From the Chapter President

Dear Members of the NSW/ACT Chapter,

As we approach the end of another academic year, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to each and every one of the NSW/ACT Chapter members for your contributions and engagement. It has been a year of remarkable achievements, growth, and shared experiences that have truly exemplified the strength of our Chapter. In particular, I thank the NSW/ACT Chapter Committee (listed below) for their commitment, energy and professionalism that they have given generously to our Chapter.

• Yvette Graniero – Vice President/ Summit Co-Chair/ Marketing
• Grant Birse – Treasurer / Partners
• Sandy Goddard – Summit Co-Chair / Alumni
• Mary Cook – Secretary
• Geoff Anderson – SIG Coordinator
• Hannah Atwell – Fundraising / Membership
• Dana Casimaty – Fundraising / Leadership
• Jackie Dalton – Fundraising
• Paul Dennett – Fundraising
• Levina Huirua – Admissions
• Lyn Jarvis – Alumni and community relation
• Clare Slattery – Fundraising
• Karen Smith – Admissions
• Myfanwy Stanfield – Leadership / Board Deputy
• Sebastian Wattam – Marketing
• Phillippa Zingales – Alumni Relations

As I write this eNewsletter, I am in the midst of the juggling act that the last few weeks of the year often becomes in our institutions. For me here at NEGS, it is a time when we celebrate all that has been achieved. From the smallest triumphs of our youngest learners to the great accomplishments of our graduating seniors, every milestone is a testament to the support that surrounds them. It is also a time to recognise and thank stakeholders, volunteers and all of those who have contributed to our community, and in reality, a busy time of the year.

The same applies to our Chapter and I would like to start by acknowledging all those who planned, hosted and participated in our final round of SIGs held in Term 4. Thank you to St Joseph’s for hosting the Marketing Panel, where ideas were shared on to how create impact with video. An Admissions Round Table was hosted by iDAT, with a panel of experts, including Grant Birse, Bec Carolan, and Heidi Reid, facilitating. Thank you to iDAT and Feesable for being our Chapter Professional Development partners. A highlight to end the year was the ‘Michelin Star’ Dinner hosted by Cranbrook where experienced and emerging fundraisers gathered for an evening of conversation and shared learning. Thank you to the team at Cranbrook – Cameron, Rebecca and Mel, for this innovative event.

Our final event for the year is our AGM and Christmas Drinks on 14 December at the Quarryman’s Hotel. I hope you will join us to catch up and celebrate 2023. It is a canape styled event (there will be substantial food!) and the room has plenty of seating but will allow everyone to move around and connect, so it should be a fabulous way to end our year. To book tickets and for more information, CLICK HERE.

Personally, I am looking forward to stepping away from my desk to recharge, and enjoy some down time, though I am also looking forward to a slower pace in the next couple of weeks where I can consolidate and reflect on what has been achieved this year and set my sights on the possibilities that lie ahead in the new year.

Looking ahead, I am excited about the opportunities and challenges that 2024 year will bring the NSW/ACT Chapter. Once again, thank you for your engagement and commitment. Your contributions are what make our chapter truly exceptional.

Wishing you all a happy and restful holiday season.

Warm regards,

Lyn O’Neill
Educate Plus Chapter President | NSW/ACT

Director of Marketing and Enrolments | NEGS
lyn.oneill@negs.nsw.edu.au

New Member Welcome

We can’t wait to meet you … 

We extend a very warm welcome to the Members who have recently joined us this quarter. We are thrilled to have you as part of our NSW/ACT Chapter community, and as part of the wider Educate Plus community, with currently in excess of 2300 Members across Australia, New Zealand and Asia!

If you can make it, we’d love to welcome you to the AGM and Christmas Drinks Celebration that the Chapters is having on 14 December. For details and to register, CLICK HERE.

Member Benefits

For those that are new (and as a refresher for those who have been Members for a while!), below are some of the many benefits of being a Member of Educate Plus:

	Professional Development [International Conferences, Chapter Summits, In-Person Events & Online Webinars, Advancement Practitioner Training]
	Networking & Knowledge Sharing [Networking / Connecting Opportunities, Mentoring Program, Member’s Hub (Forum), Knowledgebank, Members’ Directory, Online Resources (Blogs, Videos, Podcasts, Event Recordings)
	Information & Communication [Weekly Communications, Quarterly eNewsletters, Weekly Jobs Board, Annual Face2Face Magazine, Surveys and Benchmarking Results]
	Awards & Post Nominals [Excellence Awards Program (Industry Recognition), Chapter Recognition Awards (Peer-to-peer Recognition), Post Nominals recognising professionalism, knowledge and expertise (M.EdPlus, F.EdPlus)
	Affiliations & Associations [Affiliations with other like-minded organisations (eg CASE, FIA, FINZ), Global collaboration (Asia), Partnerships with executive educational bodies (eg AHISA, ISNZ)

Welcome to our newest Members

End of Year Celebration & AGM

AGM Documentation

If you are an Educate Plus member, please review/complete the AGM Documentation below;

• Notice of Annual General Meeting 2023
• Committee Nomination Form – All nominations must be submitted via this form by Thursday 14 December
• Proxy Form  – All nominations must be submitted via this form by Thursday 14 December.

For more information and to register, CLICK BELOW:

More Info / Register | NSW/ACT End of Year Celebration & AGM

2024 International Conference

Registrations are off and running … 

We invite you to join us for the International Conference in Perth – register now!

Get ready to embark on a transformative journey!  

With six streams on offer, including the recently introduced ‘Leadership’ stream, and a new stream added this year relating to ‘People & Culture’, you will be treated to an unparalleled learning experience!

The Empowering Success Conference will include:

• 2.5 Days of Professional Development sessions, with 6 concurrent streams
• Choice of 4 pre-Conference Workshops
• International Speakers and expert and experienced practitioner-led presentations
• New ‘People and Culture’ stream (for Legal, HR & Business Managers)
  ‘Leadership’ stream (for Heads, Executive Teams as aspiring team members)
• Admissions, Alumni & Community Relations, Marketing & Communications and Fundraising streams (for all levels of Advancement teams, from beginner to experienced)
• Excellence Awards showcasing best practice in our industry
• Vibrant Social Program, including a Welcome Event, an Industry Excellence Awards Lunch and a Conference Celebration Dinner, with multiple Networking Lunches and refreshment breaks
• EdX presentations
• An invaluable opportunity to network and enjoy leisure time with colleagues in an environment that will empower success!

Click below to visit the Conference Website to register, or to find out more!

Conference Website		Speaker Information		Program (Soon!)
Registration Fees		Support Package		Accommodation

For more information and to register, click below

More Info / Register | International Conference

Advancement Practitioner Training

Register Now …

TRAINING | Advancement Practitioner Training

We are excited to announce that registration for the face-to-face 2024 Advancement Practitioner Training in Brisbane is NOW OPEN!

The training provides a wonderful foundational platform for participants who are newer to the Advancement industry, empowering them with knowledge and tools to confidently impact their institutions and further their career growth.

Suitable also for intermediate-level practitioners wanting to brush up on their skills, the training is designed to equip participants with the latest industry insights and cutting-edge skills to master the complexities of our ever-changing Advancement industry.

Take the opportunity to gain incredible insights from industry experts and to build invaluable networking relationships with fellow colleagues in Advancement, from across Australasia!

Event Details
Date: Monday 18 March – Tuesday 19 March 2024
Place: Amora Hotel Brisbane, 200 Creek Street, Brisbane 4000
Includes: Networking Drinks (Monday, from 4.45pm-5.45pm)

Course Details:

• Admissions (2 Days)
• Alumni & Community Relations (1 Day)
• Marketing & Communications (2 Days)
• Fundraising (2 Days)

Registration Fees:

• 2 Day Course: $1000 (+gst) Members; $1200 (+gst) Non-Members
• 1 Day Course: $600 (+gst) Members; $720 (+gst) Non-Members

For more information and to register, click below:

More Info / Register | Advancement Practitioner Training

Top Notch Michelin Star Fundraisers’ Dinner

Possibly the ‘Best Ever’ Inaugural Event … (comment from attendee)

A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in the resounding success of the ‘Michelin Star Fundraisers’ Dinner’ at Cranbrook School on Thursday 9 November. The event’s delivery style and location provided a safe space for meaningful networking, idea sharing, and fostering connections. In particular, the walk around Cranbrook’s impressive new facilities was truly appreciated by all who attended.

The success of this gathering suggests a replicable format for other key areas like Admissions, Alumni & Community Relations, Marketing and Communications. 

Kudos to the exceptional team effort led by Cameron Torrance and Rebecca Curran from Cranbrook, supported extensively by Hannah Atwell from St Andrew’s College, in the planning and execution of the event. This ensured a lasting impression on attendees, from seasoned practitioners to newcomers, with many new networking connections made amongst attendees―such a wonderful trademark of the Educate Plus offering.

As the term unfolds (or unravels!), we extend our best wishes and look forward to reconnecting at the Educate Plus AGM and Christmas event. The Michelin Star dinner was a testament to meticulous planning, creating an opportunity for diverse collaboration.

Thank you all for your contributions to this remarkable evening. Here’s to future collaborations and continued success!

The Impact of Video

… Such an important part of your Advancement strategic toolkit!

On Thursday 19 October, Educate Plus hosted the Marketing and Communications SIG for 2023. Our wonderful hosts, St Joseph’s College in Hunters Hill, welcomed advancement professionals from across Greater Sydney to learn about utilising video in your marketing – and indeed entire advancement – strategic toolkit.

Annie Kenyon, Philanthropy Manager at St Joseph’s College, screened a moving community video which she produced this year for the College’s annual Sport Lovers Lunch. The video featured talking heads from members spanning the entire school community and highlighted the importance of individual stories and experiences, and how they can be harnessed to elicit emotional connection and enable authentic and generous fundraising.

Yvette Graniero from Santa Sabina (and Vice President of the NSW/ACT Educate Plus Chapter) candidly shared her budget summary with the attendees, making a point about how investment in video across her whole advancement operation has increased steadily over time. She went into detail about the ways in which she was utilising her spend in the most economically efficient way possible.

Another fellow NSW/ACT Chapter Committee member, Geoff Anderson from Sonic Sight, rounded out our speakers for the day. Geoff made the distinction between internal and external video – how to effectively capture and produced high quality video internally among your existing resources, and when you should call in the professionals. Knowing the difference, Geoff says, is critical to hitting the right touch points at the right time.

Closing the afternoon with networking drinks and nibbles on the College’s historic black and white tiles, we thank our delegates for joining us in our mission to advance our respective school communities.

Admissions Best Practice and Growth

New Connections Expanding Collegiate Peer Support Networks

The Admissions Special Interest Group gatherings always provide a safe and practical space for diverse and relevant conversations on best practice and growth to be shared. Our gathering in late October once again proved fruitful for the many in attendance with a wide range of applicable and current situations, processes and practices generously raised and unpacked. 

Hosted by our Chapter Professional Development Partners, iDat and Feesable, and guided by a range of seasoned practitioners, this unique roundtable discussion of like-minded and motivated Admissions professionals delivered rich and diverse conversations that meandered from one challenge to the next. There was plenty to discuss and in this session we explored tours and open events, fees and charges, data protection, Admission team structures and resources along with a smattering of some common and specific legal matters thrown in for good measure.

All agreed that it was an invaluable experience to pause the day to day, get out of their respective School bubble and connect and reconnect with Admissions peers. It was a pleasure to witness the new connections made that expands our collegiate peer support network that we have all come to value, respect and enjoy through Educate Plus.

We look forward to picking up where we left off in 2024, as there is still plenty more to celebrate, discuss and resolve.

Building and Managing a Team of Volunteers

Article by Helen Karapandzic | Director of Advancement, Prince Alfred College, SA

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 2019[1]. 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.

It is a great time to take stock and get your volunteer programme working for you. Even in today’s challenging environment, by creating the right conditions for volunteering, you can set your school or institution up for success. 

1. 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.

2. 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.

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

Would-be volunteers are usually 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

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

7. 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.

Article by Helen Karapandzic | Director of Advancement, Prince Alfred College

Vice President, Educate Plus SA/NT Chapter Committee

[1] ABS 2020, viewed 20 November 2022: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-welfare/volunteers

Potentiality Leads the Way with the ‘Privacy Detector’ Booth

Article supplied by Isabella Blick | Head of Asia Pacific Customer Experience | Potentiality

At the recent Northampton conference, we rolled out an unprecedented experiment: a “Privacy Detector” booth. Participants from academic institutions across the UK and beyond had the opportunity to delve into the privacy health of their school websites. Utilising a custom Chrome extension and some smart circuitry, this detector would trigger an alerting siren if it detected user engagement data being channeled to marketing powerhouses like Google or Facebook. Instead of the “out of sight, out of mind” approach, we turned it on its head and sirens took center stage! Schools with no data leakage would walk away with a £50 gift voucher. Over 100 schools dared to test, but the results were staggering: none passed. *

We were aware these tools were common, but the unanimous adoption was a jaw-dropper. As the time-honored saying goes, “if you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.” but here the narrative takes a more sinister turn. When schools or software providers decide to use free tools offered by giants like Google or Facebook, they turn their communities into the product without any reasonable opportunity to consent. There’s a lot of controversy about the privacy implications of individual usage of online resources like Facebook and Tik Tok, but at least with those sites it’s a conscious decision which each individual controls.

In today’s digital landscape, schools and educational institutions are increasingly leveraging potent web analytics to optimize their online presence. Industry bigwigs such as Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel offer insights that can significantly enhance the user experience and amplify website functionality. So if all this is free, who’s footing the bill?

On inspecting one site, we discovered that user donation amounts were shared with these marketing companies. The eventual fallout? The user ends up being marketed to based on a donation made to the school. That’s a pill I doubt they’d swallow willingly…

Navigating the privacy policies of these companies can feel like walking through a maze. Google Analytics, arguably the most guarded, sports a very complex set of policies. They claim data anonymization, but truthfully, they don’t need to know who you are to market to you. They also note that site visitors can control their marketing exposure via their Google profiles – a process trickier than visitors would reasonably anticipate. I won’t dive into all the legal intricacies in this article, but if these companies weren’t planning on marketing based on site usage, wouldn’t they simply state “we don’t use this data to target marketing to your visitors”? 

A recurring misguided belief among the UK schools we interacted with was that these tools were vital for boosting their Google Search visibility (SEO). That’s a completely different ballgame. They were also caught off guard to learn that switching to incognito mode or disabling cookies had zero impact! These tools aren’t cookie-dependent so that makes no difference. In my view, the offer to disable cookies which is creating a false sense of security is not just misleading,but ethically questionable.

In almost all instances, schools were employing website providers that had their products integrated with these free tools. Marketing companies simplify this integration, consequently bolstering the website provider’s product offerings. However, at day’s end, it’s a shortcut that compromises the privacy of the client’s community to enhance their own product features. Implementing private and secure analytics tools does require time and effort, but the payoff is retaining ownership of the engagement data within the school, yielding more profound and relevant analytics than what Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel can offer. As an example, our latest product release – “Potentiality Shield” (purposefully named) enables us to track not just the hits, browsers, devices, and locations of each visitor, but often precisely who is visiting what pages. This can be used collectively with all other automatically collected engagement data such as purchases, event attendances, archive views, click and reads on emails etc, to build warmth profiles for fundraising or volunteer management. You can even use the data to train our bulk AI comms tools which draft mass individually personalized messages based on user engagement. The possibilities are powerful, exciting and scary all at the same time. Which is the reason why these companies want schools to give the data to them. For a school to manage and utilize this data themselves also introduces a host of ethical questions, but at least the school and their community retain control and aren’t unknowingly feeding data to major marketing companies.

So what can we learn from this experiment and where to from here? There was certainly a lot of surprise amongst our stall visitors when they saw what was going on. So it’s certainly a positive that our participants are more aware and perhaps making a more informed decision on what technologies they use. However the tricky part here is that it’s their community paying the price, so shouldn’t their community be granted the same awareness if the commodity in question is their engagement data? Do schools replace the cookie control popups with warning banners telling visitors that there’s nothing they can realistically do to prevent marketing companies targeting advertising to them based on their use of the site? One suggestion by a school, as the only way to guarantee privacy, was for their site visitors to use a Tor Browser (a browser used mostly to access the dark web). I’ll leave it to the readers of this article to decide if they want to put that on their school website!

While I loathe being the purveyor of grim tidings, I can’t see that these tools are acceptable or even ethical to use in an educational environment. Schools aren’t just institutions; they’re communities, distinct from regular websites. If an airline site shares data with marketing sites, they might just shrug it off as “business as usual”. Schools however embody a community and should hold the privacy and security of that community sacrosanct. If community members are uncomfortable being tracked by marketing companies without their express permission or even knowledge, then their data simply shouldn’t be shared.

It’s time to shield our communities and ensure their digital safety. Remember, privacy matters. Let’s act like it does.

* Potentiality clients were excluded from the free voucher giveaway, as we utilise our proprietary analytics tools which naturally pass the privacy test. The data collected stays wholly owned by the school and is not shared or used by other companies or clients in any way

Thank You to our Valued Partners

With Gratitude … 

We’d like to extend a huge ‘Thank You’ to our valued Educate Plus Strategic Partners and our NSW/ACT Chapter and Summit Partners, who support us in our activities and enable us to provide wonderful opportunities to our Members and Non-Members. We ask that you please consider supporting them, so that in turn, they can continue to support us. 

Thank You to our NSW/ACT Chapter Partners

Thank You to our NSW/ACT Professional Development Partners

Thank You to our Educate Plus Strategic Partners

 

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Stay Connected … 

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