Does Your School Need to Increase Enrollment?

Has your school district been losing students because of open enrollment?

Does your new charter school need to attract students? 

Proven Formula to Achieve Enrollment Goals! 

There was a time when public school districts didn't have to worry about attracting students.   When children in the community turned five, their families decided whether to enroll them in a public or private school, and the child just remained with that system through high school.  

Well, those days are gone.  Changing demographics, open enrollment, new choices like charter and voucher schools all contribute to growing stress for public schools whose revenue depends on the number of students attending their schools.  

THE GOOD NEWS is that more options for families keep all schools on their toes when it comes to offering the best to students.  

THE BAD NEWS is school leaders were never trained in how to attract new students.  
I've worked with all types of schools - private, public, charter, choice - in both urban and rural settings on enrollment.  In some instances, a new charter school needs to attract up to 60 new students in a way that doesn't feel threatening to the regular schools in the districts.  In other cases, a school district has lost up to one quarter of its students because of open enrollment and a lack of available jobs in the community?  

THE GOOD NEWS is that there is a SIMPLE FORMULA you can use to achieve your enrollment goal.  BUT, while the formula is simple, the challenge will be in your willingness to try something new.  I PROMISE the formula works.  When you feel uncomfortable trying what I want you to try, it's because you're learning something new.  The key is to have the discipline to do it anyway because you know it will lead to results. 

Story + Direction + Relationships

Sound familiar?  If you've read any of my past blog postings, or been an alinea client, you'll recognize this formula.  It's the KEY TO ACHIEVING MORE RESULTS in anything.  Here, we'll talk about enrollment.  

Story

First, people need to know why you're potentially the best school for their children.  No one knows how awesome you are unless you tell them.  Don't be shy.  If you've already developed a case statement (your story), then start by creating a very basic flyer that lets people know you are looking for new families to join your school or district and highlight what you think they would find most impressive.  Click here to request a sample enrollment flyer. 

Direction

Be clear about what you want to achieve.  The bigger and bolder your goals, the more inspiring they are to people.  Let the community know you want to welcome 25 students into your schools.  Let people know you're looking for students who are a match to your unique approach.  Get them excited about the campaign to expand your student body.  

Relationships

This is the part when you will begin to feel uncomfortable.  Creating a flyer is most likely obvious to you.  Letting people know exactly what you want to achieve is probably new but makes sense when you think about it.  This next part though is what will make your break your campaign to reach your enrollment goal.  

Why?

It's not about the flyer or the marketing pieces.  Paper doesn't engage people.  PEOPLE ENGAGE PEOPLE.  You're going to need to gather a small group of people together to GET THE WORD OUT.  Let your PTO and school board members know about your enrollment goal - they're great ambassadors for your schools.  Let your students and their families know that you're looking for more families.  Go speak to the local Rotary or Kiwanis Club or other business club. They know the value of strengthening schools to the business climate.  

BUT, THIS IS THE CRITICAL PART - IDENTIFY PROSPECTS and FOLLOW UP WITH THEM 

When your team of ambassadors comes across someone that seems interested, have them get their name, email and phone number so someone can send them more information. A staff person needs to be in charge of a TRACKING DOCUMENT, which is an excel spreadsheet with columns for the prospect name and contact information, next step and date next step.  

Step #1 - INVITE FOR TOUR 

You've piqued their interest; now it's time to really engage them and allow them to explore the possibility of becoming part of your school family.  Begin by emailing or calling them and saying something like this:  "Hello, this is Joe Smith, a volunteer board member with South Shore School District.  I understand you may be interested in finding out more about our schools.  Would you like to come in for a tour or may I send you more information about our unique approach?"  The OBJECTIVE OF THE CALL is to get them in for a tour.  

Step #2 - PROVIDE A MEMORABLE TOUR EXPERIENCE

A school tour isn't about building layout - Here's the gym, here's the cafeteria.  It's about making an emotional connection with someone who is looking for the perfect learning environment for their children.  The tour is about bringing to life your school's unique approach through success stories, seeing learning in action, listening to parents, teachers and volunteers share their passion for your schools.  I could spend a whole hour writing and talking about how to do a compelling tour, but for now, click here to request a copy of the alinea tool:  Compelling Tour.

Step #3 - FOLLOW UP WITH NEXT STEPS UNTIL YOU GET A YES OR NO

After the tour, the prospect may be ready to fill out an application (be ready for that).  Once they've made a YES decision, then your relationship cultivation is really just beginning. Your next steps will focus on welcoming them into the school family.  

However, if you do not get a decision after the tour, then your next steps need to focus on answering questions or addressing concerns until you get a yes or no.  To prevent things from falling through the cracks, EVERY PROSPECT SHOULD HAVE A NEXT STEP AND DATE NEXT STEP and every week the tracking should be sorted by DATE NEXT STEP so you know what steps you're taking each week.  

EXPERIENCE SUCCESS! 

If you follow through on this formula, YOU WILL ACHIEVE RESULTS! 

Please be sure to share your success stories. 

Deb

Deb Lukovich
Founder
alinea, LLC

Pass or Fail - School Referendums Are Great Opportunities

School referendum FAIL?  YOU NEED TO READ THIS!

If it PASSED, YOU STILL NEED TO READ THIS!


Today, a lot of students, families and community members are holding their breath waiting to find out if the community is willing to increase their own taxes in order to provide more money for schools.  

For some communities, the money is for exciting improvements and upgrades like WiFi services, new arts facilites, equipment for a new tech ed program, specially designed classroom furniture that promotes focus and collaboration, and important professional development for teachers so they can implement educational methods that are based on the newest research on how children learn best.  For others, the money is capital needed to replace buildings that are 50 or even a hundred years old.  And for some communities, the referendum money is critical for survival - just to pay for current operations.

It can definitely be easier or harder to pass a referendum depending on what the money will be used for, but you can't really predict why without doing a lot of outreach.  For example, there are some small communities that are so passionate about education for their children and the trust level is so high between the schools and the community, it doesn't really much matter what the money is needed for - the community will support it.  For other communities though, where there is not as much trust, or where there is a lack of understanding of the need for the improvements, it won't matter how sexy the message is, there just won't be enough support to pass it.  

Whatever camp your community falls into, AND WHETHER YOUR REFERENDUM PASSES OR FAILS TODAY, you should view tomorrow as the first day on your journey of genuine community engagement and an entirely new way to look at education funding. 

Education Funding is NOT ABOUT MONEY! 

I'm sure that sounds crazy, but the the communities that are most supportive of their education programs don't see school funding as a cost or an expense to be minimized.  They see education as the path to success for their children, but also as the path to ABUNDANCE FOR THEIR COMMUNITY. 

It's obvious you need community support to be able to pass referendums that will provide you with the resources schools need, and today's referendum results will tell you whether you have that support or not.  But, it's actually not obvious how you get that support.  

I'm going to share with you the SECRET TO GETTING ALL THE RESOURCES YOUR SCHOOLS NEED!  I call it the formula for effective community engagement, and that formula is STORY + DIRECTION + RELATIONSHIPS.  It might take a leap of faith for you, but I promise if you dive deep into the formula, you will not have to ASK (e.g., beg) FOR WHAT YOUR SCHOOLS NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.  You will ATTRACT MORE THAN YOU NEED! 

READY?  This is the Reader's Digest version of the  of the formula. 

FIRST, let's start with STORY.  Find the THREE (no more than three) things that make your school awesome, and start talking about it in a way people can understand.  I'm not asking you to tell people your'e perfect.  There's some amazing things going on in your schools, and you need to figure out what they are and build on them.  It might be your teachers' constant openness and desire to change and improve.  It might be how you integrate the arts and humanities into everything you do.  It might be that you talk about relationships with your students every single day (that's really cool).  Your STORY needs to capture the essence of who you are so people can find an emotional connection to it.  

A critical part of your story is a VISION FOR THE FUTURE.  People don't get excited about the hard work you do every day.  They get excited about WHAT WILL HAPPEN because of what you're doing every day.  We call this the BHAG (remember Tom Peters?) - BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOAL.  The bigger and bolder the vision for the future, the more excited people will be and the more support and money you will attract. 

But here's the catch with the vision.  You can't just develop the vision internally.  All the stakeholders of your schools must be involved.  You can decide what your educational philosophy will be and how you will deliver it (e.g., project-based learning, place-based learning, infusing the arts into all subjects, career exploration, etc.), but YOU MUST ASK PEOPLE TO HELP YOU DREAM ABOUT WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE IF IT'S SUCCESSFUL.  When people are part of the dream, they feel ownership for helping to make it happen. 

SECOND, is direction.  Once you've inspired people with your story and gotten them excited about the community-inspired vision for the future, you now must make it so clear what is needed to get there so people can decide for themselves how they want to help.  Now that you've got an exciting vision, determine what the TOP THREE PRIORITIES are that need to be achieved to get you closer to that vision.  These three priorities will become part of your story.  For example, if your vision is to be the best at preparing high school students for success in careers and college, your top three priorities might be: #1 Cultivating partnerships with businesses in the community that work in the fields of health sciences, manufacturing and technology; #2 Secure the resources or partners needed to provide transportation for students to community business partner locations at a cost of $15,000 annually, and #3 Sustain the lap top initiative, which provides lap-top computers to every new student.  

The beauty in defining and sharing your top three priorities is that people can determine for themselves how they can help.  An inspired community member may know that there is a business with brand new lap top computers just waiting to donate to someone who could use them.  Another community member may be one of the vice presidents at the local  hospital and sees the mutual benefit of providing internships to students.  Get what I mean?  The more clear you are about what you need, the easier it is for people to help.  IT'S NOT THE COMMUNITY MEMBER'S JOB TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO HELP YOU.  it's your job to be clear about what you need to achieve your vision. 

THIRD, comes the fun part - or the scary part to others - relationships.  With your inspiring story, with an exciting vision for the future, and clear priorities defined, it's time to empower everyone involved with your schools to share the story with everyone they know AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.  

You're going to need to change your mindset in order to benefit by my formula, especially when it comes to money.  When it comes to ATTRACTING resources - I mean money and "stuff" just kind of shows up at your door - you'll need to buy-in to our mantras.  

Quick story from my friend (client) Anne Louis, founder of Shiocton International Leadership Academy in Wisconsin.  We had been working with her team for about five months before they opened their new public charter school in the district.  Everyone had bought into the alinea formula hook, line and sinker as they say.  They were attracting people, money and support all summer long.  Well, it was the day before the first official day of the new school, and Anne wrote a note to herself on the whiteboard - 2 microwaves - just to remind herself that they still needed two microwaves.  The next day, someone came into the school wondering if they could use 3 microwaves.  THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!

Now, on to these mindset changes you'll have to make - call them a NEW BELIEF SYSTEM:

1.  IT'S NOT ABOUT ASKING FOR MONEY (OR ANYTHING) - It's about sharing something you're passionate and excited about.  It's not about a script, but it is about everyone being on the same page about those THREE THINGS THAT MAKE YOUR SCHOOLS AWESOME.  After sharing that part, people should go where their hearts take them and share stories.  For a parent of a fourth grader, they will be most passionate sharing things that have to do with their own child's experience.  For a member of the school board that works at a major employer, they will be most passionate about how the schools are teaching students 21st century skills like critical thinking, collaboration and communication.  If you arm these passionate ambassadors with the knowledge of the top three priorities, they will be walking magnets for resources and not even know it.  

2.  IT'S ABOUT SEEING EVERY MOMENT OF THE DAY AS AN OPPORTUNITY.  Whether you're getting a haircut, attending your cousin's wedding reception, buying groceries or chatting with people after church services, every moment is an opportunity to share this exciting story.  Make it a rule never to answer the question, "So, what's new?" with answers like "Not much," or "Same old, same old."  Make a game out of it.  My clients are never allowed to answer those questions like that.  A bell goes off in their heads that reminds them to talk about all the amazing work being done in the schools.  

Another quick story from my friend and client Theresa Haaz of Granton Schools.  She copied us on this email to her leadership team:  "Hey!  I am so excited and pumped right now I have to share!!!  THIS WORKS (alinea's formula)!!!  I reached out to the community members today regarding the Facebook project and both of them have agreed to help!!!  We have a meeting set up and I’m so excited!!!   I was still a little hesitant and not sure what to say, but I asked and they agreed!!!  GRANTON SCHOOL IS AWESOME and so are the people who support it!

3.  YOU JUST NEVER KNOW.  You've heard this saying before, but if you become more conscious of how true it is, you will be surprised by your own results.  This is about being open to the generosity of whoever is standing in front of you.  This is about connecting with people in a way that doesn't focus on an outcome.  It's about allowing them to take you on a journey inside of them, and to really learn about what makes them happy.  People connect to you when you are open to what they have to offer.  

Going Beyond Referendums - A New Model for Funding

Referendums are very interesting to me.  I understand the motivation behind them, but they also result in a kind of complacency among school leaders and community members.  The good idea behind referendums is that in theory the community is working together to suport the schools proportionate to their capacity (measured by property ownership).  This results in everyone sharing the responsibility fairly.  

There are a few problems with this approach though; the most important problem is that many people do not feel they have a choice and if given the choice they may not support the referendum.  For others, their contribution through the referendum is a pittance compared to what their true capacity is and even what they would be willing to contribute if asked.  

The unhappy people will share their unhappiness with others, which will lead to less community support.  The others will breathe a sigh of relief when the referendum passes and then forget about it.  In both cases, there is no personal and emotional connection happening that would lead to more contribution from both people.  If the person who does not want to support the schools is unhappy based on a misperception, that's not his fault.  It's the role of the school to provide the information that could correct the misperception.  In my experience, lack of support is usually about inadequate information and fear about how changes will impact someone's life.

INSTEAD, communities should focus on having an exciting vision for education, figuring out what needs to happen to achieve it, and then empower people who are excited with tools to help them spread the word - EVERYWHERE - and make connections with people who feel inspired to help no matter where they live.

Homework

In the beginning, it's as simple as this.  Later, when people start saying, "I want to help," then we need to talk about some infrastructure.  

Try this approach and let me know what happens.  Or, send me an email at dlukovich@wi.rr.com and ask for some of our tools, like Elevator Pitch document, Compelling Tour guidelines, 10 Steps to Cultivating Relationships.  Also, my book, The Secret to Better Schools; a New Mindset for Engaging the Community, acts as a handbook for putting this formula to work. 

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU ABOUT YOUR REFERENDUMS!  

Deb

Adopting alinea's Mentality As My Own

I have learned a lot as a leader and educator over the past eighteen years. Staying plugged in professionally has paid dividends for the organizations I help lead. 

But until I was told, “If you do what I ask you to do, you will have all the resources you need,” I was more reactive to the economic demands of my job than visionary. I was the victim of circumstances, not the victor my board and families needed.

I realized I needed to shut-up and listen. Those prophetic words came from Deb Lukovich of alinea and a partnership ensued that provided real learning and resources for Sheboygan County Christian Schools.

We were stuck in a scarcity mentality

Imagine the scarcity mentality that would be fostered in teachers, parents and board members under these circumstances: ten years of declining enrollment, mounting debt, fledgling fundraising, laying off of staff, cutting of programs and a general sense that the school was rapidly approaching the “death line”.  
 
When I accepted this position three years ago, I should have hired Eeyore just to add an optimist to the staff!  I could rally the troops to a point, but then I needed a partner. That is where alinea came in and the rest is, well; a success story. 

Since this partnership was started, enrollment at the high school is up, fundraising has increased by over 400%, and the question morphed from “When do we hit the death line?” to “What is our next big thing?!"

Success, though, was not instantaneous. How do you change a mental model built on scarcity? 

A transformation must occur

The transformation started at the board level. What the leadership models the staff and constituents will embrace. This was a challenging transformation though. This shift from a traditional board model to a community engaged model had board members searching for the ejector button. “I don’t know how to be a fundraiser!” “I don’t know who will take a tour!” 

How did it happen? By just taking a risk. Success began to breed more success. The board member who said these are not my skills was the first board member to attain a new student through a tour. A board member who said, "I don’t do relationships well, I do maintenance," netted $9k for new equipment for our computer lab. 

Once we had our story straight, knew what we wanted and gained success after success,the momentum built.

Our A-ha moment

alinea taught us that knowing your story and engaging the community with passion will yield the results you are after. 

Just recently I followed up with a gentleman that went on the very first tour initiated by a board member.  He was flattered that we cared what he thought. Later he told our president that he is now a supporter of Christian High. He talked incessantly in the community about our school. During the follow up meeting, without being prompted or asked, he handed me a sizable check and said, “Let’s keep in touch.” 

I told the board there were some smart people that told us this is how it works. Guess what? It is how it works!

Creating vision these days in education and non-profits is losing its luster because most organizations don't truly believe that they can shape their future.  We have scarcity mentalities fueled by the tyranny of immediate concerns. 

A helpless mentality plagues many non-profits right now.  Boards and leaders must maintain a "can do" attitude to replace a victim mentality. But “can do" optimism is a thin veneer over a fundamentally reactive view.  

Most organizations think in terms of managing events only. Peter Senge puts it this way,

"The dominance of the event mentality tells people that the name of the game is reacting to change, not generating change.  An event orientation will eventually drive out real vision, leaving only hollow ‘vision statements,’ good ideas that are never taken to heart.”

alinea helped Sheboygan County Christian Schools’ mission penetrate deeply in the community. They provided learning that sparked renewed hope and a vision for a prosperous future.


-Corey Navis
Head of Schools, Sheboygan County Christian High School

  

Connect with Corey on LinkedIn




Visit Corey's Blog

Learn more about Sheboygan County Christian High

Fundraising - What Do You Do After You Receive a Major Donation?

Relationship Fundraising - What Do You Do After You Receive a Major Donation?

Wisconsin Schools are Busting Out of Scarcity Mentality!

Last week, I spoke at the Wisconsin Education Convention to almost 100 school superintendents, principals and board members.  For the second year, I spoke about the need for schools to look at school funding in a new way.  

After years of declining school budgets with no end in sight, alinea is helping schools understand that they have more control over their revenue than they thought.  

These schools are not scaling back; just the opposite.  They are dreaming about what their schools COULD DO for students to prepare them for careers that don't even exist yet.  Even though this all costs more, instead of focusing on not having enough, they are learning how to share their exciting stories and inspiring people to help.  

It doesn't matter if they're a public school, a private school, a charter school, or a choice school. Where there's a will, there's a way.  These schools are creating a buzz and attracting resources from unexpected sources.  

Education Foundations Springing Up!

What was really interesting was the advancement in the understanding in the room.  Last year, the biggest question by school leaders had to do with how to talk about their school in the community.  They knew it wasn't about just pushing information out through newsletters, but they weren't sure how to do it. 

This year, the biggest question was how to start or grow an education foundation.  I was really excited about this, because this shows a change in mindset.  School leaders are bravely busting out of their old scarcity mentality and seeking out ways to get more resources.  They may not be doing it quite right, but they're learning that their very existence will depend upon engaging the community. 

What To Do Next With a Current Donor!

As I was sharing stories about how some schools already are receiving generous donations, one of the superintendents admitted that his district has a very generous donor who has made donations over $10,000 annually for at least three years.  

He shared that they always invite him to the school to visit classrooms when he is in town, and they send thank you letters signed by the students who are benefiting by the donation.  Everything sounded good so far. 

Then I asked if he had ever sat down with the donor to let him know what the BHAG - big hairy audacious goal - of education in the community was.  The superintendent said no.  I asked them if the district had a BHAG.  The superintendent said no.  

I suggested that without an overall vision for the future and the top three priorities to achieve that vision, the donor cannot see where he fits in.  

He is only doing part of alinea's formula of STORY + DIRECTION + RELATIONSHIPS.  He's trying to cultivate a relationship, but not very strategically, and without a compelling vision for the future and the clarity of how to get there. 

The superintendent began to show his understanding by enthusiastically nodding his head up and down.  He began to see that what needed to happen next: 

1.  Conversations and dreaming about what education could look like for the community - an exciting and compelling vision for the future.

2.  Ability to share your story in a way that inspires people to want to help - three clear priorities describing what has to happen to achieve the vision. 

3.  Inviting the donor back, sharing all of this and then asking alinea's three magic questions:

• What do you think?  Then listen.
• How do you see yourself fitting in?  Then listen.
• Who else needs to know about what we're doing here?  Then listen.

If you do this, you will get so much back in return.  The most important thing is that you will learn about how much this donor cares.  He or she may just be waiting for this moment to be part of something so big.  Without asking for anything - because you clearly state where you are going and what you need to get there - the donor can discover for himself what piece excites him.  Finally, he/she will be happy to connect you to others.  You'll have so many opportunities come from just that one meeting. 

Try this, and let me know what happens.  Sharing your successes gives others the confidence to try this.  You will be helping to empower other schools to attract the generosity of others. 

With eternal optimism, 

Deb

P.S.  alinea's approach to fundraising is a serious change in mindset.  Since most of our behavior is driven by our unconscious, you may need some help developing these new habits of mindset and behavior.  One resource that I have been using almost every day is a wonderful set of free hypnosis downloads.  Check out Joseph Clough's Unlocking Your Potential - he offers 20 hours of free downloads.  You'll get hooked if you're trying to overcome any blockage to changing old thinking into new thinking.  Click here to check it out!  Joseph Clough FREE hypnosis downloads.