You’re not raising as much as you could be if you haven’t “normalized” talking about money and the importance of giving generously in your school. Intentionally building a culture that places a high value on generously giving time and resources is the key to raising more money.

Yet, defining and clearly describing a Culture of Generosity is rarely discussed. Even more rarely described: EXACTLY HOW TO BUILD ONE. Until now. This is the first of a four part series on exactly how you can go about building a Culture of Generosity in your K12 school.

Resources:

Kim Jennings is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and a member of the consultant team at Generis.

Follow Kim on Instagram and FB @yourk12fundraisingcoach

and on LinkedIn at kimtjennings

Access free fundraising resources for your Christian school at www.kimtjennings.com and https://blog.generis.com/blog

You CAN craft a culture of generosity and build a sustainable pipeline of givers. Learn more about my digital course, Onboarding New Parents with Purpose: A Proven Plan for Increasing Generosity at www.kimtjennings.com/cultureofgenerosity

SCHEDULE A FREE CALL and read more information on Kim’s services as a coach and consultant to leaders and K12 Christian schools! Visit www.generis.com/Kim-Jennings and www.kimtjennings.com

00:58//Introduction

02:09//Importance of intentionality in creating a Culture of Generosity

03:19//Why normalizing talking about money is crucial

05:22/Defining a Culture of Generosity

06:46//Describing the hallmarks of a Culture of Generosity looks like

10:36//Importance of intentionally building a culture you want

11:46//The four steps to build a Culture of Generosity

12:23//Step One: Align to your North Star

15:02//My mantra: We will not sacrifice tomorrow’s culture for today’s transaction.

16:38//Importance of reflecting on your journey of generosity

19:03//Your homework for this week on aligning to your north star

“Offering meaningful information only to donors who give generously keeps donor attrition, high gift values low and makes fundraising unnecessarily expensive,” wrote Penelope Burk in her research-backed book, Donor-centered Fundraising.

Too many schools only communicate (some) gift impact with “big” donors and not "small" ones, if the school communicates at all. We’re making our fundraising work so much harder than it could be!

In this episode, I’m going over WHY you need to be regularly communicating, WHO you’re going to communicate with and WHAT they need to hear…and then I’m giving you step by step instructions on HOW to create an effective, regular cadence of communications. Tell your givers what they've made possible in mission-centered language (NOT project-focused or transactional)! And inspire your future givers to make their gift – because they already know more about what gifts do at your school.

Let’s build relationships at scale! That requires communication. Regular dialogue. This is one method that I’ve used with schools and I promise that if you follow the steps, it will help YOU build stronger relationships with your givers and future givers.

Resources:

The Five Stages of Parent Tenure and additional information on parent giving: www.kimtjennings.com/parents

My free guide on communicating in K12 school development more effectively: www.kimtjennings.com/greatcommunication

Kim Jennings is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and a member of the consultant team at Total Advancement Solutions by Generis.

Follow Kim on Instagram and FB @yourk12fundraisingcoach

and on LinkedIn at kimtjenningscfre

Access free fundraising resources for your Christian school at www.kimtjennings.com and https://blog.generis.com/blog

You CAN craft a culture of generosity and build a sustainable pipeline of givers. Learn more about my digital course, Onboarding New Parents with Purpose: A Proven Plan for Increasing Generosity at www.kimtjennings.com/cultureofgenerosity

SCHEDULE A FREE CALL and read more information on Kim’s services as a coach and consultant to leaders and K12 Christian schools! Visit www.generis.com/Kim-Jennings and www.kimtjennings.com

What are the two *most* critical factors for success for your K12 school’s capital campaign and what can you do *right now* to strengthen your position in those two areas?

It's 2023 and Christian schools are bursting at the seams! Leaders are constantly reaching out, asking great questions about how to get the millions of dollars they need to address their space issues. In today’s episode I’ll briefly discuss some questions before offering practical ways to know if you're rock solid in the two MOST CRITICAL FACTORS for school campaign success.

You MUST evaluate your status in these two areas and prioritize strengthening them (now), regardless of when your quiet phase launches – next month or next year!

Of all the success factors (and there are many), the most fundamentally critical to your campaign’s success are: 1) your orientation and fidelity to prioritizing donor relationships, and 2) the health and alignment of your Board and Head of School as a team.

And if you’re coming up short in either area, you *must* start addressing that deficit ASAP.

It’s better to get re-oriented late (i.e. while IN the campaign) than not at all!

And if you’re being proactive – kudos to you!! You’ll be equipped to diagnose areas of anemia early! Your campaign is MUCH more likely to thrive when you’ve focused on your health early.

Resources:

FREE ASSESSMENT for understanding the status of alignment across your Board and with your Head of School. In just four minutes, get the data points you need to start a productive conversation and get moving to a better aligned leadership team.

Helpful books:

• Board Member Orientation: The Concise and Complete Guide to Nonprofit Board Service (Michael E. Batts)
• Comprehensive Fundraising Campaigns: A Guide for Presidents and Boards (James M. Langley)

Kim Jennings is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and a member of the consultant team at Total Advancement Solutions by Generis.

Follow Kim on Instagram and FB @yourk12fundraisingcoach

and on LinkedIn at kimtjenningscfre

Access free fundraising resources for your Christian school at www.kimtjennings.com and https://blog.generis.com/blog

You CAN craft a culture of generosity and build a sustainable pipeline of givers. Learn more about my digital course, Onboarding New Parents with Purpose: A Proven Plan for Increasing Generosity at www.kimtjennings.com/cultureofgenerosity

SCHEDULE A FREE CALL and read more information on Kim’s services as a coach and consultant to leaders and K12 Christian schools! Visit www.generis.com/Kim-Jennings and www.kimtjennings.com