School Advancement Institute Files-Building Your Narrative

Building Your Narrative

Pdf Summary

The document is a presentation guide by Christina Holt, Assistant Head of School for Advancement at Episcopal High School, focused on the importance of crafting and articulating a school's narrative to support advancement efforts. The document explains that a school's narrative plays a crucial role in forming and maintaining relationships with stakeholders, including alumni, parents, and potential donors. Authentic storytelling captures the essence of the institution’s mission and strategic priorities, enhancing school pride and financial support.<br /><br />The session outlines 'advancement' as a process of progression and establishing connections with individuals and organizations that align with the school’s goals. It emphasizes that when individuals choose to support a school, they connect meaningfully with its values, highlighting the need to articulate these effectively.<br /><br />To develop a school’s narrative, the presentation suggests discovering the elements that make the school unique, crafting core messages, and developing language that resonates with the school's community. This involves reading existing materials to capture tone and mood, and engaging with the school environment to observe its pace and atmosphere. Listening to feedback from various constituencies—such as alumni, students, and parents—is critical to capture what they value about the school.<br /><br />Developing core messages involves articulating the school's fundamental beliefs, actions inspired by those beliefs, and the underlying reasons, as illustrated by examples like the school’s commitment to honor and diversity. These core messages can be used for alumni engagement, parent communication, admissions, and fundraising, to ground the strategic vision in the school’s timeless values.<br /><br />Ultimately, a strong narrative fosters deeper connections, enhances support, and effectively communicates the school's unique identity and mission. The document concludes with an invitation for further questions and offers contact information for Christina Holt.

Keywords

school narrative

advancement

stakeholder relationships

authentic storytelling

strategic priorities

core messages

alumni engagement

parent communication

fundraising

Christina Holt