The Independent School Podcast with Juliet Corbett

This is the first in my two-part series about Fundraising Campaigns. In this episode, I speak about how to structure a campaign over multiple phases to maximise the opportunity for success.
Whether you're new to school fundraising or looking for advanced strategies, this two-part series has got you covered. Next week, we will take a deeper dive into some more advanced topics, including when you can 'break the rules'.
Some Key Takeaways:
1. To maximise the opportunity for success in a campaign, experienced fundraisers use distinct phases: Planning, feasibility, quiet, public and stewardship phases.
2. Cultivating relationships with major donors is crucial for successful fundraising campaigns. So the phases are structured to focus on major gift conversations first.
3. Generating excitement in the whole community is a great way to finish off a campaign, but if you go public too early you risk the success of the campaign.
4. Sometimes you can 'break the rules' of the standard campaign phases, but only if you understand the underlying principles of the best practice approach first.
Episode links
Episode 024: ‘Master the flexible feasibility study’

‘Capital Campaigns: Strategies that Work’ by Andrea Kihlstedt (2010)
Contact Juliet: [email protected]
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.

Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!

In this episode, I delve into the concept of strategy as a coherent collection of decisions. I explore the definition of strategy and its relevance in the context of schools.
While many view strategy as being solely focused on occasional big decisions made by leadership, I discuss how everyday decisions made by all members of the school community are equally strategic and contribute to the realisation of the school's vision.
There’s also emphasis on the importance of the coherence of these decisions and how they align with the overall strategy.
Key Lessons from the Episode

• Strategy is not just about occasional big decisions; everyday decisions made by staff contribute to the realisation of the school's vision.
• Maintaining a focus on the long-term direction of the school is crucial for strategy implementation.
• A strategic plan is valuable as a communication tool, but it's the actual decisions and actions on the ground that truly matter.
• Coherence ensures that all decisions align with the overall strategy and work towards the same goals.

Episode links
Find out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: [email protected]
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.

Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!

In this episode I present an exploratory framework to help you discuss AI and take action in your school. No-one can give you all the answers at the moment, so I offer questions you can ask within your school community to guide a strategic approach to AI. This episode will help you embrace this new technology and its impact.
Key lessons from this episode

• Pupils in schools will grow up "AI native". The rest of us will need to actively keep up with advancements.
• Opinions on the impact of AI in education are varied, but even amid this uncertainty we need to take action.
• Developing the necessary skill-set within leaders and staff will allow your school to address AI's challenges and opportunities.
• It's critical that we guide students in understanding the ethical use of AI and emerging technologies.
• AI technology will improve rapidly - I predict that in five years' time the AI we have today will look incredibly simplistic.

Quotables
Harnessing the Power of AI in Education:
"Teachers will be harnessing the power of AI, but filtering it through their uniquely human understanding of educational pedagogy. And this is based on instinct. It's based on emotional intelligence. It's based on things which AI will not be able to replicate, at least not within my lifetime."
— Juliet Corbett
AI's Impact on the Operational Efficiency of Schools:
"Every organisation on the planet will need to adapt its processes in order to harness the efficiencies which AI offers."
— Juliet Corbett
The Future of Education:
"It's going to impact the already growing distance learning models that we've seen emerging and accelerating during the pandemic."
— Juliet Corbett
Episode notes
Episode 132: ChatGPT for Schools: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/132
Episode 133: ChatGPT Masterclass: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/133
Episode 142: Using data to make your life easier with Adriana Williams, Director of Development, Marymount International School: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/142
Find out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: [email protected]
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.

Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!

In this second episode about Service and Leadership, I’m happy to be talking you through three steps for serving your audience.
The three steps lead towards shifting our mindset so that we’re really serving our audience and offering true value. Ultimately, this is what our potential parents and students seek, isn’t it? I also encourage continued conversations with those parents at the decision-making stage, since they can help you understand what service is most useful for them and help you to earn their trust.
I’m interested to hear your feedback on this. It’s a topic I think has great potential and I’d love to hear from you, especially if you’re working on any of the mentioned areas or would like some help in developing systems and processes to enable your best service whilst leading your school.
References and resources

LinkedIn: 'The Sophisticated Marketer's Guide to Thought Leadership'
Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services
Catch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast

Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!

In this episode I'm joined by the brilliant Guy Ayling - Head Master of Mount Kelly in Tavistock.
We take an in-depth look at how Mount Kelly has responded to the crisis in Ukraine so far, in the hope of generating conversations around the role independent schools can play in supporting their community both locally and internationally.
We explore how leaders can inspire their network to respond with compassion, ensuring people always come first when dealing with a range of hurdles and change.
References and resources

Download this free resource to help you navigate the impact of the Ukraine crisis: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools

Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Mount Kelly website: www.mountkelly.com

Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!