President’s message

Greetings SA/NT Chapter Members.

It’s hard to believe that the first term for 2017 is all but done and I hope it has been a productive start to the year for all Educate Plus members. Your local Educate Plus committee has been using this term to lock in the 2017 program, which includes the biennial Chapter Conference. Our two day Chapter Conference ‘The Shape of Things to Come’ is being held on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 August at the Adelaide Convention Centre. Our Chapter committee has been working hard to bring together a quality program and we look forward to releasing details of the full two day program in the coming weeks.

Before we get to the conference in August, we have some other informative sessions planned for Educate Plus members. The first is 3 May, when MGM Wireless will be hosting an afternoon workshop on the power of phone apps. This will be an interactive session looking at how to effectively use apps to communicate with your community. I think it will be a very useful session for any school or institution considering the latest in phone app technology. At the completion of this workshop MGM will host a networking social session. Sounds like a great way to end the working day! There is more on this workshop in this newsletter.

We have another session planned for June and more in the pipeline to see out the remainder of the year. I will be able to let you know more about these at the May workshop. Remember, as a member you will always be entitled to the best pricing offered for these sessions.

We also continue to work closely with the national Educate Plus office on membership and local programs to ensure we are doing the best we can for our Chapter members. 

If you are taking a break over these holidays, I hope you are able to relax a little and prepare yourself for next term.

To everyone, have a wonderful Easter break and stay healthy and safe. I hope to see you on the 3rd of May.

Peter Trenorden
SA/NT Chapter President

Your 2017 Chapter Committee

We are pleased to introduce your 2017 Chapter Committee:

PD Day: Save the Date – 3 May 2017

Riding the comms wave train for positive community engagement  

Date: 3 May 2017
Time: 3:00PM – 5:00PM
Location: National Wine Centre, cnr of Hackney Rd and North Tce, Adelaide.
Cost:  Members $35.00 (inc.GST) for members and guests of members;
$65 (inc.GST) for non-members and guests of non-members 

There is a wave train of communication tools that keep rolling in – only to have some just disappear. If we invest in a comms app, how do we know it will last the distance?

We know that phone apps are becoming increasingly popular as a means of fast and reliable communication with our communities – do you know what to look for in an app for your school or institution?

 

This PD workshop, supported by leading communications firm MGM Wireless, should inform you as to what is available and what to look for, cutting through the pitch to find an app that will last the distance and suit your community.

 

In this workshop we will be looking interactively at a phone app to see firsthand what they are about and what they offer. You will build your knowledge around app technology and be shown industry leading insights on how to use app technology with your data to make the most of communicating with your target segments – students, parents and your wider community. We will also have a panel on hand with plenty of phone app experience to share their insights into this specific world of comms.

 

Some of the questions we will be putting to MGM and the panel to cover are:

·         How fast should your communication be?

·         How do we test for reliability of an app?

·         How do we know apps will last the distance?

·         Is your data safe?

·         How easy is it to segment your comms by constituents?

·         Are all apps customisable or do you have to work with what you get?

·         Are apps about push technology or do they allow for two way comms?

·         What are the issues to address with customer take up (acceptance tips and strategies)?

 

Following this informative session, MGM will be our host as we enjoy drinks and refreshments, allowing you some valuable networking time with fellow members of Educate Plus.

 

We hope to see you there!

 

Peter Trenorden
President of Educate Plus SA/NT Chapter

 

Fundraising: 7 last-minute improvements to your annual appeal

You are nearly set to go with your annual appeal letter. Here are seven simple improvements you can make to raise more money, suggested by AskRIGHT fundraising consultants.

1.   Launch

Phone your top 20 donors and invite them to attend a small reception to launch the annual appeal. Indicate you are asking them because of their previous support, and that you will ask them to make the annual appeal response before the launch as the Principal can announce a “Gifts so far” total at the launch. Ask Board members and senior staff to attend also and to make early responses.

2.   Phone

The week before mailing, phone your best 100 donors from last year to tell them you really appreciated their support for the last appeal, and ask them to look out for the appeal in the mail next week.

3.   Email

Email all those not contacted for launch or by phone, and tell them you really appreciated their support for the last appeal, and ask them to look out for the appeal in the mail next week

4.   Match

Try to find a donor, or get internal agreement for internal funds to match donations from a certain group of donors (perhaps last year’s school-leavers). Let the group know that donations made by a specific date will be matched. This is a good way to get first-time donors.

5.   Thank

Build the culture of philanthropy within the school or college by the easiest job of all, thanking people. Set up phones in the staff common room for one hour of phoning after school. Simple scripts: “I am … . I am phoning to thank you for your support of the school and our students through the annual appeal. It is really appreciated.” Accept pledges of further support if offered.

6.   Record

Finish the thank-you phone call with “Do you mind telling me what motivates you to support the school?” Write down the answers and record it on the database on each individual record. When you review the annual appeal results, analyse the motivations, and use these to inform next year’s appeal.

7.   Persist

Build in come reminders – don’t just rely on the initial request, and make you motto “no donor left behind.” Keep contacting the donors from the last two annual appeals until you get either “Yes” or “Hell, no”.

When it is all over:

• Plan to test any changes to next year’s appeal before full implementation;
• Write into the EducatePlus Queensland newsletter and let your colleagues know how you went.

AskRIGHT fundraising consultants have more than 100-year combined experience. Since 2004, AskRIGHT has helped many schools raise more money for their important project. Visit the AskRIGHT blog for more articles on fundraising and to talk to a fundraising consultant about your strategy and challenges.

Welcome aboard new members for 2017

Old school apps leaking private information

Most schools are unaware that their school app lacks important data security, meaning anyone worldwide has access to student, parent and school’s private information and pictures, which is cause for alarm.

MGM Wireless has released a new app called School Star to combat this and other critical problems found with all older school apps. They guarantee that all school communication reaches all users – even those that don’t have the school app installed on their smart device.

In 2002, MGM Wireless invented and pioneered School SMS solutions. Now with over 1400 school clients, 1.7 million parent and student users and 15 years in business, there is no other experienced and trusted provider of school communications in Australia.

The most effective way to deliver school communications to parents is on their mobile phone, and there are many ways to achieve this, such as; phone calls, mobile websites, email newsletters, emails, social media, SMS and apps.

Here are some alarming facts:

• 99 per cent of schools that are using other school communication apps, other than School Star, have no idea that the app is insecure, (to verify this for yourself, download any school app from Apple or Google Play and you will be able to access sensitive information and pictures stored from any school you choose;)
• Other apps only rely on mobile data to deliver messages, so if mobile data fails, messages won’t be delivered, this also includes social media apps like; Facebook ,Whats App, We Chat and others;
• Some people don’t use apps, so they will never receive messages if sent via an app;
• In an emergency ‘lock down’ situation it’s difficult to notify parents via other school apps, phone call or social media without causing public alarm, in this situation, an email would also be too slow;
• School’s private information, messages, news, student photographs, and parents’ names are public using all other school apps, which can be damaging to the school’s brand, students, parents and alumni.

CEO of MGM Wireless, Mark Fortunatow says,

It’s amazing that most schools are totally unaware that anyone can download and access sensitive school information like student names, pictures, parents names, school news and much more. It’s just wrong. School’s risk exposure is massive and it’s a direct breach of student, parent and school privacy laws.

The other key difference between School Star and other school apps on the market is that others only rely on mobile data to send and receive messages. The exciting thing about School Star is that in the event of a mobile data outage, School Star will ‘Auto Switch’ to SMS messaging, meaning messages will always be delivered to every registered user’s mobile phone, even if mobile data is disabled and even if they haven’t installed the app. “We don’t know of any other message provider that has these abilities”, Fortunatow says.

However SMS messaging still remains the only reliable way to ensure messages are delivered. It works on all phones because it cannot be disabled. So, for more urgent communications like, informing parents of student absences or emergencies, SMS capability is crucial.

School Star also allows school staff to see which parents are using the app, and which news articles and messages they are reading and “like’’ most. This gives schools the data and feedback to further refine and improve their communication and engagement strategies.

Some Important Facts Schools Should Know About School Star:

• The School Star app is 100 per cent secure (meaning the sensitive information stored can never be accessed without the school’s permission;)

• School Star offers 2-way in-app messaging with ‘Auto Switchover’ to 2-way SMS delivery (this means schools, parents, students and carers can receive and respond to messages at all times;)

• Auto Switchover technology ensures that even if parents, students or carers don’t have the School Star app installed they will always receive an SMS message with important information;

• School Star provides the school with data on who is using the app (this allows schools to see the name of the person using the app and what they’re using it for;)

• The app includes analytics and graph tools, storing data on click through rates and user engagement (this is a great way to see if the school is reaching readers with the messages and content shared;)

• Parents can choose to read posts in any language, always making communication accessible (ideal for students with family overseas;)

• Student safety is paramount, if a student does not attend school with permissions; parents or carers are immediately notified via app or SMS message using a customised message based on individual circumstances;

• School Star’s unique features allow users to configure the app, allowing a highly personalised experience, resulting in better user engagement.

Free consultation for Educate Plus Members

Contact MGM Wireless to book your complimentary 1-hour consultation to discuss and review your school’s communication and parent engagement process.