
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
In addition to providing students with the absolute best learning experience, the healthiest schools are still focused on the future. And at the top of that focus is future enrollment.
Catholic School Enrollment Trends and Strategies for 2021
by Donald Fairholm, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners, Bryan Fairholm, Consultant at Advancement Partners
Recruiting and retaining students during the pandemic is incredibly challenging, but more important than ever. Don and Bryan present some enrollment trends, statistics, and strategies.
Your 2020 Year-End Philanthropic Giving Message
by William J. Acton, Senior Partner at Advancement Partners
All signs point to December 2020 being a banner year for philanthropic giving, so before we toss our 2020 calendars into the ash heap...be sure you have your school's year-end asking plan lined up.