1. Best Practices for School Advisory Boards
Office of Catholic Schools
October 5, 2017
Liz Livingston Howard
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

2. Why Do You Need A Board?
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

3. Why You Need A Board Legal Requirement (for some!) Legacy
Support pastor & principal
Provide insight/connection to parents/stakeholders
Support the activities of the school
Help communicate to the community
Raise money
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

4. What Do Your Board Members Do?
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

5. What SHOULD Board Members Do?
Show up
Maintain confidentiality
Be honest
Participate fully in one or more committees
Give meaningful personal financial donation (+ matching gift)
Serve as an active ambassador
Secure resources for the organization
Constructively help the school grow
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

6. How Can You Help The Board Be More Effective?
Recruit the right people & onboard them effectively
Set clear expectations
Keep the agenda focused on strategic questions
Engage the board members individually and collectively
Connect them to other ministries of the parish
Thank them!
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

7. Who Are Your Board Members?
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

8. Recruiting Board Members
Who can you invite?
Parents
Alumni parents
Parishioners
Alumni
Community members
How do you invite them?
Bulletin
Word of mouth
Nominating Committee
What skills do you need?
Work
Weight
Wealth
Wisdom
How do you onboard?
Advance meeting
Share documents
Provide a mentor/buddy
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

9. Expectations Of Board Members
Attend meetings, committee meetings and events
Leave your affiliations at the door
Maintain confidentiality
Be honest but not confrontational
Financially contribute to the greatest extent you can
Ask difficult questions and listen to answers
Speak positively about the school
Partner with the pastor and principal
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

10. Strategic Focus What is strategic: What is not strategic:
Consent agendas
Planning conversations
Finance topics
Fundraising
Tuition
Catholic identity
Marketing
What is not strategic:
Personnel
Academic programs
Legal issues
Complaining about parish
Repeating committee conversations at the full board
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

11. Why Is Engagement Important?
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

12. How To Foster Engagement
Mission moments
Time for discussion
Appoint a “devil’s advocate” for each issue
Committees/task forces/opportunities for interaction
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

13. Specific Engagement Tactics
MARKETING
Help them create an elevator pitch
Ask them to be ambassadors
Identify opportunities to speak about your school
Host events to tell the story of the school
FUNDRAISING
Identify ways for them to share their network
Ask them to identify prospective donors
Jointly create goals
Encourage them to support school events
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

14. Connect School Board to Other Ministries
Joint meetings
Presentations at Parish Council, Men’s Club, Women’s Club, Etc.
Speak at mass (during CSW)
Engage with outreach ministries
Others???
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

15. How You Can Leverage Your Relationship With The Board
Select carefully (when possible)
Set clear expectations
Give them substantive things to do
Or they will create something 
Use their individual skills as well as the collective skills
Try to meet them individually occasionally
Thank them!!!!!
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

16. Questions
Liz Livingston Howard 2017

17. Kellogg Nonprofit Executive Education Programs
Created for nonprofit leaders and board members
Focused on leadership, general management and nonprofit topics
Held at Kellogg’s downtown Chicago campus in 2-3 day formats
School Leadership and Fundraising for School Leaders
50% scholarships for Office of Catholic Schools!!
Liz Livingston Howard 2017