Advancement Institute 2025
May 07, 2025, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Hampton Roads Academy (Newport News)
During this in-person event, we will explore best practices and innovations to advance the mission of your independent school. This full-day event, built to support work across independent school divisions, includes engaging speakers; an assortment of curated sponsors; plenty of time for peer collaboration; and these concurrent sessions:
Admissions
- Engaging the Next Generation
- Mission Driven & Data Informed Enrollment
- Balancing Affordability & Financial Sustainability
Communications & Marketing
- Redefining Your Website’s Focus & Story
- Forum on School Marketing Challenges
- AI for Independent School Storytellers
Development
- The Day of Giving — It Takes a Village
- Mind the Gap — Cultivating Ambassadors & Donors
- Campaign Insights — Scaled to Fit
Concurrent session schedule also available HERE.
KEYNOTE: Casey Bell
Parents Gone Wild: Managing Parent Expectations
and Bad Behavior from Five Transformative Years
The expectations of private-independent school parents are higher than ever. In fact, many parents now have a “transactional” mentality when it comes to their relationship with your school, administrators, and teachers. Parent expectations are higher than ever and when those expectations are not met, the response is often not in alignment with many of our community values. In this session, we will discuss ways to begin to set expectations at the beginning of the admission process and identify opportunities for you to bring practical application back to your school.
STRATEGIC KEYNOTE: Ann Snyder
The Golden Triangle of School Revenue Management
Advancing your school’s mission feels like a daunting task in 2025. With challenges around affordability, staff turnover, leadership changes, and unprecedented external pressures, the roles of advancement officers, enrollment personnel, and marketing professionals have shifted dramatically. In this session, learn about the ways that key leaders can come together with revenue-generating offices to increase school revenues and think strategically into the future.
REGISTRATION:
Registration for Advancement Institute 2025 has closed.
Please reach out to ajkohlhepp@vais.org if you would like to join the waitlist.
| Who? | Administrative Fee: |
| VAIS Member | $275 |
| Non Member | $550 |
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