Hello ISANNE Friends,

We kicked off November on lovely Lake Winnipesaukee with conferences for the Advancement & Communication professionals and the Heads. The Advancement & Communications conference focused on "It's All About the Brand" with 70 participants from 29 schools. The planning team, led by Co-chairs Nick LeBel from Bridgton Academy and LeeAnne Smith from Stanstead College, packed a day and a half with take-back-to-campus information and networking. Thought leaders shared new ways to gain strong Search Engine Results (SEO), branding and positioning strategies, lessons learned from the campaign trail, expanding your donor base, and effective alumni engagement practices from a panel of three alums from different schools. The keynote speaker, Andy Shepard CEO of the Outdoor Sport Institute, shared how to differentiate from the crowded marketplace. Andy's experience with LL Bean and the US Biathlon highlighted examples of building brand and rebranding an existing one. We also learned how to identify a school's 3-4 unique brand pillars and integrate them throughout one's community. 

The Heads conference "Diversity and Inclusivity in Challenging Times" began with Berwick Academy's Head, Greg Schneider and Director of Cultural Competency, Michael Buensuceso describing their strategy for implementing change in their school culture. Heads Nicole DuFauchard, The Advent School in Boston, Phil Peck from Holderness and Geoff Wagg from Waynflete Schools also presented. A critical first step is to reveal and acknowledge the reality of the school's current culture and how it  compares to the school's mission and then make the commitment to address the disparity. Several schools shared the ways they are addressing attitudes, initiating conversations among community members and the challenges encountered along the way.  

A school's brand is the promise made to families about the opportunity at the school. Both conferences provided questions and information to help schools strengthen their brand for the benefit of the student. This month's blog post, "Affording our Value Proposition," by Kimball Union Academy's Head, Mike Schafer is about the challenge to deliver this promise while facing rising tuition and operating costs.     

Best,

Together in Our Independence