Looking for great schools to support?

alinea on the road


Since the overwhelming response to my session at the WI Education Convention just five weeks ago, I've already visited three amazing school districts.  I just have to share all the amazing things that are happening in education around Wisconsin.

alinea will be starting work with the Montello School District in March.  Just 40 minutes east of Wisconsin Dells, this small community has launched The Montello Idea, an initiative to involve the entire community in building an innovative and world-class education program.  In addition, to amazing collaborations with stakeholders, the district recently launched a charter school focused on the community's natural resources, and they are reaching out to homeschoolers.  Instead of seeing parents who homeschool as a threat to the public school system, they are welcoming these families into the schools to offer students who are being home schooled the opportunity to benefit by group activities and providing support that parents need.

The Wisconsin Dells School District is so unique in how it attracts young people from all over the world to work during the tourism season, as well as the work experience that local students receive.  Those huge water parks and other businesses are owned by people who have history in the area, and they are discussing very innovative ways to partner with the school district to inspire and empower students to become the next generation of business owners and entrepreneurs.

The Altoona School District is not only passionate about welcoming older adults into the schools to share their experiences and perspectives with younger people, but they also offer programs that allow older adults to continue learning and growing.  In addition, I have never come across a school district that is collaborating with other school districts - the Chippewa Valley in this case - for the benefit of all of the students.  This area of the state is talking about empowering schools in the three separate school districts to specialize and allowing families to choose the school - no matter what school district - that is the best match for their child.  This is amazing!  It takes a lot of courage to focus on student needs in a system that allocates resources based on enrollment for individual schools.

Oh, and I almost forgot about Brown Deer School District right outside of Milwaukee.  About five years ago, Deb Kerr, the new superintendent descended on the community like a huge breath of fresh air.  During the last five years, the community and staff members have launched so many initiatives during a time of decreasing budgets.  They have not sacrificed anything that benefits the students.  Instead, they have figured out ways to use their money more widely.  In addition, the community recently passed a $22 million referendum.  The district has relationships with local churches to offer mentoring to students, attracts volunteers with mental health expertise to provide support to their students, and has the most amazing diversity.  Other schools should be envious of the district's diversity - 40% of the students quality for free and reduced lunch, and there are about 26 different languages spoken among the student population.  And the art program . . .

How you can help

I think we all seem to hear more about the schools that are struggling than those that are "doing it for the kids."  It seems to feel like a big black hole for most people with no way out.  But believe me, there are amazing thins going on in our own state, and with alinea's help, some of our own small communities are going to put themselves on the map as innovative and world-class schools.  Instead of feeling threatened by another school's effectiveness, it would be great if other schools got out of their four walls and went to visit successful schools to see how it's done.

If you are looking for an opportunity to invest in or support a cutting edge school, please let me know.  You may have ties to some of these communities.

Stay tuned.  I'll continue to share with you how these schools are innovating.  I believe Milwaukee and some of the other bigger cities in Wisconsin have a lot to learn from smaller communities in our state.

#1 Fundraising Tool – Your Professional Case Statement

How to Build the 10 Sections of Your Nonprofit's Professional Case Statement

Building a brand happens when your story is heard by many people told in a similar fashion. In order to cultivate relationships to attract the resources you need, you need to grow a following of ambassadors that are compelled relate your story to others. In order to do that you must first be able to tell your own story. What you need is a professional case statement for your school or organization.

Your professional case statement is essentially the gathering place for your official story. This is a document that should be put in the hands of as many people as possible. It contains all of the vital information that a prospective supporter would want to know in order to decide whether they wanted to learn more. 

Over the next few blog posts I am going to demonstrate for you how to build a professional case statement that is:

• Compelling: Your story should resonate with people who are not familiar with your organization
• Concise: The themes should be limited and not repeated throughout the 2 page document that is no greater than 1 sheet of paper with lots of white space. The goal should be to say a lot with as few words as possible. The font size should be no smaller than 11 point.
• Consistently told by your ambassadors, board members, staff people, families, volunteers, etc.

Now that you know what a case statement is and why every organization needs to have one, I am going to start out showing you how to grab your reader’s attention right from the start, simply by asking a question. 

Section #1 – “Did You Know . . .”

Your professional case statement should begin by getting people’s attention with some very compelling questions that pique people’s interest. This way, they want to continue reading. Here are some examples from our clients’ case statements.

Example – Wauwatosa School of the Trades

Did you know . . .

97% of college graduates will make less than people who work in the trades?

The average apprentice will earn $250,000 in wages and benefits during the 4-5 year apprenticeship program?

Apprentice trained trades professionals have a greater income potential than 96% of four-year college graduates?

Example – Red Cedar Environmental Institute

Did you know...

Increased demand for green products and clean energy means the need for more environmentally- based businesses leading to economic growth and employment opportunities?

The Chetek-Weyerhaeuser School District contains six school forests totaling 380 acres filled with lakes, rivers, wetlands and environmental areas?

The Red Cedar Environmental Institute will act as an important stepping stone to careers in sustainability?

Example – Shiocton International Leadership Academy
 

      Did you know . . . 

      All learners benefit by personalized education plans and by being in groups with students of different ages and abilities.

      Special-needs, at-risk, average, and gifted students who have personalized education plans are more engaged, motivated and build self-respect and confidence. They are challenged to achieve their potential without traditional limitations.

How did you feel after reading each of these intro’s? By starting out with a “Did you know?” section, you not only are attracting the attention of the reader but also reinforcing why your organization is needed.  Think about your service and your readers. Post your intro below or send me an email and I will be happy to discuss. 

Next week I will continue this series with how to include your Mission and Vision in your professional case statement.

Putting Relationship Fund-raising to Work

10 Steps To Get You Started

Being able to attract resources and consistently engage your relationships requires the right mindset and the right formula for engagement. In the first two blog posts of this series I took you on a journey through the stories of some of my clients.

Now it is time to make the vision for your school or organization a reality. It's time to roll up your sleeves and get started. Follow these 10 steps and in no time you will be experiencing your own success story!

How to Get Started

Step #1 – If you don't have a professional case statement that articulates the "essence" of your organization, at least begin by developing an elevator speech that all of your staff and volunteers are comfortable using.

Step #2 – Come together as an organization and have everyone brainstorm five people that might be interested in the work your organization does. Let them know that no one will be asking them for money or taking any action without their permission. They will be involved in any strategy of reaching out to them.

Step #3 – Prioritize those relationships and together determine the best first step (i.e., inviting them for a tour, the spring concert or open house). Again, there is no asking for money going on here.

Step #4 – Strategize a "compelling" experience for them. Don't point out the obvious (i.e., here’s the cafeteria, here’s the gym). Talk about your unique approach and allow them to experience it. Are your teachers more experienced that others? Do you teach based on the latest brain research? Highlight what's special, amazing or unique about your organization.

Step #5 – After the tour, sit down with the person, ask them what they think and "be quiet" as they share their impression and perhaps something personal about themselves. Ask them how they see themselves getting involved. Ask them "Who else needs to know about what we're doing here?" If they offer names, ask them if they could be willing to make a connection.

Step #6 – Provide a packet for them to take home, ask them if you can put them on your list in order to update them with success stories or invite them to another event. Even if they are not interested, they may pass it along to someone else.

Step #7 – Send a personal hand-written thank you note.

Step #8 – If the meeting went well, follow up in one month via phone or email to share something exciting about your organization and to see if they would like to attend an event.

Step #10 – Keep track of everything in a spreadsheet. All relationships need to have a next step and due date. Each week sort the spreadsheet by due date. All of the above should be done in partnership with board members and staff people/teachers.

We Love Success Stories

If you decide to try this, let us know what happens. We love success stories!