Face2Face Magazine 2022

Leading with Passion John Phillips When leaders change – what does that mean for your institution?

Bianca Coleborn

Building Vision in Leadership

Bradley Fenner

NSW/ACT CHAPTER SUMMIT T HURSDAY 18 & FRIDAY 19 MAY

VIC/TAS CHAPTER SUMMIT T HURSDAY 13 & FRIDAY 14 JULY

QLD CHAPTER SUMMIT T HURSDAY 27 & FRIDAY 28 JULY

NZ CHAPTER SUMMIT T HURSDAY 31 AUGUST & FRIDAY 1 SEPTEMBER

SA/NT CHAPTER SUMMIT T HURSDAY 14 & FRIDAY 15 SEPTEMBER WA CHAPTER SUMMIT T HURSDAY 2 & FRIDAY 3 NOVEMBER

Publication of Educate Plus ABN 48294772460

Editorial Team

Mandy McFarland

Danielle Hargrove

Heather Barker Vermeer

Sandra Herd

Educate Plus

1300EdPlus admin @educateplus.org www.educateplus.org

Cover Image

Bianca Coleborn (Page 10)

Imagery Personal submissions

Purchased stock photography Tolhurst Creative Unsplash.com

Copyright Notice

Copyright ©2022 by Educate Plus

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical - without permission from the creator. The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis of any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice wherever appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law the authors and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.

Contents

Educate Plus Board 2022

What does leadership mean to you?

From the CEO

Chapter Report NSW/ACT Chapter Report NZ Chapter Report QLD Chapter Report SA/NT Advancement Practioner Training

Chapter Report VIC/TAS Chapter Report WA

Conference wrap-up Excellence Award Winners 2022

Leading with passion

By John Phillips F.EdPlus

When leaders change: what does that mean for your institution?

By Bianca Coleborn

Making plans for Advancement in a changing world

By Giles Creelman & Steven Wellbeloved

Developing awareness of the multidimensional nature of acquisition in Advancement

By Ross Scrymgeour

Building vision in leadership

By Bradley Fenner

Timing: Taking others along with you

By Rob Blandford

Thoughts on leadership

By Emma Zigan

Dear Institutional Leaders…

By Paul Dennett

Engage, excite and empower

Casimaty

We all have a story to tell

By Heather Barker Vermeer

Graduation jewellery enriching your school’s identity and integrity

By Daniel Bentley & Lene Bentley

Leadership at your fingertips

By Greg Campitelli & Antony Campitelli

Enabling learning for the modern Advancement team

By Timo Nieuwoudt

Harnessing the power of mentoring to nurture leaders of tomorrow

By Simone Allan

Transforming your customer experience

By Chris Frost

Advancing effective leadership in alignment

By Garth Wynne

Leaders are believers

By Dr John Newton

Leadership in a VUCA world

By Karen Spiller

Building – and managing – your volunteer army

By Helen Karapandzic

Fake or fortune: Do you know who you are?

By Jeremy Baird

Please enjoy the digital interactivity of this issue of F2F Magazine.

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SA/NT

Russell Davidson F.EdPlus Chair of the Board Director of Development and Alumni Relations Haileybury, VIC

Myfanwy Stanfield F.EdPlus Deputy Chair of the Board Director of Community Engagement Ascham School, NSW

Ana Gozalo F.EdPlus Treasurer

Chapter President Director of Philanthropy Pulteney Grammar School, SA

Susan Russell F.EdPlus Secretary QLD Chapter President Patron

St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School, QLD

Mandy McFarland F.EdPlus CEO Educate Plus

Ahbra Bhattacharjee F.EdPlus Director of Philanthropy Tanglin Trust School, Singapore

Vicki Fowler F.EdPlus NZ Chapter President Executive Director Connect Futures NZ Trust, NZ

Susie Gill WA Chapter President Business Development Manager Enquiry Tracker

Adam Liddiard F.EdPlus VIC/TAS Chapter President Director of Community Relations Woodleigh School, VIC

Graeme Mullin Development Manager – Division of Commerce University of Otago, NZ

Lyn O’Neill F.EdPlus NSW/ACT Chapter President Director of Marketing and Enrolments

New England Girls’ School, NSW

Danielle Hargrove Digital Communications Specialist

EDUCATE PLUS HEAD OFFICE TEAM

Sandra Herd Brand and Marketing Ambassador

Tina Fleming Member Relations Manager

Sona Swindley Events and Training Manager

Michelle Strawbridge Business Manager

What does leadership mean to you?

As a Board and Executive team of Educate Plus, we have been asking ourselves the same question. We’ve also asked our teams at work, we’ve asked our members and we’ve added our own thoughts to this ever-evolving conversation. The answers have been illuminating and insightful.

“I think it means not being afraid to roll up your sleeves every once in a while, and doing some dirty work.”

“It’s when you take ownership of something and see to it that it’s completed well.” “When you coach your team to great success.”

This is the response that has resonated the most with us:

“Leadership means a few different things.

One, I think it means you lift others around you up. Great leaders have a way of supporting others and making them more productive and effective.

Two, I think leadership means you put people in the

right place at the right time. It’s tough, but when you help someone find their “groove” and you let them stay there, they excel.

Three, leadership means you trust and respect those that you work with. If you don’t trust someone (or at least give them a shot), there is no way they can be a productive part of your team.”

Developing Leadership capacity is a strategic priority for Educate Plus and is the theme of this Face2Face. The perspectives from the contributors highlight just how differently we each view this multi-faceted topic. There are articles from Heads of schools, past and current, articles from mid-career professionals and tips on how to enable disruption through positive leadership. Thank you to all who have shared their experiences, their wisdom and their advice and we hope this issue helps to refine your definition of leadership.

RUSSELL DAVIDSON AND MANDY MCFARLAND CHAIR OF THE BOARD AND CEO, EDUCATE PLUS

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD AND CEO

Volunteers

We often highlight how important volunteers are to the culture and operations of Educate Plus and we need to say it again – thank you for your time, your purposeful intensity, your expertise and your heart. It enriches our organisation and our industry and we would be lesser without you.

Board

The 2022 Board, under the superb direction of Russell Davidson, worked tirelessly to progress Educate Plus to achieve its vision of being the pre-eminent body for educational Advancement in Australasia. The 10 Directors are hard working professionals who make time to support you as a member, to ensure we are delivering the best experience and network and to keep Advancement at the forefront of innovation and strategic development. We owe them a great debt of gratitude!

Partners

This year we had enormous support from our partners both organisationally and through the International Conference held in Adelaide. Over 75 partners and exhibitors contributed to your experiences this year and we are deeply grateful for their ongoing loyalty and belief in the work we are all doing. We encourage you to return the support by considering them when you are seeking professional help and finding out more about their products and services. If we can support those who support us, everyone benefits.

2023 Summits

In 2023, all six Chapters will be hosting a Summit (what we used to refer to as a Chapter Conference). Each Summit is unique to the local community in that Chapter and the speakers, topics and locations all reflect that. It’s a great opportunity for your team to attend high level professional development together and join other practitioners from institutions located in your Chapter.

Members

Educate Plus exists for its members and because you engage, give us feedback and attend the events and training, our organisation is vibrant and flourishing.

Thank you for choosing to be a member of Educate Plus and for your trust and encouragement this year. On behalf of the whole team, I wish you a peaceful and restorative summer break and I look forward to seeing you in 2023.

MANDY MCFARLAND CEO | EDUCATE

PLUS

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD AND CEO

FROM THE CEO

We all have a story to tell

Dehumanisation and disconnection are downsides of our digital world.

Human interest storytelling allows you to:

Dehumanisation and disconnection are downsides of our digital world.

How we connect and capture our ‘essence in ink’ was the lockdown reflection that birthed Human Interest.

PCreate a more meaningful understanding of your organisation and its people

How we connect and capture our ‘essence in ink’ was the lockdown reflection that birthed Human Interest.

Focused on helping organisations connect more meaningfully with their audiences, this niche copywriting company leans on two decades of writing and editing experience to add capacity to communications teams through dedicated storytelling.

PFoster a culture of respect within your organisation and its audiences

PProvide an opportunity for reflection on purpose and the bigger picture

Focused on helping organisations connect more meaningfully with their audiences, this niche copywriting company leans on two decades of writing & editing experience to add capacity to communications teams through dedicated storytelling services.

From Olympic athletes to administrators, school principals to CEOs, Human Interest founder Heather Barker Vermeer has helped hundreds of individuals and organisations across Aotearoa and Australia share who they are.

PBuild unique biographical assets for school / staff / students to own and share

From Olympic athletes to administrators, school principals to CEOs, Human Interest helps individuals and organisations across Aotearoa and Australia share who they are.

PDemonstrate organisational values such as wellbeing support and belonging

For magazine features, book publications, staff or student profiles, milestone moments and more, Human Interest enables you to communicate with insight and impact.

For magazine features, book publications, staff or student profiles, milestone moments and more, human-centred storytelling can enable you to communicate with greater insight and stronger emotional impact.

Add storytelling capacity to your communications with Human Interest.

Strong words stand the test of time. Stories are captured or they’re lost.

Believe me, there is always a story to tell – don’t lose it!

“I have had many people interview me over the years, most write lacklustre sameness. I was pleasantly surprised how Heather just 'got me'. It was insightful, pos itive and engaging. Even I thought I sounded good!* (*Hyper self critical person here) ” Jimi Hunt, Mental Health Change Make r

After two decades of interviewing people from all walks of life - many, leaders in their fields - I have deduced there are three strands to telling a person’s (or an organisation’s) story.

There are the defining moments; the big, lifealtering-in-a-heartbeat ones.

“I have had many people interview me over the years, most write lacklustre sameness. I was pleasantly surprised how Heather just ‘got me’. It was insightful, positive and engaging. Even I thought I sounded good!* (*Hyper self-critical person here)” – Jimi Hunt, Mental Health Change Maker

“You managed to capture our kaupapa and share our story better than anyone.” J. Williams, Principal "Very encouraging and generous in your approach. You captured me pe rfectly.” GM, Legal

There is cumulative progress - that incremental change. Then there is the entirely unique ‘essence’; an intangible element that causes a subject to light up.

“You managed to capture our kaupapa and share our story better than anyone.” – J. Williams, Principal Your words shape your world. Connect with Human Interest.

Your words shape your world. Make it personal with Human Interest. heather@humaninterest.co.nz ǀ 0064 22 399 3175 www.humaninterest.co.nz

I like to bring all that together. In doing so, I am able to craft a story with depth, colour and insight for memorable impact.

We all have a story to tell.

HEATHER BARKER VERMEER FOUNDER OF HUMAN INTEREST

Leading with passion

“To succeed you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality.”

DAME ANITA RODDICK

I love a good inspirational quote. I have certainly read plenty over the years but there is one, and only one, that takes pride of place on my desk. It is this:

“To succeed you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality.”

The quote, attributed to Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, resonated with me when I first came across it many years ago and continues to serve as a constant prompt.

The Britannica Dictionary defines passion as ‘a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something’. Reflecting on my time at Brighton Grammar School as Director of Advancement, being passionate has certainly meant I have maintained a sense of enthusiasm and excitement for my role.

I believe passion is one of the most important qualities of a good leader. Passionate leaders have a strong desire to achieve their goals and help others in their team. They are fully committed to what they do and have a positive energy that can encourage others.

Having spent many years in school development, I’d like to share three tips I believe can help shape passionate leadership:

1.Be

positive

As Anita Roddick alluded, your thinking creates your reality. If you believe in something with such a passion, it will happen. This is something I firmly believe. Of course, you cannot be positive all the time but it’s important to push back should negative thinking limit your achievements. Your positivity also impacts those who work with you, so make positivity a priority!

2. Be a passionate team builder

Building a team of school development professionals who share a passion for the mission at hand is essential. I think particularly of Brighton Grammar’s ground-breaking work in the online ‘giving day’ space, back in 2017. The success of our inaugural giving day, and those that have followed, simply would not have eventuated without a team of likeminded, passionate colleagues who shared a common goal to achieve.

3. Be a risk taker

Passionate people are more likely to implement new or different ways of doing things, particularly if they believe these will move their organisation forward. The team I currently have the immense pleasure of working with, in the Brighton Grammar School Development Office, are all committed to this belief; they share a passion for always pursuing better things. Encouraging such risk taking also increases passion.

So, make positivity a priority, build a passionate team around you and take a few risks. You might even find that being passionate in all that you do at work has consequences that can affect other

areas of your life as well. As Jon Bon Jovi said, “Nothing is as important as passion. No matter what you want to do with your life, be passionate.”

JOHN PHILLIPS F.EDPLUS DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT, BRIGHTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL, VIC 2022 TREVOR WIGNEY AWARD WINNER

When leaders change

what does that mean for your institution?

Leadership within a school environment is critical to its success.

Put simply, a school is only as good as its Head.

So, it makes sense that when there is a change of leadership, there will be a significant impact on your school community.

There are two parts to the changing of the guard –farewelling the outgoing Head and welcoming the new one.

When it comes to the farewells, make sure the students and parents are involved.

Given this role has the highest profile in your school, everyone

in the community deserves the opportunity to say thank you and goodbye.

Be prepared for grief and sadness at their departure, particularly if they are an adored leader.

This needs to be managed well, and families will need assurance that the school they signed up to will continue as promised under the new leadership.

Always remember that, for parents, choosing a school is a highly emotional purchase…but it’s also a long-term commitment as well as a significant financial investment.

If they fell in love with the Head at the time of enrolment and have had a positive experience so far, it is understandable that they may feel some trepidation about the future.

Successfully welcoming and introducing the new Head to the school community is the key to managing this effectively.

There will, of course, be a grand ceremony inducting the new Head into their role.

However, the real work takes place after this time and is particularly critical in the first year.

At the end of the day, new leaders require trust to truly be successful in their role.

Before they can develop trust, people need to get to know them and like them first.

It’s called the Know, Like, Trust Principle.

For your community to get to know your new Head, they need plenty of opportunities to see, hear and interact with them.

This means attendance at as many school events as possible, regular video messages via social media, participating in school activities and just being out and about on school grounds, creating authentic opportunities to interact with students, staff and parents.

It is important to note that while it is good to be seen, it is even more important for there to be genuine interaction

with members of the school community.

An analogy I often use is that with each family in your school, you have a jar.

Over time, you will work to build up credits in the jar.

These credits are the trust each family has in your school.

You want to have enough credits so that if something goes wrong and there is a withdrawal from the jar, you don’t have a withdrawal from the school on your hands.

Your new Head doesn’t have any of their own credits in the jar yet, so it should be their mission, and yours, to ensure they are taking every opportunity they can to build up that trust.

At the end of the day, a school is only as good as its Head…and a Head is only as good as the trust their community has in them.

BIANCA COLEBORN SCHOOL MARKETING STRATEGIST AND DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL MARKETING MANIFESTO, QLD

Making plans for Advancement in a changing world

Way back in 2004, British band Keane burst onto the musical landscape with a nostalgic pianobased number that proclaimed: ‘Everybody’s changing, but I still feel the same…’

The singer longed for things to remain like they used to be but the inevitable was happening all around him, and he couldn’t stop the onslaught. (And this was before smartphones and social media!)

Almost 20 years later, the sense of change in schools can lead to exhaustion, frustration, and a sense of sentimentality for the simple life we used to lead.

Sadly, our environment is disrupted regularly. It is our role to ensure that our schools and colleges run as smoothly as possible so that our institutions brand is maintained, and the highest level of service can be delivered to our families.

Therefore, how does the world of Advancement adjust to the ongoing demands within the field of education?

As new leaders emerge in the world of Advancement, continued growth and development must remain at the forefront of what we do. You

need to think about the skills that will set you apart from your competition.

But wait! Before you do that, focus on developing soft skills. These are imperative as we gain the trust of our teams and create an environment where our team members have the autonomy to be creative and thrive.

Trust is built on five components, with empathy being the foundational component that gets you in the door. Reliability, competency, integrity, and vulnerability keep you there. We must lead with empathy as we build relationships and get the best out of our teams.

Once trust is built and our teams are thriving, we should continue to create a fun work environment, set goals, delegate wisely, think about lasting solutions, communicate clearly, make time for our staff and celebrate the wins - big and small!

As we lead our teams in the post-pandemic world, maintaining a fun and productive work environment for our teams is of the highest importance, as is ensuring that succession planning is in place for all team members.

We are navigating a world of low unemployment rates, where jobs are plentiful. We need to be aware of the small things that might trigger our team members to look to ‘jump ship’ for the next green pasture that looks all too promising when difficulties arise.

A focus on continual and adequate professional development is as essential as providing opportunities for our teams to network with like-minded professionals and grow through peer learning.

Maintaining the culture of a team will be challenged as leaders change and new leaders implement their way of working. However, unity among team members and a strong work ethic should provide the foundation for the new leader to understand the team dynamics and mould their style of leadership to continue to strengthen the group towards achievements.

Where do we look for our inspiration in school marketing?

Earlier this year, we had the privilege of meeting Dr David Willows and Ms Suzette Parlevliet (below), both of whom have recently finished at The International School of Brussels, Belgium, to launch ‘Yellowcar’ – an initiative that is circling the globe and turning heads. It looks at schools as ‘experiences’ and focuses on designing these experiences for maximum impact.

The authenticity of this venture and the combined experience of these two doctors from working in one of the world’s most competitive educational markets made for exciting insights and an entirely new way of looking at customer interaction moving into 2023.

GILES

CREELMAN HEAD OF MARKETING & COMMUNITY, SWAN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, WA STEVEN WELLBELOVED HEAD OF ADV ANCEMENT, SWAN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, WA

Developing awareness of the multidimensional nature of acquisition in Advancement

My background includes 42 years in the education sector, 17 of these as a school principal (state school) and headmaster (independent school) and seven years as a director of Advancement (independent school and stateintegrated school) in both New Zealand and Australia.

I recently read a blog by Jim Langley, published in September this year, on what he believed Advancement should become, and the following quote really resonated with me:

“Advancement must be dedicated primarily to community building through responsive stewardship and constituent acquisition (not just donor acquisition). The goal, according to a 21-year-old whizz (Ben Franklin in 1727!), should be to provide the means for “like-minded people to improve themselves as they improve their community.” Post-Boomer generations are saying, in effect, “We want to be brought in at the beginning and work with accomplished peers, then we’ll talk about money.”

On taking up my second headship role at an independent school, I became aware that, during the first year of my tenure, the school would celebrate a significant milestone anniversary. It was decided that a fundraising element be included. To get this underway, four of us travelled 550 kms along the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand, visiting a number of key families and individuals. Although the meetings were very pleasant and a lot of fun, the main feedback we received (often ‘tongue in cheek’) was, ‘the only time we see, or hear from you buggers, is when you want money!’.

The interesting point here was, that over that two-day trip down the coast, at least one person in the vehicle, had some knowledge of most of the properties and the associated families we visited on our journey. The relationship these people enjoyed was personal and had not been established or maintained through/with the school. It was concurrently evident that the budget I had inherited for the year ahead was based on a roll number that was nearly 10% more than the start of year actual roll. Once aware of the above, it was clear some urgent work had to be done around effective engagement, enrolment and fundraising strategies, in particular. As the school didn’t have staff specialising in these areas, I needed to reach out to colleagues and do some research on where to begin. Through ADAPE, as Educate Plus was known then, I was put in contact with several Advancement professionals who took the time to set me in the right direction.

In the first instance, we contracted a marketing specialist to work with the school in an advisory capacity and the terms ‘acquisition’ and ‘credibility’ began to appear frequently in both our discussions and planning documents. Looking back now, working on broader ‘constituent’ acquisition alongside our main focus (at that time) of the acquisition of new students to meet the budget deficit, certainly helped overall engagement with our stakeholders and how they viewed the credibility of the school and its direction.

As an Advancement team, we need to ensure that at each stage of their journey with the institution,

stakeholders feel engaged and appreciated. In addition, it’s important to ensure they are provided with the communication/feedback/input/ resources they require, with regards to their interest, input and financial support. They are not only supporters themselves but can become advocates and ambassadors to encourage others to support the institution. The more effective the engagement, and the higher the level of institutional credibility, the more likely acquisition on many levels will occur.

ROSS SCRYMGEOUR

EXPERIENCED ADVANCEMENT, ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND LEADERSHIP PROFESSIONAL, NZ

Graduation jewellery

enriching your school’s identity and integrity

Gifting a bespoke piece of jewellery to students is a unique way to celebrate achievement and create a life-long connection to your school.

Nothing tells a story better than jewellery. Symbolic jewellery has been used for thousands of years to show connection, allegiance and belonging. Meet the maker

Daniel Bentley from Brisbanebased Symbols & Milestones has been designing and crafting jewellery for over 35 years, specialising in custom, bespoke pieces. For years, he’s been using these skills to create unique jewellery designs for schools and universities, such as Somerville House and Bond University

“I was first approached to design a centenary piece for Lourdes Hill College in Brisbane,” explains Daniel. “It was very exciting to work with the principal, who had a clear vision of what the piece should represent. I designed a beautiful sterling silver and amethyst necklace, containing several symbols of the school’s story. It’s unique to Lourdes Hill.”

“All prestigious schools and universities understand the power of connection, and the value in being able to attract and retain students across generations.”

Create a symbolic design

Working directly with your leadership team is the best way for Daniel to understand the story of your institution and provide the insight needed to design a bespoke, handcrafted piece of jewellery that will represent your school or university for generations.

Daniel always starts with putting pencil to paper and spends many hours sketching to arrive at several designs for the initial presentation. “I really love the process of forming the design,” says Daniel. “I’m always

WHY graduation JEWELLERY SHOULD

1 Heritage

Create your own story that represents the unique attributes of your school, its history and traditions.

2 Unique and exclusive

Only graduates and alumni can own the necklace, ring, earrings, cufflinks or pin, making them significant and individual symbols of your school.

St Patrick’s College

The University of Queensland

A.B. Paterson College

considering the person who’ll be receiving this piece, which is why it must be beautiful and wearable, as well as symbolic.”

From there he goes to his workbench to bring the piece to life in silver and gemstones, infused with your story. Make your presentation Oscar-worthy!

Turn a Year 12 graduation ceremony or significant commemoration such as a centenary into a meaningful and prestigious event with Symbols & Milestones jewellery. “One of my favourite pieces is a

necklace I created for San Sisto College in Brisbane,” remembers Daniel. “The necklace has five elements of the school’s story. Each year, the principal presents the necklaces to the graduating girls and tells them the story and connection behind the symbols; it’s a very emotional experience.”

Begin a tradition that lasts generations

If you’re a marketing or Advancement manager, contact Daniel Bentley now to request an initial consultation for your special project.

Daniel & Lene P: 07 3904 2700 | m: 0422105384

hello@symbolsandmilestones.com.au

It’s not only the students that appreciate the jewellery; parents are so happy that their child has a beautiful memento to recognise their achievements and connection. It’s an investment that says a lot about your school and shows how much you value your alumni.

Bond University

See how master jeweller and designer Daniel Bentley creates beautifully crafted jewellery for your school’s rites-of-passage events.

New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory

As December begins, I take time to pause, ponder, and look back at the year that was 2022. The end of the year is the perfect time to reflect on what has been achieved; the learnings and the failures, both professionally and personally. Thinking back to the start of the year, the ongoing impact of the pandemic now seems a distant memory. And with the latter part of this year having been punctuated by heavy rain and flooding in parts of our region, my thoughts are currently with members who have been impacted. Working and living in a regional setting, I have witnessed the devastating impact this has had on several of our school families.

From a NSW/ACT Chapter perspective, 2022 has been a busy and successful year. It has been great to connect again face-to-face, whether in Adelaide at the International Conference, which certainly provided a feast of learnings, or at one of the many SIGs that have been run at a Chapter level. Thank you to our members who have generously hosted these sessions. It is always so valuable to hear and learn from our peers and have these opportunities to connect.

Over 577 members (representing 113 schools) engaged across the six SIGs, webinars and professional development sessions run this year.

Serving our regional members continues to be a focus. I would love to hear from our regional members on what you would like offered

in 2023. How can we build on the regional professional development sessions that were held this year at Frensham and Newcastle Grammar?

Thank you to our NSW/ACT Chapter Committee, a team of absolute professionals - you bring expertise, commitment and a willingness to serve our members.

Planning for 2023 is well underway. The Advancement Practitioner training is being held in Sydney in March, and NEXUS: Passion & Inpact! - the Chapter Summit is being hosted by Canberra Grammar in May and we look forward to welcoming you all.

On behalf of the NSW/ ACT Chapter we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our CEO Mandy McFarland and the Educate Plus team for they have achieved this year. Their focus is always to strengthen the organisation and improve the offering for us, the members. Here’s to the year that was, and we look forward to connecting again in 2023. Enjoy the summer holidays - have a great break!

LYN O’NEILL CHAPTER PRESIDENT DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND

ENROLMENTS, NEW ENGLAND GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Leadership content at your fingertips

Thought leadership has become a pillar of almost every school’s communication and marketing strategy. As marketing paradigms shift from an outbound (disrupting prospects through advertising) to a more inbound approach (nurturing audiences by building value and emotional connections), the need to educate and inspire is critical for developing customer relationships, building brand equity, and generating demand.

Whilst companies in many industries struggle to find credible senior staff to engage in public-facing activities, schools are fortunate to be filled with experienced, engaged leaders who have a real understanding of the challenges facing young people and the education sector as a whole.

Enquiry Tracker was designed by educationalists to allow marketing and admissions offices to have one integrated solution to manage future families, track demand and grow enrolments. After all,

future enrolments are the lifeline of all educational institutions.

With growing demand for marketing teams to bring more value and connection to their audiences, Enquiry Tracker leads the way with its education news series, Beyond Education. Each fortnight content is shared with schools, giving them the ability to leverage this for their own audiences.

Beyond Education forms a big part of Enquiry Tracker’s ongoing interest in contributing to the education sector. The series features thought leadership on topics relevant to education including remote learning, cyber safety, cultivating philanthropy, nutrition, gap years, mental wellbeing, emerging technologies, leadership and much more.

Co-founder and Director of Enquiry Tracker, Greg Campitelli says Beyond Education offers a brilliant value add for schools.

“Now in its second year, the show is produced with Ticker News and focuses on a positive snapshot of topics relevant to education, with thought leaders as guests,” Campitelli says.

Although there are many variables to consider when engaging in thought leadership activity, Beyond Education has the potential to make a huge impact (and great content) for your school. And, best of all, it’s free. “Our ability to leverage the expertise of our partners worldwide gives our show diverse and relevant content, which is a brilliant value add, helping schools create more impact.”

Beyond Education inspires schools. It ignites growth in knowledge and skills while offering schools a brilliant opportunity to leverage the educational news content to their audiences, presenting a real point of difference. Due to popular demand with more than 120,000 views per month, Beyond Education launches into its third season this year. Schools are posting the popular episodes out to their families as an educational value add, adding the video links to their community and staff newsletters, posting them on their website with an angle suitable to their audience, sharing on Facebook, linking to their community blog or using it in their school’s media programme. There are so many ways to use this great content - and in case it wasn’t already mentioned - it’s all free.

“Thought leadership is the expression of ideas that demonstrate you have expertise in a particular field, area or topic. It takes dedication, patience, strategy and education. So, to have thought leaders focus on the topic of education, and to have this at your fingertips to be able to leverage to your own audience, it’s a real game changer for schools looking to lead the way with marketing that really makes an impact,” Campitelli adds.

Enquiry Tracker was designed by educators to address some of the major challenges many schools face. It presents a game-changing solution for schools to easily manage future families. Every lead your school obtains is precious and converting them to a successful application for your school is key.

With more than 300 schools already using the system, we know that Marketing and Admissions teams are saving hours every week. They are delivering powerful and critical reports to boards and executive teams at the click of a button and building a sustainable future for their school enrolments. Discover the Enquiry Tracker difference. Book a demo today: enquirytracker.net/contactus

GREG CAMPITELLI DIRECTOR & CO-FOUNDER, ENQUIRY TRACKER ANTONY CAMPITELLI CEO & CO-FOUNDER, ENQUIRY TRACKER

A g a m e c h a n g e r f o r s c h o o l s

Building vision in leadership

I would firstly like to express my appreciation for my recognition by Educate Plus, with the presentation of the Institutional Leader’s Award at the 2022 conference in Adelaide. Unfortunately, a bout of COVID prevented my attendance at this special event, where I had also been due to participate in a workshop panel. However, I was humbled to receive this award, particularly as I place such importance on this area of our schools’ activities.

In this context, I would also like to recognise the importance and significance of the work of Educate Plus in developing and promoting professionalism and best practice in educational Advancement generally. Having been involved in this area for over 25 years in school leadership roles, I have seen and experienced the impact of the organisation’s work in the increasing professionalism in the work of the practitioners, associated with the development of this area as a professional career pathway. I congratulate and acknowledge all those who have committed to this pathway for your invaluable work in

developing and supporting your respective institutions.

The activities undertaken by Advancement professionals across the different areas covered by the profession - Admissions, Fundraising, Marketing, community groups and related areas - are vital to our institutions. They deal with our main sources of income, as well as expressing and living our institutional community values. Institutional leaders need to provide appropriate support to achieve institutional objectives in these areas. This means dedicating time and effort to being engaged and visible, as well as supporting an appropriate level of investment in these programmes.

I have always enjoyed my involvement in philanthropic programmes because this is how our dreams are realised. Whether it is the new performing arts centre, scholarships for disadvantaged students, or staff fellowships, all will have a significant impact on our core business of providing the best possible educational experience. And that should bring

great satisfaction for everyone involved in the process.

School fundraising in this country has tended to focus on periodic campaigns to fund the next major building project. Whilst this is necessary, the result in 30 years’ time is a 30-year-old building that needs some attention, with the money all having been spent at the time of construction. Any overall fundraising programmes should include a commitment to building endowment, providing a permanent and growing corpus of funds that will support the institution in perpetuity.

Prince Alfred College, where I was Headmaster for the last eight years of my career, was fortunate to have people of vision 40 years ago who commenced the process of developing an endowment to support the college, whatever might happen in the future. This has translated into a large and rapidly growing endowment, with currently over 60 sub-funds supporting various aspects of the college’s operations. These include the college’s building programme, scholarships and bursaries, staff fellowships, individual departments and activities, and prizes - all established and supported through the interests of donors.

In addition to meeting current needs, school leaders should always be thinking longer term, whatever the age of the institution. Particularly in times of uncertainty, it is vital to start and then maintain the process of securing the long-term future of the institution. This is, I believe, the best legacy that any institutional leader can leave.

BRADLEY FENNER RETIRED HEADMASTER, PRINCE ALFRED COLLEGE, SA WINNER OF THE EDUCATE PLUS INSTITUTIONAL LEADER AWARD 2022

Timing: Taking others along with you

In that moment of terror when an email lands in your inbox asking you to write an article about leadership, imposter syndrome kicks in; you think, “I am the last person they should be asking. I don’t think I’m a good leader… yet!”

These were the thoughts that flashed through my mind when Mandy McFarland’s email popped into my inbox, asking me to write such an article.. Wrongly or rightly, those thoughts are still part of the picture of my leadership journey… but only in part.

For those of you who don’t know me, before moving to Tasmania, I spent 13 years working at UWA in Perth. Half of that time was spent in the Faculty of Engineering in various administrative roles, and the rest in a vibrant and fun Alumni Relations team, with my manager Jenn Parsons giving me the bug for this work. Once the bug had bitten me, it bit hard. Once you’ve tasted the excitement of seeing people get a kick out of their involvement with their alma mater, it’s hard to go back!

Fast forward to 2021: I found myself leading Alumni Relations at a university over 3,000km away and with a very different climate. How has it been? Hard. Hard to make the adjustment. Hard to settle into a new place after being in Perth for so long. Hard to lead a team when I’d only been a team member before.

When I arrived at UTAS I wanted to change everything immediately and somehow expected everyone to come along on the journey with me. I made an arrogant and silly error – I forgot how long it had taken me to learn all the stuff I was preaching about. I was guilty of expecting others to come along on my journey without taking the time to teach, tell, show, explain and allow people to digest.

Fifteen months later, I have settled into a groove. I haven’t “given up” or decided it’s all too hard, but I have learned that everyone needs to deal with change at their own speed. You can’t drag people into the river to swim. You need to show them gently; be kind, be patient, and if necessary, jump into the water with them.

Now I have relaxed and settled into my role, I have fallen in love with my team. Each of these individuals are amazing humans and have unique and extraordinary qualities to bring to their roles. I love working with them and, above all, I love seeing the work they can produce when they’re given the time, space, and trust to get on with what they do best.

I know that I still have a role to play in helping to push boundaries and help people see the potential they can fulfill – but I don’t need to do it through brute force. I can do it through gentle encouragement and quiet leadership.

And, laughter… don’t forget laughter.

ROB BLANDFORD ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ALUMNI RELATIONS, UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA, TAS

Image

1. L-R Shelley Medhurst, Chloe Wise, Laura Bird and Rob Blandford – Educate Plus Tasmania members coffee catch-up October 2022

2. Rob with Rebecca Cuthill, Director - Advancement, UTas, July 2022

So, what are my tips for leadership so far? PReflect on how long it took you to learn your skillset PBe realistic about the time it takes to bring others to the party

Get to know your team deeply by taking time to understand what they’re best at

Acknowledge what is working well and plan slowly and carefully what needs to change

If you want to make change, make sure you get buy-in - don’t proceed until you have it

Have fun with your team and enjoy their unique qualities

Be prepared to jump into the water yourself

And be kind, every day

Thoughts on leadership

A somewhat frustrating reality these days is the knowledge that our own success, more often than not, depends on how good the leadership around us is. Not having great leaders puts huge pressure on those working in organisations that lack this critical success factor.

From 2004 to 2020, I lived and worked overseas in five different countries with my teacher husband and our two children, before returning Down Under in the auspicious year of 2020. For the past 10 years, I have been involved in leading educational Advancement programmes and people. Since returning to Aotearoa, the work I have been doing in consultancy with our ‘forpurpose’ sector has given me insights into the leadership arenas of many institutions.

Time and time again, I have seen two sides of leadership - working with ones that have great leadership and ones that don’t. Here are a few insights to consider when plotting your own way forward.

Firstly, I would say there are many levels and layers of leaders in any organisation, and we are all leaders in some form (leaders of our own work, or leaders of other people’s work). So, my

insight is to ‘be’ the best leader you can be, at any level. This may involve all sorts of things, like dressing up as a Star Wars JEDI to share in the team fun, to ensuring your team are well bonded and in sync by taking them out to lunch, however more often than not, it involves the harder work of continuous improvement through reading books on leadership, taking webinars, listening to podcasts etc.

Top 4 tips!

A great leadership vodcast I really like is from Connor Neil, an Irishman working at a leading university in Barcelona, Spain.

TIP #1: Sign up to any of Connor Neil’s leadership learning opportunities here. And share this link with those in leadership roles around you.

Continual improvement is the key to becoming and remaining a great leader.

TIP #2: A second reflection is that leadership involves knowing the ‘why’. American Simon Sinek has a lot to say about this. Sign up to receive Simon’s insights on Instagram and watch his TEDTalk How great leaders inspire action

Our own ‘why’ might not be completely clear

2.

to us. However, given the challenging work we do in fundraising, admissions, alumni relations, and marketing and communications, our organisation’s ‘why’ must be clear, for us to be able to do our best work. In my role as a consultant, generally I find an institution’s vision and purpose is not well known. This is a failure of leadership.

Organisational leaders need not only to clearly and regularly articulate the organisation’s ‘why’, but actively spend time leading their key stakeholders to achieve this purpose. We see far too many leaders doing instead of leading. Where the real crux of this matter may lie, is that those leading us are often more suited to doing the work, than leading the team to do it.

TIP #3: Read Mary Abbajay’s book ‘Managing UpHow to Move up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss ’. It offers strategies for those working without clear leadership.

Finally, I would say it is our responsibility, when searching for a new job, to find organisations already demonstrating good leadership.

TIP #4: At your next job interview, be sure to ask questions that seek to find out about leadership Eg. “Can you tell me about your organisation’s

3.

leadership style and what you value most in your employees?”

While a job interview is there for the employer to get a sense of the skills, abilities and fit of any potential employee, it can and should also be the time when a prospective employee gets to see what kind of boss they may be working with and gauge the organisation’s leadership quality, or lack of it.

Great leaders are worth their weight in gold. Be one.

And always be on the lookout to try and work with other great leaders too.

EMMA ZIGAN VICE PRESIDENT NZ CHAPTER ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, GIVING ARCHITECTS

Images

1.Emma Zigan leading a ‘May the Fourth’ event as one of the Jedis on the team

2.Learning workshop with the School Board for continuous improvement

3.Team building lunch with ‘the boss’

Enabling learning for the modern Advancement team

It’s a unique moment to work in Advancement. There are changes across the board when it comes to parental expectations, technology, and internal structure. Traditional approaches are becoming less relevant, and it’s becoming increasingly important to adapt to the trends and evolutions so you can keep your best foot forward in the modern Advancement era. So what are these trends, and what should you do to adapt?

Today’s landscape

When it comes to serving our families, we’re at a crossroads, with three generations needing to be served over the next few years, and each with unique needs, interests, and levels of digitisation. From Gen Z, who are starting to waitlist their first children, to Millennials, who make up the bulk of today’s parent cohort, successfully engaging these very unique sets of families will require Marketing and Admissions skills that comfortably find a balance

between traditional and digital marketing tactics.

Families have a long-term emotional and financial relationship with your school, which means you need a more personalised and targeted approach to marketing and community, and seamless digital and in-person experiences throughout their journey.

Digitisation also plays a large part in modern Advancement practices, with digital upgrades taking place throughout multiple touch points, like student learning, Admissions, Marketing, and Community Engagement. It’s important to keep your eye on this space and determine which specific touch points at your school are due for a change. Of course, not every school is the same, and you may need to prioritise certain touch points over others.

There’s also been an influx of new marketers into the industry as an increasing

number of independent schools are seeing the strategic value of Advancement. These experienced professionals bring with them modern marketing methods and strong commercial backgrounds, often from industries with a strong “client first” approach. Advancement leaders can incorporate these modern marketing methods into their team’s approaches, leading the charge when it comes to developing skills and adapting to change.

Personal development and your Advancement team

As Advancement leaders grow their schools, they’re taking on the roles of resource planners, internal and external influencers, and champions of change. Embracing change is hard, and for most, bringing their teams with them on the change journey is a big challenge. It’s always hard to convince team members to embrace a new way of working, especially if it’s changing the way it’s always been done.

Developing your team’s skill set requires personal development and knowledge of a variety of marketing and admissions strategies. Leaders are the big enablers of their teams and have the unique responsibility of helping others learn so that their team has all the skills they need to be set up for success. A Director of Advancement probably doesn’t need as much knowledge on the deep details of digital marketing, but those in their teams who are “on the tools’’ do.

Advancement leaders who accept the responsibility of upskilling their teams and pushing them towards the kinds of modern marketing methods and ‘client-first’ approaches that we see coming in from the commercial sector will ultimately win the day.

Enabling self-development for your team

Today’s school Marketing and Admissions teams face common

challenges; they wear multiple hats, have limited knowledge of the digital marketing ecosystem, and are often running short of resources.

Directors of Advancement or Marketing often tell us their biggest challenge is aligning their teams, and that enabling change can be hard. Although we offer inspiration and resources through our resource centre, Insights , we wanted to do more to help our community gain the skills they need to become strong, modern-day Advancement professionals.

Enter: The Admissions Club - our free 13-episode web series designed to give school marketers and admissions pros tips, tricks, and strategies to help them grow their skills so they can grow their schools. The series has been designed so that each episode has practical resources to help set your team on its way, and enable leaders to ask the right questions and identify skill

Wrapping up

In today’s changing landscape, it’s important for Advancement teams to have the wide variety of skills needed to succeed in a modern, fast-paced, and digital environment, where families have high expectations based on the brands they interact with every day. For those leading Advancement efforts for their schools, it’s important to be the enabler of learning for their teams.

We’re all only as strong as our teams, and the Marketing and Admissions teams of today (and the future) depend on leaders with a passion for letting their teams learn. We look forward to helping you grow your team’s skills so they can grow your school.

TIMO NIEUWOUDT HEAD OF MARKETING, DIGISTORM

Dear Institutional Leaders…

The education sector is blessed with so many phenomenal leaders but professional Advancement – especially fundraising – may be relatively new and unfamiliar territory. From a practitioner’s perspective, here are some suggestions for how you can best help your Advancement team to flourish.

Grow a culture of philanthropy

Unless your institution has a long tradition of fundraising, you will need to grow a culture of philanthropy across your school so that fundraising and giving become accepted and natural components in how you engage with your community. You will need to consistently tell an inspiring story about the benefits your school brings - both to its students and society more broadly. I recommend co-creating this ‘Case for Support’ with your Director of Development and leadership team, so that there is a shared understanding and sense of ownership.

Find your philanthropy comfort zone

Potential major donors are entrusting their gift to you, to use wisely and strategically. You can grow this trust by making yourself personally available to meet with them, but you don’t need to ask for money yourself. The table below is a guide to how responsibilities can be shared in the ‘seven steps’ of major gift fundraising.

Signal that philanthropy matters

In addition to putting your name to communications and appeals, consider adding your Director of Development to your executive team. This clearly signals both to colleagues and to your wider community that philanthropy isn’t something temporary or peripheral – it’s at the heart of the type of institution you are striving to be. This person may not be a trained educator, but they have a passion for education. They spend most of their time considering how your school can excel and talking to many of your most important constituents about this.

Maintain the mojo

Fundraisers are usually a resilient lot (for every ‘yes’ there are usually a lot more ‘nos’) but there’s a lot of quiet work between announcements of new donations, and a little expression of appreciation from the boss can keep that infectious enthusiasm maxed. I vividly remember being the most junior member in my university’s fundraising team when I was taken aside by the Vice Chancellor who said, “Paul, I just wanted to let you know that the meeting when we distribute the alumni donations is my favourite in the whole year.” Those words left me in no doubt that my work was valued.

Give it time

When making investment decisions, please don’t focus on short-term financial returns. Culture doesn’t change overnight, and successful fundraising depends on strong relationships. We typically expect an 18-month lead in from identifying a potential major donor to their making a big gift, and it can be many years before a bequest in a will is received.

Don’t save the story just for donors

I once gave a staff talk at the UK’s Open University that included a draft Case for Support, which embraced a lofty vision (helping ensure that everyone on the planet has access to a highquality education) and set out tangible ways the university could contribute towards that goal.

A lady approached me afterwards, saying she had worked there for nearly 20 years and had been simply ‘counting down to retirement’. She was bursting to tell me how the Case for Support had rekindled the excitement she felt when she started her job; reminding her she was part of something incredibly important and worthwhile. Talking about your institution in a way that inspires potential donors is also a powerful way to increase the engagement of your colleagues and, I suspect, prospective parents too.

PAUL DENNETT DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, QUEENWOOD SCHOOL, NSW PRESIDENT, RYDE SECONDARY COLLEGE P&C ASSOCIATION

TAKE AWAY TIPS

PCreate a culture of philanthropy PEstablish a ‘Case for Support’

Strategically plan to attract major gifts

New Zealand

During another year of travel constraints which impacted New Zealand members’ ability to travel to the Educate Plus Conference in Adelaide, the New Zealand Chapter clocked up four notable highlights.

Adapt Strive Thrive 2022 Educate Plus NZ Chapter Conference

After three years of being unable to connect in-person, the Adapt Strive Thrive NZ Chapter Conference, delivered in association with Enquiry Tracker and hosted, in early September, by the University of Auckland was the celebration that we all needed.

Sincere thanks to Conference Chair Nicole Bassett and Organising Committee members who delivered this important opportunity for 120+ delegates to reconnect and experience quintessential Educate Plus connecting, sharing, supporting and growing.

Keynote Speaker, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Auckland, Professor Stuart McCutcheon, delivered an enlightening presentation titled “Philanthropy: The Exchange of Value”.

Special thanks to the Head Office team who made the trip across the Tasman to support the event and New Zealand Chapter members.

Chapter Partnerships

With the Chapter Conference on the calendar and new Committee member Emma Zigan taking the reins, three longstanding Chapter Partners, Enquiry Tracker, Giving Architects, and NoticeMATCH, were re-signed and we were delighted to welcome New Zealand Micrographic Services and Potentiality into the NZ Chapter whānau. We look forward to partnering with all five Chapter Partners for many years to come.

Ten Regional Networking events

Amidst Omicron constraints early in the year, and the Chapter Conference in September, Carolyn Prebble managed to orchestrate a total of ten in-person member events delivered nationwide in May/June and November. Our thanks to member hosts and Chapter Partners who played such a valuable role in delivering these important member opportunities.

Educate Plus Excellence Awards Recipients

A heart-warming highlight during the Educate Plus REIGNITE International Conference in Adelaide was when four of our members were deservedly acknowledged for their exemplary service. These members give tirelessly to the Chapter and their awards are well deserved.

Congratulations to:

Carolyn Prebble – 2022 Volunteer Excellence Award

Kate Eatts – 2022 Educate Plus Newcomer Award Angela Coe – Educate Plus Fellow Jennifer Roshan – Educate Plus Fellow

Finally, heartfelt acknowledgement of New Zealand Chapter Committee members Graeme Mullin, Kirstyn Sandall; Penny Curran; Carolyn Prebble; Nicole Bassett, Emma Zigan, Robert Brooke, Shelley Keach, Ross Scrymgeour, Martine Foster and Jennifer Roshan. It has been a memorable privilege to serve alongside each of you.

E hara taku toa

I te toa takitahi

He toa takitini

My strength is not as an individual but as a collective.

Ngā manaakitanga

VICKI FOWLER CHAPTER PRESIDENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CONNECT FUTURES NZ TRUST

Engage, excite and empower

Obviously, it was a thrill to be asked to write an article for this magazine. There was just one caveat: the topic was leadership.

‘Leadership’, the term, is everywhere. There are regular leadership sessions in our day-to-day work, our children are ‘student leaders’, and corporate leaders are constantly talking about... leadership.

It is apparent that leadership has become part of our daily lives. How do we become leaders? And in which situations? And do we need a title to allow us to be leaders?

Leadership is not actually about a title. Good leadership is about the values and attributes we exhibit with our peers, colleagues, family members and wider communities.

So, how do we recognise effective leaders?

Leadership is not something that happens overnight; it requires passion, patience and

emotional intelligence to create leadership amongst a group by establishing trust, having a clear vision, as well as empowering others to deliver the vision. Effective leaders are typically recognised for their capabilities to build relationships with multiple stakeholders and to lead by example.

During my first job in education, I worked closely with the Alumni Association to enhance its connections with the school I was at. I saw how effective leadership can make a real difference in the school community.

As an alumna of London Business School, I have been impressed with its alumni collaboration and seen how proud the school is of the contributions its graduates make to society. I was thrilled to experience a warm welcome to the LBS Sydney Club when I relocated from Europe in 2009.

In my current role as a Director of Development, I work closely with members of the Redlander

Alumni Association Committee to establish their vision and values, and communicate an engagement plan. Through many discussions, we established portfolios to raise the profile of the Association, and provided opportunities for alumni to volunteer, mentor, and remain connected with the school.

Q&A with Dr Jennifer Farrell

The President of the Redlander Alumni Association, for me, embodies the best in leadership: always open to discussion and managing to excite other committee members. I asked Dr Jennifer Farrell some questions about her leadership:

What has inspired you most in your role as President?

“My inspiration comes from the Redlander alumni of all ages, who have achieved so much in their own lives by contributing to their families and the community.”

What would be your message to other presidents of alumni associations?

“The profile of Alumni and the Alumni Association is closely related to how dynamic and interactive our communication network has become, and by how well they are regarded and promoted by the school community.

“The Redlander Alumni’s increased profile over recent years has been achieved by increased cooperation and collaboration with the whole school community. This has involved promoting reunions, social networking, special events, encouraging mentoring, and a scholarship named in recognition of an outstanding Redlander, and the appointment of an Alumni member of the school Board.”

DANA CASIMATY DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, REDLANDS SCHOOL, NSW

Images

1.L-R Dr Jennifer Farrell - President Redlanders Alumni Association, Dana Casimaty - Drector of Development and Mrs Louise Asprey - Class of 1958.

2. L-R Dr Jennifer Farrell, Vicky Kvisle - Vice President Redlanders Alumni Association, Annabel Pegus - Redlanders Alumni Association Secretary

Maybe you have other suggestions? I would love to hear about your own experience of empowering leadership within your community. You can find me on the Members’ Area of the Educate Plus website.

Harnessing the power of mentoring to nurture leaders of tomorrow

Effective and smart leadership is about collaboration, walking alongside your team, and setting guideposts. A good leader builds a culture of sharing and listening with the intent to ignite, not simply respond. They recognize that their organisation can benefit from the collective knowledge and set up of efficient systems for knowledge sharing.

It is crucial to retain the knowledge of experienced community colleagues and give them opportunities to pass on their knowledge to newer members, with the energy and fresh thinking that new recruits can bring. This is best captured with the smart support of a smart mentor service. This allows a free flow of new ideas and ensures inherent history and knowledge are shared, which grows the knowledge pool within a school community. Educate Plus has invested in a supportive mentoring service to allow the opportunity for non-conflicting school communities to connect and share learnings and knowledge. Mentoring

gives newcomers the opportunity to interact and learn from experts with years of experience, helping them make the role and occupational identity changes necessary¹ (Southworth, G. 1995). Volunteer leaders are the ultimate gift as they provide listening ears, have a wealth of knowledge, and can guide others based on their own experience and career journey. These mentors can take on different roles such as coaches, counselors, educators, and sponsors to fit mentees’ needs.

In addition, mentoring helps identify leaders and prepare senior employees to take on leadership positions. It’s important to encourage them to get past that imposter syndrome to step up and mentor someone. This will help them acquire the necessary skills and ensure an easy transition into leadership positions.

Ultimately, both mentor and mentee benefit from the relationship as it increases self-esteem helps gain new insights, and reduces stress 2 (Dziczkowski, J. 2013).

It’s extremely rewarding for a mentor to watch a mentee flourish and set them on a course to becoming a leader and a subject matter expert. Providing support for employees, or past students, to find a mentor in their alumni community to continue their self-development, is so important in a world where many people feel so isolated and disconnected. Mentoring also helps share intergenerational learning and allows employees or former students a chance to give back and support the next generation.

With Mondo Mentor’s digital mentor-matching platform, your community will be well-equipped with a trusted network of mentors and leaders to guide and support them. Our sustainable and scalable mentoring programs can connect your school community across multiple generations and locations, as well as provide real-time reporting.

For more insights about the benefits of harnessing cross-generational mentoring, please don’t hesitate to contact me at simone@mondomentor.com

SIMONE ALLAN

References:

¹Southworth, G. (1995), “Reflections on mentoring for new school leaders”, Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 33 No. 5, pp. 17-28. Link

²Jennifer Dziczkowski, Departments of Political Science and History, The University of Akron Wayne College, Ohio, USA, Pages 351-360 | Received 01 Oct 2008, accepted 27 May 2010, published online: 06 Jun 2013.)

CEO MONDO SEARCH, FOUNDER MONDO MENTOR & FOUNDER WOMEN’S RESILIENCE CENTRE LTD

Queensland

At the end of 2021 we thought life was returning to normal. Alas COVID raised its head again and all Queensland Schools were once again restricted to visitors. This meant that we had to cancel our in-person events (2 SIGs). But there is always a silver lining and at the start of term 2 we held an event at one of our member schools on the Sunshine Coast. We held four SIGs in the one day and this was a resounding success!

International Conference May saw over 80 delegates from Queensland attend the International Conference. It was great to see our members involved on so many levels, Conference Committee, speaker, award winner and five new Fellows awarded.

Chapter Events

We held an Admissions and Marketing SIG in July and our Fundraising and Alumni SIG in October. These events were hugely successful and well attended SIGs with over 100 members joining us. SIG’s continue to attract new and returning members. Our next event was the Christmas function and AGM held prior to the Educate Plus Board meeting in Brisbane. This PD focused on opportunities for the education section to engage with and support the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.

Chapter Events

The Queensland committee remains strong, with some movement due to relocation, retirement and resignation as a result of work commitments. We anticipate welcoming a number of new members at the AGM. All portfolios are well covered. A 2023 planning day is happening in December.

Chapter Summit

Our Summit preparations are well underway. The venue contract is signed with a variety of speakers being explored. We are pleased that Dr Dinesh Palipana the Queenslander of the year engaged as our opening keynote speaker. We have a strong and diverse committee in place.

QLD Regions

Our regional outreach will continue in 2023, with anticipated events in both South East and Central Queensland.

SUE RUSSELL F.EDPLUS CHAPTER PRESIDENT PATRON, ST AIDAN’S ANGLICAN GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Advancing effective leadership in alignment

Leadership, fundamentally, is about alignment. When we are aligned, we achieve our goals. The most effective leadership, in an increasingly disruptive environment, reflects on the core needs of leadership. That is, an alignment of people within an entity – in our case, a school – to our purpose and mission.

Together, we can achieve our goals. We do so in a changing and moving context, but if we are true to our core goals, beliefs, and mission, then we will be effective.

In independent schools, we are often fortunate that we have a clear idea of who we are, why

we exist and where we wish to go. I have been fortunate that the schools I have led have been faith-inspired Anglican schools.

At Christ’s College, our core gospel virtues are honesty, learning, spirituality, respect, compassion, stewardship, and justice. From a biblical sense, they set different expectations than those created by nonreligious entities.

With those virtues guiding us, and how the various groups within our community behave, we can go about achieving our mission. Our mission is

Each boy at his best. So, every decision is based on achieving

that outcome, with a knowing that boys at their best will be quite different throughout their five-year journey at secondary school.

Our Director of Advancement is part of our executive team and oversees Admissions, Alumni, Philanthropy, Marketing, and Communications to engage the wider community.

Our Advancement team is core to enhancing connections within our entire community, with a strong focus on the giving of time, treasure, and talent. This starts by talking to our boys about the importance of philanthropy and how they can

play their part. In our Christ’s College Diploma, all boys must fulfil a service element. An ongoing commitment to service is also nurtured through our House system.

We always take on the learnings of the past, so that we can continue to enhance more opportunities in the future. When considering time, treasure, and talent, we come back to alignment. People will not give to an organisation unaligned to its purpose. Within Advancement, we must lead by example and demonstrate that alignment. It comes back to that core leadership mantra.

From a personal perspective, learning to lead is a lifelong experience and learning leadership is a lifelong activity. As the dynamic of the community that we serve changes, so too must the behaviour of its leaders. You

cannot lead from last century and deliver the vital community alignment of today. We need leadership that connects strongly with all elements of our community and adapts to the changing environment while reflecting contemporary attitudes and behaviours.

In 2025, we will celebrate our 175th anniversary. Whilst we hold onto the values of our past, we maintain our innovative and contemporary approach to deliver Each boy at his best.

GARTH WYNNE EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL, CHRIST’S COLLEGE, NZ

Leaders are believers

According to a report by the National Bureau of Economics, `between 1480 and 1913, Europe’s queens were 27% more likely than its kings to wage war.’ The report¹ goes on to say that, in that time, queens were also more likely to amass new territory during their reigns. The report’s authors put this down to `the queenly management style — and how radically it differed from that of kings.’

A case in point is Catherine the Great of Russia, who reigned from 1762 to 1796, as part of the Romanov dynasty. Between 1613 and 1914, the Romanovs added 55 square miles to their territory a day. No, you did not misread that. That is a tad over six million square miles, in total. And Catherine was a serious contributor to that acquisition.

I put this down to conviction. Queen Elizabeth I was one of the two best leaders the UK - the country to which I return, for good, at the end of 2022 - has had. The other is another Elizabeth - Queen Elizabeth II and not, I ought to say, Liz Truss, in case you were wondering.

Faced with the might of the Spanish Empire and the continuous threat to her life over her 45-year reign, Queen Elizabeth I made it quite clear where

she stood: “There is nothing about which I am more anxious than my country, and for its sake, I am willing to die ten deaths.”

During her reign, Britain established itself as a major naval power and the rest is history. The heartbeat, the wellspring of a great philanthropic campaign, indeed of any kind of leadership in our noble institutions, is conviction. Unless there is heartfelt, emotional, authentic, and even sacrificial commitment to the cause, leaders will be sussed out, dismissed as phoney and gently assigned to the psychological junk email folder we all hold for those who don’t quite cut the mustard. Conviction stirs the soul; it generates excellent rhetoric and the imperative to never stop until the job is done. It fuels those long evenings working the room, provides the energy to deliver yet another stirring stump speech to drive home the message that this school/university/institution is ready to do great things. Leaders will, with integrity, be able to look generous supporters in the eye and say: “We are making a difference. Your contribution will help us: This is how. This is why. And you, our cherished and deeply respected donor, will champion a cause beyond yourself to

benefit humanity well after you are gone. It is part of a life well lived.”

Maybe that is a queenly virtue? I don’t know, and I don’t think it matters. What does matter is: Do we really believe in what we are raising funds for? If the cause stirs our soul, our leadership will be infectious and efficacious. You may not need to die ten deaths, but you will not be forgotten.

DR JOHN NEWTON

PRINCIPAL OF SCOTCH COLLEGE, 2015-2022, SA FINALIST IN THE EDUCATE PLUS INSTITUTIONAL LEADER AWARD 2022

Reference: ¹ ‘Queens’, Journal of Political Economy, Oeindrila Dube & S. P. Harish, 2020, Vol 128(7), pages 2579-2652

South Australia/Northern Territory

It is almost the end of the year, and what a year it was (again!).

It’s not a secret to anyone that life is full of firsts: first steps, first day of school, first date and so forth. However, there always seems to be a time when our lives become somewhat predictable. Well, I think this was not the case for 2022, a year that was, if anything, unpredictable.

This year I had my first encounter with COVID (and the only one so far!). I gave a TEDx-style talk for the first time. I had my last day at one job and my first day at another. I had my first car crash (not fun). I bought my first SUV. That’s quite a few firsts, I reckon. I dare say that 2022 was a year of firsts and new ventures for many of you.

Among all those firsts and the uncertainty of the past two years, our regular coffee catch-ups, networking drinks and meetings on week five and week eight were something to rely on and to look forward to attending! It was great to see so many familiar and new faces gathering at these events.

Reflecting on what I enjoyed the most this year, the Educate Plus International Conference comes front of mind. After four years in the making, it was terrific to come together and reconnect with many colleagues we had not seen in person for months – if not years.

Nearly 500 delegates representing 233 institutions across Australia and New Zealand came to Adelaide to submerge themselves in a Re-igniting experience: Four days of high-level and varied content, networking, innovation, creativity, and inspiration.

I am particularly proud of the SA/NT Chapter Committee: Patrick Kelly, Helen Karapandzic, Abhra Bhattacharjee, Janine Atkinson, Vanessa Grave, Steve Eden, Paul Bailey, Beck Healy, Julie Dow, and Ashleigh Day for all their support to the International Conference. From sending postcards, packing gifts bags, and scouting venues, to emceeing, chairing sessions, presenting, and making everyone feel welcome who attended…THANK YOU!

I am also grateful for the 120+ SA/NT delegates who attended. We were the largest cohort, and really got behind supporting the Conference. We showed our fellow Chapter colleagues how to conference (and party) again, and we made the SA/NT Chapter shine (despite the weather!).

This year we also celebrated the induction of seven Fellows Awarded to SA/NT Chapter members. Educate Plus Fellows are colleagues who have been full members for at least seven years and have given significant service to Educate Plus. They have also contributed to the Advancement profession through their

membership, time on committees, presentation of papers, organisation of seminars/conferences and other forums.

Congratulations to the following members who were all awarded Fellowships in 2022:

1. Janine Atkinson 2. Abhra Bhattacharjee 3. Helen Karapandzic 4. Ana Gozalo 5. Vanessa Grave 6. Jill Jansons 7. Mon Saunders

We have an exciting couple of years ahead with our Chapter Summit at the Adelaide Hills Convention Centre in September and the International Conference to look forward to in Perth in 2024.

ANA GOZALO CHAPTER PRESIDENT DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY, PULTENEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Leadership in a VUCA world

Over the last three years, I have been drawn to reading articles about leading in volatile and uncertain times.

In an article by Brassey and Kruyt, discussing leadership in a crisis, the key message was the need for deliberate calm and bounded optimism. I really like the way these four words are linked.

For me, they describe a sense of strength and steadiness. In times of challenge and uncertainty, there is most definitely a heightened need for both a sense of calm and a sense of optimism.

Bounded optimism speaks to me as a sensible and pragmatic approach to moving forward in a crisis.

Another article I read was by Brian Rosner, the Principal of Ridley (a theological) College in Melbourne. Rosner refers to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a church leader in Germany in the 1930s-40s, who was executed on Hitler’s orders. Bonhoeffer offered some written thoughts, while imprisoned in Nazi Germany.

“There is hardly anything that can make you happier than to feel that you count for something with other people. What matters here is not numbers, but intensity. In the long run, human relationships are the most important thing in life. God uses us in his dealings with others. Everything else is close to hubris.”

I think the key to effective leadership in increasingly disruptive times must be to build on this calm and optimistic approach. It must build on the qualities and practices of good leadership, at any time, which includes

focusing on building relationships, being open and willing to listen, interacting with people, and maintaining a focus on the meaning and purpose of the organisation and the team being led. Ashkenas and Manville interviewed over 40 successful leaders across a variety of organisations and reviewed decades of articles from the Harvard Business Review on leaders and leadership. They distilled six ‘classic and fundamental practices’:

• Uniting people around an exciting, aspirational vision

• Building a strategy for achieving this vision by making choices of what to do and what not to do

• Attracting and developing the best possible talent to implement the strategy

• Relentlessly focusing on results in the context of the strategy

• Creating ongoing innovation that will help reinvent the vision and strategy

• ‘Leading yourself’; knowing and growing yourself so that you can most effectively lead others and carry out these practices

In Good to Great, Jim Collins raises the aspiration of the Level Five Leader: a person whose determination to achieve for the organisation they lead is fierce in its focus. And someone who is equally so incredibly humble (the opposite of hubris) in their leadership style.

John Maxwell also uses five levels to describe his view on leadership. He describes the pinnacle as

‘respectful’. This prompts people to follow you because of who you are and what you represent. These two theorists offer opportunities for us to consider our own leadership style and influence. Perhaps most importantly, it is the role of every leader to reach back and bring other people forward. We must all support and encourage others in their leadership journeys, just as we seek support from those more experienced than we are or those who have greater influence.

KAREN SPILLER OAM CF PRINCIPAL, JOHN PAUL COLLEGE, QLD FINALIST IN THE EDUCATE PLUS INSTITUTIONAL LEADER AWARD 2022

References:

Ron Ashkenas and Brook Manville, “The Fundamentals of Leadership still haven’t changed”, 7 November 2018, Harvard Business Review

Jacqueline Brassey and Michael Kruyt, “How to demonstrate calm and optimism in a crisis”, April 30, 2020, McKinsey and Company

Jim Collins, 2001, Good to Great, Harper Business Press

John Maxwell, 2013, The 5 Levels of Leadership, Little Brown

Brian Rosner, “Coping with coronavirus disappointments: Five lessons from Dietrich Bonhoeffer”, 30 March 2020 ABC.net.au/religion

If you are looking to further your career in Advancement within the Education sector, then the Educate Plus Advancement Practitioner Training course is for you.

REGISTER HERE

Our courses are aimed at beginner and intermediate level practitioners, perfectly suited for Advancement staff who are new to the fields of Admissions, Alumni, Fundraising and Marketing & Communications

2022 Participant

2022 APT Admissions presenter and WA Chapter President, Susie Gill speaking at the 2022 International Conference.

2022 APT Alumni presenter and Chair of the Educate Plus Board, Russell Davidson speaking at the 2022 International Conference.

Transforming your customer experience

A key question organisations should ask themselves is “How easy is it for my customers to work with us”. In the context of education this could be thought of as making it easy for parents, students and staff to engage with your educational institution.

No matter how outstanding your educational offering is, if it’s difficult for prospective and current families to communicate with you, or find answers to their questions you may not retain them for very long. This can be especially true for younger demographics who have grown up with ‘big tech’ catering to their needs with an optimised Customer Experience.

What is an optimised Customer Experience?

An optimised Customer Experience, or CX, is where each interaction with your organisation and brand is positive. Meeting your customer’s needs in a timely manner at each stage of the customer journey, from initial enquiry through to enrolment and graduation, builds trust and loyalty with your brand. Satisfied customers are more likely to recommend and refer you to prospective families and staff.

So what can you do if your Customer Experience needs some improvement?

Transforming your Customer Experience

Customer Experience transformation can be thought of as the practice of streamlining your services and processes to improve (customer) interactions with your brand. When rethinking the way your organisation approaches Customer Experience you should consider three critical areas:

1. Visualise the level of service level you want to deliver

What do you want your Customer Experience to look like? What are the outcomes you’d like to achieve? Evaluate this against your organisation’s purpose and brand promise. Look at your Mission and Vision and decide on what changes in customer behaviour you’d like to see.

With this in mind it’ll become apparent where to focus your attention to make positive, transformative change.

2. Overhaul processes and programmes

Evaluate your current services with an open mind:

• Do your research. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes.

• Talk to your staff and families to evaluate their viewpoints with respect to service delivery.

• Commit to making the changes necessary for CX improvement.

3. Build new capabilities

As changes are implemented they need to be supported with training and technology. Staff training can include ‘hard’ skills such as how to complete specific tasks, as well as ‘soft’ skills such as empathy and communication. Effective staff training and support will help minimise customer frustration through efficient handling of customer queries.

Technology platforms should ideally integrate with each other to minimise disruption. Use automation where possible so staff can use their time efficiently. Data analytic tools can often be extended with machine learning and predictive analysis to help fill gaps in the tracking of your customer experience. Building survey or data analysis tools into each step of the customer journey is a great way to encourage feedback and problem solving across processes and departments.

Ensuring consistent brand messaging and tone of voice across platforms is also key to establishing and maintaining brand trust.

Encouraging a customer centric mindset, you’ll create a better customer experience, happier families and staff and a stronger organisation.

CHRIS FROST DIRECTOR, FIREFLY

Victoria/Tasmania

We began the year back at our Networking Drinks event on March 17 at the Garden State Hotel in Melbourne. Thank you to our event sponsors, Spectrum Analysis for supporting this wonderful catch up for us Melbournians.

Adelaide’s Reignite Conference was a celebration of the Advancement community, its people, the work it does and the impact of that work on the communities we serve.

Congratulations to the following schools whose work was judged as elite amongst our international membership.

The Adelaide Conference’s chief award winner, John Phillips, was recognised for his role in ‘advancing Advancement’ across the Australian education sector with Educate Plus’ most significant individual honour, the Trevor Wigney Award.

Our Chapter Drinks event at The Lady Burra Brewhouse was a huge success. Special thanks to Vic/Tas Chapter Secretary and Head of Foundation at St Leonards College, Roz Holloway, for doing so much of the organising.

Victoria’s Regional PD Event on Thursday 11 August featured keynote speaker, former SAS Troop Commander, Mark ‘Squiz’ Squirrel, speaking on ‘The power of entrepreneurial spirit, leadership & performance’. There were 40 guests, a successful event and one of the biggest turnouts for a regional PD. Geelong College provided a great venue, the keynote and networking all very good.

In April We tried an arty PD with a team building night out at the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) with colleagues enjoying the satirical comedy, Admissions.

Also in April, Penny Richards Fowler from Lauriston ran a Chapter Fundraising SIG: There’s no I or U in Donor Engagement: The Donor Relationship Lifecycle.

The 2023 Vic/Tas Conference is scheduled for 13-

14 July 2023 at Brighton Grammar (same venue as 2017 conference). This venue is advantageous for large plenary and smaller sessions. IT and catering to be coordinated by the School. John Phillips, Director of Advancement is currently the liaison point.

The last Vic/Tas Conference was held at Haileybury in 2019. The committee looked forward to welcoming all institutions, including low-budget schools.

A conference Tag Line ‘Stronger Together’ has been established, with a colour palette of Purple & Gold

A Conference Committee has been established, with the following members initiating development of the program. Stuart Galbraith (Carey) (Chair), Maria Mercuri (MLC), Hayley Galloway (Trinity), Sandra Dick (Scotch), Kristen Gleeson (St Joseph’s), Roz Holloway (St Leonard’s) The following Chapter committee members have also expressed interest in being on the Conference work: Laura Maasburg, Laura Bird, Tracey Grobbelaar and Clarissa McCloid.

ADAM LIDDIARD CHAPTER PRESIDENT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS, WOODLEIGH SCHOOL

Building – and managing – your volunteer a rmy

Across Australia, volunteering is in decline. According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, volunteering among people aged 18 years and over has fallen from 36.2% in 2010 to 28.8% in 20191. COVID-19 has further impacted volunteer engagement and the ability of organisations to welcome volunteers on site.

This creates a challenge for schools. Volunteering is critical to the delivery of many schools’ priorities to build engaged and inclusive communities and, at a more fundamental level, to their delivery of programmes, activities and events.

Even in today’s challenging environment, by creating the right conditions for volunteering, you can set your school or institution up for success.

Articulate a range of volunteering opportunities

Volunteering can take many forms: from sports coaches and classroom readers to career mentors and event organisers. Promoting a range of opportunities can allow volunteers to engage in ways that align best with their skills, interests, and availability.

Be explicit about the commitment

There is nothing worse than putting your hand up to help, only to find that the activity or the time commitment is different from what you were led to believe. Be realistic and upfront about the time commitment, duties and expectations so that volunteers know what to expect.

Board and Committee members, for example, should be provided with an overview of the group’s purpose, constitution or terms of reference, a position description and expected outcomes. Not only does this set expectations and focus proceedings but can also provide a helpful reference point in the event of disagreement between members.

Structure volunteering opportunities to broaden engagement and ‘share the load’

Would-be volunteers are often time poor. So often, the responsibility falls on the same few (worn out!) parents. Pairing year levels to volunteering opportunities can help attract new volunteers and share the load.

Break volunteer opportunities down into ‘bite size’ chunks.

Anticipate cancellations

When rostering volunteers, anticipate cancellations and aim to oversubscribe.

Sending a reminder 1-2 days before the event to confirm participation is good practice and encourages people to let you know if they are no longer able to make it.

Create a positive experience for volunteers

The big day has arrived! Ensure volunteers are welcomed and briefed on arrival, know their roles and that someone is there to check in on them.

Volunteering at an event can be hard work. Create opportunities for volunteers to take a break and enjoy each other’s company.

Thank your volunteers

Thanking your volunteers is a must and is often overlooked. Ideally, thank your volunteers individually within 24 hours, and collectively in any event write up on social media or in the school newsletter.

As part of your broader volunteer strategy, consider ways you can acknowledge your volunteers throughout the year. Perhaps hold an annual appreciation event for donors and

volunteers or give a small gift / handwritten card at the end of the year.

Promote the impact of volunteering

Volunteer hours are a form of giving. Aim to record volunteer hours and share the impact of volunteering in your communities, whether on social media, your website or annual Impact of Giving report.

By planning your volunteer programme strategically and creating the right conditions for volunteering, you can set yourself up for success. Creating a positive experience for volunteers is an important part of nurturing long-term supporters and fostering an engaged and supportive community. Do it right, and your volunteers may well turn out to be your greatest ambassadors.

F.EDPLUS

Image

HELEN KARAPANDZIC

VICE PRESIDENT, SA/NT CHAPTER DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT, PRINCE ALFRED COLLEGE, SA. Reference:

1.Prince Alfred College parent volunteers at the Family Fun Night

Western Australia

The WA Chapter kicked off the year with its annual Welcome event. This event has proven to be so beneficial, and a great way to launch the new year. It allows the committee to connect with our members and canvas attendees on what they want, and need, in the coming year. There is always a high-energy buzz in the room as colleagues reconnect after the holiday break and anticipate the excitement of the new year ahead. This year was extra special as we had the Educate Plus CEO join us in person, along with the newly appointed Brand and Marketing Ambassador. It’s wonderful to have this Head Office support right here in our own backyard!

Following our Welcome event, the committee went full steam ahead in planning SIGs for all pillars to take place in March. We really wanted to capitalise on the momentum of the Welcome event and to allow colleagues to start the year by sharing challenges and successes from 2021. This round of SIG’s helped inform the desired PD that our members were looking for, and also help us as a Chapter to understand where our institutions were at with regard to COVID management, and how it may impact our future events.

In May, we were lucky enough to draw on local talent again with a fundraising PD session offered by our very own Tony Bretherton. This was a very well-attended, and well-received event and Tony was a great presenter. In the meantime, we know that many of our members were taking advantage

of some of the nation-wide online PD being offered by other chapters. These opportunities add great depth to what we as a chapter can offer locally.

Of course, the highlight of the year was the International Conference held in Adelaide. While this event was some time in the making, it far exceeded expectations and was a great testament of what can be achieved, even through adversity. It was full of high-quality speakers, incredible key-notes, and wonderful social opportunities. Even WA had a great turn-out of delegates who we know benefited greatly from attending. Not to mention, the exciting announcement that the 2024 International Conference would be held here in Perth!

We ended a great year with our annual local PD Day event and were delighted with the program and speakers that made up the day. Attendance was fantastic, the AGM was quick, and the Christmas cheer was flowing as another year for the WA Chapter came to a close.

SUSIE GILL F.EDPLUS CHAPTER PRESIDENT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, ENQUIRY TRACKER

Reignite: Adelaide 2022

Educate Plus International Conference

In May this year, nearly 500 delegates representing 233 institutions across Australia and New Zealand converged on Adelaide to submerge themselves in the Educate Plus International Conference.

It was an outstanding four days of high level and varied program content, an insane amount of networking and an opportunity to meet with 150 exhibitors and partners who were supporting Educate Plus and our industry.

It was also an opportunity for the Educate Plus Excellence Awards finalists to showcase their entries and for the winners to be acknowledged at the formal awards luncheon on day two of the Conference.

Innovation, creativity and inspiration merged together and the energy was palpable!

An enormous thank you to everyone who contributed to the Conference, and we look forward to seeing you in Perth in 2024!

Excellence Awards 2022 Winners & Finalists

ADMISSIONS

Admissions Campaign

Recognising excellence in a campaign and/or specific event directed at securing enrolments

Finalists: Loreto Normanhurst

Oxford Falls Grammar Sacred Heart College, WA

Scotch Oakburn College Winner: Scotch Oakburn College

Admissions Publication Recognising excellence in a publication, using any medium, specifically targeting enrolments.

Finalists: Santa Sabina College Strathcona Girls’ Grammar

Winner: Strathcona Girls’ Grammar

ALUMNI

Alumni Campaign

Recognising excellence in a series of activities or programs designed to engage with Alumni and/or Community

Finalists:

Caulfield Grammar School

Carey Baptist Grammar School

Loreto Normanhurst Prince Alfred College

Highly Commended: Prince Alfred College Winner: Caulfield Grammar School

Alumni Event

Recognising excellence in a specific event for Alumni and/or Community

Finalists

Korowa Anglican Girls’ School

St Andrew’s Cathedral School St Joseph’s College, Geelong

Highly Commended: Korowa Anglican Girls’ School

Winner: St Andrew’s Cathedral School

Alumni Publication

Recognising excellence in an Alumni and/or Community publication

Finalists: Caulfield Grammar Pembroke School Somerville House

The Womens’ College, University of Queensland Winners: The Womens’ College, University of Queensland Somerville House

FUNDRAISING

Annual Giving Recognising excellence in an Annual Giving or Fundraising Campaign

Finalists: Geelong Grammar School Pembroke School Scotch Oakburn College University of Otago Special Mention: University of Otago Winners: Scotch Oakburn College Geelong Grammar School

Capital Campaigns/Major Gifts Recognising excellence in a Capital Campaign, Major Gifts or Bequest program

Finalists: Penrhos College Scotch College, Adelaide The Hutchins School

Highly Commended: Penrhos College

Winners: The Hutchins School Scotch College, Adelaide

Excellence Awards 2022

Winners & Finalists cont’d

Fundraising Events

Recognising excellence in a fundraising event

Finalist: Frensham Schools

Winner: Frensham Schools

MARKETING

Marketing Campaign

Recognising excellence in a reputation and/ or profile building campaign (e.g. advertising, branding identity, newsletters, brochures, annual reports, etc.)

Finalists: Scotch Oakburn College Strathcona Girls Grammar Ormiston College

Highly Commended: Scotch Oakburn College Winner: Ormiston College

Marketing Online

Recognising excellence and/or innovation in online/ digital media, for communications, marketing and engagement goals (e.g. website, social media, viral marketing, etc.)

Finalists: Sacred Heart College, WA Scotch Oakburn College Old Scotch Collegians Walford Anglican School

Winner: Old Scotch Collegians, Melbourne

Marketing Video

Recognising excellence and/or innovation in video for either Fundraising, Admissions, Alumni or Marketing. New Category with the most entries of any category

Finalists: Concordia Lutheran College Frensham Schools Sacred Heart College, WA

Winners: Frensham Schools

Sacred Heart College, WA

SPECIAL AWARDS Fellows

They have been nominated by their Chapters to become Fellows which recognises and honours long serving, high achieving, and senior Educate Plus members who have made a significant contribution to our organisation and to Advancement.

Fellows

NZ: Jennifer Roshan and Angela Coe

NSW/ACT: Grant Birse, Lyn O’Neill, Jo Hutchens and Yvette Graniero

QLD: Helen Turner, Peter Franks, David Miles and Nicole Wykes

VIC/TAS: Laura Maasburg and Laura Bird

SA/NT: Jill Jansons, Abhra Bhattacharjee, Janine Atkinson, Mon Saunders, Ana Gozalo, Vanessa Grave, Helen Karapandzic and Kate Robertson – in memorium

Newcomer Award

Recognition of an Educate Plus member who has commenced work in the field of educational Advancement since the last Educate Plus International Conference and made an immediate and recognisable contribution to their institution

Winner: Kate Eatts, Diocesan School for Girls, NZ

Mentor Award

Recognition an Educate Plus member who has provided a strong sense of motivation and encouragement, a willingness to share ideas and experiences and provided practical support to other members

Winner: Grant Birse, Redlands School, NSW

Volunteer Leadership Award

Recognition of the strong contribution one of our volunteers has made to assist in the Advancement of education in Australasia

Winner: Carolyn Prebble (retired), NZ

Institutional Leadership Award

Recognition of outstanding leadership in promoting and supporting the Advancement function within their school / institution

Finalists: Dr John Newton, Scotch College, Adelaide, SA Karen Spiller, John Paul College, Daisy Hill, QLD Bradley Fenner, Prince Alfred College, Adelaide, SA

Winner : Bradley Fenner, Prince Alfred College

Trevor Wigney Award

This Award is the most prestigious recognition of a member for outstanding service in educational Advancement in Australasia. It recognises individuals who have made a significant contribution through exceptional Advancement success and who have elevated the professionalism of their colleagues by mentoring and giving generously of their time, expertise, vision and conviction.

Finalists: Glenda Fitzpayne, retired and formerly from Citipointe Christian College John Phillips, Brighton Grammar School, VIC

Winner: John Phillips, Brighton Grammar School, VIC (Photo bottom right)

You can view all the Conference and Award Winner photos HERE CONGRATULATIONS

ALL! Hear more from our award winners in 2023 during our Excellence Series. FIND OUT MORE!

Fake or fortune

There is a buzz about town. Your Board has read the latest article about an extraordinary philanthropic gift, or an exceptional fundraising goal reached, and your school wants in!

Sound familiar?

The spotlight is now on you. You stand at the base of a mountain. The fundraising goal is unprecedented. The economic times are uncertain, the COVID-19 hangover still lingers, and the atmosphere seems cold and damp at best. This is the time for leaders. What path will you set?

You mentally prepare. This may be new territory. You are standing at a critical juncture in the road. What you do next will make a difference. Setting out on a pathway that doesn’t reflect your natural engagement style may make for an arduous journey.

Do you return to basecamp, recheck your philanthropic strategy and ensure you have all the necessary equipment and resources to do the climb?

Do you look around for a sherpa to help carry the load or commence the trek alone with a smile on your face and a spring in your step? Who will you share your climbing success with to inspire them to join in? Although different pathways can be successfully navigated in this climb to the fundraising peak, knowing who you are and your leadership style is an important consideration when designing campaign tactics, activities and bringing to life a narrative that gets you to your goal.

Discovering your virtues is a time of honesty and self-reflection. A successful leader recognises and plays to their strengths. They appear confident, energised and happy because they are being authentic. You lead in this fashion, and your community will feed off your energy; they will be inspired and will follow. The ‘ask’ becomes more effortless.

Try to be someone with a style that is not naturally yours, and the journey will be disheartening and challenging to build muchneeded trust and rapport. You will chase donors and wonder

why you are being politely dismissed.

We work with all Advancement leadership styles and complement them as best we can on their journey. Regardless of style, all successful fundraisers have something in common: They believe in themselves, and they believe in the mission. They set out on this journey with belief and positivity. No matter what obstacles appear, they are responsive, agile in their engagement and always focused on the ultimate goal. This unfaltering belief is infectious and provides the magical ingredient that inspires others to follow and prompts donors to commit confidently to the campaign. It can take your school (and Board!) to places they never imagined.

So, how do you want to get there?

JEREMY BAIRD MANAGING DIRECTOR, BLUEBOAT, VIC

do you know who you are?

Photo creidt: Joshua Earle, Unsplash.com

Storytelling for Schools

Our membership is filled with expertise, innovation, and excellent delivery of inspiring projects!

In 2023, we will be sharing this with you and showcasing our 2022 Excellence Award Winners in a 30-minute webinar once a month starting from February 2023.

This is an excellent professional development opportunity to learn about best practice, share the challenges and achievements and enjoy the innovation across the 11 Award categories.

Facilitated by Global Philanthropic, these 30-minute webinars will be structured to optimise our time together:

10 minutes for the winners to present their submission

10 minutes in an Interview style Q&A with Global Philanthropic

10 minutes of Q&A from the audience

We hope you will join us for some rapid fire inspiration!

Thank you to our 2022 Excellence Series Partner Global Philanthropic and to the award winners and their institutions for sharing their knowledge.

VIEW SCHEDULE*

*Please note that these dates may change depending upon the availability of the award winners.

Educate Plus would like to acknowledge and thank our Platinum and Chapter Partners for their generous support in 2022