Catholic School Critical Success Indicators
The Development Office recommends the following areas of focus as “Critical Success Indicators.” CSI’s are areas of development that will lead to a successful and comprehensive development program in the school.
· Leadership and Operation of the Development Efforts
ü Ensure that the most effective people serve on the School Board – consider “appointed” members, rather than “elected.”
ü Establish a Development Committee (with a Development Committee Chair) to help guide the development efforts.
(The Principal should approve the development leadership structure.)
ü Structure a plan to maximize involved people to match the needs of the development efforts—involve a large number of people organized in various subcommittees, as needed:
· Annual Fund
· Friend/Fund-raising Events
· Planned Giving
· Alumni Relations
· Public Relations, Communication and Marketing
· People Involvement
ü Identify areas where parents and alumni can participate in supporting the mission of the school. Invite and involve each family into the development efforts in some way (leadership, Booster Club, friend/fund raising events, office assistance, maintenance, campus clean-up, mailers, other activities).
· Development Training
ü There is an on-going development education process in place to reach all newly involved leadership (school board, development committee) each year.
ü School Board and Development Committee members attend the development session of the Diocesan School Board Leadership Congress.
ü The Diocesan Development Director, other consultants or guest speakers are invited to a School Board meeting periodically.
· Database Management
ü Construct a development database to be used with the development efforts.
ü All known constituents should be entered and kept current.
· Current parents
· Alumni
· Alumni parents
· Corporate
· Community Friends
· Major Donors
ü There is a major gift process in place with written major gift prospect information on file.
ü Major donors and prospects are added and upgraded each year.
ü Special communication is maintained with Major Gifts (i.e. birthday greeting, personal notes, thank you’s, thank you’s, thank you’s).
· School Alumni
ü There is a class representative system in place.
ü Alumni activities are coordinated through the school.
ü There is an Alumni Board in sync with the development effort.
ü There is an “Honorary” Alumni Director named each year.
ü There are many alumni social activities.
ü Set a goal of 25% alumni participation in the Annual Fund.
· Mission/Vision Statement examination
ü The members of the school board examine the Mission Statement at the beginning of each school year to ensure that the school board’s work provides the resources to accomplish the mission of the school.
· Long-Range Planning
ü There is a five-year development plan in place and the members of the school board review this plan annually.
· Written Strategic Plan for Development
ü Invite as many as possible to review the plan and offer suggestions.
· Case Statement
ü The case for the school is reviewed and refined each year. The case statement should answer:
1. Who we are?
2. What we do? (Whom we serve?)
3. What our needs are?
4. How you can help?
· Communication
ü Communication is maintained with all constituents through a variety of ways:
· Person to person
· Web Page
· Direct mail
· Internal messages (flyers, posters, and handouts)
· Meetings
· Events
· Feeder parish bulletin announcements
· Public Relations and Marketing
ü A written plan is in place for school public relations and marketing efforts.
· Publications
ü An all publics (parent, student, alumni) newsletter is in place.
ü A Case Statement is in place.
ü A school brochure has been created and is updated as needed.
ü An Annual Report is in place.
ü Other specific publications grow out of the PR plan (i.e.: Alumni newsletter, Parent communiqué)
· Student Recruitment
ü There is a written marketing plan in place.
ü There is a waiting list for the school.
· Annual Giving Fund Campaign
ü The solicitation is as personal as possible. Include the following types of solicitation:
· One-on-one gift solicitation for pacesetter prospects
· Major Gift receptions and/or small group gatherings
· Telephone solicitation
· Direct mail
ü Set a goal of 10% increase each year in funding, and a 15% increase each year in donor participation.
ü Set a goal of 90% retention rate of donors.
· Planned Giving
ü There is a formal Planned Giving process in place that is used to fund one or more of the following:
· Endowment Funds
· Scholarship Funds
· Capital Improvements
· Tuition Assistance
· Endowment Growth
ü Opportunities to give planned gifts to existing endowments, or establishment of a new endowment fund.
ü There is a plan in place for future endowment growth, and this plan does not interfere with the Annual Fund or other funding efforts. (An endowment can be established to fund any school expense. Planned giving is the best means of funding endowments, cash gifts should go to other areas of need.)
· Memorial Giving
ü There is a memorial gift program in place with the proper literature (brochure), invitations and opportunities.
· Events
ü There is a Master Plan of all fund-raising efforts with a clear timeline and process to follow. The Development Office should control this Master Plan. Events should be limited to only the most effective efforts—which build community, showcase the success of the school and/or raise significant funds.
· Grant Writing
ü There is a successful grant writing process in place that is headed up by a skilled parent and is supported by at least two involved parents, and a school staff member.
· Community Outreach
ü The parish/school continues to reach out to the larger community with a myriad of opportunities and activities—to be involved and support the parish/school in some way.
· Stewardship—Parish Effort
ü There is an understanding of “true stewardship” – a sense of balance between stewardship of prayer, offering and parish ministry.