We’re proud to offer a new development service: Coaching for Heads. More often than before, Heads of School — either experienced or new to the job — need coaching in their development leadership responsibilities. They may or may not admit it but, at times, Heads of School can be out of their comfort range, and need guidance in development, if it’s an area with which they’re not familiar. The tasks are many: finding a new Director of Development, starting a development program, selecting trustees effectively, cultivating and soliciting prospective donors, recruiting a chair for the Development Committee, editing development communications, managing a strategic planning process, making a personnel change in the development office, running the development office in a small school, planning for a capital campaign.

Many heads come into their positions via the classroom/academic route, where often development is a low priority. Once he or she becomes Head of School their development responsibilities often become prominent, yet their comfort level with development is quite low.  Some new Heads are also finding that the Board’s development expectations may exceed what the search committee had suggested would be acceptable in terms of quickly getting up to speed in this important area. We have found that many Heads need guidance on specific issues, and they need a listening ear.

Our Coaching for Heads service can run for either three or six months and includes onsite visits, email and phone support, and meetings with the Board chair and/or Development Committee chair to discuss specific issues.