The Spring Sprint
March is one of the hardest months of the school year, but thankfully, we are almost in April. With spring break now in the rearview mirror, there is a lot to accomplish before school wraps up in June. Here’s why March feels like it is so looooong.
Head of School: You needed to be the cheerleader this month as everyone was exhausted from a long winter. The school community consistently looks to you for inspiration, motivation, and reassurance. The list of competing needs is long—hiring, enrollment, fundraising, new board recruitment, reunions and closing events. Spring break hopefully provided a chance to catch your breath for the final push to graduation and post-planning.
Enrollment Office: Your office has been focused all year on retention and new student enrollment. Your team has done everything in its power to share the wonderful opportunities at your school; and yet, great families are going to turn the school down. A number of factors went into the newly admitted family’s decision-making—proximity to campus, need-based financial aid, the ability for the entire family to attend, and the strength of a particular school program or activity, but it still stings. And, in many schools, the second round is just as busy as the first!
Advancement Office: The end of the academic year is getting closer, and you know exactly how many dollars are still needed to meet your goals, but now there are families who haven’t given and won’t be returning next fall. Ugh. The Gala consumed a lot of your time at the start of 2024. You are trying to organize teams of parent volunteers—some who want assistance and others who don’t. Graduation and reunions are on the near horizon and it's a balancing act between spring fundraising and events.
Marketing/Communications Office: The weekly newsletter returns after spring break along with the daily needs around—websites, social media, photography and videography, etc. Spring also offers opportunities to survey, to put the final touches on the magazine, plan with the enrollment team about a spring / summer push for new students, assist the development team with fundraising appeals, advise the Head on year-end communications and more.
Business Office: The budget has been approved by the Board and next year’s tuition communicated with the community. Your team is closely monitoring enrollment contracts, as that is a major driver of your school budget. The countdown to June 30 is on. You are also looking forward to the summer so you can get projects done that have been in the works for awhile, but you don’t have time to tackle during the academic year.
Division Directors: Faculty morale is challenged as your team has slogged through the winter months. Everyone is tired. You are trying to assess how many new hires you’ll need. You know that there will likely be last-minute changes, but you can’t worry about that now. You need to focus on providing support to your faculty, trying to get out of the office at a reasonable time, and thinking about year-end events, spring-field trips, faculty evaluations, post-planning and more
Whew. March is now over; however, the next couple months will be a sprint to the finish.
If you are feeling the crunch, LeadTeam Partners can help by allowing you to focus on the day-to-day needs while we focus on:
Finding the right school partner (consultant/vendor) for an upcoming project.
Developing a fundraising strategy and then rolling up our sleeves to help you execute.
Managing a project from start to finish
If you are a school partner, we can also help connect you with the right school leaders.
In short, LeadTeam Partners exists to expand your capacity so you can get the important stuff done.
Reach out if we can be of service.
Best,
Chris
