President’s Message

Welcome to 2022. I hope the year has started well for you and your organisation. Though I am not one for making new year resolutions, I love the feeling that a new year brings. The year ahead stretches with endless possibilities and opportunities and a couple of lazy weeks of summer still to enjoy.

Sitting at my desk during week two of term, I realise summer is coming very quickly to an end, but I am determined to keep that ‘new year’ feeling going. Start each day with a reset and that ‘new year’ mindset where you feel you can achieve so much. At times, this can be challenging in a busy school advancement office, juggling smaller tasks and moving ahead with the more significant projects that build momentum.

I want to thank the NSW/ACT Chapter Committee, which has already met twice this year and has locked in a calendar of events to support our professional development and provide networking opportunities at a Chapter level. I encourage you to look through the program and mark the dates in your calendar. The program starts with an Alumni Special Interest Group (SIGs) ‘Maximising Engagement, How to plan your year for your Alumni’, followed by Fundraising, ‘Prospect Research’, and a leadership panel ‘Collaborate with Class’ that will appeal to members across all pillars.

We are excited to announce that we are once again taking a professional development program on the road. On Friday 4 March we will be at Frensham School in Mittagong and on Friday 29 July we will be at Newcastle Grammar. This will be an excellent opportunity for our regional members to come together, exchange ideas, learn from one another and hear from the dynamic speaker Ingrid Messner. Ingrid will run an interactive workshop on ‘How to achieve more positive impact with less stress and struggle’. The day will also include breakout sessions after lunch to discuss issues or trends, share information, or seek informal advice in a confidential setting among professional colleagues.

Then mid-year, we will have the opportunity to gather in Adelaide for the REIGNITE International Conference, where we will be inspired, motivated, and energised for the second half of 2022.

I hope to meet you throughout the year, either online or in person. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any committee with ideas, suggestions, or questions.

Lyn O’Neill 

NSW/ACT Chapter President

Meet Your Chapter Committee | 2022

Hannah Atwell 
Committee Member/Tertiary
Director of Advancement
St Andrew’s College, UniSyd

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Lyn Jarvis
Committee Member/Alumni
Director of Community Engagement
St Andrew’s Cathedral School

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Sandy Goddard
Committee Member/Regional
Director of Community Engagement
Canberra Grammar

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Karen Smith
Committee Member/ Admissions
Registrar
William Clarke College

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Dana Casimaty
Committee Member/ Fundraising
Director of Development
Redlands

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Clare Lacey
Committee Member/ Regional
Head of Community Relations
Newcastle Grammar School

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Paul Dennett
Committee Member/ Fundraising
Director of Development
Queenwood School

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LeVina Huirua
Committee Member/ Tertiary
Registrar
St John’s College within the University of Sydney

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Regional PD day in the Southern Highlands

Regional Professional Development Program in 2022

We are excited to announce that we are once again taking a professional development program on the road this year.  On Friday 4 March we will be at Frensham School in Mittagong.

This will be a great opportunity for advancement staff to come together exchange ideas, learn from one another and hear from the dynamic speaker Ingrid Messner.

When uncertainty and stress levels are high and influencing stakeholders seems difficult, it is crucial to work with a Leadership Expert that supports you to achieve more with less struggle and exhaustion. Ingrid will be running an interactive workshop on How to achieve more positive impact with less stress and struggle. 

The Program will also include breakout sessions after lunch.  These will be in the form of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) on Fundraising, Alumni, Marketing and Enrolments. These groups allow for discussion of topical issues or trends, sharing information or seeking informal advice, in a confidential setting among professional colleagues.

Morning tea on arrival and a networking lunch will be provided.

The day is open to all Educate Plus members and non-members and we look forward to seeing you there.

Event Details

Date: Friday 4 March
Time: 10.00am – 2.00pm 
Program: 
10.00am-10.25am Registration/Morning Tea/Networking
10.25am-10.30am Welcome from Head of Frensham Schools
10.30am-12.00pm Interactive Workshop with Ingrid Messner on on ‘How to achieve more positive impact with less stress and struggle’.
12.00pm-1.00pm Lunch/Networking
1.00pm-2.00pm Special Interest Group Breakout sessions
Location: Frensham School, Range Rd, Mittagong
Cost: $45pp members & $75pp for non-members. There is a 20% discount for 3 or more registrations.

Keynote Speaker

Ingrid Messner MBA

Ingrid is a Coach, Mentor, Facilitator and Speaker with over thirty years’ experience working with clients from diverse countries, cultures and industries. Like you, she knows that uncertainty, complexity and change are a constant challenge and therefore need a calm and creative approach.

Her portfolio includes roles in corporate and management consultancy and running
leadership programs and wilderness retreats, and she has accreditations as an executive coach as well as an MBA.

Her business acumen, deep connection to nature, and firsthand insight into over fifty cultures worldwide provide an innovative approach to success.

Ingrid’s clients work at organisations like AMP Capital, Frasers Property, Telstra, Westpac, Macquarie Bank, ClimateFriendly, Digital Storytellers, The Nature Conservancy, Ministry of Health and MediaOcean.

Ingrid is the award-winning author of “Naturally Successful – How wise leaders manage their energy, influence others and create positive impact”. A practical resource that leverages timeless wisdom to optimise your performance and wellbeing

Explore the Southern Highlands

As the PD day is on a Friday, participants might like to make a long weekend of it and explore the Southern Highlands. Some suggestions:

• • Great wineries including places like Centennial Vineyards, Bendooleys, Artemis Wines and Cherry Tree Hill
  • Artisan brewery—Eden Brewery
  • A number of spectacular waterfalls and bushwalks
  • And Burrawang Pub for Sunday lunch is always a highlight
  • And a myriad of patisseries, cafes and restaurants to choose from.

Register Here

Top tips for a successful Development Program by Dana Casimaty

What makes a Development Program successful, and why do some initiatives have an impact while some may go flat? Development work is specific to each organisation and community. However, there are factors relevant for building a successful and sustainable program.

Do you know how to fulfil your annual goals and how to continue implementing medium and long-term goals? These tips might help you to reflect on your current practices.

Strategic Alignment

Fundraising goals need to be tangible, transparent, and aligned the overall strategic goals of your organisation. Buy-in and support from senior leaders is required for achieving these goals.

Compelling Case of Support

Fundraising goals need to be relevant and engaging for your community. Use positive language and visuals that will resonate with your community and demonstrate benefits of their support. Leveraging multiple communication channels will maximise reach.

Institutional Leadership

Senior leaders, development team and community ambassadors are dedicated to implement fundraising goals; communicating benefits and impact of philanthropic work whenever possible and are encouraging other members of your community to do so. Influential ambassadors are involved in the strategy work and in the campaign preparation.

Supportive Community

There is a positive attitude towards fundraising activities. Members of the community have multiple opportunities to participate and contribute during the year. To create a sense of urgency is important for building a momentum.

Donor Stewardship

Every contribution matters and is relevant for achieving the goals. All efforts are acknowledged and celebrated. Make your main donors feel special and show them the impact of their contribution. Involve senior leadership and build relationships with your donors, prospects and relevant stakeholders involved. You will be rewarded by longevity of their support.

Sufficient Resources and Investment

Ensure there is a sufficient team with relevant capabilities and infrastructure in place including prospect research, donor management system and communication and marketing expertise supportive of creating collateral and communication materials.

Executable Plan

Create a plan with key initiatives, discuss with all involved and assign responsibilities. Ensure collaboration of all involved and regular check-in on progress. Ensure roadblocks are resolved and interim successes celebrated.

If you wish to share your thoughts or just have a chat, please contact me anytime.

Dana Casimaty

Director of Development, Redlands and member of the NSW/ACT Chapter

The power of ‘old-school’ connection by Philippa Zingales

This week I took a special boxed lunch and visited one of my school’s longest-serving teachers. She taught drama at the school from 1959 until 2002, and in many ways is one of the most impactful and memorable teachers from our school.

Miss Keown (whose age it would be impolite to reveal) can remember almost every student she taught; their maiden and married names, their professions, often even the names of their children. Over finger sandwiches, I learnt more in two hours about some of the amazing women who have been through our school than I ever would through LinkedIn or our yearbooks.

Traditions and events that have kept our oldest alumni and community members connected physically to the school have been interrupted. Many are still not on email or social media. These alumni (and past teachers like Miss Keown) have such valuable contribution to give to our engagement programs. 

The knowledge that such teachers have takes time to learn and understand, but can bring depth to our work and, in particular, bring greater understanding of our communities, the milestones and major events that shape the histories of our schools, and the experiences of our students. In particular, it can help us find the gold—the stories of the impact that an ’insert XYZ school’ education can have upon a life.

Over the past two years, letters, Christmas cards, birthday cards, personal notes, phone calls, and when possible, visits like my lunch with Miss Keown, have been vital in ensuring that we don’t forget those members of our community who aren’t visible in our online-age. This has happened in partnership with our Ex-Students’ Union.  It’s time consuming, and yes, often expensive, but so very worthwhile. 

An example of the power of this connection is our Pen Pal Project. In 2020, Year 5 and 6 students were given the first name of an ex-student. They were asked to write a letter about their experiences as a student, what their favourite subjects are, what House they are in and then ask their Pen Pal to write back, answering the same questions.  We then wrote to our ex-students, many of our oldest and most dedicated ex-students, and invited them to join in the project. The response was overwhelming.

For months, letters were exchanged back and forth. The power of the shared experience of alumni—despite 30, 60 or more years between them—became visible on the page. Our ex-students were thrilled (and often helpful with their constructive criticism on modern penmanship!), and our students learned how to write a letter and experience the joy of receiving mail.

In these letters, our ex-students shared anecdotes and stories about their time a school—their trips on the train, the uniform, their favourite subjects, who they have kept in touch with. Information about their history as ‘PLC Sydney’ girls that can’t be learnt any other way.

The project was then extended to our Junior School at the end of Term 4, with each student creating a Christmas card with a special message for an ex-student, and they were sent out.  These were a particular hit! 

Yesterday, almost two years on from when we launched the project, I received letters from ex-student pen pals for students who are now in Years 7 and 8.  In time the girls will stop writing back, and that’s a part of life as we grow and move into the next chapter of our lives.

But the power that this traditional form of communication still holds shouldn’t be disregarded. 

And the even better news: the Junior SRC has specifically requested to repeat the project this year—a new tradition has begun!

Philippa Zingales

Director of Alumni Relations, PLC Sydney and member of the NSW/ACT Chapter

Special Interest Group Events (SIG)

We have an exciting line up of SIG events available for our members for Semester 1. These are organised by various Chapters but are open to all our Australasia members. We encourage everyone to get online and join in. There is something for every profession in the Advancement sector and this is a great space to learn and share industry ideas.

Save the Date

Certified Advancement Practitioner Training 2022, 8 & 9 SEPTEMBER 2022 

We are will be running our next Certified Advancement Practitioner Training Courses face to face in Melbourne on 8 & 9 September 2022. Registrations will open in March. You can register your interest or ask any questions by emailing sona@educateplus.edu.au.

COURSE BENEFITS COURSE INFORMATION

• Grants you more credibility as an Advancement Professional
• Improves career opportunities and provides an advantage when being considered for promotion or other career opportunities
• Prepares you for greater on-the-job responsibilities.
• Improves skills & knowledge
• Demonstrates your commitment
• Broadens your connections to other certified practitioners
• Reflects personal achievement
• Offers greater recognition from peers and improve your professional profile.

VENUE
International House
241 Royal Parade Parkville
The University of Melbourne
Victoria 3052 Australia

International Conference

Adelaide, 30 May – 2 June 2022.

Wishing all our NSW/ACT Members a fantastic school year and hope that as experts are telling us, we are now entering a more manageable phase of COVID.

We are full steam ahead in our preparations and are still hoping to see as many of you as we can at the upcoming International Conference.

Registrations are open with Early Bird pricing closing on 31 March 2022.

Bursaries are available to assist you getting there and an exciting social program is in the planning.

More information can be found here.

Excellence Awards 2022: We have extended the Excellence Award nominations as we are very keen to increase submissions in the following categories: 

Fundraising – Capital Campaign/ Major Gifts Program/ Bequests
Recognising excellence in a Capital Campaign or Major Gifts program or Bequests program. Apply here; https://www.educateplus.edu.au/2022-excellence-awards-fundraising/ 

Fundraising Events: Recognising excellence in a Fundraising event
Apply here; https://www.educateplus.edu.au/2022-excellence-awards-fundraising/ 

Alumni and/or Community Event
Recognising excellence in a specific event for Alumni and/or Community. Apply here; https://www.educateplus.edu.au/2022-excellence-awards-alumni/  

Admissions Publication
Recognising excellence in a publication, using any medium, specifically targeting enrolments. (e.g. prospectus, institutional video). Apply here; https://www.educateplus.edu.au/2022-excellence-awards-admissions/ 

Entries will be accepted till Monday 28 February 2022. 

Remember, the submissions include projects completed since September 2018. This is your chance to showcase the work and contribution made by your team to your peers in the Advancement industry.

I know the past two years have been more difficult around engagement because people couldn’t meet in person, however, I know how creative our community has been with online events and programs, so please consider shining a spotlight on your institution.

You should also encourage others to apply who you know have done exciting work over the past few years as we want to recognise as many projects as possible and celebrate our Educate Plus community. 

Kindly supported by Global Philanthropic

Welcome to our new members

A very warm welcome to our new members! We look forward to meeting with you at one of our 2022 SIG’s, PD or networking sessions. Please feel free to jump onto our website forum to ask a question, seek advice or listen to other hot topics. We also invite you to join our FB Group which has up to date discussions with Educate Plus members.