Rocky tutors students at Grady High School in Atlanta

Photo by Billy Howard

(L to R) Cassie McVeety (CASE Board Chair-Elect), Rocky Ford, Becky Ross, Emilie Henry (Trinity School)

Photo by Billy Howard

(L to R) Becky Ross, Molly McDowell (North Shore Country Day School) and Rocky Ford yuck it up at CASE.

Photo by Deb Bongiorno

Innovative New Services

Coaching for Heads

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.

Mini Assessments

In response to your requests, we have added three new mini assessments in the following areas:

Alumni Relations

Often school development offices overlook or underfund the critical alumni program, which in order to take care of current day-to-day needs. A two-day review of your Alumni Program includes interviews with your staff, Alumni association president, and several alumni as well as a focus group of local alumni. Our review will include data management, publications and your website, as well as the structure of your alumni organization, archives, reunions, cultivation, and stewardship. You will receive a written report of our findings including commendations, questions, and recommendations.

Annual Giving

A two-day review of your annual giving program would include interviews with your staff as well as several volunteers, and possibly a focus group of current parents. We would review all operations from anecdotal records data management to stewardship, including all of your annual fund printed and on-line communications, training systems, etc. You will receive a written report including commendations, questions, and recommendations.

Board of Trustees and Development

We are now offering a daylong workshop for your Development Office and members of your Board of Trustees. The purpose is to educate the board on their development responsibilities. The day will be spent meeting with your Board, Development Committee, Board Chair, and the Head of School. We will cover topics from Board orientation to their role in cultivation and stewardship. There will be an opportunity for self-assessment.