{"id":1225,"date":"2025-11-24T14:07:34","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T03:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/educateplus-vic-tas\/?post_type=article&p=1225"},"modified":"2025-11-26T10:22:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T23:22:45","slug":"the-best-lessons-from-schools-conversations-this-year","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/educateplus-vic-tas\/article\/the-best-lessons-from-schools-conversations-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Lessons from Schools Conversations This Year\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

“We thought we needed another big appeal\u2026 but really, one meaningful conversation was all it took.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That line came from a Head of Development during one of our final school visits of the year – said with a knowing smile and a hint of relief.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After what will have been – for many of you – a whirlwind of appeals, events, campaigns, and the endless juggling of school calendars, parent committees (and the odd cameo at the sports day turning sausages), it was confirmation that less is certainly often more.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve reflected on other great conversations we\u2019ve had with schools this year, one thing stands out: the philanthropy programs achieving the most impressive results all share a few core truths. These aren\u2019t new, but they\u2019re the foundation of best-practice fundraising done well.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Major gifts deserve your major focus.<\/span><\/b>
    \nBehind every great school philanthropy program are relationships with major donors built over years. Major donor work takes time, a proper model, trust and resourcing! But it\u2019s where the biggest impact (and joy) often lies.\u202f<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. Stewardship is the heartbeat, but it needs structure.<\/span><\/b>
      \nStructured, purposeful, pre-planned stewardship activities turn donors into advocates. Spending time mapping out thoughtful recognition and ongoing engagement will build momentum faster than any gala ball ever will.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      1. Leadership from within drives success.<\/span><\/b>
        \nThe most effective programs harness the passion, insight, and networks of schools and school community leaders. When internal champions are actively involved, your programs gain credibility, momentum and reach far beyond what fundraising staff alone can achieve (and yes, this may include you!).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        As 2025 winds down, we\u2019re grateful for the incredible generosity, creativity, and grit we\u2019ve seen across the Educate Plus community. Here\u2019s to a 2026 defined by purpose, partnership, and let\u2019s face it, serving the odd sausage in bread or two.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        DGB Global is proud to be a 2025 Chapter Sponsor of Educate Plus, supporting excellence in philanthropy across the education sector and delivering campaigns and fundraising programs across Australia.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

        DGB Global\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        “We thought we needed another big appeal\u2026 but really, one meaningful conversation was all it took.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 That line came from a Head of Development during one of our final school visits of the year – said with a knowing smile and a hint of relief.\u202f\u00a0 After what will have been – for many of you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1229,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","class_list":["post-1225","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/educateplus-vic-tas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/1225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/educateplus-vic-tas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/educateplus-vic-tas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/educateplus-vic-tas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1225"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/educateplus-vic-tas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/educateplus-vic-tas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}