From the President

It is with immense pleasure that I bring you the latest eNews. For the past 8 weeks I have enjoyed long service leave in beautiful Italy, including 8 days of trail walking. Walking the enchanting trails of the Cinque Terre along the rugged cliffs of the Italian Riviera is a journey that transcends mere sightseeing. It’s a transformative experience that offers profound insights and life lessons. As I embarked on this adventure, I discovered that the beauty of the Cinque Terre extends far beyond its stunning landscapes; it touches the very essence of our existence. 

During my walk I discovered:

• Slow Living

In the Cinque Terre, time seems to move at a different pace. As I wandered through the centuries-old villages, I couldn’t help but admire the locals’ dedication to a slower, more deliberate way of life. The lesson I gleaned was the importance of savouring every moment, not just rushing from one destination to the next. We often focus on the destination, but the journey itself can be equally, if not more, rewarding.

• The Reward of Perseverance

Hiking the Cinque Terre trails can be physically demanding, with steep ascents and uneven paths. Yet, each vista and every village at the end of the trail was a reminder that perseverance and effort are rewarded with breathtaking moments and a sense of accomplishment. Life’s challenges may be difficult, but they can lead to the most rewarding experiences.

• The Impact of Cultural Diversity

Cinque Terre’s history is marked by influences from different cultures, each leaving their mark on the local way of life. This diversity has shaped the uniqueness of each village. It’s a reminder of the beauty that emerges from embracing different perspectives and celebrating diversity in our world.

• The Strength of Community

Each of the five villages that make up the Cinque Terre is a testament to the power of community. These tight-knit communities have weathered storms, preserved their traditions, and shared their joys and sorrows. It reminded me that we are stronger when we support one another, whether in our families, or global communities.

During my absence I was reminded of this strength by the VIC/TAS Educate Plus Committee.  Each of these people played a pivotal role in overseeing the VIC/TAS efforts and maintaining momentum. A special mention to Marion Cape who supported my role in many ways during my absence.

It is with sadness that we farewell Roz Holloway as Secretary to the VIC/TAS Committee.  Roz has been a much-valued member of our team and has provided many years of service to the VIC/TAS Chapter committee.

Roz’s role as secretary extended far beyond administrative duties. Roz is a problem solver, and a tireless advocate for our members and our mission. Her warm and welcoming demeanour made everyone feel valued, and her support has been indispensable.

Roz displays a calm and composed presence during the most chaotic moments and her boundless energy has driven our association forward.

We wish Roz all the very best and express our deepest gratitude for her hard work and dedication. Roz’s shoes will be incredibly difficult to fill.

Roz Holloway
VIC/TAS Chapter Secretary | Educate Plus

Over the last two months the VIC/TAS Chapter has hosted multiple coffee mornings (held in Victoria and Tasmania) and a Regional Networking lunch in Geelong. Recognising the importance of flexibility, Educate Plus has held Webinars across all strategic advancement pillars providing PD opportunities for us all in the comfort of our office or at home. We are certainly a community thirsty for learning and opportunities to come together.

The Tasmanian Day Summit was hosted at the University of Tasmania on Monday, 22 October.  A wonderful PD Day enjoyed by all.  A huge thank you to committee members Rob Blandford, Anna Beattie and Marion Cape for their organisation of this key event.  A special shout out to DMC, Craig Rhoda for his generous sponsorship of this event. 

The Educate Plus Victorian Chapter is not a static member group; it is a dynamic partnership that continually evolves to meet the changing needs of education advancement professionals. You may have ideas or needs that you would like to see from us in the Victorian Chapter. We encourage you to reach out to any of us on the committee if you have thoughts to enhance our network and learnings. Your input is always welcome. 

Please keep an eye out for further activities including our End of Year AGM with festive celebrations.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Tracey Grobbelaar
VIC/TAS Chapter President | Educate Plus

Director of Development and Community Relations | Siena College
tgrobbelaar@siena.vic.edu.au

New Member Welcome

We can’t wait to meet you … 

We extend a very warm welcome to our latest Members, who have recently joined us this quarter. We are thrilled to have you as part of our VIC/TAS Chapter community!

We do hope that you will be able to join us at the next ‘New Member Meetup’, to be held as follows:

Event Details
Date: Wednesday 8 November, 2023
Time: 1pm-1.45pm AEDT (10am AWST; 3pm NZST)
Place: Online (via Zoom)
Cost: Free for members
Register: CLICK HERE

Information regarding the next ‘New Member Meetup’ will be sent to all new Members, closer to the date – but for now, make sure to save the date in your calendar.  

These sessions are a wonderful, informal way catch up with other new Members, and to hear more about the benefits of being a Member and what is available to you on our website. 

And of course, we look forward to welcoming you to any upcoming SA/NT in-person events. It was lovely to catch up with some of you at the recent Summit in the Adelaide Hills, and there will be more opportunities for getting together for professional development and networking, as the year continues.

Welcome to our newest Members:

AGM and Networking Drinks

We invite you to our last event for the year!

Join us for an evening of camaraderie at the VIC/TAS Chapter Annual General Meeting and last get together for the year at Brighton Grammar School.

The AGM is an opportunity to learn more about the work being done at a Chapter level, both current initiatives and achievements, as well as future goals.

After the AGM, we will have Networking Drinks with light canapes. There will also be a guest speaker and entertainment.

If you are an Educate Plus member, please review the AGM Documentation here;

AGM Documentation 

• Notice of Annual General Meeting 2023
• Committee Nomination Form – All nominations must be submitted via this form by Thursday 23 November.
• Proxy Form  – All nominations must be submitted via this form by Thursday 23 November.

Event Details

Date: Thursday 23 November 2023
Time: 4.30pm-6.30pm

• 4.30pm-5.00pm: AGM.
• 5.00pm-6.30pm: Networking Drinks, Guest Speaker and Entertainment

Venue: Urwin Centre, Brighton Grammar School, corner of Allee St and Outer Crescent, Brighton
Cost: $20 (+gst) for Members; $30 (+gst) for non-members (Free of charge if you are only attending the AGM)

Includes:
We are delighted to announce that Suzie McErvale will be the guest speaker at the Event. Suzie is a long-standing member of Educate Plus and continues to fly the flag for women in terms of Advancement and empowerment. She has just launched a new Podcast Channel (focused on Leadership and Well Being in the Education space) … she truly is a remarkable example of our members doing great things! Entertainment is also planned.

Thank You:
A huge thank you to our Partners Giving Architects, who will be sponsoring this event!

We look forward to seeing you on the 23rd!

For More Information and to Register:

More Info / Register

Launceston End of Year Celebrations

We invite our Tasmanian colleagues to please join us for our End of Year Celebrations.

This will be a fantastic opportunity to catch up with fellow Educate Plus members whilst enjoying drinks and nibbles.

Members and Non-Members welcome.

Event Details

Date: Thursday 23 November.
Time:  4.30 – 6.30 pm
Location: Bar Stelo, 88a George St, Launceston
Cost: $20 (plus gst) for Members. $ 30 (plus gst) for Non members.

Please register by Friday 17 November. If you have any questions about the event, you can reach out to Anna at anna.beattie@hutchins.tas.edu.au or 0422 892 436.

For more information and to register:

More Info / Register

Webinar – Prospecting for Future Donors

Webinar: Prospecting for Future Donors: The Power of Engagement Data

All schools hold engagement data that identify who the people are in the community who really care about the school. Often that data is held in a separate system which requires manual copying and it’s very rare that schools use this data in any meaningful way.

During this webinar we’ll show you how various schools have used engagement data to find their next donor. In some cases they’re able to find non-donors statistically more likely to give, than people who already told the school they wanted to donate!

Member Profile – Introducing Suzie McErvale

Meet a Member …

Each eNews, we would like to introduce you to one of our wonderful Chapter Members, through a Question & Answer type interview article. 

Therefore, in the hotseat this edition, is Suzie McErvale, Director of Development and Marketing, Salesian College, Chadstone and Founder and Host of the Let’s Check In Podcast.

(Editor’s note: Suzie is a long-standing member of EducatePlus and continues to fly the flag for women in terms of Advancement and empowerment.  We are delighted to announce that Suzie will be the guest speaker at the upcoming VIC/TAS AGM. Her new Podcast Channel is testament to her ongoing work in education, and she truly is a remarkable example of our members doing great things!)

1. When and where did your career in Education begin?
To be honest, I feel like I was born into Education. I come from a long line (over 60 years in fact) of strong, determined, kind-hearted women who have dedicated their lives to future generations.

In 2006 I started a Bachelor of Education, but my love wasn’t in the classroom. In 2007, after I completed my first year of Teaching, I swapped universities and degrees to a Bachelor of Business Marketing/Hospitality Management.

In 2009 (the final year of my degree), I undertook an Industry-based Learning year at Australia Post headquarters. Looking back, that was an innovative university-industry initiative that helped set me in good stead for the future. I was fortunate to sit on an Editorial Team of the brand-new (at the time) national consumer magazine, Australia Today. This is where my love of publishing was born. At the end of that industry-based learning year contract, I was tapped on the shoulder at University to apply for a Publications role at an Independent school in Melbourne. I applied and accepted the position. Grounded in family tradition I continued to be in the space of education but I found my own path that made sense to me.

2. What interests you most in terms of your role?
Stepping into the entrepreneur space of Founder and Host of the Let’s Check In Podcast in so many ways has pushed me to my growth edge, but I was ready for it. Storytelling and people are my passion and in particular the role it plays in healing and binding a community together.

Our world has a lot of chaos and issues right now. It can be a tricky place to be. Our young people are struggling and the stats attest to this. My purpose is to help support young people and adults in a preventative way to build the skills and awareness to grow and prosper together.

3. Who is your biggest role model in terms of leadership?
I look to people like Brené Brown, Esther Perel, Jane Goodall, Alan Watts and interview greats like Michael Parkinson.

I am incredibly blessed to have many people in my village, including incredible Indigenous Elders who provide role model support to me across the world – from New York to Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Sweden, to home here in Australia.

Not to mention my own family – my fiancé, parents, sister, family and close friends. They each model in their own ways.

4. What aspect of your role do you love the most?
I love that the podcast is only in its second week and has already visibly resonated with people. For some, that’s on an individual level, for others it’s allowed them to start and continue conversations with their kids that might have otherwise been avoided and suppressed (i.e. Mastering your anxious mind with #1 Anxiety Therapist, Georgie Collinson).

5. What are you currently doing that would be of interest to other members in Educate Plus?

Think of a time you faced uncertainty. Chances are, it evoked some pretty wild feelings that didn’t always feel so great (insert the COVID pandemic era, transitioning from study to workplace, those new job nerves, moving cities, finding your purpose, the impact of AI on job security, the first-time baby roller-coaster, climate anxiety, a loved one diagnosed with a life-threatening illness). You know what I’m talking about.

If there’s any certainty in life, it’s that uncertainty is always going to be there.

Let’s be real, these transition points don’t always feel like smooth sailing. And chances are, it’s probably not super rosy for those in your presence as you navigated the sea of change either.

Through real conversations and expert advice, the Let’s Check In Podcast shares stories and strategies of real people who have paved the way forward through uncertainty, despite feeling fearful and challenged. We talk about the things that you didn’t learn at school, that you wish someone had prepared you for. Best case you’ll learn something, worst case you’ll learn something.

Listen now on your platform of choice:

• Apple:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/lets-check-in-podcast/id1712232700

• Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1183mQ1hyRTWsPIYiRrb9r?si=WN4PLe0cTiGWB2ZwuYXVog
 

6. Describe yourself in 5 words.
Determined, authentic, curious, committed, reflective.

7. For anyone embarking on a role in advancement what advice would you give them?
Before taking on any role, I suggest reflecting on who you are, your values and where you see alignment. This can be a tough and messy, but do your best to persist; it’s worth it.

If entering Advancement, my advice is to think about how your passion and skillset can genuinely contribute to helping guide young people in today’s world. Set about finding the culture that is the right soil for you to grow and prosper. Ensure you practice self-care in a nourishing way and exercise your boundaries.

Potentiality Leads the Way with 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.

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

PD Day with Added Wow!

Thank you to DMC for their support of our PD Day in Tasmania!

On Monday 23 October, Educate Plus Committee members for Tasmania, Anna Beattie (The Hutchins School) and Rob Blandford (University of Tasmania) hosted a Professional Development Day in Hobart at The University of Tasmania’s CBD campus.

This PD opportunity provided networking and learning in really great company.

Two Keynote speakers featured on the day:

• Amanda French CEO and Founder from Dress for Success, who emphasised the importance of volunteerism and engagement in philanthropy, thinking outside the square (in their case their Dress Circle philanthropic innovation) and having the ability to make real change in people’s lives in the work we do.
• Travis Smith, Education Lead from Microsoft wowed our minds with what AI has in store for the education sector, showing us how generative AI has real capability in helping us within our roles.

After a magnificent lunch, we concluded the day with a panel discussion on alumni engagement with Rob Blandford; John Groom, (The Hutchins School) and Jenn Parsons, (The University of Western Australia). We learned about the power of storytelling, the importance of reputation, and engagement overseas and that we are the social architects of our community, carrying with it great responsibility. Feedback on the day was overwhelmingly positive.

The day would not have been possible without the generous sponsorship of DMC and the wholehearted participation of our guests.

Tasmania Educate Plus is a genuinely connected community, currently it has 40 members and 7 corporate memberships, and we are always looking to welcome new schools and individuals into the network. The next activity will be Christmas drinks in Launceston to round out the year.

Five Steps to Perfect Your School Website Design

Article supplied by Rachel King | Events Manager | Digistorm

Designing a website for a school is not like designing a standard website. There are distinct groups of audiences to consider, specific technical capabilities required and most importantly, a strategic plan with goals that need to be achieved. From the way you structure your navigation menus to the hierarchy of your homepage, the photography, the colour scheme…a school website needs to shine professionally and project the unique values of your school.

If that all sounds a bit overwhelming, here’s some good news: there are preparation steps you can take that will make all of these questions and decisions much simpler! 

Article supplied by Rachel King | Events Manager | Digistorm

Partner Thank You

With Gratitude … 

We’d like to extend a huge ‘Thank You’ to our valued Educate Plus Strategic 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 Educate Plus Strategic Partners

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