Follow the Numbers: Using Admission Data to Build Strong Budgets

Posted on by Paul Drake

Forecasting enrollment – and therefore available tuition dollars – is tricky business. The predictive data points range from number of tours and applications, to the number of seats available in each classroom, and the percentage of those seats that are discounted through financial assistance or faculty discounts. There are even more nuanced “data” points such as community trends and “local buzz.” The Admission Director has an up-close and personal view of all these data points, and can therefore provide Boards with valuable insight as they create a budget for the following school year. In this session we will discuss how Admission and Boards can work together to forecast enrollment to build financially sound schools.

Amy Burgess

Amy Burgess is the Cohort leader for SCL's Admission and Marketing cohort, and the former Director of Admission and Marketing at Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth, TX. Amy started the Smart School Growth agency to help K-12 Classical schools reach their enrollment goals by using proven Admission and Marketing strategies. Schools are complicated “businesses.” The stakes are high, budgets are slim, and staffing is lean. Amy helps equip Admission and Marketing teams to clarify their schools' messages, tighten their marketing efforts, work with their Boards and School Heads to forecast enrollment (and therefore budgets), and enroll their faculty and staff in the mission to reach (and keep) more families.

Leslie Moeller

Leslie Moeller is the current Chairman of the Board of the Society for Classical Learning, former Chairman of the Board of the Geneva School of Boerne, current Board member of New Covenant Schools, former Head of Upper School at The Covenant School, and former Head of School at Geneva School of Boerne. Leslie has used her broad experience in teaching, administrative, and governance of classical, Christian schools as the basis for her consulting work with boards across the nation over the past 12 years.

All School Revenue Flows Through One Office: Advancement

Posted on by Paul Drake

Amy Burgess

Amy Burgess is the Cohort leader for SCL's Admission and Marketing cohort, and the former Director of Admission and Marketing at Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth, TX. Amy started the Smart School Growth agency to help K-12 Classical schools reach their enrollment goals by using proven Admission and Marketing strategies. Schools are complicated “businesses.” The stakes are high, budgets are slim, and staffing is lean. Amy helps equip Admission and Marketing teams to clarify their schools' messages, tighten their marketing efforts, work with their Boards and School Heads to forecast enrollment (and therefore budgets), and enroll their faculty and staff in the mission to reach (and keep) more families.

Time-Saving Tools for Admission/Marketing Professionals

Posted on by Paul Drake

Most school Admission/Marketing professionals have far more to do than they have time to accomplish. In this session, we’ll explore inexpensive (or free!) automation tools that can revolutionize the way you work. From website forms and automated emails, to scheduling tools and “sales flow” tracking for prospective families, we’ll find ways to save you time and hopefully make your job less stressful!

Amy Burgess

Amy Burgess was the Admission and Marketing Director at Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth, TX, before she became a full-time marketing consultant. She works with clients in a variety of industries, from solopreneurs to multi-million dollar corporations, giving them the marketing messages they need to connect with their target audiences. Amy believes CCE has the power to change not only individual lives, but society at large, by the grace of God. She is committed to taking her experience with corporate clients and putting it to work for the best schools in the country.

Retention Begins in Admission: Nurturing Long-Term Enrollment From Tour to Contract

Posted on by Paul Drake

In admissions, we’re usually thinking about how to recruit
new students to ll our empty seats. But is there a way to have fewer empty seats in the first place? Yes! While most of the responsibility for retention falls outside of the Admission Department’s control, we will discuss ways to raise your retention rates by nurturing new families toward a long-term vision with tours, admission events, parent interviews and orientation.

Amy Burgess

Amy Burgess is a corporate marketing consultant with a heart for growing classical Christian schools. She spent five years as the Admission/Marketing Director at Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth, Texas, and continues to support SCL’s efforts to grow the CCE movement by growing individual schools. She loves to take strategic marketing tools and ideas from the corporate world and translate them for the benefit of classical schools.