It’s no secret that schools want to do better at fundraising. Public funding will usually suffice to get the job done, however, fundraising is a vital part of enhancing a school’s brand experience.
Parents and local businesses are a bridge to secure more money for the school. But how do you craft a message compelling enough for the attention of their investment, and how do you get that message across to them?
The answer is to consistently communicate your specific intentions and measurable results.
Begin with the Parents
Parents value transparency when it comes to financial needs. Showing tangible evidence of achievement and commitment through cohesive storytelling will produce the accountability parents look for.
Does your school do a monthly or annual report to the parents?
Do you have a website specifically for parents?
The Pinecrest network of schools created a program called PAL - Parents as Liaisons. Schools have gone as far as to build micro websites (different from the school website) that organize the parents.
Use a micro-website, letters home, emails, and social media to report clear, concise usage fundraising objectives and results. Skip the statistics and data points and create stories and compelling narratives that engage and focus parents.
Use any means to transform numbers into visuals, and tell your fundraising story through the lens of honesty, reinforcing the trust of your biggest fans - the parents.
Parents Connect to the Community
With a strong connection to parents, you now have a network with the local community. Many parents are business owners, or they have friends and neighbors with businesses. Enlist your parents as brand ambassadors to go out and help fundraise.
Creating a compelling message that business owners can relate to will help you bring the community into your school’s cause and help expand your brand awareness and increase your brand equity - two invaluable measures of charter school success.
ACTION STEPS
Make sure you’re not just sending student report cards home, but that you’re also sending the school’s report card. Be honest about your challenges, yet confident in your brand communication and vision. Take inventory of the approach and specific tools used to bring attention to your school’s funding needs, along with fundraising results, and identify specific areas where there is room for improvement. Ask questions like:
Do we have a website for the parents?
What are our school’s current funding needs?
How do we communicate with parents?
Educational Brands guides schools with a wide range of brand strategy and marketing communication challenges. Partnering alongside charter management organizations and their networks, we work closely with school principals and their staff to provide expert insight and practical day-to-day guidance to ensure they develop achievable plans, stay on track and achieve their strategic goals.
To schedule a discovery call, click here.
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