A small private school typically has a small staff that handles financial, marketing, and other essential administrative tasks. In larger schools, departments with several staff members handle these tasks. In a small private schools, the administrative team wears many hats and handles all the administrative tasks. This article aggregates all the articles I have written about running a small private school. Use it as a handbook and a reminder of things you should look at from time to time.
Back Office
5 Changes In The Tax Act Of 2017 To Review
We identify changes in The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which impact not-for-profit private schools. Work with your tax professional and accountant to ensure that you comply the Act's requirements.
This video discusses the impact of the Tax Act of 2017 on non-profit organizations.
Running Your School: Managing Enrollment
Not filling all the seats is a challenge for many schools. Jason How offers some answers to common enrollment questions. Be aware of population and demographic trends in your market area. Offer the curricula and high standard of teaching which parents demand.
Understanding Enrollment Agreements
Attorney Sara Goldsmith Schwartz answers my questions and provides some general guidance regarding best practices for enrollment agreements. Consult with your attorney to write an enrollment agreement that serves your school's interests.
Are Employees Stealing From You?
Part of a trustee's job is to ensure that your school has sound business practices. Employee fraud occurs all the time. Here's how to prevent it.
IT Infrastructure For The Small School
Here are suggestions for the small school's IT infrastructure and services. Always hire professionals to configure your technology equipment, set up your backups and security solutions. Keep an IT professional on retainer for those unpredictable but inevitable situations when all your systems go down.
Bullying has gone electronic. It's called cyberbullying, and it is rampant. Don't ignore cyberbullying. Parents expect their children to learn in a safe environment.
Outsourcing Your Boarding Program
If your school has placed boarding students with families, you might want to consider outsourcing your boarding program. It is one way of adding value to your day school's offerings.
Fundraising
Supporting your school is more important now than ever. It doesn't matter whether you can afford to make a substantial gift or a small donation. Your school will put every gift it receives to good use. Here are five ways to lend a financial hand.
How To Raise Money For Your School
Raising money for your small school never seems to end. There is always some pressing need. And a few long-term ones as well. We offer some tips, suggestions, and strategies to help you tackle this critical aspect of your school's financial situation.
Raising money for the newer, small private school is a job for professionals. We examine the three major components of private school fundraising.
In this video from Adventures in Small Business, Terri is joined by Tim Sarrantonio to talk about fundraising and share some tips on how to increase your chances at reaching your goals.
Keeping In Touch With Your Graduates
You have many ways to stay in touch with your graduates. Each generation of graduates needs a method of communication that suits its expectations.
Major Gifts to Private Schools
The only way private schools can build their financial security is through gifts. Major gifts offer proof of how deeply many donors feel about their private schools. Their munificence is a wonderful example for others.
The E.E. Ford Foundation: An Inspiration For 21st Century Benefactors
We take a look at the enormous impact a private foundation can have on education.
Marketing Your School
SEO for Private Schools - Part I: Basics
If you are responsible for marketing your school, you probably have encountered the term SEO. If you are unfamiliar with SEO, this article will introduce you to the basic concepts.
SEO for Private Schools - Part 2: Content
SEO is an essential consideration for any private school. Getting it right will make your school easier to find. Great content is part of the solution.
SEO for Private Schools - Part 3: Using Social Media
Social media for private K-12 schools is a bit different from social media for businesses. Some tips and strategies here.
5 Ways To Use Social Media To Market Your School
We look at ways in which your small to medium-sized private school can use social media to make families past, present, and future aware of your school.
Elements of a Successful YouTube Channel
Running a small to medium-sized private school? Can't afford marketing staff and expensive marketing programs? Read on.
Small private schools often feel that they cannot afford to market their schools. Facebook is free. Here is how to use it effectively.
From the School's Perspective: Is Accreditation Necessary?
Becoming accredited involves a rigorous process of internal self-evaluation and external review. Is it worth it?
Making Social Media Work for Your School
An introduction to using Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest to promote your school.
Marketing the Small Private School: The First Steps
Some marketing resources and tips for small private schools with limited marketing budgets.This video offers tips on marketing your school.
Marketing the Small Private School: Communicating with Your Community
The foundation of any successful small private school marketing program is clear, consistent, and authoritative in-house communications. We take a look at what is involved in this second article on marketing the small private school.
Marketing Your School: How Visible Is Your School?
Your school's website and your social media sites are essential tools in your marketing program.
Digital marketing is effective and relatively straight-forward to implement. Here is an overview of remarketing, an essential component of any state-of-the-art marketing program.
Public Relations
Nobody likes bad press. Not the head of school. Not the parents. Not the teachers and staff.
Disaster Preparedness: How Prepared Is Your School?
Shootings, terrorist attacks, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, fire, and more are sadly commonplace happenings in the 21st-century. How prepared for the unthinkable is your school?
A safe school does not happen. A safe school is the result of a concerted effort on the part of your school community to have a safe school.
Board Matters
Hiring a headmaster is one of a board of trustees' most important jobs. Here's how one search firm handles the hiring process.
Developing a strategic plan is an exercise your school will probably undergo once a decade or so. Read what Alan Kennedy has to say on the subject.
School Strategic Planning - How To Ensure Success
Strategic planning is a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future.
Signs That Your School Might Be Failing
https://www.privateschoolreview.com/blog/signs-that-your-school-might-be-failing
Signs that your school might be failing don't suddenly appear all at once like a flashing neon sign. Instead, they appear gradually over weeks, months, and years. We explore the warning signs and offer some suggestions to mitigate them.
Does Your School Avoid Politics?
Does your school avoid politics? You might want to make sure it does if you are set up as a non-profit corporation.
There's much more to running a small private school than offering excellent academics and teaching. Be sure to check under the hood regularly to make sure everything keeps running smoothly.
How Sustainable is Your School?
How sustainable is your school and its business model? We examine some of the elements of a sustainable school.
Thinking about starting your own school? Here's an outline of what's involved.
Taking over the Struggling School: Before You Sign On
First of a series of articles on managing struggling schools. In this article, we discuss what you need to do before you sign on.
Questions? Contact us on FAcebook. @privateschoolreview
