For Administrators

Summer is often an ideal time for administrators in a private school to take stock of what worked and what didn't work in the year just finished. It makes sense for the marketing team to step back and spend a few hours reviewing their campaigns. Because marketing sometimes feels more like an art than a science, it is even more important to examine the tools which your school is using. This is what prompted me to ask what your marketing team is doing this summer.

In particular, the ideas and suggestions which I offer here are aimed at the small to medium-sized schools which have limited marketing resources. My long years of observing and writing about private schools have taught me that these small to medium-sized schools are hidden gems. Their messages deserve to be heard and seen. Hopefully using social media effectively will make that a reality.

Boarding schools offer unique marketing challenges.

Whether yours is a small or large school, you have to get your message out. Getting your school's message out is made tougher by the mere fact that yours is a residential school. There aren't many boarding schools in the United States anyway and they tend to be misunderstood by most people especially the media. Ask about boarding school outside your circle of friends and acquaintances. The answers you will get are precisely the challenges that you as the marketing professional must overcome. "Those schools are just for rich kids." "That's where you

By now, two decades into the 21st century, it is obvious even to the most jaded, cynical people out there that we must rethink how we live and function on this planet, which we call Earth. We are discovering that Earth's resources are finite. We are finally realizing that we must conserve energy. We are rethinking the cost of goods and services regarding their carbon footprint. Sustainability is no longer a theory. It is a concept that is being put into daily practice.

That's why it is very encouraging to see so many private schools making progress towards developing sustainable schools. For schools, sustainability involves the wise use of energy and foodstuffs, the prudent management of a school's fiscal resources, and more. The National Association of Independent Schools published an excellent white paper, Sustainability: Creating 21st Century Sustainable Schools. Let's look at the five areas of sustainability that this document puts forth. The NAIS calls these 'dimensions,' which is an apt description. 'Area' implies a confined space. 'Dimension' speaks to the challenge's vastness and the solution's scope.

Financial Sustainability

Financial sustainability is all about drawing a line and setting responsible limits. It doesn't matter whether you have $100,000 in the bank or $900 million in your savings account. Schools need to use all the expertise and tools available to them to control expenses and maximize the use of every dollar of income. This is no easy task, but one that can be accomplished with creativity and thoughtfulness. This