Chapter President’s Welcome

Dear WA Chapter Members 
 
What a fantastic year it’s been so far, and there’s still so much to look forward to! 

The WA Chapter Committee recently gathered for a planning session to fine tune the events for the remainder of 2024, and to look forward to 2025. It was an afternoon full of energy, creativity and fantastic ideas! I am so grateful for such a dedicated and action-oriented Committee, and I am really excited about the plans we have in store for you, our members. As a Committee, we are committed to providing opportunities for our members to network, learn and grow. I encourage you to make contact with myself or any of the Committee members to share your needs so we can tailor our program to suit our members. 

Our online Special Interest Groups (SIGs) have also been a great success, with recent online sessions focusing on Marketing and Admissions. These gatherings provided a valuable platform for members to dive deep into industry-specific challenges and share best practices. Responding to member feedback, we’ve offered a mix of in-person and online SIGs and events this year to engage as many members as possible from both metro and regional areas. 

A standout event was the Tertiary SIG, attracting over 20 attendees with representation from three of the five universities in the area. The event brought together Heads of College, Fundraisers, Registrars, Marketing Professionals and Alumni team members. The discussions were particularly engaging, with a strong focus on equity and partnerships across the sector. We look forward to providing more Tertiary SIGs in the future. 

Additional to the SIGs, we have hosted two national webinars: “Digital Dynamics: Optimising ROI in Growth and Retention Campaigns,” led by Glide Agency, and “A Deep Dive into Deepfakes,” presented by imageseven. Both sessions provided really topical and valuable professional learning for not just our WA members, but nationally. These events have enriched our professional knowledge and equipped us with tools to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape. 

Upcoming events 
We’re getting closer to the highlight of our year — the Educate Plus International Conference! We can’t wait to see many of you there, ready to soak up the knowledge, connect with peers, and enjoy all that this event has to offer.  

I encourage you all to join us at the Chapter Gathering on Wednesday 11 September at The Station in South Perth. 

WA Chapter Gathering 
Wednesday 11 September 
The Station, South Perth 
7.00pm – 9.00pm 
Tickets $50 (includes drink on arrival and finger food) 
To register, RSVP here. 

Everyone is welcome to join us at our Chapter Gathering regardless of whether you’re attending the Conference. It will be a great opportunity to catch up with familiar faces and meet new ones. 

Beyond the Conference, be on the lookout for promotions of our upcoming events to end the year. We’ve got something special in store for our marketers and graphic designers, thanks to our partnership with Scotts. We’re also gearing up for our final professional development session, which will be a fun networking event combined with our AGM. It will be the perfect chance to learn, connect and wrap up the year on a high note. 
 
We bid a heartfelt farewell to Clare Underdown, who has resigned from the Committee due to her impending move to Canberra for her husband’s work. Clare’s contributions have been nothing short of extraordinary, particularly in her role overseeing some of our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and her steadfast support of our events. She has been a passionate advocate for Educate Plus, especially in championing the needs of our regional members. This isn’t the last we will see of Clare, she will be in attendance at the Conference so we will be able to farewell her then. 

I look forward to connecting again with lots of our members at the International Conference and using that momentum to continue our member engagement. 

 
Kind regards,

Laura Kendall
WA Chapter President, Educate Plus

Director of Community and Sustainability
Guildford Grammar School

Welcome to our Newest Members

We can’t wait to meet you!

We extend a very warm welcome to our latest Members, who have recently joined us this quarter (see below). We are thrilled to have you as part of our WA Chapter community!

Our next ‘New Member Meetup’ is coming up shortly, with the details listed below.

Event Details:

Date: Tuesday 29 October, 2024
Time: 1.00pm-2.00pm AEST
Location: Online (via Zoom)

Presenters:

• Tina Fleming, Membership Manager, Educate Plus
• Danielle Hargrove, Marketing & Communications Lead, Educate Plus
• Sona Swindley, Events & Partnership Lead, Educate Plus

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. 

To Register:
If you are new, a link to the Webinar will be sent to you as soon as the Registration page is live.

Welcome to our new WA members who joined this quarter:

International Conference Update

Now less than 1 week to go … 

It’s almost time for over 750 delegates (and counting!) to converge on Perth, WA … and we can’t wait!

Below is some summarised information that hopefully is helpful for you, whether you’ve already registered, or you’re still deciding if you are able to.

• View updated Program (as of 2 September)

Information for those who’ve already registered (we can’t wait to see you!):

• Social Program – Register for the WA Chapter Gathering (Hurry … numbers need to be sent to Venues shortly! All WA Chapter Members are invited to attend this dinner, even if you’re not joining us for the Conference!)
• Social Program – Celebration Event Theme: Dress to Impress with a Splash of Pink!
• Register for a Pre-Conference Workshop (email sona@educateplus.org who will arrange Workshop registration to be added to your existing Conference registration and update your invoice accordingly)

For those who haven’t yet registered (we’d love to have you join us!):
Being a local WA member, you’re perfectly located to even consider joining us at the Conference for a day? Or, for one of the Social Events (Welcome Reception – Tuesday 10 September; Chapter Gathering – Wednesday 11 September; or the Conference Celebration – Thursday 12 September). To find out more about the options available, click below:

• To Find Out More or To Register for the Conference

Webinar | Alumni Strategy: Where to start and how to really be strategic!

Have you inherited an Alumni program? Or wondered why your organisation does the Alumni activities they do? Or maybe you’re a less established school, and you don’t even know what activities you could be doing?

In this webinar hear from Merryn Parks who established an Alumni program and a framework for a co-ed independent school. Results saw the school engage with 1 in 4 Alumni within 2 months of the program’s launch.

Key Takeaways:

1. Learn how to establish a purpose to your program.
2. Be clear about where to focus your efforts.
3. Explore ways to collect data and reconnect with ‘lost alumni’  

Event Details:

Date: Thursday 7 November 2024
Time: 11am-12pm AWST 
Location: Online (via Zoom)
Cost: Free for members, $35 (+ gst) for non-members

Presenter:

Merryn Parks, General Manager, ToucanTech, Asia Pacific

Designing Mentoring Programs that Work

This article was contributed by Amy Blundell, Alumni Relations Manager, Edith Cowan University

Mentor programs are known for their win-win-win propositions, for participants as well as the organising entity. In the educational setting, providing a student or new graduate with a bespoke mentor match is one of the most valuable personal and professional development opportunities an institution can offer. Finding a suitable person with a common connection and forming a mentor relationship on your own is not easy, let alone for those with little to no industry experience or networks. But for a school or university with a graduate community to draw from, a mentor program is also an incredibly powerful vehicle for Alumni engagement and organisational Advancement.

In saying this, being the curator of human relationships is not something to be taken lightly. Not done right, a mentor program can fast become a drain on your time and resources for little results or return. All good intentions aside, mentorship gone wrong can be damaging for both parties involved and have the potential to cause brand and reputational damage for the institution.

So, what are the keys to creating an effective and sustainable mentor program that will help enhance your brand? Here are six tips below based on a decade of alumni mentoring at Edith Cowan University:

1. Keep it simple

In prior years, we have found ourselves overcommunicating with numerous emails, events and even a private LinkedIn group. We have come to realise that our most important role is as matchmaker so that’s where we are dedicating most of our time and energy now. From there, it’s over to the pairs themselves to make it work for them.

2. Empower your mentors

We created a ‘Resources Vault’ exclusively for mentors to access and use. It’s not as fancy as it sounds – it’s just a shared drive with a suite of documents covering themes and soft skills that mentors can use to help guide discussions. The resources are all made available at the commencement of the program to allow mentors to determine the flow of topics and deliver content based on their individual mentee’s needs.

3. Facilitating face-to-face connection early where possible

Having a program that is flexible enough to include non-Perth based participants has been important, but we have put more emphasis on trying to facilitate in-person connection between matches very early in the program. We are doing this through an in-person training session which culminates in the pairs completing their mentor agreement together. Participants are asked to save the date for this when applying to join the program.

4. Quality over quantity

Over the past 10 years, the ECU Alumni team has grown the program to include over 200 participants per year. This steady and sustained growth has been key to the success of the program. Mentor pairs are carefully and individually curated, which results in more successful matches, positive experiences and repeat participation. ECU’s program started with just 15 pairs, but that was still 30 people impacted in a positive way in year one alone.

5. Show appreciation

Mentors are volunteers and are some of your institution’s best ambassadors. They are also the people that are statistically more likely to be donors or leave a gift in will later down the track. Treat these relationships like gold! A simple letter of appreciation from a senior executive, or complimentary tickets or an invite to a special event is an effective way to make these people feel valued for the important contributions they are making to enhance the student experience, improve graduate outcomes and fast track career development.

6. Get outside help

Mentoring is a niche field, so if you know of someone in your Alumni or professional network who can help establish or review the structure and workings of your program, ask for support. People outside of your organisation can offer fresh and valuable perspectives.

Establishing a mentor program can seem like an overwhelming task and growing or sustaining one with limited resources can be challenging. What makes it all worth it is seeing mentees grow, mentors find fulfillment, and how much your organisation can benefit from having a mobilised squad of alumni volunteers helping to transform lives in our community.

Getting to Know You …

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

Therefore, in the hotseat this edition, is Simone Cumming, Head of Marketing and Communications, Hale School 

Length of time in educational Advancement and prior experience? 
Fourteen years, first at an independent girls’ school and now at a boys’ school. I started as a newspaper journalist before working in public relations, completing a postgraduate degree in strategic communications, and then moving into the education sector. 

Proudest achievement? 
Being a working mum! Professionally, having a seat on the School Executive and influencing decisions that affect the entire school and its direction. 

Biggest challenge?  
Learning how to manage staff and keeping up in the ever-evolving digital space.   

Most impactful book or podcast you’ve consumed recently?  
I’m currently reading ‘Power Play’ by former lawyer and politician Julia Banks about gender dynamics in the workplace – an interesting reflection on both subtle and overt sexism. It reminds me of how fortunate I am to work in an industry where so many women are leading the way. I’m also reading ‘Ikigai’ about the secrets to a long and meaningful life. Finding your purpose is a key ingredient, which reminds me of how lucky I am to be able to blend my love of writing with my passion for education.  

Three tips / words of advice for new members and/or those new to advancement. 

1. Although you are not a teacher, you are vital to the effective functioning of your school. You are probably one of the only, if not the only person with your skill set at your school, which makes you the expert in the room! 
2. Whether you are new to Advancement or a seasoned professional, there is always more to learn and ways to hone your craft.  
3. Build a good relationship with your CFO! Unfortunately, some see marketing-related costs as expenses rather than investments. Demonstrate ROI.

What do you find most valuable in being a member of Educate Plus?  
The networking, professional development opportunities and support available. In our own schools we are probably the only one doing our particular job, so it’s wonderful to have a network of colleagues with whom we can discuss our professional practice. 

Thank you Simone Cumming – it’s been wonderful to get to know you!

Understand Your Customers to Deliver Personalised Support Services

This article was supplied by Firefly | Educate Plus Strategic Partner

Have you asked yourself: “How easy is (for customers) to engage with us?”.

In the context of education “customers” could be thought of parents, students and staff who interact with your educational institution.

No matter how outstanding your offering is, if it’s difficult for families to communicate with you, to have their questions answered, you may not retain them. This can be especially applicable for younger demographics who have had ‘big tech’ addressing individual needs with an optimised Customer Experience.

Optimising your Customer Experience (CX) is making each interaction with your organisation and brand positive.

Meeting your customer’s needs in a timely manner at each stage of the customer journey, from initial enquiry through to enrolment and graduation, builds trust and loyalty with your brand. Satisfied customers are more likely to refer and recommend.

What can you do if your Customer Experience needs some improvement?

Transform your Customer Experience

CX Transformation can be thought of streamlining your services and processes to improve (customer) interactions with your brand.

When rethinking the way your organisation approaches Customer Experience you should consider three critical areas:

1.Visualise the level of service you want to deliver

What do you want your Customer Experience to look like? What are the outcomes you’d like to achieve?

• • Evaluate these against your organisation’s purpose and brand promise.
  • Look at your Mission and Vision and decide what changes in customer behaviour you’d like to see.

Likely it’ll be clear where to focus attention to make positive, transformative change.

2. Overhaul processes and programmes

Evaluate your current services with an open mind:

• • Do your research. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes.
  • Talk to your staff and families to evaluate their viewpoints with respect to service delivery.
  • Commit to making the changes necessary for CX improvement.

3. Build new capabilities

Changes need to be supported with training and technology. Effective staff training and support will help minimise customer frustration through efficient handling of customer queries.

• • Minimise disruption through integrated technology platforms.
  • Assist staff with process automation
  • Building survey or data analysis tools into each step of the customer journey is a great way to encourage feedback and problem solving across processes and departments.
  • Consistent brand messaging and tone of voice across platforms builds trust.

Encouraging a customer centric mindset, you’ll create a better customer experience, happier families, staff and a stronger organisation.

Want to Chat Further?

For further info get in touch at fireflydigital.net.au or email info@fi.net.au

Thank You to our Valued Partners

Thank You …

We’d like to extend a huge ‘Thank You’ to our valuable Strategic and Chapter Partners and Sponsors, who support Educate Plus and the WA Chapter 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 WA Chapter Partner

Thank You to our Educate Plus Strategic Partners

Connect with Colleagues

Stay Connected…

Keep in contact with your fellow Advancement professionals to keep abreast of best practice, discover new approaches and technologies and gain valuable industry insights.

To keep you to up to date with what’s happening at Educate Plus and within your sector, please connect with us on our Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.