September 1, 2020
Looking Ahead
With the school year underway in much of the country, school leaders have turned their attention from scenario planning to some of the stock elements that remain (or should remain) on the near horizon even in this unusual school year--board retreat, new trustee orientation, annual campaign, next year's budget. If you've followed my blog over the last two months, you know how strongly I believe that making time for governance work at the outset of this school year is more important than ever. I'm very concerned that the avalanche of planning has buried this investment in governance at many schools, and I'm convinced that those schools will pay a heavy price for it. Some schools already have. Too many under-prepared and under-pressure boards will diverge from best practice this year. One result will be a steep rise in head departures.
Creating next year's budget and crafting the annual campaign to fit your school community at this moment are not choices. Ideally, the plan and the details for the latter should be ready to go now so that your development team can devote itself to building and stewarding relationships. If that's not the case, I've reprinted here a brief piece on what development teams should have been doing over the summer. Finally, school leaders will begin assembling the 2021 - 2022 budget, and before everyone begins poring over spreadsheets and ramping into anxious states over the school's pandemic admissions marketing plan, I issue my yearly call (more important than ever this year) for clear plans to retain current families and faculty. This effort is the most important one you can make for the school's bottom line and for its growing position in the marketplace.
Knuckleball Consulting "On the Road"
On Sept. 14, Knuckleball Consulting will conduct a remote New Trustee Training Program for members of the Cleveland Council of Independent Schools. If you're scrambling to find programming for new trustee orientation or your board retreat, give us a ring. Knuckleball Consulting can help.
