Halladay Education Group Inner Circle eZine - March 6, 2007

Hi Inner Circle Member:

Well, I thought I’d be announcing the launch of my new and improved web site this week, but it looks like it will be another week...sigh. In the end, the wait will be worth it. The site will be more interactive, informative, and will have an Online Store, where you can invest in products that will help you start your own private or charter school, or develop your own strategic plan like the pros.

Right now I’m also working on a School Formation Toolkit with an additional 10-CD set that will help people start their own school...I’ll keep updated on when it will be available.

Right now, I'm helping out my daughter’s choir group, providing advice on how to put together their 2^nd Gala Dinner and Silent-Live Auction. Last year we put together the 1^st dinner/auction and raised over $20,000. That’s going from an organization with no history of fundraising to putting together an event and culture where people were thrilled to give and give even more. Well, this year our goal is to double that, while fine tuning what has already been done.

For any organization, be it a new or existing school, or non-profit, fundraising is the life blood of the organization. And it starts right from the top. The board of governors needs to demonstrate their belief in the organization by being good role models and giving at a level that reflects their excitement in what the school or non-profit is doing. Trust me, as someone whose led and participated in a lot of annual and capital campaigns, you need the board to lead the way. Without their financial endorsement others will look around and say, “If they won’t do it, why should I?” And it’s true, so don’t be cheap.

Well, today as you’ve probably guessed, I’m going to talk more about how to put together a Fundraising Plan to start a school. It’ll be a 2-part eZine story, with the 1^st installment today.

Now before you delete the email, there are a lot of commonalities in the mechanics of raising funds for a new school that can be directly applied to an existing school or non-profits.

So if you can spare about 3 minutes in your busy day, please read on.

Enjoy,

Doug Halladay
President

Halladay Education Group Inc.
4316 Arthur Drive, Ladner (Delta), BC, Canada, V4K 2W8
C: 604.868.0002 / F: 1.866.472.8737 / E: info@halladayeducationgroup.com
Skype (free Internet calling): dhalladay1
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

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In This Issue

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1. Your Fundraising Plan for a New School

2. Inner Circle Jokes of the Week (come on, you like them!) ;>)

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1. Fundraising Plan For A New School

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INTRODUCTION

Fundraising for founders of new private schools is a vital role. Without adequate fundraising from the start, a new school will not be able to open. For a new school, startup costs will be an overwhelming focus. Founders will need to raise enough money to pay the:

• Initial administrative salaries during the planning phase
• Purchase or lease land and facilities, architect’s fees, renovations, permits, etc.
• Capital goods, equipment, computers, internet, library resources, and furniture
• Admissions and marketing expenses
• Advertising and recruiting faculty
• Fundraising expenses

COMMUNITY AWARENESS

It’s vital in your first step to educate your community about the fiscal necessity of fundraising. Parents need to understand early on in the process that they will be EXPECTED to contribute beyond tuition. If not there will be lower fundraising yields and increased parent resentment, and they will feel less compelled to give. And of course, there will be fewer resources in the classroom. It’s as simple as that.

Private school tuition can never cover all the costs of operations. And when you’re starting a new school, you’ll need to raise even more funds to cover the initial startup costs (marketing, salaries, etc), and a capital campaign to build your school. A school like Sage Hills School near L.A. raised $30,000,000 over 2 years to build their school. As the founding Head, Clint Wilkins pointed out, you need to know what you’re raising the money for, how much, and then get out there and raise the money. CULTIVATE – EDUCATE – SOLICIT.

IDENTIFY YOUR FUNDRAISING NEEDS

But before you start to develop a fundraising plan and case, you need to spend time figuring out how much money you think you will need. When putting together an estimate, you need to be realistic and conservative, not counting on promised goods or services until you have them. Unanticipated costs should also be budgeted as a necessary precaution. The estimate should be detailed as possible to ensure all expenses are determined. The fundraising campaign itself will cost money:

• Publications
• Staffing
• Events

A good rule of thumb is that expenses will consume 5% of the fund-raising goal.

FUNDRAISING CASE

The first maxim in fundraising is to “know yourself” -- your “Fundraising Case.”

To be able to present a plan for a new school convincingly and compellingly, you need to flesh out your ideas. You need to have clear “vision” and “mission” statements of what the school is to become.

Also, you need to have a strong sense of how much money it will take to make your school a reality.

Part of the process in developing your Fundraising Case is to initially develop a higher level strategic plan. The central purpose of the strategic planning is to develop, confirm, or modify the organization’s mission ‑‑ its purpose and values – and be in agreement with a vision of what the organization wants to be and do in the coming years. Without a vision of success, organizational members may not know enough to fulfill the mission.

MISSION: Your mission clarifies an organization’s purpose, or why it should be doing what it does

VISION: Your vision clarifies what it should look like and how it should behave as it fulfills it mission.

CORE VALUES: With the core values, they encompass an organization’s fundamental purpose, philosophy, and values.

The mission (what’s your business) and vision (what you’re committed to) statements summarize your organization’s purpose, direction, and values (what you believe). While they may be brief, the information compressed in the mission and vision statements is concentrated and crucial. They constitute the DNA of the organization – the master templates from which specific actions and programs evolved.

Once the “visioning” of the strategic plan is developed, founders should then develop their case statement to identify and justify the school’s needs for capital support. The case statement should be concise, clear, and compelling. It should capture the founders’ passion and image of the school they envision. It will delve into how much money is needed and how those funds will be spent. Ideally, it will break done the total amount into specific ways for donors to give and will present various opportunities for donor recognition. The case should answer who, what, why, when, and how – about the needs the campaign will meet.

Next week we’ll finish off with the 2^nd installment on fundraising for a new school, looking at the “Fundamentals of a Case for Support” and the “Phases of Fundraising.”

If you would like more information about STARTING YOUR OWN SCHOOL call me at 1-604-868-0002 or email me at info@halladayeducationgroup.com , or go to: http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/services.php?sub=school_formation#topheader

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2. Inner Circle Jokes of the Week

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GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your Mum is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:

1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fibre, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD

1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.

SUCCESS:

At age 4 success is . . . not piddling in your pants.

At age 12 success is . . . having friends.

At age 17 success is . . having a drivers license.

At age 35 success is . . having money.

At age 50 success is . . . having money.

At age 70 success is . .. . having a drivers license.

At age 75 success is . . . having friends.

At age 80 success is . . . not piddling in your pants.

Smile and enjoy your day.

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To your success,

Douglas Halladay
President and Founder

4316 Arthur Drive, Ladner, BC, Canada, V4K 2W8
P: 604.868.0002/F: 868.472.8737/Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

P.S. If you like these tips, please feel free to pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.

P.P.S. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE MY ECOURSE ON STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND NON-PROFITS?

So far, more than +100 educators and non-profit leaders have signed up for my complimentary 10-part email mini-eCourse entitle, "Strategic Planning: The 10 Steps To Success." If you're not one of them, do it now. It provides a clear overview of the fundamentals needed to develop your own strategic plan and many secret short-cuts to ensure that you’re on track.

Sign up here by emailing the following address and putting in your subject, “Sign me up for the 10-part Strategic Planning mini-eCourse”:

info@halladayeducationgroup.com

Halladay Education Group’s Inner Circle eZine - Feb 26/07

Hi Inner Circle Member:

Whew, I’m just coming up for air right now. I’m working with my webmaster to finish off developing my new web site, and I hope to launch it the middle of next week. It’s a much more interactive site, with additional free information on how to lead and operate your existing private school, as well as how to start your own school. One unique service I’m including in the “new look” website is an “Online Store.” You’ll be able to invest in a number of products including my Webinar Series on ‘Starting Your Own School’ (K-12, Charter, Junior, Senior, or College). I’ll also be allowing you to invest in my Strategic Planning Toolkit, where you’ll be able to learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan like the pro’s with an easy to follow, step-by-step, all-in-one Toolkit containing a 101 page Manual and 98 page Workbook, and 4 CD’s, including a powerful Power Point presentation to walk you through the entire process. I want to get this into as many hands as possible, so I’ll being discounting the first 100 that go out.

On a parallel note, I’m also optimizing my web site so that it’s search engine friendly. For those techies out there, that means aligning my key words with the Meta tags and copy for each web page. Yep, I know, your eyes are starting to glaze over (I call this ‘screen saver’), so I won’t talk too much more on this topic. But I do want to emphasize that every one of you should not only have a web site, but you should make sure that it’s optimized so that your clients (parents, students, staff, alumnae, friends) can find your it in a natural search (using your key words) – you should test this theory right now (did you turn up on the 1^st page?). I used to think it was magical process and that over time the search engines would find my school’s web site ‑‑ they would just follow the yellow brick road. But I was wrong. It’s not that easy; not with over a billion web sites out there to search through. So you do need to spend more time with your techie ensuring that your web site is attractive, informative, validates to your current parents why they chose your school, inspires potential parents/students to select your school, and is search engine friendly so that people can find your site.

Today I’m going to talk about a topic that is a challenge for many private schools and non-profits. It’s the working relationship between the Head-Principal-Executive Director and the Board.

Enjoy,

Doug Halladay

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In This Issue

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1. The Head-Board Relationship

2. Inner Circle Jokes of the Week

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1. The Head-Board Relationship

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OVERVIEW:

Based on my professional research on the common attributes of effective schools, one of the most critical elements is a strong and healthy Board-Head relationship, and their joint efforts to achieve the mission and strategic plan of the private school.

Exceptional boards govern in an interdependent partnership with their CEO. They recognize that they can’t govern well without the CEO’s collaboration and the CEO can’t lead the organization to it full potential without the board’s support. However, in less than stellar schools, there can be an oppositional atmosphere and an unclear understanding of roles and responsibilities. You have blurred boundaries and confused roles. And what do you get...a private school unable to achieve its mission.

It’s important to understand the role that the Board and Head have in achieving the mission and goals of the strategic plan. The Board’s role is to develop the strategic, long-range plans for the school; “directing/developing” goals and policy, monitoring their implementation. The Head’s role is to lead the “operations” side to implement the goals/policies, with the Head and staff being held accountable for meeting Board expectations, which is clearly outlined and monitored within the goals/policies.

However, in small schools, new private schools, or schools where the boundaries or roles and responsibilities have blurred or overlapped, this may not be the case. In effective schools, Board members develop goals and policies with the assistance of the Head, and do not get down in the trenches (the operational side). However, in some limited cases, a Board member may have knowledge and a passion for a specific skill that may benefit the school (a skill that the school staff does not have or the school cannot finance); skills that the school may want to tap into and to provide staff access to.

However, this next tip is critical --> Board members need to make sure that they don't overstep and over commit themselves, and cross over from the strategic side (Board) to the operations side (management).

At a Board level, a goal should be achievable, measurable, relevant, and timely, with it being implemented by the Head and the staff. But since a Board member may have an "advisory role", there is a need to make sure that there is no confusion over the "chain-of-command". It is important to ensure that the Board's authoritative position and its obligation to its constituency be maintained, even when it is in the position to give advice, that by definition may or may not be heeded (e.g., do staff members put themselves in jeopardy if they do not heed it?).

FUNDAMENTAL RULES:

Good Board-Head delegation can be characterized by 4 simple rules:

(1). The Board will express its instructions and expectations only as a group, not as individuals or committees;

(2). The Board will express its instructions and expectations only to the Head, never to persons who work for the Head;

(3). The function and agenda for a Board committee be developed jointly with the Head.

(4). Advice to staff from Board members can be workable with sound ground rules. Since the Board can only instruct the Head when it does so as a group, nothing an individual Board members says can have instructional authority. Thus, Board member advice is fine, but commands are not. So advice can be considered by staff on its merits alone.

SUMMARY:

It’s important to ensure that the line between “instructing” (which a full Board does) and “advising” (which Board member can do) does not get blurred and confusing for the Head and staff. The unintended result is that the staff ends up working not for the Board or Head per se, but for various sources of "advice", which they can never be completely sure is really only advice. Staff members are not inclined to tell Board members that their advice is unhelpful. Would you tell your ‘boss’ that their advice or assistance is not working? Probably not.

In other words, the Board “directs/develops” goals and the Head/staff control the "processes", and the Board members wear his/her "instructional hat" at the Board meetings only, not at the committee level. Thus the Head/staff is held accountable for meeting Board expectations (clearly outlined in the goals/policies of the Board’s strategic plan), not the individual Board members or the committees.

It’s important to make sure that the staff is free to review the advice and make the appropriate choices (processes) needed to accomplish the goals. Hence, a Board member’s place on a committee is two fold:

(1). Providing feedback to the Board for the development of goals/ policies (governing) at the Board meeting level;

(2). Advising, with the Head/staff making the final decisions on the processes to achieve the goals/policies, being careful of the balance between the two.

When you have a small school or a start-up, everyone chips on to help out. You may not have a lot of money to support your vision (e.g., computer technician, accountant, lawyer, marketing), so members of the board help out, where normally a staff member or a consultant would do the job. This can be great: you save money; there is pride and buy-in. But what happens if the job they are doing isn’t working out? Who tells the board member to either improve what they are doing, or stop it completely? Hmm, is it the Head? He or she would be dealing with a board member’s poor performance...people’s feelings may be hurt. Trust I’ve been there, I know it can be difficult. So if you do go down this road, make sure that you’ve clearly outline the boundaries and roles of the individual board member, and what to do if the operational task they’re performing doesn’t work out. You don’t want a board member to quite over it, but neither do you want to go against the principles of effective schools and board governance.

If you would like more information about my Board Performance Workshop call me at 1-604-868-0002 or email me at info@halladayeducationgroup.com , or go to: http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/services.php?sub=online_assessments#topheader
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2. Inner Circle Jokes of the Week

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COMEDIAN STEVEN WRIGHT FOR THE MOMENT

What's another word for thesaurus?

I installed a skylight in my apartment.... The people who live above me are furious!

I used to work at a factory where they made hydrants; but you couldn't park anywhere near the place.

I got my driver's license photo taken out of focus on purpose. Now when I get pulled over, the cop looks at it (moving it nearer and farther, trying to see it clearly), and says, "Here, you can go."

And when I get real, real bored, I like to drive downtown and get a great parking spot, then sit in my car and count how many people ask me if I'm leaving.

FUN FACTS OF THE MOMENT

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive from each salad served in first-class.

The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for blood plasma

No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven (7) times. Oh go ahead...I'll wait...

Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

Most dust particles in your house are made from DEAD SKIN!

Walt Disney was afraid OF MICE!

It is possible to lead a cow upstairs... but, not downstairs.

A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.

Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. (I keep my toothbrush in the living room now!)

And the best for last..... Turtles can breathe through their butts.

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To your success,

Douglas L.J. Halladay

=======================================================

President and Founder

4316 Arthur Drive, Ladner, BC, Canada, V4K 2W8

P: 604.868.0002/F: 868.472.8737/Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

P.S. If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.

P.P.S. HAVE YOU RECEIVED MY ECOURSE ON STARTING YOUR OWN SCHOOL?

So far, more than +300 educators and non-profit leaders have signed up for my complimentary 15-part email mini-eCourse called "15 Critical Steps To Starting Your Own School." If you're not one of them, do it now. I provide a clear overview of the fundamentals needed to start your own PreK-12 school or Post Secondary Institution and many secret short-cuts to ensure that you start the school of your dreams – there’s no second chance to make a first impression on opening day.

Sign up here by emailing the following address and putting in your subject, “Sign me up for the 15-part email mini-eCourse”:

info@halladayeducationgroup.com

Halladay Education Group’s Inner Circle EZine Newsletter - Feb 05/07

Hello Inner Circle Member:

I had a fantastic weekend aside from the washout with the Super Bowl (did people really pay $1000 a ticket to sit in the rain for 4 hours?). On Saturday I was a presenter at the 10th Annual Art & Culture Symposium in North Vancouver, BC, where I presented my highly effective board governance workshop, “The 12 Pillars of Exceptional Boards.” For those that attended, they had a very kind words to share about their time, finding out where their board’s performance stood, and how to improve. I shared with the attendees what it takes to move their board from ‘good’ to ‘exceptional.’

Here's what a few of them had to say about my Board Governance Work Shop:

“Clear, incisive, thoughtful and educational –- lots of really structured information for non-profits. I would absolutely recommend that organizations with concerns about board development and organizational capacity building take the opportunity to attend the workshop. It was an exceptional learning outcome.” – John Rice (District of North Vancouver)

“An invaluable resource and much needed first step” – Caroline Farquhar (Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists)

“I learned a lot that I wish I knew several committees ago” – Monica Craver (Municipal Citizens Advisory Committee)

“I found it very informative in its breakdown and detailed consideration of relevant governance issues” - DH

“I would recommend this workshop. It demonstrated the importance of strategic planning and how to implement with the CEO and Board an effective working relationship…10 out of 10!” – Peggy Heywood (North Vancouver Arts Council)

“Very well presented, clear, useful information” – Janet Moi (North Vancouver Community Arts Council)

Well, since you weren’t able to attend the workshop, I thought I should at least share some of the key points that will help you improve the performance of your board.

And for those of you who emailed me about the last ‘Inner Circle EZine Newsletter,’ there will be the all important Jokes of the Week.

P.S. If you want to see this eZine in a much more attractive format, you can read it and the last issue at my BLOG at:

http://www.halladayeducationgroupinnercircle.blogspot.com/

Enjoy,

Doug Halladay

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In This Issue
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1. The 12 Pillars of Exceptional Board Performance

2. Inner Circle Jokes of the Week

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1. The 12 Pillars of Exceptional Board Performance
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Are you an Exceptional Board? You know it and you can see it...exceptional boards stand out. But what makes these boards tick? What’s their secret?

Exceptional boards have a set of common attributes that clearly separates them from others. Today’s article reveals the “12 Pillars of Exceptional Boards,” and how your board can improve their own performance from ‘good’ to ‘exceptional.”

But first, let me ask you a few question, “what do exceptional boards look like?” For many of them they:
- Exceed fundraising campaigns
- There is a waiting list for board seats
- They have bright trustees doing significant work
- Well attended board meetings
- Low turnover in CEO and Chair positions
- Mission focused for next generation
- There’s a plan & they stick to it

But these are the outcomes of exceptional board performance. What attributes or ‘Pillars” do you have to put into place to get there?

Good boards are:
- Competent Stewards
- Focus on fiduciary oversight
- Ensure their organization comply with law
- Act with financial integrity
- Operate effectively & ethically

However, exceptional boards:
- Add active engagement and independent decision making to the oversight function
- Members are open and honest with each other and the Chief Executive
- Passionately challenge and support efforts in pursuit of the mission and their community

Let me ask you, does your board exhibit any of the following:
- Trustee behavior that is unproductive and not in alignment with your mission
- Board agenda that’s controlled by crisis rather than a clear vision
- Lack of a plan or goals that result in no annual board agenda, committee goals, or operational plan
- Board committees that exist only because they have always been there, not because they are needed
- No link between budget, programs, or a long-term plan
- Blurring of boundaries and channels between the roles of the Board and Administration
- Board commitment is greater than you would like it to be and has become too taxing and stressful
- Inability to attract new trustees
- Poor turn-out at board meetings or AGM’s

If you answered yes to the any of the preceeding, then you need to keep on reading and find out how many of the following Pillars your Board has and fix it.

12 PILLARS OF EXCEPTIONAL BOARDS

===> Pillar 1: MISSION-FOCUSED: Exceptional boards share & uphold the mission, articulate a compelling vision, & ensure congruence between strategy, core values, & day-to-day operations.

===> Pillar 2: STRATEGIC: Exceptional boards engage constantly in strategic thinking that focuses the organization’s direction & is driven by their strategic plan.

===> Pillar 3: INTERDEPENDENT: Exceptional boards govern in an interdependent partnership with their CEO.

===> Pillar 4: OUTCOME FOCUSED: Exceptional boards are results-focused, measuring progress towards the mission by evaluating their organization’s & their own performance.

===> Pillar 5: OVERSIGHT: Exceptional boards have systems of oversight set up that uphold an ethical code of conduct & disciplined compliance.

===> Pillar 6: ANALYTICAL: Exceptional boards establish a culture of mutual respect, inquiry, trust, & constructive debate that leads to sound shared decision making.

===> Pillar 7: AUTONOMOUS: Exceptional boards are independent minded, & put the interests of the organization before their own.

===> Pillar 8: TRANSPARENT: Exceptional boards sustain a culture of transparency by ensuring that donors, stakeholders, & public have access to appropriate information regarding finances, operations, & performance.

===> Pillar 9: RESOURCEFUL: Exceptional boards balance their vision & plans directly to their financial resources.

===> Pillar 10: BEST PRACTICES: Exceptional boards purposely structure themselves to fulfill essential governance duties & support organizational priorities.

===> Pillar 11: SELF-DEVELOPMENT: Exceptional boards embrace continuous learning, evaluating their own performance & assessing the value they add to their organization.

===> Pillar 12: RENEWAL: Exceptional boards energize themselves through planned turnover, attentive recruitment, & inclusiveness.

How did you score?
1). If you scored less than 6 you need to go back and seriously focus on your board’s performance

2). If you scored between 7 -10 you’re heading in the right direction but you need to set a plan of action

3). If you scored 11 or more you only need to fine tune and you should be up here!

What’s your next step?

Well, remember the old adage, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” If you board did not score too well with the 12 Pillars, you need a plan of action. I would encourage you to seriously consider my BOARD PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP. It provides:

1). A confidential 360° Online Board Self-Assessment Questionnaire for each board member and administrator that analyzes critical governance issues
2). A report that summarizes the questionnaire results
3). A retreat where the issues that are identified in the questionnaire are analyzed and resolved
4). Board members participate in case studies that evaluate ‘Best Board Practices’
5). Facilitated board workshop to assist the board in developing an action plan to improve their performance
6). Written summary of the board’s key issues & the action plans to improve their performance

The Online Board Survey focuses on:
- Mission & Purpose
- Strategic Planning
- Programs & Services
- Financial Resources
- Fiscal Oversight
- Risk Management Policies
- Support & Review of CEO
- Relationship between Board & Staff
- Public Image
- Selection & Orientation of New Board Members
- Organization & Efficient Operation of the Board
- Board Committees & Task Forces

BENEFITS OF THE BOARD PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP:
- Identify vital areas of board operation that need attention
- Prepare for a Strategic Plan or major Fundraising Campaign
- Serve as an effective orientation & inclusion process for new board members
- Build trust, respect, team-work, & communication amongst board members & the CEO
- Ensure that all board members have a shared understanding their roles & responsibilities, & how to operate & behave as an effective board
- Enable individual board members to work more effectively as part of the team
- Identify & reach consensus on critical issues before they become a crisis specific priorities
- Develop & energize your board — ensure a common vision, utilize talent & stability

If you would like more information about my Board Performance Workshop call me at 1-604-868-0002 or email me at info@halladayeducationgroup.com , or go to: http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/services.php?sub=online_assessments#topheader

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2. Inner Circle Jokes of the Week
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GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your Mum is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD
1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions. 6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.


If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.

To your success,

Douglas L.J. Halladay
=======================================================
President and Founder
4316 Arthur Drive, Ladner, BC, Canada, V4K 2W8
P: 604.868.0002/F: 868.472.8737/Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

P.S. HAVE YOU RECEIVED MY ECOURSE ON STARTING YOUR OWN SCHOOL?

So far, more than +300 educators and non-profit leaders have signed up for my complimentary 15-part email mini-eCourse called "15 Critical Steps To Starting Your Own School." If you're not one of them, do it now. I provide a clear overview of the fundamentals needed to start your own PreK-12 school or Post Secondary Institution and many secret short-cuts to ensure that you start the school of your dreams – there’s no second chance to make a first impression on opening day.

Sign up here by emailing the following address and putting in your subject, “Sign me up for the 15-part email mini-eCourse”:
info@halladayeducationgroup.com

Inner Circle eZine - January 26 - 2007

HAVE YOU RECEIVED MY ECOURSE ON STARTING YOUR OWN SCHOOL?

So far, more than +300 educators and non-profit leaders have signed up for my complimentary 15-part email mini-eCourse called "15 Critical Steps To Starting Your Own School." If you're not one of them, do it now. I provide a clear overview of the fundamentals needed to start your own PreK-12 private school or Post Secondary Institution and many secret short-cuts to ensure that you start the school of your dreams – there’s no second chance to make a first impression on opening day.

Sign up here by emailing the following address and putting in your subject, “Sign me up for the 15-part email mini-eCourse”:

info@halladayeducationgroup.com

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I hope your start to 2007 has been propitious and that the goals you’ve set for the New Year have begun to unfold. On a personal note, our fair city of Vancouver has survived a multitude of severe record-breaking weather. So far this winter we’ve set records for the wettest November, the wettest single day, floods, the windiest day (+150 kph), brown tap water and a boil-water advisory, and two snow storms. As they say in Vancouver, just wait 15 minutes, and the weather will change. However, we’ve nothing to complain about today…we’re into our 4 sunny day since October!!! Well it’s Friday, and it’s boy’s night. I’m going to head off to the movies with my 7 year old son to see the movie, “Happy Feet.”

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In This Issue

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1. Developing a Feasibility Study For Your New School

2. Setting Your Tuition

3. Transforming Your Board Structure

4. Inner Circle Jokes of the Week

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1. Developing a Feasibility Study for Your New School

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I’m really impressed by the people who call me up to find out more about how they can start their own school; be it a Preschool, K-12, college, institute, or university. It truly takes courage to take that bold step and start something brand new. For those who’ve never started their own school, you have no idea how many cogs there are in the wheel of school formation, nor the emotions involved; parents staking their child’s education on an entity that doesn’t even exist yet.

After I listen to the folks and hear what kind of school they envision, I always ask them whether they’ve done a “feasibility study” yet. In other words, have they completed an in-depth analysis of the market to determine whether there is demand by the community for the niche program(s) the school is offering?

The old line from the movie “The Field of Dreams” stated...”if you build it, they will come.” Wellllll, this sentiment isn’t true in starting schools. You and your steering committee need to sit down and honestly evaluate whether there is a need in the community for your school. This is referred to as the feasibility study.

For some a feasibility study can be an informal appraisal of the need or it can be a formal written questionnaire and/or survey. The latter will provide you much more detail and disclose to a greater degree the commitment of your community to the type of school you are planning to develop (e.g., the mission, vision, core values, education philosophy, curriculum, facilities).

When you look closely at the results of your study (the hard data), your steering committee will have a more reliable picture of what your community wants, and whether there really is a demand that can sustain your investment (time and money). This approach takes the emotions out of the process.

The design and implementation of the study is critical to your success. You can design/implement it yourself, or you can retain a professional. Whatever approach you take you need to ensure that you determine the kind of information you need. This could include: your competition; level of interest in your area; demographics of parents and children; can parents afford the tuition; how grades levels should be offered; type of programs the parents are interested in; support for your type of school etc.

These are just a few of the many questions that need to be considered. However you design it, your feasibility study needs to provide you the critical data needed for future planning. Remember, it’s not “ready, shoot, aim.”

For more information about starting your own school, go to: http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/services.php?sub=school_formation#topheader

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2. Setting Your Tuition

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At this point in the school year, the Board of Trustees has probably set the tuition for the 2007-08 school year. In most schools, the approach to determine an increase in tuition is based on the incorrect philosophy of “how much can they bear.” Many trustees do all they can to hold tuition down at “bargain prices,” but this is wrong. Research in private school enrollment illustrates that parents select the school for their child because of the quality of the programs offered, and the convenience of the services delivered. Parents may have sticker shock with high tuitions, but at the end of the day the select the school for their child because of its services – academic, co-curricular, personal development, etc. When parents remove their child, it’s not because they can’t afford the tuition, it’s because the experience is no longer worth it; it’s no longer unique; or the quality of service just not justify the cost.

So when you’re determining the tuition for the next school year, base your decision on the quality, quantity, and convenience of services required by parents and students, not what the pain threshold is. Oh and by the way, base your tuition increase on the annual goals in your strategic plan. This is something that your community was involved in, bought into, and understands in its value to their school. So when you’re announcing the tuition increase, it’s not a surprise, and they will support it.

For more information on Strategic Planning go to:

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/services.php?sub=strategic#topheader

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3. Transforming Your Board Structure

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The committee structure a board chooses depends on its individual needs, its strategic plan, and the board’s and the organization’s stage of development. A new board may have a lot of committees because the organization most likely has no staff. A small or active board may not need committees at all. No matter what you committee needs are, the appropriate structure can be set up by the following 4 steps:

1). Pay attention to your board’s needs;

2). Give each committee terms of reference and measurable annual goals;

3). The executive committee selects chairs and members for each committee;

4). Annually evaluate each committee against its goals and the need for the committee.

There is nothing worse than to have standing committees that exist because they’ve always been there. That is the formula for disaster; without a purpose board members will find things to do, and it won’t always be on task or for the betterment of the school or the mission.

One simple solution is determine the committees needed for each school year based on the goals of the strategic plan, design the annual goals for each committee, select the chairs and committee members, and let this drive your boards agenda – with measurable goals.

For more information about board governance, go to:

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/services.php?sub=online_assessments#topheader

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4. Inner Circle Jokes of the Week

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WHY?

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting weak?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It’s all right?" Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That hurt, you stupid idiot?"

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you

To find out more about how we can help you, contact HEG by email or by phone at +1-604-868-0002.

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To your success,

Douglas Halladay

President and Founder

4316 Arthur Drive, Ladner, BC, Canada, V4K 2W8

P: 604.868.0002/F: 868.472.8737/Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com