What's the most strategic set of actions you can take in your Enrollment Managment plans? For that matter, what's the most essential element of your school's success in educating students? Taking it a step further, what's the most critical ingredient in living the Christian faith? Without a doubt, nothing is more important than relationship building. Frank Donaldson, the founder of ISPD has been preaching this for many years. Frank equates Catholic Development as the meaningful involvement of people in the mission and vision of your Catholic school and/or parish. This same principal applies to Enrollment Managment.
What would happen if I decided to move into your community this summer? I have a nine year old that would need an elementary school and a fifteen year old that would need a high school. If I called you, e-mailed you, walked in your office, what would you do to build a relationship with my family so that we would enroll in your school?
I guarantee that if you take the following Prospect Inquiry Form and really work it, you will experience great success. Have whoever responds to the phone calls, e-mails, or walk-in traffic in your Catholic school complete the inquiry form to the best of their ability. If parts of the form are not completed on the first contact, then use subsequent contacts to fill in the blanks. The more you know about an inquiry, the more likely you will succeed in building a relationship that lasts.
Using the bottom section of the form to mark your progress through a series of contacts, there should be one goal in mind: to build a relationship that leads to enrollment. Here's what you will need to follow through on building these enrollment relationships:
- Telephone
- Computer
- Printer (Color printer is a plus, but not a neccessity.)
- Letterhead
- Envelopes
- Blue ink pens
- Email account
- Letters from a variety of parents, faculty and alumni
- Letter from person who administers your financial aid program
What's left to do? Build relationships using the following Prospect Inquiry Form.
Printable version of St. Example School Prospect Inquiry Form
Operation Connect Follow-up Tracking System
_____ Date of Initial Contact (be there for them)
_____ Date of Info Packet Mailed (immediately)
_____ Date of Faculty Letter Mailed or Emailed (grade or subject specific)
_____ Date of 1st Phone Call made (Call 4 or 5 times on different days/times until you actually connect.)
_____ Date of Parent to Parent Letter Mailed or Emailed (Make it personal.)
_____ Date of Financing Tuition Letter Mailed (Don't assume things and give hope.)
_____ Date of Call to ACTION Letter from Principal Mailed or Emailed (Ask for action but keep the door open.)
_____ Date of 2nd Follow-up Phone Call made (Again, make every effort to actually connect.)
Goal is always to encourage the prospect to come and personally visit with you at the school!
Reasons Why You May Not Follow this Advice
- Not enough time in the day to build relationships
- Don't think that you can find volunteers to help implement.
- Thinking that if the prospect were really interested, he/she would just enroll
- All this contact makes your school look too needy.
- Fear of rejection
- Always looking for that next prospect rather than talking to one who is knocking on your door right now
- Pessimistic attitude: "People will not like all this attention."
Reasons Why You Should Follow this Advice
- Jesus found the time to "relationship build" throughout His life, including the last days before he died on the Cross (the Last Supper).
- Volunteers will step up to help implement if you personally ask them.
- Enrolling students was a challenge before the economic crisis; prosepcts need more reasons to enroll today.
- We make all these contacts not just because we need registrations; we do it to evangelize our faith.
- Following on the Way of the Cross will help us overcome rejection as it did for Jesus.
- Focusing and paying attention to the prospect who is in front of you is how we respect the dignity of each person.
- We live in an increasingly impersonal world; prospects will appreciate the connections you make with them.