Inspired School Marketers Sparkcast

Introduction This episode of the InspirED SparkCast discusses the 2022 Independent School Cost-Per-Enrollment Study produced jointly by the Enrollment Management Association (EMA), the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and National Business Officers Association (NBOA) to make informed decisions around funding and support for enrollment efforts.  [Links above lead to the study. Your school must be a member of one of the organizations to be eligible for download.] This is the Executive Summary on the NAIS website. Among the independent schools that participated in this research, enrollment costs were as follows: The median cost-per-enrollment (CPE) was $3,677 The median cost-per-inquiry (CPI) was $697 The median ROI was $7 in tuition for each dollar spent to enroll a new student in their first year Enrollment costs varied significantly across school demographics. The largest schools (those with 700+ students) had the lowest CPE of all school groups—and saw the highest return on their i

Deb Baum is the Senior Director of Communications and Strategic Institutional Marketing at The Bryn Mawr School, an all-girls PK-12 school in Baltimore, Maryland. Deb previously worked in communications and media relations roles at Gilman School, The Rhode Island Foundation, and Brown University. Deb also has a background in journalism, having spent three years as a news writer for WBZ-TV in Boston as well as serving on the staff of 60 Minutes II and The Early Show in New York City. Deb enters the Five Year Club in 2024 as a Brilliance Awards judge.

Jan Abernathy Jan Abernathy is the Chief Communications Officer at The Browning School and a member of the CASE Commission on Marketing and Communications and on the faculty of the CASE Academy. She was previously the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Elisabeth Morrow School and is the president of the New York City Independent Schools Communications Professionals group as well as a co-founder of the Black Advancement Network. Jan is a trustee of Grace Church School and Tessa International School. This is Jan’s third year as a Brilliance Awards judge.

Dr. David Willows is co-founder and strategic director at [YELLOW CAR], a training and consulting firm designed to help schools stand out. Between 2005 and 2022, he was Director of Advancement at the International School of Brussels, Belgium. David is widely regarded as one of the most innovative practitioners in the field, helping to shape and define the future of Advancement in schools. He was recently listed as one of the world's Top 10 Global Education Influencers. An author and regular keynote speaker & trainer at international events around the world, David is passionate about helping schools advance in ways that are relevant for today’s educational landscape. David talks with InspirED today about his experience as a Brilliance Awards judge.

Colin Anson is the CEO and co-founder of Pixevety, a child image protection and photo storage solution that helps schools and parents manage and share photos and videos of children with state-of-the-art, real-time consent technology. With over 11 years of experience in the online media industry, Colin is a digital entrepreneur and a passionate advocate for children's digital privacy and safety. Colin's vision is to protect the digital identity of children and to reduce privacy and data breach risks for schools and parents. Colin has a proven track record of leading and growing innovative digital businesses, with skills in digital strategy and execution, business development, e-commerce, advertising, management, and marketing.

H. Watson Jordan Ed D.   Watson is an author, a lifelong educator, and a certified WHY.os trainer. His company, The Resilience Initiative, promotes resilience around the world. Watson works with teams using the WHY Operating System to drive superior insight, understanding, and production. This algorithm guides the identification of individual and group zones of genius and explains how to leverage them.    As an author, his book Mine, Ours, and Yours: A Father's Journey through the Life and Death of a Child, explores tragic despair and unearths hopeful resilience. His second book, Resilience: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Made Us Wiser and Stronger, is a collection of essays from global leaders who provide thoughtful and powerful insight into how adverse conditions do indeed drive us to become wiser and stronger.    As a lifelong educator, Watson has developed and led programs in team-building, technology, and wellness. He engages with organizations of all types and especially values working with schools an

Carrie Grimes is the Director of the M.Ed. in Independent School Leadership at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College of Education and Human Development. Carrie is a Professor in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations, and teaches across master's and doctoral programs at Peabody College. In addition to her teaching and scholarship, Carrie facilitates workshops and learning sessions for independent schools and associations on topics such as leadership, storytelling, strategic fundraising, and organizational flourishing. Carrie has over 20 years of professional experience in independent school leadership in New York, California, and Maryland. Carrie's scholarly interests include emotionally intelligent leadership, program design, institutional advancement, and social identity and community building within school settings.

Mike Connor Mike is President of Connor Associates and co-author of the NAIS book, Marketing Independent Schools in the 21st Century.  His latest e-Book, Pulling in the Same Direction, emphasizes everyone’s role in recruitment, retention, and fundraising. Earlier in his 30+ year career Mike worked in nearly every position at independent K-12 schools. Today, Connor Associates has 16 Associates and Partners and has served clients in 28 states and on four continents. Connor Associates stakes its value on its experience with providing comprehensive marketing and financial services, including ensuring proof of ROI through confidential Image Audits and Surveys, Enrollment Feasibility Studies to identify and map mission-appropriate families, Five-year Enrollment Forecasts, Business Office Evaluations and Plans, Strategic Marketing Plans, and Institutional Strategic Plans.  Connor Associates’ newest offering, Executive Searches, uses a unique approach that finds, trains, and provides coaching and support for membe

Chris Pryor is president and founder of The Gowan Group. As a lifelong educator, strategist, and thought leader, Chris is in his third decade of independent school leadership. He has held leadership positions at independent schools such as Harbor Country Day, The Independence School, Hackley, Rye Country Day, and Tuxedo Park School and was actively involved with NYSAIS. Chris is a well-known speaker on topics such as social media, marketing, admissions training, crisis management, professional development, and board training. With The Gowan Group, Chris realizes his vision for an educational consulting organization that serves the needs of independent schools on every front–from Admission and Enrollment Management to Advancement and Fundraising, and from Strategic Planning to Leadership Development. Gowan Placement’s exceptional team advises and guides families through a comprehensive and personalized approach to school placement. To accomplish this, Chris assembled a stellar group of nationally renowned cons

  Dr. David Willows is Co-founder and Strategic Director at [YELLOW CAR], the world's leading experience strategy training and consultancy firm for schools. Between 2005 and 2022, he was Director of Advancement at the International School of Brussels, Belgium. During this time, he grew to be widely regarded as one of the most innovative practitioners in the field, helping to shape and define the future of Advancement (admissions, marketing & communications, fundraising & alumni relations) in schools. He was recently listed as one of the world’s Top 10 Global Educational Influencers. An author and regular keynote speaker and trainer at international events around the world, David is passionate about helping schools advance in ways that are relevant to today’s educational landscape. Suzette Parlevliet is Co-founder and Experience Director at [YELLOW CAR]. With a background in hospitality management, she worked at the International School of Brussels for nearly a decade, where

Rebecca Malotke-Meslin is the founder of Pleasantly Aggressive Coaching & Consulting where she empowers women to take control of their leadership journey and ditch the habits holding them back. Rebecca combines a background in social research with 20 years of sales, marketing, communications, and school leadership to create a transformational experience for her clients. One of the many connections she has with InspirED is that Rebecca was director of admissions at three private schools over 15 years. Through one-on-one coaching, leadership cohorts, and speaking engagements, she delivers enthusiasm and expertise to her audiences. In her role as a consultant, she works with organizations to eliminate barriers, reduce biases, and create more inclusive spaces for all women. Rebecca is also the host of the Confidently You: Women in Leadership Podcast.

Deborah Janz has a passion and curiosity for international and corporate culture. This, combined with her experience with business, sales, and technology, created the foundation of IMPACT Marketing International in 2007. One of Deborah's first projects was a family business, providing safe and educational online experiences for young children. She geeked out daily on how to attract more paid users to the website. The KidZap website ultimately received more than one million visitors per month. After twenty plus years of helping businesses reach their audience and generate leads through social media and digital marketing, Deborah began to customize strategies for international education. With a focus on deeply understanding a school's culture, thereby creating marketing promises a school can fulfill, IMPACT's methodologies revolve around high-integrity marketing practices. Deborah thrives on the complexity and challenge of the intercultural mix within international schools and in the various countries they draw

This episode of the SparkCast is not about school marketing. It’s not about attaining and retaining students. It’s not about social media. It’s about the Pechersk School International in Kyiv, Ukraine. It’s about the story of the attack on the school by the Russians in February 2022… the story of the school’s leaders’ perseverance and resilience…the story of how the international private school community has come to PSI’s aid in remarkable and creative ways…and it’s the story of the story. We talk with David Willows of [YELLOW CAR] and Miles Latham of Affixxius Films.

Penny Abrahams is a senior consultant at Independent School Management, better known as ism.  Penny first joined ism in 2010 as a member of the Advancement Academy’s founding faculty. As a Senior Consultant, she specializes in marketing communications, enrollment management, and development. Her experience in these areas comes from working in private and independent schools and other non-profits for more than 20 years. Penny also serves as the Advancement Department Head at ism ensuring effective content development and service delivery for ISM’s enrollment, marketing communications, and development consulting. This includes leading ISM’s Advancement Academy, an annual premier professional development conference that educates and mentors School Heads, Board members, and development, enrollment management, and marketing communications professionals. Penny began her career in schools in 2001 at Ravenscroft, a Pre-K through grade 12 school in Raleigh, N.C. She started as the Annual Fund Director and later became

Aubrey Bursch, founder and CEO of Easy School Marketing, is passionate about supporting small private schools to increase enrollment, retention, and revenue by designing and executing marketing strategies that work for them. As the daughter of lifelong educators and a mom of two independent school students, she combines her passion for schools with her 20+ years of marketing and development experience to help schools identify and implement high ROI initiatives. Aubrey co-hosts the Mindful School Marketing podcast, leads the free Small School Leaders professional development program, and speaks nationwide.

Lauren Campbell is the Publications Manager at Cretin-Derham Hall, a Catholic high school in St. Paul, Minnesota. She manages digital communications, the biannual alumni magazine, and the Student Apprentice program. (which is what we’re going to be talking about today.) She previously worked in communications for a local nonprofit and a community bank. Lauren is focused on using the power of communications and storytelling to build and enhance community. She holds a Bachelor's of Business Administration and a B.A. in International Relations, both from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. 

Dr. Andrew T. Weller is the Dean of Enrollment and Strategic Marketing at St. Stephens & St. Agnes School in Alexandria Virginia. Previously he was the Director of Admissions for Avenues: The World School, the Executive Director of Advancement at Ridley College (Canada) and the Director of Admissions at Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia. Andrew was a board member of the East Bay School for Boys, served on the inaugural Admissions Leadership Council, served four years on the planning committee of the TABS/NAIS Global Symposium, and now serves as an advisor to the Admission Directors Institute of the Enrollment Management Association. Andrew has B.S. from Alfred University (NY), M.S. from Marymount University (VA), and an doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania. Jonathan Downs is the seventh headmaster of Millbrook School, a role for which he began preparing while he was a student at Millbrook. After graduating in 1998, Jon went on to earn undergraduate and advanced degrees from Middl

Dr. Carrie Grimes is an Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Leadership, Policy, and Organizations department and also serves as the Director of the Independent School Leadership Master's program at Vanderbilt University. She completed her Ed.D. in Leadership and Learning in Organizations, where her research focused on social identity and community within school settings. Carrie's career has been centered in independent school leadership, including roles in administration, teaching, counseling, and institutional advancement in schools and programs in New York, California, and Maryland. Throughout her career, she has focused on community building, imaginative problem solving, and cross-team collaboration across a wide range of stakeholder groups including toddlers through adolescents, parents, adult learners, donors, and alumni. Carrie has a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. in Applied Psychology from New York University. For show notes, visit InspirED School Marketers websi

Alex Magay has been an independent school educator and fundraiser for nearly twenty-five years. For the first decade of his career he was a full-time teacher and basketball coach at The Winchendon School while serving as a member of an admissions team that grew enrollment from one hundred and eighty students to two hundred and fifty.  As the Dean of Community Life at Winchendon, he created the school's first crisis response team and an environmental sustainability program, and as Dean of Services he oversaw technology, health services, and food services with an annual budget of over one million dollars.  From 2018 until this year Alex served as the Director of Development & Alumni Relations at Learning Prep School, West Newton, MA. Among his many notable accomplishments at Learning Prep were the successful launch of the school's digital marketing program, redesigning their school's logo, mascot, and website, and authorship of two articles published in NAIS’ Independent School Magazine. Alex currently serv