Welcome back to Beyond the Tour where twice a month you'll receive practical tips and resources to help you get better at what you do. 

 

Let's get started. 

If You Do One Thing This Week:

 

1. 🗓️ Start looking at summer.  

 

Now is the time to schedule a summer retreat. I recommend at the very least 1 day focused on Admission and 1 day focused on Admission + Marketing. 

 

Go off site. This retreat can be low key at someone's home, or if your budget can spare it, rent a room at a WeWork or at a retreat center. 

 

Center your time around: 

What worked well? 

What didn't? 

What should we plan for next year? 

 

Get as specific as possible. This is the perfect time to not overthink things. 

✔️ Plan events on the calendar. 

✔️ Send calendar invites to colleagues.

✔️ Order the swag. 

✔️ Write the communications you'll need. 

 

Be in touch with me if you need a more concrete agenda. 

 

Most important: Hold the date on the calendar now, before summer schedules get too messy. 

Worry about the agenda later. 

2 Tips to DO MORE:

 

2. 📈 Keep calm. Keep tracking.   

 

Track where your enrollments are now as compared to last year at this time.

 

If your classes are full, congratulations. But don't take your foot off the gas. You will want to know if your pace was on par with where you have been in the past. 

Are you hitting markets that you want to hit? 

Are people taking longer to submit the enrollment form (waiting on other offers?), or is it immediate (more likely, you're their first choice)? 

 

If you're not full yet, stay calm, and use data to help you understand what your enrollment picture looks like. 

 

Many schools get 30%-50% of their final enrollment after their initial application due dates.   

Are you on pace for where you have been?  

Are you ahead?  

Are you behind?  

 

 

Having historical data on the pace of enrollment will help you know what you're looking at for this Fall, and kicking off next season.  

 

Be in touch with me if you need a template for an enrollment tracker. I love a good spreadsheet. 

 

3. 📋 Be thoughtful about your events  

 

Not all events are created equal, and not all events require all faculty and leadership to attend. 

 

When planning an event, ask yourself and your team, "What is the purpose of this event?" 

Is it informational? 

Is it a hype program to excite your incoming students?  

Is it interest specific (e.g. STEM, Athletics, Engineering)?  

 

Plan accordingly.

⛔ DON'T fall back on the same old invite list. 

🟢 DO be thoughtful about who would be the best partner in planning and attending this event.

 

You'll be happy you have the right people curated for each event, and your colleagues will be happy they have a weekend off.  

 

Thank you to our sponsor

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With online forms, event registration, personalized communications, pipeline tracking, and real time reporting, your team can see where every family stands and respond with clarity and confidence.

 

The result is a smoother process, stronger relationships, and sustainable enrollment growth.

 

On the road

I'll be on the road and on Zoom throughout the spring and summer, presenting on: 

Turning Board Members into Enrollment Champions 

Hiring for Success in Your Advancement Office 

Telling Your School's Story (and Making Sure It's True) 

And more! 

 

Attending one of these events? Let me know! Let's meet up for coffee, on me.

 

 

 

 

 

If this newsletter resonates with you, here are three more ways I can help:

I’m a teacher at heart, and love helping people get better at what they do.

 

Let's get started,